The Spiritualist Journey

A Message to The Light Workers

Each and everyone of us chose to be here. We volunteered a contract with our Heavenly Beings to serve a purpose on this Earth to spread Light and Love Energy. Our sole purpose on the earth is to help guide others to their true path and see them through their difficulties while they are in their lowest part of life. Our mission is to bring them out of their darkness through our life’s examples and continuous acts of kindness and generosity. As we express our gratitude and humbleness in what we are given and remain open to accept things given unto us, we send out positive waves of energies that are replicated and sent back to us in multitudes of blessings.

This message is to warn all Light Workers who are out of place. Your vibrations are low and going haywire because you have forgotten your purpose. Somewhere along your path, life happened, and sent you spiraling out of control. Instead of staying within you started to look without, which shattered your visions, hopes, and dreams of making this world a safer and more peaceful place. You fell off course because you begin to take things personal and making life about yourself, when life has never been about us, but rather what we can do to uplift and change the mindsets of people around us. Some things in life got you so upset that you begin taking things personal, trying to control elements of things and situations that are outside of your control, holding on to things and people that were only meant to be experienced for a season, and undermining things that people had done to us instead of taking the lessons and making sure these things do not happen again. We are not to do the job of the Higher Powers, yet we are to lead people to The Higher Power so that they can become their Highest Self.

Where life takes you, you are supposed to be there, so act like it. Take the moment and situation for what it is and create the change that need to come about, or you will be reliving the same moment in life over and over again until you complete the task and learning the lesson, bringing about the necessary change. This is your moment to be inspired to be brave, be bold, be courageous, and be proud to be you knowing that you are used as an instrument to bring about change.

We are the co-creators with The Universal Source. We cannot let the things of this world distract us from fulfilling our highest good. If speaking of and addressing the responsibilities of real life scares you then you are operating outside of your element. Step back into your element by remembering who you are and the purpose you came to this earthly realm. Serve your fellow beings, uplift their spirits and you will do your part to serve humanity bringing about global change.

Give praise, give thanks, pray, and love thy neighbor as you love yourself. Serve your mission on this earth in gladness and be not like those of world who bring about evil and oppression. It is our time to serve and save humanity. Step back into your purpose.

Be Blessed People!

“Obesity is not exclusively about overconsumption of food. Factors including the higher cost of healthy meals and the lack of access to recreational spaces also play a key role in understanding why many Americans, particularly the poor, struggle with obesity (J. 420).” Some don’t understand the concept of keeping the poor, poor and much that is contributed to and resulted by those means. The results of those effects can lead to or contribute to obesity. I, myself have not ever been obese but majority of my family suffer from such conditions, resulting in diabetes, high blood pressure, lack of energy, minimal exercise, and poor eating habits. I chose to learn from their behaviors enough to change the pattern to live a different and healthier lifestyle, resulting in maintaining a slimmer physique, and healthy eating habits.  I also believe that my spending and purchasing habits as well as my living situation has helped to keep me on a healthier and more knowledgeable path. I do not force my habits upon my family members but I do offer advice when they seek it from me. The major difference, to me, is all about the mindset of individuals. If we change the mindset of individuals, we can change the course of obesity, which some members of my family have recently discovered.  

Social factors such as poverty, which can result from living in public housing, can lead to environmental factors, such as fast food consumption, inexpensive, cost effective meals and lack of availability to physical activities contribute to my family’s obesity problem. Many of my family members chose to stay within that type of environment, I chose to leave and separate myself. Their mindset is stuck on their means of survival by what they are limited to do based on the terms of their housing contract. They are shown that the more they try to better themselves and free themselves from governmental help, the harder it becomes for them to survive, because it gets more expensive to live as they gain more income, due to benefits being lessened before they get a chance to save enough money to not live paycheck to paycheck. It sounds backwards but that is the reality of their situations. 

One way to overcome obesity, as I stated earlier, is to change their mindset. They must want to lose weight and choose to live a healthier and more productive lifestyle. They must understand how excessive weight effects more than just their body. They must look beyond the point of reference of their environment to know that what is easily accessible doesn’t necessarily means that it is good for them. There are nutritional disparities between the rich and the poor in America. As I took notice myself, the price of food is higher in poorer communities as well. “Walter Willett, chair of the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, said in a press statement that the widening gap is related to income and education (Hamblin, 2014).” Many people who live in Public Housing have some college education or some sort of certification for specific trades, however their level of salary is much less than those within wealthier communities. Some choose to keep their income at a minimum level, or work part-time jobs just so that they can receive enough governmental subsidies to help feed their children. The more they make, the higher their rent, and the less government subsidies they will receive. The goal of governmental help is said to allow families to become “self-sufficient”, but how can they sustain if they aren’t given an adequate amount of time to save a few paychecks to get them ahead? There will always be a conflict of interest and people must learn how to not place themselves within the conflict, possibly through financial education. Financial education is what many of the poor lack and by learning financial management, they can learn to make changes in their habits to stray away from foods that can cause their families to become obese. Learning money management can provide families with healthy ways to save, which can help them make better choices and decisions when purchasing healthier food that is within their budget. If the rich already knows this, why aren’t these efforts and information pushed towards poor people who can learn to have everyone, rich and poor, on the same healthy accord?

“Social conflict theory draws heavily from the work of Karl Marx, which divides society into two broad classes: workers and capitalists, or proletarians and bourgeoisie. The workers do not possess nothing of real value except their labor power (J. 173).” The labor power of the poor is limited to their means of survival. If America focuses on the right actions to realistically help people become self-sufficient, the disparities will begin to shrink and people can be on a healthier path to losing weight and straying away from obesity. This is a very important step because the problem is often generational and someone down the line, such as myself, must break their family trends and cycles, for the goal to be successful. Although society may be placed into two separate categories, when it comes to health we can all stand one the same level. We can still have workers and capitalist; however, the poor can be working more towards a healthier lifestyle as opposed to survival.

References

J., Chambliss, W., Eglitis, S. (01/2015). Discover Sociology, 2nd Edition. SAGE Publications, Inc, VitalBook file.

JAMES HAMBLIN. (9/2014). The Food Gap Is Widening. Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/access-to-real-food-as-privilege/379482/

Mrs. Pettit was one of many dedicated teachers licensed to teach in California to work with mentally challenged children. She had been working with mentally challenged children for over thirteen years. “Throughout that career, her competence was never questioned, and the evaluations of her school principal were always positive (Shaw).” Her career ended abruptly after other teachers took wind of her private lifestyle, after she had done a disguised, televised, interview about her lifestyle, then later, police found her in the act of oral copulation with multiple men, at a private swinger’s lifestyle event and arrested her. Oral copulation, in 1968 when the case took place, contravened the California Penal Code.  Even though the school district offered to renew her teaching contract for the next upcoming school year, two years after this incident occurred, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against Pettit. It resulted in her being fired and her elementary school life diploma was revoked. The Board took away her license to teach, “because by engaging in immoral and unprofessional conduct at the party, she had demonstrated that she was unfit to teach (Shaw).” Even though she had been teaching for over thirteen years, no one ever knew of her private lifestyle outside of teaching. Although she partook in an event with other consented adults, her thoughts or interest in wife swapping and swinger’s parties was never known to had been brought into her classroom. How can what someone do outside of their career affect a decision to end a career that was never tainted by someone’s private lifestyle choices?

             In concerning itself with Pettit’s off-the-job conduct, the Board of Education violated her right to privacy. Their concern with her lifestyle legitimate and employment were completely unrelated. Who gave them the right to investigate her private lifestyle if she had not been suspected of harming any student, encouraged such behaviors to the children in her classroom, or even referred to her sexual preferences at her place of employment period, to children or her colleagues.  The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution states; “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath.” If no one knew of her private lifestyle at her place of employment then obviously she wasn’t going around encouraging others to partake in such activities. There was no probable cause to investigate her sexual practices. At what point does the school board makes authority over someone’s sexual preference that doesn’t violate or include children? She had every right to privately enjoy and engage in consensual sex that she and her husband agreed upon. Her sexual preference outside of her profession she kept in its own lane. That demonstrates that she had enough moral judgement to know to keep those two things separate. Requirements for moral judgement, according to Shaw, suggests that “moral judgments should be (1) logical, (2) based on facts, and (3) based on sound or defensible moral principles. Amoral judgment that is weak on any of these grounds is open to criticism (Shaw).” She logically chose to disguise herself to not blatantly encourage others to do as she did. Based on the facts of the case she never harmed any children or encouraged such behaviors within the classroom. Her moral principles kept her from engaging in conversations about her lifestyle directly with her colleagues and students. On top of all else she wasn’t charged with oral copulation. According to the case outline “Evidently a plea bargain was arranged and plaintiff pleaded guilty to Penal Code section 650 1/2 (outraging public decency), a misdemeanor (Justia).” So where did she go wrong? Does exploring a heightened sense of sexuality show a “lack of fitness” to teach? No, it does not.

            “By engaging in sexual activity in the presence of other “swingers,” plaintiff, the majority assert, demonstrated “a serious defect of moral character, normal prudence and good common sense.” (Majority opn., ante, p. 35.) fn. 5”, Yet plaintiff took reasonable precautions to assure that she was viewed only by persons who would not be offended by her conduct;” (Justia). How professional of Mrs. Pettit to keep her acts out of the public eye! From a utilitarian perspective, which states; “Utilitarianism holds that the maximization of happiness ultimately determines what is just and unjust (Shaw),” she did what made her happy outside of work. Because of the act she engaged in overall made her and others engaged in the same lifestyle happy, it was not agreed upon, as a whole, in the eyes of Judicial system and the Board of Education, they deemed what she did immoral and unethical. However, the rest of society did not agree with their decision and would agree that it was just for her to promote the well-being of her personal sexual desires, as long as it was set apart from her job. It would have been unprofessional to have brought those acts to her place of work, yet she did not. Consensual sex with other adults is not wrongful, wicked, evil, foul, unprincipled, unscrupulous, dishonorable, or unconscionable. Pettit was not dishonest about her private sexual behaviors, therefore her behavior, when it came to how she engaged in sex, that doesn’t involve children, should not have been considered immoral. Had she involved children then she could have been considered unfit to teach. She made all the right decisions on her behalf and I see no justification as to why the Board of Education felt justified in their decision to revoke her teaching license.

Pettit was working with Mentally Challenged children. “Historically, individuals with MR (Mental Retardation) have not enjoyed the sexual freedom afforded to individuals without disabilities. Adolescent years are important period of human life that is accompanied with prominent changes and developments in individuals. Thus, adolescence and puberty is not a physiological and sexual occurrence and it is not limited to physical changes. The occurrence of these changes in individuals with MR is accompanied with greater problems and challenges (Abbas, Taher and Esapoor, 2012). Because of these reasons many families chose to protect the sexual lives of family members with MR by sterilizing them. If Pettit had a heightened sense of sexual desire then this group of individuals could not have been her target to satisfy her sexual needs. Therefore no one in her classroom was threatened by her private sexual activities, nor would they have been accepted into the private group because they simply could not perform the duties required to be in the group.  The Board of Education was not justified in firing her. As with an earlier case when “the court had reversed the firing of a public-school teacher for unspecified homosexual conduct, concluding that a teacher’s actions could not constitute “immoral or unprofessional conduct” or “moral turpitude” unless there was clear evidence of unfitness to teach (Shaw),” this case was quite similar enough to have had the same outcome. Her employment should not have been affected based upon people’s personal belief.

Employers can have a legitimate interest in their employees’ off-the-job conduct when their off-the-job conduct interferes with their work. If teachers perform competently in the classroom then their private lives outside of work shouldn’t matter, unless it interferes with their work. We would expect teachers to have a higher moral standard inside and outside the classroom, however we cannot dictate the type of private affairs they choose to engage in, that doesn’t conflict with their job. I’m sure there are plenty of single teachers who engage in the same acts outside of work with multiple men. Just because they may be on separate occasions it really doesn’t make a difference, when it’s the same type of activity. Just because the judges and prosecutors choose to only engage in such acts with only their wives/husbands doesn’t mean they can tell people how to act within their own marriage. Everyone has a choice. Disorderly conduct and assaulting a police officer, being discovered in a compromising position with a student, propositioning a student, would show unprofessional conduct, immorality, or lack of fitness to teach, not someone’s sexual preference. For a teacher, dressing inappropriately, engaging in sexual acts with students, persuading students to change their sexuality, child abuse, or pedophilia would show unprofessional or immoral conduct. Pettit did none of these things, yet the Board of Education placed her in the same category.  Their decision was unfair and they went above and beyond to violate her right to privacy because nothing that she did took away from her ability to teach. She was treated unfairly and was categorized amongst those with much higher offenses and less moral judgement. There was simply no unprofessional conduct on her behalf.

The Board of Education and the Judicial system has no business in the private affairs of teachers sexual preference, unless it affects or threatens the students or co-workers!

References

Justia US Law. Pettit v. State Board of Education. Retrieved from  http://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/3d/10/29.html

Shaw, William H. Business Ethics: A Textbook with Cases, 8th Edition. Cengage Learning, 20130101. VitalBook file.

Abbas Ali Hosseinkhanzadeh*, Mahboobe Taher and Mehdi Esapoor. (2012). Attitudes to sexuality in individuals with mental retardation from perspectives of their parents and teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.academicjournals.org/journal/IJSA/article-full-text-pdf/0B9DD013830

What is it about the nature of human beings that defines who we are? How are we viewed regarding our characteristics and our place within the universe? What makes human beings different from any other species on the planet Earth? How are we viewed from the outside looking in? These are questions that people ask themselves throughout their developmental growth stages. What makes it so interesting is that this topic is one that people do not stray away from. People tend to go through extreme lengths to have these questions answered so that they can gain understanding that will satisfy their soul. An article in newscientist.com suggest that there are six things about our human nature that we all have in common and do very well. When it comes to (1) SKILLS our human nature reflects us as being playful, (2) COMMUNICATION our nature has shown us as being gossipy, our (3) Human BEHAVIOURIAL nature shows how legislative we are in developing elaborate systems of rules and etiquette, when it comes to humans (4) FEEDING, our nature shows how epicurean we are, with (5) SEX, unlike animals who publicly have sex, our human nature shows that we are clandestine, lastly our (6) KNOWLEDGE nature shows us being scientific, we like to figure things out. The nature of humans is one of those things we want to figure out. This study was done by Anthropologists who “have identified many “human universals” – characteristics shared by all people everywhere, which constitute a sort of parts list of our species” (New Scientist). When people do not agree with society and science they often turn to religion, whose vast variety suggest different ideals about human nature. Human nature is at the core of every religion because it defines who people are when they seek to discover themselves in their overall journey. It helps people realize their place and role in the universe. If we explore the many religions we can find some common ground within them all about human nature.

In Hinduism, The Vedas and the Upanishads view human characteristics differently. The Vedas believe humans have one purpose in life, which is to perform proper sacrifices to the gods. The most exemplary model for the humans is the head house holder because they teach the family all they should do according to the caste system, which is their way of life. The Upanishads believes that humans can become one with a higher reality named Brahman. To do this, they must change how they see the world and behave in it. Within Buddhism, Buddhist believes humans need each other. Social engagement, or communication, must occur to gain peace. Without social engagement, without people of different religious backgrounds communicating, wars would never cease. Buddhism brings forth spirituality, which humans need to get to the root of their problems. Deeper knowledge helps us figure it out. As the religions Daoism and Confucianism gained popularity, Taoism, the religion practiced by earlier people of this faith, gradually fell from favor, and changed from an official religion to a popular religious tradition” (BBC,2009). Daoism feels as if people should get to a condition of harmony known as The Great Peace, while living within their chaotic environment. Our human nature allows to separate ourselves from everything going on around us. In the Shinto tradition, the world’s beauty has many helpful spirits all around us, to help guide us. “The body and mind must be purified so that the person can be connected with kami, that are clean, bright, right, and straight” (Fisher 231). The nature of our behaviors helps us accomplish this. In Judaism, through Abraham and his bloodline, Jewish people feel they are chosen people whom God formed a covenant of protection, special favors and blessings, in exchange for obedience of the people. Jewish people like God, being created in his image, are held to ethical standards. If the nature of people is to do and be good, the days of their lives will reap many rewards, as promised by God. Christianity is a religion based on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus.” (Fisher 305). He taught that Christians’ nature should reflect the following of Gods commandments so that they may be able to enter Heaven. We are born into sin and must separate ourselves from it so that we can be forgiven through the compassion of God. Within Islam, Humans must be on a quest for a greater self. The more they get to know themselves, the more spiritual they will become. The more spiritual they are, the closer they get to God while in their perfect being. To reach that level one would have experienced a greater peace that not all could reach, but if we communicate with one another then it is possible. Sikhism is also a religion where humans must be on a quest for a greater self. The more they get to know about themselves and treat others the same as themselves, no matter what level of accomplishment they are in in life, the more they will become one with God. We are all part of a greater whole and the more we realize that, the more we become selfless. These acts and characteristics of human nature are also reflected amongst the many New Religious Movements such as Baha’I. This faith has the idea of uniting all religions. The new religions are derived from mixtures of many of the older religions which shows that the same characteristics about human nature exist within them all.

I, myself have personally felt like those amongst the new religious movements. As I agree with some science, seeking answers through religion to help gain a higher spirituality within myself, was my way of gaining comfort. I looked to discover the root of problems that helps produce good deeds to change the nature of human beings. Like Muslims and Buddhist, we must have compassion for one another because that is important. Some may not know it but, for example, the government social services took their ideals of helping mothers and children from Muslims. Discovering our sameness and relatedness in human nature and our structures in society is significant across all religions because it brings people to face their own problems of viewing each other as different. My community takes on these acts of taking care of each other’s families. We know we can heal and help others heal, even if they are of a different faith. We must know why people are the way they are, accept them for who they are, and deal with them accordingly based on their characteristics. This helps people to create ways for all human families to survive. We must shift our knowledge to accomplish and understand the power in our unity.

Resources

1). Fisher, Mary P., Robin Rinehart. Living Religions, 10th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions, 2016-10-01. VitalBook file.

2). (11/2009). The Origins of Taoism. Retrieved from:http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/history/history.shtml

3). R. Loy, David. What’s Buddhist about Socially Engaged Buddhism. Retrieved from:

http://www.zen-occidental.net/articles1/loy12-english.html

4). Patheos. Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence. Retrieved from:

http://www.patheos.com/Library/Hinduism/Beliefs/Human-Nature-and-the-Purpose-of-Existence

5). Human nature: Six things we all do: Retrieved from: https://www.newscientist.com/round-up/human-nature

Sometimes social reform must start from the level of those who possess the unknown power to do so, the ones who need reform the most. When countries are provided with resources and don’t reap the proper amount of return on their investment, they might as well give their product away for free. There is no need to do most of the work and get paid the least. That is the major trend on how most companies and industries operate. The fact of the matter is, it just isn’t fair and some reform is needed. When we allow industry and companies take control over the result of the products produced throughout counties we tend to forget about all the factors, people, animals and nature, in between who also gets affected by the means to meet their demands. That is what is happening in the coffee industry.

Within the production, processing, packaging and selling of coffee, developing nations, coffee farmers, tropical rainforests, biodiversity, rivers, and birds are all amongst those who are affected by the results of low returns on farmers investments who produce coffee beans. When we ethically dwell on the moral concerns of what’s right and what’s wrong, we must understand that “Ethics is the study of the choices people make regarding right and wrong (Ruggeiro, 4).” When people make moral decisions, they decide if their behavior or belief is acceptable or not. When making choices we must ask ourselves would society agree with us or not because our decisions affects any and everything involved. Because coffee farmers must meet such a high demand to reap a profit to survive off, they have converted from traditional ways of farming coffee to a more yield producing method. They went from growing coffee in the shade of tropical trees to now growing in full-sun production. The major concern with the switch is the fact that to use this full-sun production method, one must resort to using chemical fertilizers and pesticides that can no longer come naturally from the trees and inhabitants of the rain forest. These chemicals poison both workers and rivers nearby and those who consume the coffee from which these beans are produced. Many coffee drinkers aren’t aware that they are affected by the coffee they drink, because most don’t even question the source of where the coffee beans are produced. They just grab and go. What if they were made more aware?

            Most companies who are faced with the problems of investing into something that would require a profit seeking return would more than likely have someone do extensive proper research about the product. Consumers who intake things on a regular basis and are consciously concerned about their health, would want to know whether they are consuming large amounts of pesticides and other chemicals. People who live near the rivers and utilize them for basic daily activities would be concerned with whether they are being poisoned by the water or not. If businesses that invested found that the coffee they invested in is not of highest quality, families found that the coffee being produced nearby is poisoning them, and the coffee being consumed by buyers is poisonous, their natural reactions and ways of responding to these issues would not be pretty at first. It could lead to lawsuits and/or it can lead to social reform and major changes being made. Who would benefit or suffer the most?

            For anything to be farmed, because of the amount of time that must be spent surrounding the product, one must really have a sense of pride in their work. According to Thomas Hobbes’ Ethical Egoism, if we were to live in a State of Nature (natural condition of mankind), without demands from big business, then common standards of good, and economical justice would allow for more farmers to produce by means of shade by the topical trees. These businesses should not treat farmers as a means, only because, they are the most important people behind the products their company stands by and promote to the public.

            If we go back to the nature of letting things be produced in society as naturally as possible then we can save everyone from being poisoned and ripped off financially. Farmers morals and ethics wouldn’t have to be challenged. For something like coffee, I feel the best result is to allow the supply and demand play by course of nature because then it would be treated like fruit that people purchase based on their season of best reproduction. That will allow for developing nations to utilize as much of their tropical rainforest as possible to maximize their profits to better sustain themselves. They should not have to suffer by means of one product when their conditions allow for them to produce more. Some countries such as Columbia have already opted out of the coffee trade for more profitable products. If more and more countries follow their trend then the coffee industry is at risk.  While everyone still has time to fix the problems that exist, everyone should at least consider it. If big businesses don’t agree then they are doomed for failure in this investment.

Reference

Ruggiero, Vincent. 2015. Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. 9^th Edition

Written by: Cassandra Lafure edited by Daaiyah Haggray

When racial barriers are broken down, some members of society tend to want to keep them up. When people become used to a certain way of life where they benefit most from, they are reluctant to change. These types of people make it harder for society to grow collectively and resolve issues where some are treated more unfair than others. Racial unjust inspires some to act like activist towards dismantling structures where racial tensions are high. People in positions of power have the authority to step in and address these tensions and how they handle situations reinforces how people react to the outcome. People act on situations without realizing that it makes them seem more racist than they would like people to believe. Those who remain racist have a way of covering it up however, society has a way of unveiling those attributes linguistically. The changes within the culture of how one must react to racial issues have shifted. Adjustments hasn’t gotten society far from ways of the past, but more people are willing to support efforts made towards a multiracial society combating systematic racial oppression. Influences in combating racism comes in many shapes and forms with actors and films playing a major role in its efforts. As more people begin to understand forms of racism that they may have not realized exist in their lives, the better we come closer to addressing racial issues head on and keeping the barriers down.

Society has shifted from direct racism being spewed directly in the face of the minority being attacked, to a subtler indirect, behind closed doors type of maintenance of racial privilege. Although America has a way of putting off that our society is multicultural, diverse, and an integrated nation, we are far from that ideology systematically. The “principles of liberalism and humanism were not extended to minorities as slaves or contract laborers, however, after the abolishment of slavery the ideas associated with them were (Bonilla-Silva, 68).” This new ideology is known as color-blind racism. White people use color-blind racism to frame their answers when addressed with issues on race, especially when placed in uncomfortable situations. It allows for them to excuse their racist behavior. Segregation along with integration are situations when color-blind racism presents itself often. It is one of the prominent ways in which society deals with race, as an easy way to brush off racial issues, instead of resolving them. One of the best ways to battle racism is to address it head on, not allowing for color-blind racism to affect the purposed outcome. 

One film that best exemplifies color-blind racism is Remember the Titans. This film in its essence captures how society reacts naturally to shifts in racial adversity and desegregation. As with abstract liberalism “by framing race-related issues in the language of liberalism, whites can appear ‘reasonable’ and even ‘moral’ while opposing almost all practical approaches to deal with de facto racial inequality (Bonilla-Silva, 69).” This is important because racism can be justified when a situation is clearly racially motivated and wrong.  Remember the Titans reflect the color-blind frame of naturalization, which is the frame to “allow whites to explain away racial phenomena by suggesting that they are natural occurrences (Bonilla-Silva, 69).” When whites get away with situations by using this frame it places the minority in a position to fight harder for their rights. In a place where segregation was alive and well but outlawed African American Coach Herman Boone became captain of a divided football team in a desegregated school, yet segregated town. It was obvious he had expertise in dealing with such type of environment because he came and knew exactly how to go about handling the situation while standing firm and comfortable in doing his job and executing the results he wanted. Coach Boone knew that the town wouldn’t be accepting to his strategies of inclusiveness nor would they have been quick to willingly support his efforts of social justice from a football players point of view. As the Head Coach, he knew that it was necessary to separate the team from their environment because the environment was affecting their point of reference towards racism. That was his first act towards dismantling the town’s racial preferences. Racism is taught and learned and in a segregated town the coach knew separation of the players from their families was a must. He took the players to a training camp away from their home. “The team spent a week at Gettysburg College where they practiced up to three times a day, as depicted in the movie Remember the Titans (-ESPN.com).” Segregation may have been a must for the town, but it would no longer be an issue for the players of the football team, who would later have difficulty trying to make their peers and families realize the same thing. Because segregation was relevant for the town, the people saw fit that segregation among schools and sports were necessary as well. Naturalization makes for this mindset to carry out. This frame is used by whites mostly to explain the existence of school or neighborhood segregation, the limited contact between whites and minorities… (Bonilla-Silva, 69).” Coach Boone knew that this mindset wouldn’t suffice when trying to win football games. He mastered ignoring the reasoning of color-blind racism spewed by the parents because not only was it damaging to society, it was damaging to his players and he had to break their mold to complete his job successfully.

Coach Boones elements of interpretive repertoire challenged the racial order of T.C Williams High School football players along with the town of Alexandria. Upon leaving for training camp the players were forced, in front of their parents, to mix while boarding buses. The mixing of the players was symbolic for ‘I don’t care who you are or what you look like’ based on your position this is where you will sit, regardless of what your parents taught you. By doing this he challenged racial privilege. Since racism was direct during this time, parents were quick to address the coach’s actions with outburst of disappointments. Color-blind racism of today doesn’t allow for expressions as such to happen because people do not want to be viewed and labeled a racist for wanting to keep their child separate from the rest. Naturalization frames would allow for the white parents to justify not mixing the players of the team with justification of stating something like ‘that’s just the way things are around here.” If Coach Boone had kept the players separate on the buses they initially chose to get on themselves, most likely due to the ways of the town, he would have been perpetuating the racism instilled in Alexandria. One of the reasons it was important for the coach to do so was because later there was a player who joined his team who hadn’t experienced segregation. The players who do not understand segregation, to be met with such circumstances can be a culture shock, as it was for the player who joined T.C Williams, coming from a well diverse California.  After a successful win, this California raised student wanted to eat and celebrate with his fellow black players at an all-white establishment but was met with unforeseen, yet warned, opposition. The reality of the situation caused some friction between the players. The naturalization of segregated eateries made this an uncomfortable situation, yet it was still justified by the town. The interpretive repertoire of projection at the camp made the players feel comfortable enough to do things that the town in which they lived were just not ready for. Desegregation was just too uncomfortable, not only for the parents and the town but for many of the players peers at school as well. The projection of integration along with wins on the field presented the players with a false reality of hope, by having the players success deem them worthy of integration off the field as well. The back lash is an example of what happens throughout society when racism is tolerated in certain situations and not as a societal whole. Efforts made towards justice is set back because of opposition to change. If society mirrors the patterns of this town then it would make it okay for white people not be racist when they see fit and remain racist in every other aspect of their lives. Today’s society mirrors this town when the backlash to racism happens every time we witness white people getting away with racist acts towards minorities in situations such as shootings that occur and the lack of justice or unfair injustices that result from the same behaviors by two different races of people. Building a multiracial team is like building a multiracial society. Colorblindness can be good in the sense that the opposition to change is kept behind closed doors and does not interfere directly with any progress that occurs. It can also be bad when trying to convince people to act on the change that occurs. While people can justify their actions with excuses, the way society sees their actions when color-blind racism plays its part, change can look promising allowing racial tensions to ease.

Remember the Titans challenged racial order further by taking white players off the field that weren’t performing well and replacing them with black players. Because white privilege was natural due to segregation the story-line behind the naturalization would have a parent state that “My child isn’t on the field because of the black player,” when in fact the other player outperformed the white player. The parent didn’t care that the team would do better without that player at that moment, he was just upset that he was replaced by a person of color and thought that just because he had white privilege in the town that it transferred over to Coach Boone’s field. Coach Boone stood firm in his decision as society should stand firm in dismantling this racist systematically built structure. Due to his stance the team became undefeated, even though the parents did not agree with the coach integration, they were proud of the wins. If Coach Boone can get a racially segregated town of individuals to respect his decisions of integration, it proves that it can be done even if met with opposition.

Still there would be those who disagree. When the team returned from camp, they were overjoyed by their integration in learning about one another that the scene was unwelcomed by the parents. One parent responded with “what did they do to those boys.” That statement was a huge reflection of the times the players had to endure knowing that the community wouldn’t agree with the team’s respect for each other. Making people question racism is how we get people to talk about it. Coach Boone made this community talk about the integration. It made the students address racism head on. Today racism is being addressed to the point where White Americans “assumes that we already inhabit a society where racial equality prevails (McClure, 55).” Ironically Thornhill suggests that society believes that by not talking about racism will force it to disappear however, that is untrue long as naturalization can still occur, allowing whites to continuously justify their racist acts with mediocre excuses. Society was not ready for Coach Boone’s actions at that time, but they had to accept it. Fortunately, enough for the players they were willing to accept and embrace the change while encouraging their peers to do so. That takes more strength than being on the field. It takes courage and strength of people like Coach Boone to sacrifice their time and efforts in bringing forth change. He found a system that dismantle racial barriers and aggression and used it to better not one individual but a group of individuals.

Coach Boone challenged racial privilege. “Whites project racism onto blacks as a way of avoiding responsibility and feeling good about themselves (Bonilla-Silva, 72)”.  The parent whose son got taken off the field exemplified this because his son wasn’t prepared enough to get the job done. He must have felt as if his son wasn’t good enough, so he placed the blame elsewhere. This does nothing but hurt society, especially those who have not experienced racism as much as others. Making excuses for their actions and exemplifying color-blind racism fuels its continuation.  We cannot keep a veil over racism, uncovering the issues does more positive than ignoring all racial issues. If the coach had not forced the team to lift their veils and get the players to get to know one another, he would have simply perpetuated the segregation of the town. Addressing racism head on forces people to talk about it. The more we talk about it, the more we overcome it. The more we overcome it, the better the chances for the dismantling of a systematic racist society.

References:

EBS-Racial Attitudes or Racial Ideology-2003-Has Table of 4 Frames

https://saintleo.brightspace.com/d2l/le/content/55236/viewContent/1660558/View

McClure, Stephanie M. Getting Real About Race: Hoodies, Mascots, Model Minorities, and Other Conversations. SAGE Publications, Inc, 2015. [MBS Direct].

Remember The Titans. Retrieved from: http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/rememberthetitans.php