skronger

Friday, April 23, 2021

Are you racist (noun, verb, or adjective)

"Positive relationships have been called the key ingredient for all of positive psychology" (Martin Seligman, 2011), and I add, the key to the well-being of any collection of people. True story: One drunken St. Andrews mid-Saturday evening, I was with two 'out-of-town guys. They said, "Let's go in town to the wharf and beat the shit out of some tourists!" I went along and watched in horror as one tourist couple was chased, and fists were flung at them. Luckily the male tourist was far more able than my two x-friends had anticipated. This is discrimination to outsiders, by an outsider. Racism is a specific kind of discrimination. We have, in increasing complexity, thoughts - beliefs - attitudes - behavior (action). Discrimination is acting out of thoughts - beliefs - attitudes. All of these can evoke related feelings. We get smart enough to use the most complex, the attitudes and behaviors, in childhood. Children quickly learn to form attitudes and do behavior/action. Posting on social media is a behavior; it is an action. If you post racist/sexist things, indeed you are, racist/sexist. Prejudice is a biological step back from behavior, it is an attitude. Discrimination is a behavior, and racism is a slice of discriminatory behavior. Discrimination comes in many forms: race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, obesity, age, and immigrants. If we hold such attitudes,they can lead to the more devastating behaviors, with specific names such as racism, sexism or ageism. "Am I , Chris Kohler, a racist?" This is a good question. Answer: Yes, because I once was such a harmful, unjust thing. Once a smoker, always a smoker, once a murderer, always a murderer. Later in life, I chose to disbelieve racist attitudes that I had absorbed in my childhood, teens, and twenties. I was raised in a community drenched in racism and other isms. St. Andrews is probably not different than most Canada communities. Through osmosis and being young and dumb (uninformed/misinformed), and unable to oppose my peers, I became that nasty whiteman thing, using all the key words like injun, chink, nigger, packey, and frog. It took many years removed, to break that chain of destructive thoughts -->beliefs-->attitudes-->behaviors. Speaking is a behavior/action. My actions didn't go far past bad discriminatory talk, thankfully. I did some bullying incidents those days, and they fit the bill. My comments were, psychologically damaging action, thus I was, a racist. Am I now a racist, well, I'll leave that up to you to decide. Racism is not always illegal; it is only illegal if it breaks registered laws, such as a racist that does physical damage, like killing Mr. Floyd, or pounding on tourists at the end of the wharf on a Saturday night. But it is the responsibility of members of a community to step up and protect its livelihood from damage by selfish proponents of such self-righteous beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, especially the legal behaviors, because in theory, police are paid to handle the rest. I believe, and my attitude is that we need to call-it-on-the-spot (act), such as saying, "You are being racist right now {or other 'ist'}," or "What you just did was racist {or other 'ist'}}." People can clean up and change, and people need this chance become humble. A community such as St. Andrews has many families who benefit highly by a collective respect for outside visitors and spending, and towns/cities need the creative thinking that new members to society would bring. Newcomers should be safeguarded to a community's fellowship; if they want to call it home, the town gains a reciprocal flourishing. And they should not be told to delete their previous identity. Due diligence of community members means they/we/i need to step up and speak out when we see discriminatory behavior. I have changed. I will call people on their isms, as I expect to be called on mine. I want St. Andrews to flourish, not to have visitors slighted with smoke-veiled racist jokes and macroaggressions. I don't want St. Andrews to be an English whitey-only town. How about discrimination against those from outside St. Andrews, say, Ontarians, Quebecers, Florencevillers, St. Georgers, Mainers, Boacabecers, and on it can go. Global meme: "You came here from there because you didn’t like there, and now you want to change here to be like there. We are not racist, phobic or anti whatever-you-are, we simply like here the way it is and most of us actually came here because it is not like there, wherever there was. You are welcome here, but please stop trying to make here like there. If you want here to be like there you should not have left there to come here, and you are invited to leave here and go back there at your earliest convenience." The above global meme is a case example. It needs context to determine whether is it aimed at race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, obesity, age, immigrants, or just out-of-towners. What does this statement even mean? "We simply like here the way it is..." Who is this 'we'? Thank you very much I'll speak for myself as to whether I want to open a German or Chinese restaurant. What about the 'British' Royal Society of New Zealand that filled the country with animals and plants that don't belong there, just so they could feel at home; I spent two years to discover that this veiled oppressive attitude still exists in New Zealand. Now we have a global catastrophe, COVID-19. People quickly slide to negative thoughts - beliefs - attitudes - behaviors, during times of crisis {and the trump hangover will last for years}. Expect to see more, soon, and therefore please anticipate increasing your vigilance. These attitudes are terribly disloyal to community well-being; we see the monumental violence and damage trump did to USA and the world. Back to the pre-behavior items above, thoughts-->beliefs-->attitudes. The sad news is, all of you will have at least some racist thoughts, beliefs, and to a lesser extent, attitudes. Don't believe me? Take the test: https://www.projectimplicit.net/nosek/iat/ . The key is, what behaviors will you do? None? Good. We need to constantly work to suppress such thoughts and beliefs, it's an evolutionary hangover. Should discriminatory people be allowed on a town council? Sure, if elected. Yet indeed they should be called/challenged if they use isms. Virtuous leadership be bestowed upon honorable 'calling out' of such community damaging behavior; the guilty ones can pat their petty beliefs at home. Did anyone watch the movie with Woody Harrelson, "The People vs. Larry Flynt"?

Friday, February 19, 2021

CCTV interview over 2021 China New Year holiday, at Southwest University, Chongqing, BeiBei subdivision.

TV crews travel light these days, just a phone and OSMO 3. Guy said he paid about 800 rmb. Story is ok, but they forgot (or didn't understand) my request to mention practicing hockey with local youth. Hockey is little know in this subdivision of Chongqing, called BeiBei.Note the Habs shirt!! The nerve!!!! Here is text from News Article in English and Chinese:

阿顿海鲜(天生市场店) 重庆西南大学英语外教Chris：留渝过年骑行领略重庆山水来源：中央广电总台国际在线 | 2021-02-13 19:52:00 国际在线重庆频道消息：今年是加拿大籍英语外教Chris在中国工作、生活的第十六个年头。（有修改）【B】重庆西南大学英语外教Chris：留渝过年骑行领略重庆山水西南大学英语外教Chris 摄影刘渝畅 “我2005年就来到中国任教，2018年正式来到西南大学，我还给自己取了一个中文名字‘可乐’。”在接受采访时，Chris表示，来到中国后，他做过最有意义的一件事就是2008年作为志愿者在四川绵阳参与抗震救灾工作。关于重庆，Chris则表示，除了麻辣火锅和麻辣小面，重庆良好的自然环境让他印象深刻，特别是北碚区。北碚有着缙云山、嘉陵江等得天独厚的山水自然资源，犹如城市的“肺叶”，在这里工作、生活令Chris感到非常舒适。 “受新冠肺炎疫情影响，今年我选择留在重庆北碚过中国年。”对于2021年春节期间的安排，Chris透露，他会以休闲骑行的方式途经嘉陵江，沿缙云山、鸡公山山脉进行环行，深入领略山水重庆的美。同时，Chris还表示，由于此前修读过心理学专业，近两年他也利用空余时间，围绕川渝地区生物的多样性，在做关于宗教、伦理、自然三者关系的研究，“去年我的第一本著作已经出版，第二本著作就想利用春节期间完成。时值牛年新春，我也在此祝愿大家新年快乐！”Chirs说。（文刘渝畅） Chris, an English foreign teacher at Southwest University in Chongqing: Stay in Chongqing for the New Year and ride through the mountains and waters of Chongqing Source: CST International Online | 2021-02-13 19:52:00 International online Chongqing Channel News: This year is the 16th year that Chris, a Canadian English-speaking foreign teacher, works and lives in China. (There are modifications) ( B) Chongqing Southwest University English foreign teacher Chris: Stay in Chongqing for the New Year riding to enjoy the mountains and waters of Chongqing Chris, an English foreign teacher at Southwest University, photographed Liu Yuchang "I came to China in 2005 to teach, and in 2018 I officially came to Southwest University, and I gave myself a Chinese name, 'Cola'." In an interview, Chris said one of the most significant things he's ever done since coming to China was volunteering for earthquake relief in Mianyang, Sichuan province, in 2008. Regarding Chongqing, Chris says he is impressed by the city's natural environment, especially in Beiji District, in addition to spicy hot pot and spicy noodles. Beiji has a unique natural resources, such as Yuyunshan, Jialing River, like the city's "lung leaves", where work and life make Chris feel very comfortable. "I chose to stay in Chongqing for the Chinese New Year this year because of the outbreak of new crown pneumonia." As for the arrangements for the Spring Festival in 2021, Chris revealed that he would ride the Jialing River by leisure, traveling along the Yuyun Mountain and the Chigong Mountain Mountains to get a deeper look at the beauty of Chongqing. At the same time, Chris said, because he had studied psychology before, he also used his spare time in the past two years to study the relationship between religion, ethics and nature around the diversity of life in the Sichuan-Yu region, "last year my first book was published, and the second book wants to be completed during the Spring Festival." When it is the New Year of the Ox, I also wish you all a happy New Year! Chirs said. (Wen Liu Yuchang)