Allies

In reading the chapters assigned in Adams, I found most of it to be very interesting, and several parts stood out to me.  One part in particular was the section 'Allies.'  According to Adams, allies are "members of the advantaged group who act against the oppression from which they derive power, privilege, and acceptance."  While I do not consider myself a strong 'activist,' I still feel like I can relate to this.

Several years ago my father was diagnosed with cancer, which eventually led to him using a wheelchair and handicap plates or tags for our vehicles.  Whenever we went out into public people would stare at us, mainly my dad, like something was wrong or abnormal.  Really? What is there to stare at?  It's a person in a wheelchair, not a weird freak of science or something!

The simple task of parking and getting out o your vehicle isn't so easy when your mobility is impaired.  We would park in handicap spots, IF they were available, but I remember several cases when there were vehicles without handicap plates or tags parked in the handicap spots.  One time even led to a verbal confrontation (or should I say shouting match) in the parking lot between my mother and another person.  I guess you could consider her more of an activist than me.  One of my biggest pet peeves to this day, is people parking in handicap spots illegally.

Another thing this experience opened my eyes to was the entrance into buildings.  How are people in wheelchairs or other mobility problems supposed to get inside without a ramp?  Newly constructed buildings are required to meet these needs, but some older buildings have an intricate system of twists and turns up a narrow ramp that can be difficult to maneuver. 

Although I, as an individual can relate to being an ally, I believe it is because I am on my way to being a social worker.  After all, we will all one day become allies to people.

Pelton and Responses

This first blog post addresses Pelton's article and it's responses.
 Before reading these articles, I always thought, and still think, that being in a group gives a human a sense of identity and belonging.  That it is not something that could be overall harmful to the situation.  However, he raises the idea that this focus on groups, takes away from the focus on helping individuals in society.
Pelton also addressed that the level of care between groups is not 'just.'  While some people in need recieve welfare, other's are lacking what they need in order to maintain their lives, such as veterans and the aging population.  In my opinion this is obvious when you hear stories of people 'abusint the system' while there are other people out there who actually need the help.
One specific example he used while discussing groups was the child welfare system.  Parents who's children are taken away are often labeled 'abusers and neglecters.'  When in actuality it may be due to other problems, such as not having their financial needs met to care for their children.
Jumping right into the subject after a long break from class  proved to be more difficult than I expected.  The reading was somewhat hard to wrap my head around, but I have to say that I agree with a few points that Scanlon made in his response to Pelton. 
Scanlon wrote that some group based practices are necessary in order to achieve a common goal.  The example he gave was gay and lesbian groups fighting for their equal rights (marriage and adoption.)  I also enjoyed the point he threw in about John Rawls 'Justice as Fairness,'  which includes the fairness principle and the principle of equal opportunity.  Social workers, and others, strive for equality for all members of society, whether in individual or group levels.  But is it really possible for everyone to be treated equally in all aspects of life?

Newbie

So this whole blogging thing is new to me.  The blogs from last semester look interesting, so hopefully this is something I can get into and not view as 'homework.'  Have a good weekend 325!