Normalizing Insidious Behavior

Marginalizing whole groups of people

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Episode 31

From: Chance
re: Preconceived notions
To: Kerry sent - Gmail at 6:25 PM

Hi Kerry—

I agree with you about assumptions and preconceived notions. When preconceived notions rule the day, people don’t even fully realize that the messages are biased. When unbalanced facts have been normalized, people do not realize that certain groups have been deprived of equality.

Marginalizing people or normalizing behavior are two powerful and insidious ways to control groups of people. Those two things are quiet and effective weapons.

I had an experience this week that underscores my point.

A few of the kids (boys and girls) in my class are reading Beverly Cleary’s books about Henry Huggins. I read those books as a child, and I loved the adventures of Henry, Ribsy, Beezus, and Ramona.

Now that I am reading them from an adult point-of-view, I see that they are quite gender imbalanced. There are multiple instances when girls are portrayed as less capable than boys. There are so many instances of disparaging comments about girls that I am surprised teachers are not talking about it.

I stopped the reading several times and quizzed the boys about their attitudes about girls. I did it enough times that the kids are seeing it themselves. Now they say things like: There, she has made girls seem dumb again.

Who would ever think that Beverly Cleary marginalized girls?..but it is true!

I think that a comparable thing is happening in the US history textbook and its portrayal of chattel slavery. When the text states that there were positive sides to slavery, it marginalizes the people who were held in bondage against their will….and dismisses the fact that families were broken up and sold for economic gain.

….or worse: When it states that they were treated well and appreciated the care bestowed on them……

….or how about these sentences that mentioned bent backs and then actually stated that the beneficiaries of the bent backs were the ones held in bondage:

“To a large degree, the prosperity of both the north and the south rested on the bent backs of southern slaves. Cotton accounted for half the value of all American exports after 1840. The South produced more than half of the entire world’s supply of cotton—a fact that held foreign nations in partial bondage.”

Let’s get together soon. I want to tell you what is happening with Stan. I want to hear all about your experiences as the interim principal while you are still teaching history classes every day.

Call me…if we are both looking at our calendars at the same time, it is easier than scheduling things by email.

We also need to schedule that meeting to talk about the textbook with the parents.

Chance