Joseph Kang, Period 7, 12/21/2021

 Socio-Political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

Inequity and oppression are prevalent in this country, whether it be the system or the communities. Throughout the United States' history, many minority groups have been oppressed by the government to maintain the country's position as a world powerhouse. Today, ripple effects from these oppressions still exist. There has been heightened attention surrounding crimes and injustice fueled by prejudice in the past two years. These hateful acts are not current events, as many people believe them to be: they are a mere representation of the struggle minority groups have endured living in the United States. The prejudice that people have comes from the lack of understanding of different backgrounds due to these cultures' lack of representation and education. 

The best place to start would be increased representation of minority groups in popular culture and widespread education about different backgrounds. Today, we have had a good start to increasing representation in the film industry and video games. We should keep going in this direction, spotlighting under-represented cultures in entertainment. Although a mandated curriculum on various cultures is unnecessary, people should be encouraged to immerse themselves in media (such as books, podcasts, and YouTube videos) that share perspectives on minority groups. This way, people will understand different backgrounds more and become more open to them. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

Often, I try to reflect on how I can improve as a person and treat others with respect. I think of past experiences and reflect on my assumptions at the time. One experience I have been reflecting on recently is how I could have been more respectful towards my classmates in the past. I thought about my biases that were influenced by my upbringing and my friends in class and how they impacted the way I interacted with people I wasn't accustomed to. Although I have improved from that experience, I ponder on these experiences to see how I can improve myself further.