Comments on: You are They: Personal Responsibility in Combatting Prejudice and Teaching Intercultural Values http://interculturaltalk.org/2008/04/29/you-are-they/ Stereotypes in Advertising, Intercultural Communications, Multicultural Parenting Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:29:00 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: zwickchick http://interculturaltalk.org/2008/04/29/you-are-they/comment-page-1/#comment-11 zwickchick Thu, 01 May 2008 16:00:12 +0000 http://interculturaltalk.org/2008/04/29/you-are-they/#comment-11 Thank you for this post. I have been having similar reactions to my (significantly younger) sister's high school education at a private prep school. When I saw her at Thanksgiving, I asked her what books she had been reading in English. She - a sophomore - rattled off the usual canon - Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens. I immediately asked, "Have you read any female authors?" Her response was, "No, because we're studying 18th Century British literature." This left me feeling very glum. I tried to give her a quick history lesson, tossing out names like Bronte, Austen, Shelly, Wollstonecraft, but she hadn't realized these authors were of the same era and ilk as the male authors she'd been reading for class. So far, all I've done is buy her a small personal library of books by women authors, both from 18th Century Great Britain and from contemporary U.S. (Neale Hurtson, Morrison, Atwood, Walker) as well as some strong-women non-fiction short stories (like the funny and inspiring book "That Takes Ovaries!"). Reading books by and about women - especially teenage women - was a source of comfort, intrigue and mind-expansion when I was her age, and I am pretty appalled that in 2008 a prep school's English department has their female students reading only male authors. It's insidiously alienating to a teenage girl's experience of herself as well as her experience of what women are capable of contributing to literature (etc.). Your post reminds me that I can and should do more. Harping on her to read the books I bought her will only do so much. I want her to STUDY books by women authors. And prior to reading your post, I admit, I thought to myself, "I really can't do anything about this." Reaching out to her headmaster as well as the head of her school's English department and perhaps even trying to get in touch with other parents (I live in a different state thab my sister) might help. I really appreciate knowing there are concerned parents/relatives of school kids out there who are trying to make a difference in educational curricula. Thanks for the inspiration! Thank you for this post. I have been having similar reactions to my (significantly younger) sister’s high school education at a private prep school. When I saw her at Thanksgiving, I asked her what books she had been reading in English. She – a sophomore – rattled off the usual canon – Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens. I immediately asked, “Have you read any female authors?” Her response was, “No, because we’re studying 18th Century British literature.” This left me feeling very glum. I tried to give her a quick history lesson, tossing out names like Bronte, Austen, Shelly, Wollstonecraft, but she hadn’t realized these authors were of the same era and ilk as the male authors she’d been reading for class.

So far, all I’ve done is buy her a small personal library of books by women authors, both from 18th Century Great Britain and from contemporary U.S. (Neale Hurtson, Morrison, Atwood, Walker) as well as some strong-women non-fiction short stories (like the funny and inspiring book “That Takes Ovaries!”). Reading books by and about women – especially teenage women – was a source of comfort, intrigue and mind-expansion when I was her age, and I am pretty appalled that in 2008 a prep school’s English department has their female students reading only male authors. It’s insidiously alienating to a teenage girl’s experience of herself as well as her experience of what women are capable of contributing to literature (etc.).

Your post reminds me that I can and should do more. Harping on her to read the books I bought her will only do so much. I want her to STUDY books by women authors. And prior to reading your post, I admit, I thought to myself, “I really can’t do anything about this.” Reaching out to her headmaster as well as the head of her school’s English department and perhaps even trying to get in touch with other parents (I live in a different state thab my sister) might help. I really appreciate knowing there are concerned parents/relatives of school kids out there who are trying to make a difference in educational curricula. Thanks for the inspiration!

]]> By: MightyJames http://interculturaltalk.org/2008/04/29/you-are-they/comment-page-1/#comment-9 MightyJames Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:13:34 +0000 http://interculturaltalk.org/2008/04/29/you-are-they/#comment-9 Really, your last paragraph resonates with me. We have to get away from this mentality of having "ethnic appreciation day/week/month." It almost encourages people to have a tourist mentality about learning about other cultures. In some ways I think it serves to keep people from making that step toward "blending multiple perspectives into core learning." We still have a long way to go. Really, your last paragraph resonates with me. We have to get away from this mentality of having “ethnic appreciation day/week/month.” It almost encourages people to have a tourist mentality about learning about other cultures. In some ways I think it serves to keep people from making that step toward “blending multiple perspectives into core learning.” We still have a long way to go.

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