White Guy's Rant on Racism and Discrimination

Hi, I'm white and daring to talk to you about discrimination. But wait, don't click off the article yet! I think my opinion is fair and balanced- but not in a Fox News kinda way!

            At any rate, as far as racial discrimination I personally have not experienced it, but definitely have witnessed it in a general sense. As a white male it does pain me to admit that I have been in the company of other white men who have felt it appropriate to trade racial slurs about certain collective groups, or even specific people. Of course, this was done in the absence of anyone of color. Sadly, at a few jobs that I had when younger, these were often members of management who thought this way and expressed these thoughts with who was promoted into supervisory positions. I might add, it takes wisdom and tact (that I surely did not posses when younger) to be able to discuss the inherent wrong with racial preferences and stereotypes with co-workers. For instance at that time, I would not have been capable of properly articulating the fact that most views held regarding race are fabricated and that race itself is a social construct (Vietze, Jones, Dovidio, Sommers-Flanagan, & Sommers-Flanagan, 2017).

            Finally, on a personal level, growing up with cerebral palsy I have had a few incidents where I have been on the receiving end of discriminatory practices. For instance, during a job interview that required a physical, after disclosing I had cerebral palsy, I was made to go back and retake the physical, despite having passed the first attempt. This led me to cease disclosing my disability for many years thereafter. It was awkward and too difficult to explain easily. Moreover, even if was not treated differently in a negative way, I was overly helped along due to a perception of inability, which I’d argue, is almost as bad. Due to these experiences I can at least begin to see the reason why those that have the ability to not disclose something that might be...umm shall we say 'unaccepted' by the masses (such as sexual preference), choose not to do so. Naturally, this does little for those who cannot hide who they are, such as with race. However, in either case no one should be forced to deny their true selves but for the ignorance of another.   

References

Falender, C. A., Shafranske, E. P., & Falicov, C. J. (2014). Reflective practice: Culture in self and other. In C. A. Falender, E. P. Shafranske, & C. J. Falicov (Eds.), Multiculturalism and diversity in clinical supervision: A competency-based approach. (pp. 273–281). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. 

Vietze, D. L., Jones, J. M., Dovidio, J. F., Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Sommers-Flanagan, R. (2017). Ethics and Cultural Diversity in Mental Health & Wellness. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

An (American) Idiot Abroad

For the first time in my life I had the privilege of being able to travel to various parts of the United Kingdom / Northern Europe with my lovely new wife. What you might expect following that would be descriptions of various excursions we took during the trip, recounting the breathtaking sites seen, and an endless supply of anecdotes and pictures.  

However, that is not what I will be sharing today. So ha!

That's not to say it wasn't a marvelous trip- unlike any other I've ever taken in my life. I'll never forget it. What I will be sharing though is how eye opening my interactions with citizens of other countries turned out to be during this vacation.  

You might say I don't get out much- of the country that is- and during this trip I was finally exposed in person to folks from other places and their opinions regarding all things United States. You see, I've learned that the limited people that I had exposure to had a few key thoughts about the land of the good ole' red, white and blue. Some positive, some negative, as well as some with validation, and some without.  

Without further ado, I wanted to touch on a few...

TRUMP

Perhaps the most obvious would be the statements and general reactions that were made about President Trump. These were always colorful. For instance one gentleman from Denmark began giggling when he broached the topic, stating, "I want to thank your country for the endless entertainment you have provided us lately." To which a Canadian couple agreed, but also added, "Yes he's highly entertaining, as long as he doesn't start World War III."

Now of course this was merely casual jokes at the dinner table. However, it does make one recall the old adage, "a lot of truth is said in jest".

Throughout the cruise I was reminded that many individuals from other countries seem not to consider Trump dangerous as much as they seem to accept him as a side show act mixed with a dash of pity.  

AMERICAN EDUCATION / HEALTHCARE

We often found ourselves discussing the state of education in our respective countries. This forced us to review things like teacher wages, charter schools, as well as the rising cost of college. Several of the couples we met were from places that had the entirety of their schooling paid for, up to and including their doctorate degrees.  

Obviously this involved some level of chatting about taxation and the large role government plays in most of European society. A fellow from Holland summed it up quite nicely by saying, "Is our tax too high? Perhaps, I thought so as a young man just starting out. As you get older, have a family and life sort of happens around you, you begin to see that the cost is worth it when it comes to the bigger things. It ends up being one of the main benefits of the socialist’s mindset.”

“Oh wait a second now,” I joked, “You can’t say ‘socialist’ to an American, it’s like a swear word, we get angry for no reason, and start to break out in cold sweats.”

THE AMERICAN DREAM

The conversation that stands out to me the most during my time outside the U.S. is one I had with a cruise ship photographer from Argentina. With a mind full of these bits and pieces of foreigner’s thoughts on America, I felt overwhelmed by everything I had heard, and needed to ask a direct question in order to receive a direct answer.

I asked of him, “What is your opinion on America?”

He chuckled at my ignorance and perhaps my boldness all at the same time. He began in a languid accent, “I think for me most people hold America in high regard. Though not because the strength of its government. It is because of the strength of its people.”

He went on to explain to me that America still holds value as a place where anyone is capable of achieving. He added that statement does not hold true for many around the world.    

It was this conversation that resonated most with me as it made me think about the reputation we have amongst other countries in the world, and what a tremendous responsibility that can be. Going forward, I hope to remember that I carry a small part of that responsibility on my shoulders.

What's the deal with HB 2406?

1/26/2018

UPDATE 1/30/2018:Per the NASW's website has been updated to state that this issue will likely not move forward in the legislature! 

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO VOICED THEIR OPINIONS ON THIS MATTER!

For those of you of you that haven’t heard the Arizona House introduced HB 2406. This bill serves to deregulate many professions that fall under the oversight of the Board of Behavioral Health examiners. This bill would eliminate the need for professional licensure for the following practitioners: Social Workers, Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists, and Substance Abuse Technicians, Licensed Associate Substance Counselors and Independent Substance Abuse Counselors (National Association of Social Workers, 2018).

Simply put, the proposal is ridiculous.

This bill potentially threatens the legitimacy of those in the above listed helping professions. Moreover, if passed, it would negatively impact client’s ability to receive behavioral health services and have them billed through their insurance companies (Arizona Counselors Association , 2018).

This bill’s nefarious purpose will only impact the mental health and well being of many of Arizona’s diverse populations. This proposal would ensure that veterans, those suffering from addiction, families and married people in need (and many others) would be on their own for mental health services previously supported by their insurance.

The fact that this bill was even conceived by legislators, let alone introduced, is a slap in the face to Arizona citizens from ALL backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life.

Odds are that 87% of us will visit a behavioral health professional, in the guise of a counselor, social worker or therapist at some point in our lives. Statistically speaking that means you are likely to have been helped, or receive the help of at least one of these professionals who deserve fully recognized credentials for their technical training. If this bill continues to move forward I urge anyone and everyone reading this to rally on the side of your friends, and loved ones.

Voice your opinion to your local Arizona state representative!*

Feel free to circulate this post or the included links in order to spread the word.

*There is a link within the NASW resource below that can help you to locate your AZ State representative, if you are unsure who that person is, or how to reach them.

*taken from azleg.gov

Resources and related links

Arizona Counselors Association . (2018, January 22). HB 2406 - Elimination of Licensing of AZ Counselors. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from AZCA: http://www.azca.org/aws/AZCA/pt/sd/news_article/150859/_PARENT/layout_details/false

National Association of Social Workers. (2018). Legislative Alert. Retrieved January 26, 2018, from NASW: http://cqrcengage.com/socialworkers-az/home?0

AZ Legislature Page for HB 2406 - https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/70208?SessionId=119

#hithole

                First off, I’d like to start this post with a disclaimer:

                I typically do not get much into politics, which you could argue runs against my ideals as a social worker. However, before you judge, hear me out. Contemporary politics are more about party and profiteering, less about people, and certainly not about progress. This has been the case for years.

                Thus, my position as an American citizen is that if you are waiting for a politician (Republican, Democrat, whatever) or government entity to help you, then you are going to be sorely disappointed.  In the same vein, the social worker in me says that the best positioned person to help you is, well you. The tools of resiliency and empowerment go a long way towards bettering yourself.

                Sincerely,

                David I WriteStuff

                We now return you to your not-so-regularly scheduled rant…

*             *             *

                There has been a great deal of media attention given to President Trump and his [alleged] use of vulgarity and racially charged comments. As such, I felt obliged to weigh in on the current kerfuffle involving these [alleged] comments regarding certain lesser-developed countries during a meeting about DACA. Particularly, the President is stated to have remarked that certain countries, Haiti among them, were nothing but “shithole” countries. He [allegedly] went on to even question the very notion of why we would even consider letting in immigrants from these countries to the United States.

                There are three points I’d like to address about this:

                1) I have no doubt that Trump uttered these words       

                To begin, I have no doubt that President Trump would refer to any number of lesser-developed nations by the term “shithole”. He has demonstrated that his character and vocabulary are oafish and limited. Further, I can only hypothesis that he is the latest in a long line of government officials- perhaps even presidents- that have uttered similar sentiments in service to this country. To take things even a step further, I would argue that the majority of the American public likely holds these countries in the same dim view.

                That doesn’t make remarks like this okay, nor does it give Trump a pass. That makes these thoughts a bias inherent to a majority of Americans. This also means through education, and oh gee, I don’t know maybe meeting someone from Haiti, these myths can be dispelled.

                2) Circle of Trust

                Building on what I’ve said above, I believe that most everyone has said something in the heat of the moment that was perhaps off-color or inappropriate. Usually, the smart ones among us do so in a circle of close friends, family, or business acquaintances that we trust.

                What I mean is usually, when these things slip out, we apologize, and/or those around us know our character well enough to know that one statement does not, nor could not define us.

                Unfortunately, for the President he made the mistake of spewing whatever comments he made in front of those with which he had no rapport (It was in fact, a bi-partisan DACA meeting). That coupled with the fact that Trump has already had a questionable history when it comes to shall we say, “less-than-acceptable” (or accurate) statements. These things together create an environment where several around him are poised to react defensively.

                This leads us to a point where you now have Democrats and Republicans who attended the meeting bickering over what was said versus not said. This is equally as shameful as uttering the words themselves.

                3) Deny, deny, deny

                What disappoints me the most is the fact that as President, Trump seems incapable of admitting fault. This marks only the latest scenario in which he denies what he said, and tries to rewrite history, in spite of other people clearly being present.

                I learned early on in my business career that if you make a mistake, own up to it. It is only then that you can begin to correct the mistake. Not to mention, these two things are essential in improving your integrity, and reputation.

                Some detractors may ask, “But David, how do you know he said these horrible things? And if he didn’t why should he fess up to something he didn’t even do?”

                Elementary my dear readers; Trump denies (or attempts to outmaneuver) anything that flies back into his face as overly controversial in order to save face. In fact, he has a heaping track record of doing so, well before he took office. In fact, if it weren’t for denials, backpedaling and distraction that Twitter account of his would be nearly dormant.

               

                To close, I feel that President Trump would be truly amazed at how fast this “news story” would go away if he would just admit any wrongdoing and actually attempt to do so some follow-up in the name of self-improvement.  However, I won’t be holding my breath while waiting for him to do so.