I have really enjoyed the last few Values lectures on Race, Ethnicity and Gender. Its had me thinking in ways that I hadn’t considered before and has also just genuinely had me interested. Apart from the 9am starts and the 2 hour seating periods of course.

“”All human beings belong to a single species and are descended from a common stock. They are born equal in dignity and rights and all form an integral part of humanity”” (Giddens, Sutton 2013)

The term “Race”, scientifically, has been abandoned as a concept. It has been shut down. Isn’t that incredible? An age of racism and discriminative arguments has been thrown out as if it was a mouldy apple. Now, views are based on ethnicity and the social aspects of people’s lives and how they themselves identify. It’s great.

Really? Me?

I have been so hung up on a certain Mr. Derek Robertson’s statement that we are all racist, sexist and homophobic. We have been shaped by our society to feel certain ways about people. It hit like a bus. Does it make me a bad person however? No. How you act and behave makes us who we are. Although we’ve been shaped like this and moulded into this hunk of beef with thoughts and feeling that generally reflect that of our surroundings, in the words of Ke$ha, “We are who we are”. I’m sorry but it’s a quote that related.

We can establish ourselves, although we have been shaped this way, we can become who we want to be! This has honestly blown my mind. I’m an incredibly laid back person, I’m used to just going about my business and “meh”. I’ve already established myself in this life as a “weirdo” but an accepting “weirdo”.

What?

With all the political madness in America at the minute, the materials the Values module is teaching is really useful. It has helped me to understand (further) that certain candidates – not naming names, this isn’t a political rant – are broadcasting views from back in the “olden days” albeit ten times worse.

To finish my spiel

I have really enjoyed these lectures and think it’s like totally super important that we are all accepting and act as agents of kindness as teachers.

I wouldn’t want to teach a child and have them grow up to be a hateful person.  Let us all spread joy?

Magic

Wee reference: Giddens. A ,Sutton. P. (2013) Polity Publishing. Seventh edition. 139780745652931