Difference+-+Tolerance

**Difference / Tolerance (bullying, racism - immigration, genocide, class structures, physical / mental disabilities value of life, culture, )**

Mickey Schallau, Peggy Sue Brown, Katie Madison

**Cultural Tolerance**
Discussion Questions
 * Ask students to share information they believe to be important about their culture that they would like others to know.
 * Ask students to address stereotype(s) or misinformation about their culture.
 * From positive and negative experiences shared, how do we learn about the culture of others?

Things to do:
 * Hold an in-class or schoolwide festival of cultural diversity. Encourage students to bring examples of food, clothing, music or art from their culture to school to __[|share]__ with others. Ask each student to explain the significance of what they brought and answer questions about their culture posed by other students.
 * Stage a poster contest around the theme of cultural diversity. Instruct students to create a poster that demonstrates people of different ethnic backgrounds coming together for a common activity. Display the posters and allow students to vote for their favorite.

**Racism**
INTRODUCTION TO TOPIC

An essential component of this semester’s theme of individual dignity involves accepting and embracing the differences among us, including race. Racism is defined as the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. The definition also includes prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on such a belief. Although racism may not exist as it did in the 1960’s, it still remains a significant social issue today.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

//Prom Night in Mississippi//

About the Film: In 1997, Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman offered to pay for the senior prom at Charleston High School in Mississippi under one condition: the prom had to be racially integrated. His offer was ignored. In 2008, Freeman offered again. This time the school board accepted, and history was made. Charleston High School had its first-ever integrated prom - in 2008. Until then, blacks and whites had had separate proms even though their classrooms have been integrated for decades. Canadian filmmaker Paul Saltzman follows students, teachers and parents in the lead-up to the big day. This seemingly inconsequential rite of passage suddenly becomes profound as the weight of history falls on teenage shoulders. We quickly learn that change does not come easily in this sleepy Delta town. Freeman's generosity fans the flames of racism - and racism in Charleston has a distinctly generational tinge. Some white parents forbid their children to attend the integrated prom and hold a separate white-only dance. "Billy Joe," an enlightened white senior, appears on camera in shadow, fearing his racist parents will disown him if they know his true feelings. PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI captures a big moment in a small town, where hope finally blossoms in black, white and a whole lot of taffeta. -David Courier, Sundance Film Festival

Video Links: Link to HBO Trailer media type="youtube" key="g2MhtN_C820" height="340" width="560"

Additional Clips from the Film media type="youtube" key="w62c23NGwF0" height="344" width="425"

Chance, a student from the film, discusses the first integrated prom media type="youtube" key="2A44D4Bmd5U" height="340" width="560"

Kashina, a student from the film, discusses race relations media type="youtube" key="ufn-BwtK91I" height="340" width="560"

//Confronting Racism in America- ABC News//

This video clip and article are part of an ABC News series titled “What Would You Do”?

Below is a description of the program for abcnews.com

What if you were walking through a park and you saw a couple get into a heated argument? The man didn't hit the woman, but seemed to be on the edge of physical violence and pushed her. Or, imagine if you were in your neighborhood convenience store, and you saw a brazen shoplifter at work. The shop owner's not a friend, but she's always been friendly to you. What would you do? Would you think you had an obligation to intervene? What do you think others would do? The answers to these questions may surprise you. For many people, they can be ethical gray areas -- situations where there's not a clear enough reason to act. "Primetime" sent a crew of cameras and actors to stage the scenarios and see how people would behave, and talk to them afterward to explain why they behaved the way they did. This particular segment focuses on racism in America. There is a written article and a video segment. There are also many links to other similar segments focusing on racism.

Link to Videos http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/story?id=6551048&page=1

SUGGESTED DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1) Why do you believe racism still exists in America in 2009? 2) Have you ever witnessed or been a victim of racial discrimination? How did you feel? 3) What is a stereotype? How do stereotypes contribute to racism? 4) One of the messages repeated over and over in Prom Night in Mississippi is that teens learn racism from their parents. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Would you be willing to challenge your parents’ views on a social issue, such as racism? 5) Kashina from Prom Night in Mississippi expressed in her interview that she’s friendly with whites, but they don’t necessarily hang out together outside of school. Does this “white stick with whites and blacks stick with blacks” practice qualify as racism? Why or why not? 6) What challenges do you imagine the teens attending the first integrated prom in Charleston, Mississippi faced by attending the prom? 7) When watching the What Would You Do Segments, were you surprised at how many people stood by and watched racism occur without taking a stand? What would you do if put in the same position? 8) What does it mean to be an American? Does one have to speak English to be an American? Remember that many of the immigrants who arrived in America in the late 19th and early 20th Century in search of the American dream didn’t speak English and lived in isolated communities 9) Should security officials at airports use racial profiling to identify potential terrorists? Why or why not? 10) What do you think teenagers can do to work toward ending racism?

RELATED ONLINE ARTICLES

What Can Parents Do About Prejudice? http://www.adl.org/what_to_tell/whattotell_parentsdo.asp

Media Influence and Self Image http://www.adl.org/what_to_tell/whattotell_media.asp

**Physical/Mental Disabilities**
Women in mid-20th century America were not yet welcome on the grand political stage, but Eunice Kennedy Shriver -- a daughter of uncommon privilege who defined herself as a mother above all -- didn't much care. As the younger sister of President Kennedy and with a family foundation behind her, she became an unstoppable advocate for the mentally disabled.

In the early 1960s, Shriver pushed mental retardation onto the national agenda. Her brother Robert, who was JFK's attorney general, once joked: "President Kennedy used to tell me, 'Let's give Eunice whatever she wants so I can get on with the business of government.' "

Shriver's advocacy for those with special needs would never end once it took root in sports. In 1968, she founded the Special Olympics, the athletic competition for the mentally disabled. (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-eunice-kennedy-shriver12-2009aug12,0,4627914.story)

Video Links at: http://www.eunicekennedyshriver.org/videos/video/52
 * A World of Neglect - People with intellectual disabilities are society's most neglected population. Nearly 200 million people, or three percent of the world's population, have an intellectual disability, making it the largest disability population in the world.
 * NBC News Report on Eunice Kennedy Shriver: Changing the world: Eunice Kennedy Shriver's efforts to help people with disabilities circles the globe. NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams July 7, 2006.
 * 1972 Games: "You are the True Champions" At the outset of the third U.S. Special Olympics Games, Mrs. Shriver welcomes the athletes and their families to two days of competition.
 * 1975 Games: An International Event: With seven nations represented at the 1975 Special Olympics Games, Mrs. Shriver declares, "We are here to celebrate how marvelous you are."

(http://www.specialolympics.org/coach.aspx)
 * || ** What YOU Can Do ** ||  ||
 * || * [|Get in touch] with Special Olympics near you to see what you can do to help. ||  ||
 * || * Follow Special Olympics online through [|Twitter], [|Facebook] and our own [|Fan Community]. ||  ||
 * || * [|Donate money] to keep Special Olympics programs going. ||  ||
 * || * [|Contribute five minutes] to take the pledge to stop using "retard" as an insult. ||  ||
 * || * [|Get in the game]by joining Special Olympics ®, where people with and without intellectual disabilities train and compete together on the same team. ||  ||
 * || * Know someone with an intellectual disability? Refer them to a [|Special Olympics program nearby]. ||
 * || * Know someone with an intellectual disability? Refer them to a [|Special Olympics program nearby]. ||

Bullying http://www.wiredsafety.org/

Bullying is the intentional act to cause harm to another individual (s) whether it be verbal harassment, physical assault or through emotional abuse. Verbal harassment includes teasing; name calling, verbal or written abuse, exclusion from activities and exclusion from social situation. Physical bullying is through aggression such as shoving, poking, slapping, scratching, biting, pulling hair, stabbing, punching, kicking and other physical acts to downgrade an individual. Examples of emotional bullying include spreading gossip, refusing to socialize with the victim and criticizing the victims dress, race, religion or disability. Bullying is an early form of aggressive violent behavior. Bullying can take place in many different situations such as at the work place, in school, playgrounds, school buses, military, prisons and the most recent form of bullying is cyberbullying. Hazing is also a form of bullying that is most commonly done on college campus fraternities and sororities and on sports teams Hazing is considered a felony in several US States. Cyberbulling has become a popular form of bullying among teens. It is an easy form of hurtful behavior while staying anonymous. It is a wise idea to not put anything on the internet you wouldn’t say to that person’s face. It can be extremely hurtful and 15-25 high school student commit suicide annually from being bullied over the internet. What to do if you or someone else is being bullied. First of all, tell someone such as a teacher or guidance counselor. The bullied person could get counseling on how to deal with bullying using techniques such as role playing would be helpful. Giving the bullied tools in which to work with may be helpful. __ Things To Observe: __ · Observe students in the hallway, lunch lines, cafeteria, locker room, classroom, physical education and other places to look for any bullying going on. (Shoving another into hallway, pushing into lockers, knocking school books out of another students hands) · Observe students in class to see if any student insists on coping another’s assignment. · Observe what is the mindset of the person doing the teasing and the victim (Laughing, making fun or being hurtful towards the victim) · Does the teaser get other students involved in teasing the victim · Why does this person get teased · What could the victim do so they are not an easy target? __ Questions: __ · Why do people tease? · Does it make a person feel better to put down another person? · Teasing or joking around has been tolerated as acceptable form of child’s play. How do you know when someone has gone to far? · How does it feel when someone teases you? · What is the difference between a tease made one day only and the continual teasing of someone about the same thing for weeks or months. · What can you do to stop the teasing? __ What would you do? __ · If you saw kids making fun of another student? · If you saw kids forcing another to give up his lunch money daily? · If you saw a group of girls making fun of another because of their clothes? ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> [|www.safechild.org/bullies.htm] video [] movies, games and information about bullying and how to prevent it [] [|www.education.com/tropic/schoolbullying-teasing/] actions parents and educators can take to eliminate bullying, Also myths and facts and a 15 item quiz on bullying [] free presentation in power point format
 * __ Bullying __**
 * __ Introduction to Bullying __**