Re: Diversity Issues & Resistant Students

Mary Bryson (brys who-is-at unixg.ubc.ca)
Sun, 5 Oct 1997 10:32:09 -0700

Well I knew this posting would be a bit of a "button-pusher". I will just
do the academic riposte and say that you didn't interpret what I wrote in
the way
I had intended. See, what Mary wrote was about who gets located in academic
discourse as "likeable" on the odious topic of differences, or its
white-washed neighbour, "diversity"-- who gets to talk about this
"problems", who are
the "experts", whose books are published blah blah blah
See, if McLaren and Giroux and Apple were to quietly and humbly toil away
either in the twoer or on the streets "democratizing" vastly unequal
contexts, I would say, "Hey you-- good work. Carry on!"
But these guys are famous, and made themselves famous and powerful, and
I don't see much evidence of the "democratizing" effects of their
work.
Let's start with Giroux
Many many many trees are
cut down every year so that Giroux can publish yet another tome where
he appropriates the work of many folks of colour in the interests of
the "possibilities" of democracy---
they way he tried to boradside and bury Liz Ellsworth just coz
she dared to critique his work was and remains scandalous. I mean,
imagine, a youn untenured (then) lesbian assistant prof., and he
goes after like a mad dog. Very democratic. Not.

And then McLaren
Well, just re-read Giroux
Apple I actually like, sort of, he seems really earnest and dedicated.
I haven't heard any terrible stories either. But the point is that there
are loads of straight white guys running around snapping up jobs, writing ab=
out
deskilling and democracy and you know what, they are Applets.

So toil away all you like on democracy, just leave the trees alone, and
leave the academic jobs to those Others who actually "know" about this
Othering stuff. thats all

M

Mary you wrote:
>
>> > Isn't it interesting how three straight white guys with
>> fat salaries and academic jobs are the ones folks "like" on
>> the topic of "diversity".
>
>
> Are threre problems STRAIGHT WHITE GUYS to like or to study about t=
he
>topic "diversity"? I am white, I work at university, and I am worried whith
>this topic. Why? because I believe in the democratization school process
>and I struggle for this.
>
>
>JO=C3O BATISTA MARTINS
>RUA ANISIO FIGUEIREDO, 476
>LONDRINA - PARAN=C1 - BRASIL
>CEP 86065-630
>
>TEL: 043 3385208
>
>E-MAIL jbmartin who-is-at sercomtel.com.br
>
>
>
><html><head></head><BODY bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF"><p><font size=3D2 color=3D"#00=
0000"
>face=3D"Arial">&#009;Mary you wrote:<br><br><font size=3D2>&gt; &gt;
>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Isn't it interesting how three
>straight white guys with<br>&gt; fat salaries and academic jobs are the
>ones folks &quot;like&quot; on<br>&gt; the topic of
>&quot;diversity&quot;.<br><font size=3D2><br><br>&#009;Are threre problems
>STRAIGHT WHITE GUYS to like or to study about the topic
>&quot;diversity&quot;? I am white, I work at university, and I am worried
>whith this topic. Why? because I believe in the democratization school
>process and I struggle for this.<br><br><br>JO=C3O BATISTA MARTINS<br>RUA
>ANISIO FIGUEIREDO, 476<br>LONDRINA - PARAN=C1 - BRASIL<br>CEP
>86065-630<br><br>TEL: 043 3385208<br><br>E-MAIL <font
>color=3D"#0000FF"><u>jbmartin who-is-at sercomtel.com.br</u><font
>color=3D"#000000"><br><br><br><br></p>
></font></font></font></font></font></body></html>

Mary Bryson, Associate Professor, Education/UBC
brys who-is-at unixg.ubc.ca
Principal Co-Investigator: GenTech Project
www.educ.sfu.ca/gentech/index.htm