> I'd appreciate hearing from others, especially those > who don't weigh in as regularly on these issues. Am > I off-base in my defense...too defensive? If > you feel this discussion is boring the list, please > email me off-list. If your comments are wider in > scope, I'll hang in here.
I know that you've encouraged off list responses, but hopefully this post has enough value to share. In short, I don't think you're off base. Well, at least not completely. Of course, due to your position, we must assume that you have some bias. Actually, everyone has some bias - it's whether or not they're open with it that is important. In your case, you're likely to have some defensiveness about your paper and your reporters. I believe that it is likely that the writer was an outsider to the homeless culture. As an outsider, the writer would be operating under some assumptions, stereotypes, and prejudices. It is highly likely that some of those assumptions / stereotypes / prejudices made it into the writing. Also being outside the culture, it may be difficult for you (or I) to see them. Those within the culture or closely attached to the culture will have faced these attitudes countless times before and will tend to attach malintent to them. At best, they'll feel that the offenses were made in ignorance. Of course, on the other hand, many stereotypes are based on something real. The problem is that people will discriminate against (or for) the entire group rather than seeing if the stereotype is true in each individual case. Adding to the difficulties discussing these things, anyone who looks at a group and mentions that a stereotype has merit will tend to take a lot of flak for doing it. Here, let me test that: I will assert that many homeless tend to have drug and alcohol problems, have mental health problems, beg for money - some honestly, some using lies, and tend to be relatively unclean. Does that make them any less human than I? No. Can I assume that any particular homeless person is a drunk or a druggie or has mental issues or begs or doesn't stay as clean as they can? No. The problem is, checking your stereotypes requires constantly consciously questioning your own beliefs. This is difficult for any of us to do, especially in areas where we don't know enough to know what we're assuming. That's the danger in propagating stereotypes in writing. If you feed them in society, in individuals, they grow, and whether it is because of personal experiences or nature, not everyone will be equipped to keep them in check. So, I'm willing to bet that you are a little off-base in your defense, somewhere. I'd be willing to bet that the story isn't perfect - some stereotypes or attitudes born of prejudice are in there. I'm also willing to bet that the author had good intent and that the story, for the most part, is a good one. If you (or better yet, the author) can identify those aspects of the story that may have been based more on stereotype than objective observation, it'd possibly be enlightening to all of us. - Jason Goray Sheridan NE Taking a firm stand in the middle of the road, hoping I don't get run down. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
