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CH. 16 FIELWORK

In the film “The Buisness of being born” My perspective on child birth in the United States has changed tremendously. I always knew about at-home births because a friend from my hometown is a doula. After finding out more on other ways to deliver rather than being in complete discomfort pain in the hospital, I was shocked to see that midwifery is not being talked about as much as hospital births.

The most noticeable cultural points raised by the film were that midwives attend over 70% of births in Japan Europe, but less than 10% in the U.S. The U.S. spends twice as much money on births than any other country. Yet we have the second worst newborn death rate, as well as one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.

The most noticeable bological points in the film include how women are not as informed as they should be when it comes to ways of birthing their baby. Therefore, many women resort to hospital births which can lead to a c-section birth (very dangerous). C-sections can have harmful effects such as disrupting the initial bond the mother and child have. The film also talks about the danger of the lithomy position, which is how most women in hospitals give birth (on their backs, feet in the stirrups). This position may be easier for physicians, however it is restricts the mother’s movements (resulting in serious risks).  

Although I will not be giving birth for a long time (God willing), I hope that I am able to choose the type of delivery I have. I feel women should do more research to become more educated, rather than having physicians make these decisions for them. In the future, doctors should care more about their patients than their paychecks. Women should have the option to do whatever makes them feel more comfortable, instead of feeling unnecessary pressure from their OB.

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CH. 13 FIELDWORK

"Who Are Today's Migrants?"

I knew this project was going to be tough because I did not know any immigrants off the top of my head. I grew up in a predominantly white community. Therefore, when I read the instructions for the assignment, I knew I had to think hard. I reached out to my best friend from my hometown casually catching up. Her mother is from Guam and her dad is white. I mentioned the assignment and boom! She goes, “My sister’s boyfriend is an immigrant and I’m sure he’ll have no problem doing an interview for you.” And just like that, prayer hands.

Ben E is from France and emigrated to the United States 15 years ago. One of the main push factors in his decision was he missed the junior enrollment deadline for French University because of his summer job being in another city. Instead of pushing to go finish school, Ben decides to travel to New York for at least 3 months to find an internship, obtaining an internship visa. He was not worried about finishing school because University is free there and he would be able to pick up where he left off the following year if things did not work out. Therefore, he felt he wasn’t taking that big of a risk. Ben found an internship and made friends pretty quickly, while working “illegally” in a restaurant. That internship became a job, and he never moved back.

After two years of working in the restaurant, Ben finds a girlfriend and they become pretty serious. A year later, they marry and begin the process to get him a permanent resident card. For this couple, “the process to get a permanent resident card was done through a lawyer and was a fairly easy process.” Although it was a long and drawn-out process, “we encountered no bumps whatsoever.” Ben obtained the title of permanent residency in February of 2009, after coming to the United States in November of 2006. One of the main pull factors was the people he met in only two years of being in the United States. Many of the people he met were immigrants like him and they could often relate to one another.

Ben’s experience as an immigrant has been mostly influenced by the people he has met along his journey. Coming to the United States alone at 20 years old was very challenging, but it shaped him into the man he is today. He now has his own company, and none of this would have been possible had he not come to this country “illegally.”

After doing this assignment, I was really able to put some things into perspective. This is nothing like any immigrant story I have heard before. I know there are white immigrants, but this was the first time it was put into perspective for me. Doing this interview, I was pretty shocked that the process for Ben was this easy. I have never heard of this process being easy. My aunt’s husband is from Jamaica and the process for his permanent residency was insane. I know it may be an easier process when you are marrying someone from the U.S. instead of just applying for permanent residency, but I know it has still been very difficult process for most people (of color).

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CH 11. FIELWORK

"The Biography of a Chocolate Bar"

Hershey's milk chocolate with whole almonds

1. What are the ingredients?

The ingredients are milk chocolate [sugar; milk; chocolate; cocoa butter; milk fat; lecithin (soy); PGPR; natural flavor]; almonds; sunflower oil.

2. Where do the ingredients come from?

The cocoa in the candy bar is made from the seeds of cocoa pods, which grows on cocoa trees. Cocoa trees are located in tropical climates near the equator, such as Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria.

How are the ingredients produced?

Farmers harvest cocoa pods from the cocoa trees, take out the cocoa bean, dry and ferment them, and then they are ready for roasting.

3. What are the working conditions of the people who produce the cocoa?

West-African cocoa farmers work extremely hard and very long hours to provide for their families. Often enough, these countries do not have advanced technology and tools. Therefore, everything is done by hand. To reduce production costs children are working on these plantations under dangerous conditions, despite child labor laws in Africa.

4. How do the producers get the cocoa to the market?

After cocoa products are used to make the chocolate, they are loaded onto trucks and set to various warehouses. From there, the products are sent to many retail stores and supermarkets.

5. How are the prices set?

To set the price, one must take in account the cost of production and consumer demand. In the most recent years there has been a limited supply of cocoa, making the prices for chocolate higher.

6. Which international corporations dominate the chocolate trade?

Hershey’s and Mars dominate the international chocolate trade.

7. Who regulates the trade?

The FDA regulates trade by ensuring food qualities are met, but trade is regulated by government laws.

8. How is chocolate marketed?

Chocolate can be marketed by television advertisements, word of mouth, billboards, and slogans (i.e., you’re not you when you’re hungry).

9. Where did you buy your chocolate bar?

I bought my Hershey bar from 7/11 in Riverhead, NY.

10. How much profit does a store owner make on one chocolate bar?

A store owner can profit about a third of its retail price.

11. Are there hidden costs that are not included in the price you paid?

I believe there are hidden costs in the price. Cocoa farmers barely make enough to survive, let alone provide for their entire family. Children are also the main employees on these farms, which raises a concern. These children’s age range between as young as 5, and as old as 15.

https://makechocolatefair.org/issues/cocoa-production-nutshell

http://makechocolatefair.org/issues/human-rights-and-child-labour

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/071615/what-drives-price-chocolate.asp

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CH. 7 FIELDWORK/ CARTOON

After turning on NICK JR., to watch Peppa Pig, I was able to take a look at the commercials that are currently on air (I do not watch much television, everything is on demand now)

The first commercial I saw was for a Minecraft leggo set. I feel this commercial was aimed more toward boys than girls. The commercial had leggo swords and villains.

The second commercial I saw was for a Power Rangers Chromafury Saber. I feel this commercial was aimed toward both girls and boys. The commercial featured a girl using the green lightsaber.

The third commercial I saw was for a barbie dream house. I feel this commercial was aimed toward girls, obviously. It was a kind of beach home with a pool and slide. There were more girl action figures than men (of course Ken was featured).

The fourth commercial I saw for a Harry Potter leggo set. I feel this commercial was aimed toward both boys and girls. To attract children to this product, the ad featured both girls and boys playing together with the leggos.

In my opinion, there were at least 2 or 3 commercials aimed at boys. There were about 2 commercials aimed at girls. Before one can even decide who or what they like, television is doing it for us based on the way things are advertised. I feel like we actively create gender roles because for example: when a little girl falls down, one might say "aww are you okay?" and if a little boy were to fall down, one might tell him "aw get up, you're okay" I feel that children learn how to treat boys and girls based on the way they are treated by their parents.

[tayahcmsu]

CH 6. FIELDWORK

After speaking with both my paternal and maternal grandmothers, I was able to gather little information.

Paternal- My great grandmother was born in Aurora, North Carolina. Our family has been in the United States for the past 100 years, we are descendants of slaves. I never got the chance to meet my paternal great grandfather, however, he was born on Long Island, New York. His roots also trace back to the Elizabeth City area in North Carolina.

Maternal-My great grandmother was born in Camden, North Carolina. My great grandfather was also born in Camden, North Carolina. I never got the chance to meet him because he passed away before I was born. Our family has been born and raised there, assuming we have been in this country for the past 100 years.

After doing this assignment, I realized that I honestly know nothing about my ancestors. I have always thought about doing ancestry, but this assignment was all of the confirmation that I needed to finally do it. I am inclined to know more about where I come from because my family members did not have the solid answers (and that is okay) that I needed for not only this assignment, but for myself.

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CH 5 FIELDWORK PT 6

Microaggressions are common, everyday verbal or behavioral indignities and slights that communicate hostile, derogatory, and negative messages about someone’s race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. This picture is an example of a microaggression because the comment “you don’t act like a normal black person” is an insult directed toward someone of color.

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CH 5 FIELDWORK PT 5

Nativism is known as the favoriting of certain long-term inhabitants, namely whites, over new immigrants. An example of nativism is someone who will only date people who are born in the United States.

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CH 5 FIELDWORK PT 4

Colonialism is the practice by which a nation-state extends political, economic, and military power beyond its own borders over an extended period of time to secure access to raw materials, cheap labor, and markets in other countries or regions. This picture is an example of colonialism because European settlers took over the indigenous land which was their economic base.

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CH 5 FIELDWORK PT 3

Racism is defined as individuals’ thoughts and actions and institutional patterns and policies that create or reproduce unequal access to power, privilege, resources, and opportunities based on imagined differences among groups. This is a picture of Donald Trump and it represents racism because he is a racist. Trump called the COVID-19 virus the “Chinese virus.”

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CH 5 FIELDWORK PT 2

Institutional racism is defined as patterns by which racial inequality is structured through key cultural institutions, policies, and systems. This picture is of the U.S. history textbook I had in 11th grade. This is an example of institutional racism because most white students would not pay attention to the fact most of the people in American history textbooks look just like them…. although, that is not what America looks like.

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CH 5 FIELDWORK PT 1

White supremacy is the belief that whites are biologically different from and superior to people of other races. This picture is from the “Unite The Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia back in 2017. This is an example of white supremacy because it was a huge white nationalist movement.

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CH 4. FIELDWORK: LANGUAGE

1. Record how many men and women are in the class. Keep a tally of how many times men speak (or post comments) and how many times women speak or post comments. Who speaks more often?

While observing my late-night Wednesday class, I noted that female students in my class spoke almost 9 times, while male students spoke almost 5 times. The female students in the class spoke more often.

2.  Record the average of how long people speak or the average length of their comments. Record the average of the number of words they use. If they are written comments, you can copy and paste them into a document and count them after class.

Everyone in the class kept their questions and comments limited to two or three sentences. My professor usually asks us to go in depth with our comments. A female student in my class made a comment on an article, which was about five or six sentences at most.

3. What are differences in body language, eye contact, and style of speaking between the men and women?

The women in my class for the most part, explained themselves more and had their cameras turned on. The men kept their questions and comments short, sometimes a sentence or two. All the women (except for one) were sitting upright with their camera on, engaging in the lesson. All the men (except for two) had their cameras turned off and were less engaged.

4. Do the men or the women keep their cameras on more?

In this particular class, the professor takes attendance by recording the zoom meeting to see who had their camera on. The women keep their cameras on more than the men.

5. Is the instructor a man or woman? How do they encourage or discourage communication? Consider their body language and gaze.

My instructor is a middle-aged woman. She encourages communication by ‘forcing’ us to have our cameras on to receive an attendance grade. She also encourages communication by allowing us to ask questions and asking us questions as well. If she is not in the classroom, she is at home sitting upright at her desk. Her camera is always on, and she is always laughing and interacting with us students.

6. Does the instructor’s gender seem to influence the way they interact with the class? If so, how?

I do not think her gender influences the way she interacts with the class. Because there are more women than men, she does tend to call on the women more during class time. I also believe if a student has taken one of her classes before, she does tend to call on them more often than other students. I think this is because she already has a relationship with them and know her expectations.

[tayahcmsu]

CH 3 FIELDWORK

1.     I chose to draw and observe the main lobby of my apartment building. I chose this location because it is something that I see every day since I live here and will be living for the remainder of my time at Morgan. I was also drawn to this location because I love the architectural design and layout of the lobby (not the building).

2.      I found there is a lot of foot traffic in the lobby mostly in the afternoons. Most people are going out for coffee, walking their dogs, or are going or coming. Another thing I noticed was that the doors in the entrance are usually locked, but during the day the doors are open to allow residents and workers to get in and out of the building quicker. I do not like this practice because to me, it isn’t the safest and can allow unwanted strangers in the building.

3.     I would have expected to see more of a seating/waiting area. But after speaking with the front desk manager, I was told a few of the chairs were taken out of the waiting area due to COVID-19.

4.     A few ways this space has been impacted by COVID-19:

- The seating area limited the number of chairs.

-There are usually two people working at the front desk but due to COVID-19, management will only allow one person at the front desk at a time.

-You must wear a mask when not in own apartment or loft.

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CH 2 FIELD WORK ASSIGNMENT

Bryant H. McGill, a bestselling author and entrepreneur, said it best, “The folly of endless consumerism sends us on a wild goose-chase for happiness through materialism.” I found this quote online after doing this week’s field work assignment. After reflecting on this assignment, a lot of the things around my apartment happen to be needs as well as wants. I did notice that a lot of my items were multiple purchases and expensive. I also noticed that I am a bit materialistic, which I think stems from childhood. I was exposed to a lot about myself. I feel that a lot of the items in my apartment are overpriced, and I could have found a cheaper alternative. In the future, I hope to talk with my therapist about my need for overpriced items and materialistic things.  I will try to be more cost conscious when purchasing small things (i.e., toothbrush, toothpaste, bodysuits, jeans) and ask myself is this something that I need or just want in this moment because, “it’s cute & nice.”

After careful consideration, this assignment was a bit harder than I thought. I recently moved to Baltimore from Southampton, NY (my hometown) for school. Before moving, I carefully went through all my belongings at home to make sure I was only bringing things I needed. After much thought, my car & apartment are the 2 most needed items that in my possession. They are quite frankly, the only two things in this world that I do own (myself). One of them provides security (apartment), the other provides mobility (BMW). Both the apartment and car provide self-sufficiency and independence. I can say that after doing this assignment I learned that while a car is a necessity, having a BMW is not. For most of my life, I have always been fascinated by luxurious things and by the grace of God, my dad & grandparents, could afford them. I believe my materialness stems from my mother passing away when I was 5 years old. My grandparents went above & beyond (still do) for my brother and I. My dad as well, went above and beyond for us and I think it was to maybe “make up” for our mother not being there. After my dad passed away in December of 2019,  that is when I began to realize the material things I was obsessed with, did not matter to me as much as I once thought. While I am very thankful for everything my grandparents and dad have done for me, I think it has contributed to my materialistic ways. While a lot of the items in my life are necessities, I could have found them for a much cheaper price. Materialism is something that I will be working on with help from my therapist and this assignment opened my eyes to that.  

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My concept map is about understanding race in the Dominican Republic 

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The item I chose was a mirror. Before the manmade mirror, people used pools and rivers to look at their reflections. The earliest manufactured mirrors were made from stones, such as obsidian (found in Turkey), and copper (Ancient Mesopotamia). The leasing office said the bathroom mirror have not been changed since their management company took over. Therefore, they are not sure of the original manufacturer. Today’s mirrors are mostly made in factories in the US and some across the globe. Mirrors have a positive impact on my life because it allows me to know how I look for aesthetic purposes. Mirrors can also be used reflect light and brighten spaces. The people directly involved with making mirrors are factory workers. Life for factory workers today are long shifts and basic wages, which is not ideal if you have a family or dependents. 

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This is an example of flexible accumulation because this picture shows how companies in the United States have factories in other countries (ie; Mexico, China, India, etc.)