Archive for July, 2006
Monsters Inc. and Fatherhood
I watched Monsters Inc. again tonight. It was my first time watching it as a father, a father of a daughter much like Boo in the movie. And I was touched, deeply touched. There are few joys greater than seeing one’s own daughter laughing, feeling safe, and feeling loved.
God, help me love.
Does “White” Make Right in the US?
For all my Caucasian friends and family- I am not trying to be derogatory in any way with this title (If I am, please let me know!).
This last weekend I gave a talk that included a discussion on race and multiculturalism. It got me thinking about a theory I have, one that I have not objectively tested or studied (perhaps you will know of a study- please let me know). The theory is basically this: in a community where one ethnicity is dominant in both size and power, in order for organizations to be regarded as socially “valid,” that one ethnicity needs to occupy some sort of leadership in the organization. So, for example- in a predominately latino neighborhood, in order for an organization to be valid in that context, a latino/a needs to have a leadership position. I think most of us would agree with this.
But here’s a slight twist. In the eyes of the US society as a whole, does a white/caucasian person need to be involved in order for the organization as a whole to seem more “valid”- to be seen as a more legitimate voice, to be taken more seriously by mainstream America- if there is caucasian leadership in the top positions?
As a non-Caucasian leader of a multicultural organization, sometimes I feel this to be true; I used to feel it a lot, but not recently. Perhaps I have a problem, an inferiority issue…
What do you think? Leave your opinion, and your ethnicity/race (if comfortable), in your reply.
YukonYucanUConn 