Sochi 2014

Is it just me or do these Olympics seem to have a different feel to them than years past? I don't feel the America loving vibe or the unity that the Olympics usually creates.  My coworkers and I have been talking about the Olympics all morning and Christopher and I have been watching them quite a bit.  That being said, I don't feel like I'm missing out when I don't catch something on TV. 

For one, it is hard to be on twitter during the olympics (something I remember from London 2012).  If you want to watch a race/competition and be surprised by who wins then DO NOT go on twitter during the day.  Every race I have watched so far, I have already known the outcome.  Not because I look it up but because my social media addiction makes it hard to not click on that little blue birdy.

Secondly, the scandals around Sochi are absolutely ridiculous.  From the man holes not being covered, the disgusting water, the hotels that are completely undone with wires hanging everywhere, and the list continues.  Just check this site.  It is pretty disgusting/scary.  I think when you see a country/city struggle so much to get things ready for the games it creates a sense of un-excitement.  How can you be pumped for the olympics when the olympics aren't ready for the games, athletes, and media? 

I also think that Russia in general has a lot to do with the lack of excitement for the Olympics.  One coworker was saying how bummed she would be as an athlete if that is where you were going to compete--now I personally wouldn't turn down a trip to anywhere on this Earth because I love to explore especially internationally, I do feel that Russia is not a top 10 destination on anyone's radar especially given the controversies in their nation.  Their anti-gay sentiments in particular leave me with a feeling of divided-ness, not unity, which is something I have always loved about the Olympics.  The fact that athletes have to "watch their backs" while their because of their sexual orientation makes me nauseous.  How on earth are we in 2014 and still do not love and accept all humans for their personhood?  It is mindboggling to me. 

Lastly, I think our world becomes more and more cynical and negative as time goes on rather than the other way around.  A lot of that likely has to do with how quickly news can spread and how much news is worth.  We can't find articles about the strides Sochi has made for the Olympics to take place because those don't exist.  It's not that they haven't made strides, but that negative news is more "exciting".

All of that being said- I love the Olympics and I love watching the competitions.  I still think the Summer games are much more exciting but watching people fly through the air on skis and snowboards is pretty fantastic. 

Working Woman

I have been working now for almost five months as a social worker with Children's Hospital--doing home visits through a prenatal through age three parent support and abuse prevention program.  And yes, I often get asked what I do.  Oh and yes, I often get told that "it must be nice to make your own schedule".  Oh and yes, I do often get told LOTS of things about what people expect my clientele to be like. 

It has been hard for me to internally balance what I see every single day through my job and what the media, pop culture, and even history have taught the public (and my friends and family) about who I am likely serving.  Not to mention, our highly divided country is becoming more and more difficult to navigate as my job requires me to help my families navigate the process of seeking assistance, enrolling in federal programs, and helping them understand that the lies the media and news speak of those who get assistance ARE NOT true. 

There- I said it- the way the news portrays my food stamps receiving, Medicaid getting, WIC assisted families is ABSURD, INACCURATE, HURTFUL, and SHAMING.

And these are some reasons why:

- Welfare Fraud is the main reason most people have negative views of welfare.  Why do you hear about welfare fraud? Because it is good news to report  to taxpaying viewers that their money is being wasted when one woman, for example, is claiming 38 children (who do not exist) getting benefits for all of them (this did happen).  It is also good news when women (recently in columbus) were selling WIC formula for cash.  (ask why sh
e did that? well she did that because she had extra left over and she thought it would be a good way to get cash for a beamer. Oh just kidding--to have cash to pay utilities). 

I am not applauding welfare fraud at all.  But the cases are few and far between the REAL benefactors of these programs (1.5-2.5% of cases).  The media can easily sell these stories because it helps the public continue to stigmatize and shame the users of these programs.

- Do you realize that even WITH benefits, most of the families I work with do not have beds to sleep on, do not have secured housing, do not have money left over for the momma and poppa by the end of the month, and often times do not have enough clothing for any of the family members.  My families are constantly having to rely on places that give out donations (did you know food pantries provide often expired food).  Just because a family is getting assistance does NOT mean they are living well.

- Medicaid is "free" medical coverage for women, children, families who fall below 100-200% of the federal poverty level (changes based on who you are and where you live).  Well, folks, if I were to get pregnant in the state of Ohio before I am married--my salary would qualify me for Medicaid.  Would I apply? HELL YES.  Why? Because it would guarantee me and fake baby the best of healthcare.  With my salary alone could I still get that with the Health coverage I have? Possibly, but mostly because I have a good fake baby daddy.  Alone I would not in any way.  Here's my point-- The benefits are available and it makes sense to use them-- they are designed to help families temporarily, and designed to make sure babies have the best start they can possibly get. 

- Something to remember is that while the programs are helpful, it can be nearly impossible to get out of the cycle of needing assistance. Why? Because the income levels are set so low that if you are even making minimum wage full time, your benefits will be stopped, likely including your childcare (title XX) benefits--making it impossible to still work and make that little.  You cannot raise a kid and pay all of your bills on that little with no assistance.


The families I work for represent the greater whole-- almost 40 million Americans recieve some type of assistance from the government.  And we as a country SHAME that to no end.  We make it seem like families are CHOOSING this life, and we also make it appear to be an enjoyable thing.  What is disgusting to me is what this really means for us as a whole: We shake our heads in disgust at the thought of helping other people-- children, moms and dads.  How awful is it that we as a nation do not want to take care of the people who are our next door neig
hbors, your kids peers, or the people sitting in the pew behind you.  We as a nation LAUGH at a president who has tried VERY hard to ensure these benefits for these families.  What does that make us as people? 

I always get told the "bootstraps" quote when I open this conversation--people just need to find a way to make things work.  But when babies are born into poverty, do not complete middle school (let alone high school or college), and may not even be able to read.  Tell me, how are they supposed to make things work without a little help?  Oh so they shouldn't have kids?  Well tell me, how the HELL are they supposed to learn about birth control if we keep it so god damn hush hush and keep shutting down our Planned Parenthoods and non-profit health centers. 

You can choose to belief what you would like.  But take a moment to think about what type of person you WANT to be.  What values do you WANT to convey to those around you? 

A Homeless Man, A Reminder

Last week when I was on one of my many bus rides of the week between the hospital and campus, I found myself on a bus with a man who was likely homeless.   When he got onto the bus, people moved away from where he was, and while this man did carry quite a stench with him, I was angry with the people who did this.  So, I started to talk to him.

Though I didn't have enough time to learn his whole life story, I was able to learn that he isn't from Ann Arbor, but found himself here because he thought people (family I think) here would help him.  They have not helped him, however, and he has been living on the streets for too long to keep track of, or so he said.  The man needed help finding 7-11, and since I was walking to my office on State St, I told him to walk with me and that he would be able to find it.  When we said goodbye the amount of gratitude that he expressed was simply unbelievable.  All I had done was offer humanity to this man, I did not judge, I did not fear, and I did not act oblivious to his needs.  I talked to him, I treated him how I would hope others would treat me if I myself were to be homeless.  He was kind, he was gentle, and he was lost.  But why?

In such a political time in our country, we are being bombarded with FALSE information on a daily (if not hourly) basis regarding what each presidential candidate can give us.  One thing that is TRUE, though, is that the Republican agenda would here about this man I tell you of and then stick up its nose, walk away, and whisper that he should help himself.  And if he can't help himself, then find a community resource that can.  In this agenda there is an assumption (well there are lots) that every human being has equal access to a prosperous life.  Well we KNOW this isn't true.  How are we all granted equal access to this is our education is not equal, if our kids are not made aware/taught about how to "help" themselves through education and better jobs?  Well we just aren't.  Our country's institutions are racist on a daily basis, kids from poor families with druggie mommy and daddy's are no longer getting benefits, and it's becoming harder and harder for minority populations to have a chance at making it "big and prosperous" even when they are educated about their choices.  And if you're wanting to argue with the racist comment, tell me why white people get organs more than minorities (even when controlling for any representation distributions).  Or tell me why black babies die 3 times more often in infancy than white babies.  Well you can't explain these things without acknowledging the research that points to institutionalized and experienced racism.

So why do I care?  Well I care for LOTS of reasons.  Being a social worker, I am COMPLETELY committed to fighting for social justice even if it is not the popular ideology.  I also care because this man is utilizing services right now, like shelters, food banks, and counseling, that will be taken away from him if Romney is put into office.  Government program cuts means our most vulnerable clients suffer. 

Yes I am ranting, but it is incredibly important.  So much of the media DOES NOT educate you on the implications of your vote.  Learn. Research. and vote. 

Days Off

#147: Days off, at home, are few and far between.  I am grateful for a FULL Friday and Saturday of laying around, catching up on sleep, hittin the gym, and attempting to catch up on homework.
#148: Speaking of the gym...it had been awhile.  Grateful to go to a gym with LOTS of windows that overlook a beautiful lake..
#149: A non-frozen lake, may I add!! The weather in Michigan has been incredible.  Sunny, bright, and not freezing!!
#150: Though grading papers is sucking the life out of me, I am making progress!

Today I really realized how incredible my life truly is.  I was reminded of all of the privilege that I experience on a daily basis.  In sections last we, my students discussed whether or not they could be grateful for the privileges they have.  I think we can be grateful...but part of that gratitude has to translate in to working to help ALL people experience these privileges. 

So on a beautiful day like today, I spent time reflecting on how I dream of a day that your access to education, high paying jobs and health care no longer depends on your ethnicity, race, geographic location, or your gender.  I am working towards this dream by educating you all on the fact that these things DO impact access to resources and opportunities...

Check out the video series Unnatural Causes if you don't believe me...

This is but the trailer to six hours of research...

Feminism

I am loving teaching...seriously.  And what I am loving the most is seeing the wheels in the minds of so many start to turn; grasping the concepts of feminism and grasping how feminism has, and will continue to, impact their lives.

So few people truly understand what feminism is, and what it represents.  It has a reputation of standing for man-hating, femi-nazi's, and wanting women to rule the world...when in reality feminism represents a fight for equality, for all people based on gender, sex, sexual orientation, race, SES and more.  Feminism represents the voice of so many, and has been the movement that has made voting by females possible, reproductive choice possible, and has allowed women to enter the workforce. 

Some of my students are so tied to the social constructed gender norms for men and women, and watching their walls come down surrounding this is incredibly rewarding.  Men don't have to be the bread winners, and women are not made for nurturing and mothering alone.  We all have gifts, talents, and dreams...and who we are on paper should never stop us from achieving our dreams!

#124: I am proud to be a feminist, and grateful to live in a time and country where saying that does not put me in danger.
#125: Grateful for my role in opening the minds of so many. 
#126: Loving the fact that my students were emailing me about the Roe anniversary this weekend.  Proud moments.
#127: Excited for the day where shame behind feminism, abortion and women's rights disappears.
#128: Male feminists are sexy.  Grateful they exist.
#129: Freedom to be the woman I want to be is huge.  I am always worried about becoming too domesticated or too stereotypically womanly...but in reality I am free to be who I want to be...and if I love children, cooking, cleaning, laundry, working, and playing...well so be it :)
#130: Free Speech

Interesting

I love Ellen.  She is funny, makes me laugh, helps mornings go by, and stands up for some incredibly causes.  On her show the other day was this beauty of a commercial.  The commercial is actually from a new TLC show "Virgin Diaries" that follows couples who have "saved themselves for marriage".  Since I know several couples who have done just that, I find the show both interesting and a train wreck waiting to happen.  While the show sheds light on this ever-shrinking population, it is also making a spectacle of these couples, mocking them in a way.  Watch this video for example...

There were serious outcry's from this commercial in particular, so TLC released a new one that addresses some of the dialogue that the couples engage in where they discuss their reasons for waiting, their excitement, and their "plans" for the wedding night (kinda awkward, honestly). 

Regardless of how I feel about not having sex until marriage, which honestly I can't say my feelings on this are set in stone, I am kinda disturbed by how many people are laughing at this couples' first kiss.  I can only imagine the excitement that led to the kiss, and the embarrassment that they are feeling now...

Is it fair to make fun of these couples who take waiting for sex to heart?  I get mad when religious groups require such practices, so shouldn't I also fight for the rights of these couples to practice their beliefs in privacy?  Then again, they chose to put their lives on TV.  Did they chose the mockery or the exposure? 

So interesting!

#87: Grateful my life is not on camera.  Privacy is a beautiful thing.
#88: Country Christmas Special.  Beautiful, peaceful, and a great reminder of the joy in the season.

Social Justice

Justice is a "hot" topic right now...it's in TV shows (grey's last season with Alex's project), on billboards and most definitely in churches and classrooms.  Part of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics is to work towards social justice in everything we do, and this is something I learn about, both practically and big picture, on a daily basis.

I am working on a couple of big papers right now.  One of them is about me (a genogram basically) and one is about connecting course (welfare) work to one of the "competencies" of the NASW.  Social justice is the easiest to connect to any of my courses because SO many things are unjust...

Social Security isn't available until your 65 (or 62) but African Americans have a much shorter life span on average; therefore they receive less of what they paid earlier in life than say Asian women who have the longest life span.

Higher education (public at least) was intended to allow anyone to become as educated as they want; the poor were able to go to school just as the wealthy were.  In current times, however, both the federal and state budgets have drastically affected the funding on ALL education programs, rising tuition costs and cutting the amount of available financial aid funds.  Now, higher education is only for those with the means to get there, which often excludes the less wealthy and disproportionately excludes select ethnic groups.

 Our tax codes are completely messed up, if you didn't already know that.  We give tax cuts to billionaires and some cuts to those making less than 20K/year, but almost no cuts to the average earning American ($20-60K).  This makes it incredibly difficult for many Americans in so many ways.  Instead of taxing people proportionate to income, we tax (Read:PENALIZE) people for working a honest job making 30K a year instead of helping those families make ends meet.  And considering the last point about education, how are these families supposed to get an education leading to a better job?  And who is to say that education would even mater right now?

Basically the world is a mess. Politics are messy.  And our country (and largely the world) is in such a devastating economic situation that we have no attention being given to these justice issues outside of grassroots movements.

How will you help?

Oppression

In advance, please forgive me for this overly academic post.  I have written seven papers in the last 24 hours, and though they were only around 2 pages each...it was still 7 papers.

Six of the papers were responses to readings for a class I am currently taking.  It is a required Women's Studies course on Feminist Theory.  The class is dense, to say the least.  I was dreading taking it, but I just finished reading some life changing articles.  It is kind of funny because when people learn that I am a feminist, their responses are unpredictable.  Some freak out, some applaud, some are ambivalent.  To me, being a feminist means that I do not support oppression, and will never support inequality.

I love that Pink did this!

Today at church a woman mentioned that she felt the place of a woman was in the house.  Let me say that her opinion in no way represented that of the church's or the congregation.  When she said this, though, I cringed.  Women are capable of anything they want to do, just like men are.  Black women are capable of anything white women can do.  And the list goes on. 

As a social worker, I look forward to facing these inequalities head on.  I also recognize that it will be incredibly difficult to fight against long-standing views of so many.  At the end of the day, each person is entitled to their own beliefs, but if you ever ask me what I belief to be true, my answer will be love and equality!