Five Things to Consider About Donald Trumps Border Wall

The projected wall is 30 feet high and 6 feet deep

1)   The Cost

• A report from The Government Accountability Office ( A nonpartisan Group) said that the wall " Will Cost more than projected, take longer than planned, and not fully perform as expected".
• Department of Homeland Security estimated the cost to be 21.6 Billion + 150 million a year to maintain.
• Senate Democrats Report put the cost at about 70 Billion not including maintenance.
• These costs are too high because undocumented workers + drugs will still find their way across.
• The wall is irrelevant in regard to people overstaying their visas which is the most common way people cross the border.
• A percentage of the land along the border does not belong to the federal government! The legal fees for seizing this land by eminent domain will be huge and the resulting lawsuits will hold it up in court indefinitely which will waste all that money!
• Remittances are when undocumented workers send money back to their families in Mexico. This is one of the largest cash flows that Mexico has. They enable economic development there and reduce the incentives for people to try to migrate here illegally. If we seize these it will increase illegal migration here.    
  

2) Drug Smugglers

• Most illegal drugs do not come across the border where the wall would be! People almost never walk across the border with a back pack full of drugs.
• Most drugs come through tunnels ( which are usually 70 feet deep and will go right under a six foot down wall) or legal ports in boats, cars,trains, and carried by people.
• Also firearms are going from US to Mexico most often through legal ports.
• 70% of the firearms seized in mexico in the violent drug wars came from the US.
• Much progress was made under President Bush and President Obama and Mexico regarding the stopping of drug trafficking on the border. They collaborated with Mexico.
• In retaliation for the US building the wall, or trying to make Mexico pay for it, the Mexican Government could stop sharing terrorism intelligence and give up on working with the US to secure the border.   

3) Crime

• There is no evidence that undocumented immigrants are responsible for a rise in crime rate anywhere.
• In fact most violent crimes are committed by native born Americans.
• The Trump administrations insistence that state police hunt down undocumented workers and fines on sanctuary cities will make communities more dangerous.
• It will result in immigrants not reporting crimes and strain the resources of the police.

4) US Economy

• There is no evidence that undocumented immigrants affect employment levels.
• They usually do unpleasant back breaking work that others are unwilling to do.
• Most undocumented workers also use fake social security numbers so they pay into the tax system but do not take anything back out.
• They also pay sales tax and all other taxes but do not get a tax return or tax credit.
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• 5)  Environment and Human Rights

• The wall will damage the Native American Communities along the border.
• There are 26 Federally Recognized native American Nations in US + 8 indigenous people in Mexico on the border.
• Wall will cut through their land and separate tribal members. It will also separate them from the rivers that they depend on.
• Wall will negatively effect environmental protection agreements between Mexico and the US.
• The Colorado River and the Rio Grande run along where the border wall would be and effect some 40 million people.
• If Mexico retaliates and stops cooperating ( which they will if we build a wall) all these ecosystems will be endangered.
  

Jill Soloway on Donald Trump, Locker Rooms and Toxic Masculinity

Jill Soloway argues in her article very convincingly about gender inequality and the election. She is discussing the much publicized interaction between Donald Trump and Billy Bush. The above video was played all over the media as an example of what Donald Trump supporters called "typical locker room talk" at the time. Jill Soloway argues that what men call "classic masculinity" or the talking about women in a derogatory way behind closed doors is actually " toxic masculinity". This toxic masculinity is the division in our society based on gender that causes inequality and violence against women. She says that this " toxic masculinity" can be changed and does not have to be this way.
Allan Johnson, in his article Privilege, Power, and Difference, also talked about this need for change.He explains how both whiteness and maleness are sources of privilege that people do not want to recognize. Unless we recognize them as privileges in our society that make things unbalanced and talk about them we cannot change them he says. This is exactly what the supporters of Donald Trump did in regard to this video, I think. They brushed it off as common place locker room talk, that did not have a negative impact on women. Both Jill Soloway and Allan Johnson stress the need for this division in gender to be changed. Johnson says" We are not prisoners to some natural order that pits us hopelessly and endlessly against one another. We are prisoners to something, but its closer to our own making than we realize. And we therefore, are far from helpless to change it and ourselves".Jill Soloway talks about how men won't call out other men out on this behavior because they want to be part of. Men divide women into two types, good ones like mothers and daughters, and the bad ones that they get to talk trash about or worse. Women, she says, also go along with it. White, able bodied, educated males from the ruling class have all the power. In order to access this power you must marry one of these men, she says. Johnson says that the trouble we are in privileges some groups at the expense of others. This demonstration by the President and his supporters sure does give an example of this problem. The elections coming up are a opportunity to change this as well. Hopefully the American people will pay attention to this, and become educated about gender inequality and vote accordingly.  

Gender Variance Christian, Marian, and Christopher

Pansexual- person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical and or spiritual attraction for members of all gender identities. Called Pan for short.
It is also called Omni sexuality. It is attraction regardless of gender identity. Often call themselves gender blind. Gender and biological sex are not factors in their attraction to others.This is different from Bisexual because Bisexual suggests that there are just two genders. Pansexuality means being open to a relationship with all genders.
Miley Cyrus calls herself Pansexual. She says she is "gender fluid". She says being Pansexual means "I don't relate to being a boy or a girl, and I don't have to have my partner relate to being a boy or a girl".

Queer- An umbrella term to describe individuals who don't identify as straight. This term means different things to different people. Some LBTQ people refer to themselves as queer but others consider it a slur because it used to be used in a negative way. It should be a personal choice for people to refer to themselves as Queer or not. One should never identify someone that way who doesn't identify themselves as queer.

Ellen Page

In the article linked below Ellen Page, who identifies herself as queer talks about being victimized for it. She talks about the director of X-Men and how he publicly outed her as gay and sexually harassed her. She is a spokeswoman in support of the queer community.

https://wearyourvoicemag.com/lgbtq-identities/ellen-page-giving-queer-survivors-support-deserve


Questioning- someone who is not sure or exploring their own sexual orientation or gender identity.
When a person who identifies as heterosexual or homosexual has curiosity about the sex that they do not favor they are said to be Questioning. Also if they feel like a different gender than the gender they were assigned at birth but are not sure which gender they identify with. 
The link below is to an article that has resources for teens who may be questioning. It gives questions to think about and other resources for further information. The most important thing ,it says, is to not rush or feel pressured to arrive at the answer. Confusion is normal and it will become evident in time or even may change over time, it says.

https://www.algbtical.org/2A%20CURIOUS.htm-

Poly-amorous-having open relationships, multiple honest and consensual relationships.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have been rumored to have a poly-amorous relationship or open marriage. She was quoted as saying " He is his own man and can do whatever he wants". This statement caused the media to publish that they had an open marriage.She addressed this several months later by saying they can both do whatever they want because they trust each other. She has never specifically said that they have an open marriage.

SAFE SPACES Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth Annemarie Vaccaro, Gerri August, and Megan S. Kennedy

Here are some quotes from Safe Spaces that I found to be relevant and important. 

" Most adults unconsciously perpetuate heterosexism: heterosexism is the assumption that everyone is or should be heterosexual. At the bus stop, soccer field, dinner table, or local grocery store, adults reinforce the messages of heterosexism."  This is so common place in our society that it isn't even considered by most people, I think. Every where you go heterosexual relationships are considered "normal". They are portrayed everywhere. I never thought about what it would be like to grow up realizing that you differed from this norm. It must be a real distancing phenomena. I would imagine it creates quite a bit of confusion in a young person. It starts with the gender reveal before a baby is even born and continues in school, at work, and at home."



"Classrooms lay the foundations for an inclusive and safe society; a just community where common interests and individual differences coexist. To the extent that teachers, school administrators, and college professors create an atmosphere in which difference is not only tolerated but expected, explored and embraced, students will be more likely to develop perspectives that result in respectful behaviors. Without the deliberate creation of an inclusive atmosphere, however,what happens inside classroom walls reproduces the prejudices that exist outside these walls: straightness and gender conformity are assumed; LGBT identity is deviant."  I think it is important to not just tolerate diversity in the classroom but to include and not ignore it. The authors argue that overlooking or intentionally leaving out LGBT families and examples from the curriculum is just as damaging as negative messages. I think that the classroom is a place where students learn about the world outside of the home. Most children are not exposed to diversity until they attend school. If LGBT families are intentionally left out of the conversations and examples then students will fear what they do not understand. I have gay and lesbian friends so my son grew up being accustomed to them and their family situations. As a result, he was used to it when he attended school and wouldn't think of it as deviant. I know this is not the norm however, and most teachers will not approach the subject at all. I am sure that they are afraid of repercussions from parents and principals and unfortunately I think they have reason to be so. I can imagine the letters that would come in if a child in kindergarten came home and said the teacher was talking about two dads being married for example. I think this is improving but we still have a long way to go. I agree with the authors of this article that most teachers do not set out to marginalize LGBT youth but it happens because it is easier that way. They want to avoid uncomfortable conversations and backlash from parents.
" Most educators do not set out to marginalize LGBT youth. They simply follow paths of least resistance. They put one foot in front of the other in what seems the natural, even the right, direction without critically examining the journey or the destination." 

" Heterosexism is one of those unexamined  avenues of privilege. Assumptions that everyone is (or should be) heterosexual shape most classroom interactions, whether academic or social."
"LGBT students need advocacy and protection, not neutrality."  Heterosexism, in my opinion is even less realized as a privilege than white privilege is. Just because I think it is OK for others to have different sexual orientation than myself does not mean that I don't benefit from the privilege of being heterosexual. I had never considered before how difficult it must be to navigate a world where heterosexism is so deeply ingrained.

"Our classrooms need to be mirrors and windows for all students- mirrors in which youth see themselves in the curriculum and recognize their place in the group; windows through which youth see beyond themselves to experiences connected with, but not identical to their own." Classrooms need to show children many different worlds and teach them to respect all diversity not just racial or cultural. If children are introduced to LGBT type family situations in a positive way they will be much more likely to treat others who differ from themselves with kindness. For the students who are LGBT they will feel included instead of excluded in the classroom.         Below is a link to a fabulous speech by Anne Hathaway when she accepted an award for the Human Rights Campaign regarding LGBT youth and acceptance of all people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeLNRMrAEUA

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us by Linda Christenson

In this article, Linda Christenson argues that children in today's society are strongly influenced by the stories, advertising, films and television shows they are exposed to. This begins in toddler hood and continues throughout their young lives.. She talks about the "secret education" and how children's views are manipulated by what they are exposed to. Her view is that children's are exposed to sexism, racism and ideas about what is important, not by their own experiences but by the stereotypes that they see on television or in children's stories. She identifies cartoons in particular as being the source of influence on young people because so many children watch them when they are very young.

Below is a link to an interesting article I found about gender stereotypes in kids shows.

https://www.refinery29.com/kids-shows-gender-roles-stereotypes

This article is called Why Gender Stereotypes in Kids Shows Are a REALLY Big Deal.

The author  Olivia Cambell, says that " Sexism is a risk factor for violence and stereo typed filled kids shows are a risk factor for developing sexist attitudes". She points out that while recently sexist behaviors are coming out everywhere, children's television is still full of these stereotypes.

Olivia Cambell quotes a Common Sense Media Report saying " Even television and video targeting infants and toddlers are full of gender stereo types." She feels that this is very dangerous because the strict belief in traditional gender roles is associated with domestic partner violence.

In Linda Christensen's article she uses the Disney classic Cinderella as an example. Cinderella did not change anything accept her appearance and shoes. She changed from rags into the beautiful gown to win the Prince. Also winning the Prince is seen as the goal of a happy and complete female. This is clearly a sexist message.

My classmate Amanda Fournier, wrote on her blog about this topic with some really well thought out insight. She asked the question, " Do you think Disney Movies are making progress in terms of including less stereotypes"?

http://amandafournier.blogspot.com/2018/10/disney-films-are-not-as-innocent-as-one.html 

This got me thinking about this question and I feel like the answer is yes, but more progress needs to be made.  The example that I thought of was Moana. She is also a princess, but is a young woman of color and does not even like to be called a princess. In Moana, the huge body building demi god she travels with is the one who is scared. She also has a realistic body that girls can identify with. She does not win over a prince with a ball gown, or even care about that. The theme of the movie is independence and self discovery. Moana is self reliant and smart. 

My question is similar to Amanda's. Do you think Disney is improving or are they just changing the stereotypes to new ones, that might be just as damaging?

Aria by Richard Rodriguenz

       
           The author describes that he considered his home language of Spanish to be private. He says " what he needed to learn in school was that I had the right----and the obligation---to speak the public language of los gringos". His point of view seems to be that the first language that is learned  at home is more than just a language it is part of who you are. I think by asking the parents to speak English in the home its like losing a part of your culture and who you are. When I was fourteen I lived in Mexico City for one year with my parents. I attended an American School but I struggled with Spanish everywhere, in the market and when taking a taxi. It was a great experience, and I learned Spanish really quickly. However, I was thinking about what it would have been like if I was not allowed to speak English at home, and all my classes were in Spanish. While I would have learned Spanish even quicker, as an insecure young teenager in a foreign country I think it would have affected my self esteem and learning of other subjects that were equally important in school. 


The article linked below describes a middle school setting where children are taught in both languages so they can become proficient in both. This seems like a good alternative. Learning in what Richard Rodriguenz calls the public language is important, but I also think learning in the home language should be combined with it.


https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/05/13/bilingual-students-need-support-in-their-native.htmlhttps://


          The question I was thinking about to discuss was ideas for ways to incorporate both languages into the school. This seems like a great idea, but difficult to accomplish.