Posts Tagged ‘racism’
A Class Divided – Lesson in Discrimination
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
Each semester in my Introduction to Addictive Behaviors class I show a video titled A Class Divided with Jane Elliot. My class is generally very ethnically diverse and filled with students who want to be substance abuse counselors. Some have their own histories of substance abuse and incarceration, others don't.
In addition to using this video to demonstrate the impact of racial discrimination, I also like to make the point that addicts and persons with mental illness are also discriminated against in our society.
Many times persons with addiction and mental health issues come from a background of abuse, neglect and powerlessness. I think this video demonstrates the impact of abuse of power and how it affects anyone and everyone fairly quickly and sometimes permanently. I'm hoping that by showing the video, I am building awareness and compassion in those who will be serving the public.
I'm posting it here so my students can review it and share it with others.
You can also watch the entire documentary at PBS.org
Part One - a reunion of students from Jane Elliot's 3rd grade class from 1970
Part Two - After spending a day being "on the bottom" brown eyed students get to trade places with the blue eyed students and be "on top". Depending on whether the students were on "top" or "bottom" determined how well they did in class.
Part 3 - After the original group watched the video they discuss the impact and their observations.
5 of 6 - Jane Elliot later expanded her work to doing in-service trainings at various facilities. This video shows how Jane Elliot used her "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" experiment to educate prison workers about the impact of discrimination.
6 of 6 - Experiment for prison workers. After lunch debriefing. End of the movie.
Here’s Why Crackheads Do What They Do
Sunday, December 28th, 2008
I teach in the Human Services department at Long Beach City College. My main topic is addictions. Every semester we watch a video titled "Substance Abuse Disorders". I have a handout I made for the students to fill out while they watch, hoping it would help them pay better attention.
Just recently, I was looking at that handout and incorporating it into my mid-term exam. These words really hit me:
One of the reasons cocaine is so addictive is that it instantly activates the pleasure centers of the brain. Cocaine that is snorted reaches the brain in 3-4 minutes. Yet it only takes 8 seconds for cocaine that is smoked to be absorbed by the lungsEight freaking seconds for the body to trigger the pleasure center. The pleasure center is what controls everything. You will do crazy things when the pleasure center wants something. The pleasure center drives your instincts for food, sex and survival. Can you imagine that urge for 'more' nagging at you every 8 seconds? Even the most educated, controlled, composed person would fall into addiction very quickly when using a drug that directly stimulates the pleasure center every 8 seconds. So that might help you understand why Crackheads do what they do, but what about this for a thought: Statistically speaking, what ethnic group uses the highest amount of crack? What neighborhoods does crack show up in and why. My experience is its not above the reach of corrupt authority to use various methods to "control" groups of indentured people. Allowing this to happen is parallel to co-signing genocide. Please keep that in mind when it's time to vote for laws that fund treatment centers and mental health services.
The other day, I had my iPod on shuffle. I was listening to music mostly but all of the sudden, my shuffle landed on a piece of audio by Stan Goff. It was a lecture or discussion of racism, sexism and the economy. I found it fascinating and wanted to share it with you. It's about 6 minutes long. 








