They TEACH us this noise?
So I was doing some reading for class, and it was so horribly offensive that I had minor conniptions. I'm copy/pasting this from my chat window with Nick, mainly to save me from having to re-type it all (edited to remove the irrelevant portions of conversation):
[14:54] toeshooz: ohhh my god, i can't believe what i'm reading
[14:55] toeshooz: first chapter was pretty standard, about ethical guidelines for designing research projects
[14:55] toeshooz: second though is about the consideration a researcher owes to marginalized populations when conducting research
[14:55] toeshooz: and it makes me want to knock my head against a wall
[14:56] toeshooz: for the following reasons THUS FAR (and i'm only...oh...five pages into it)
[14:56] toeshooz: 1) it's very very clearly intended for a white anglophone audience
[14:56] toeshooz: while white people certainly tend to have the most ignorance when it comes to cultural sensitivity, that doesn't mean that people of colour aren't culturally insensitive
[14:57] toeshooz: moreover, it makes it more difficult for the person of colour reading the chapter to identify themselves as someone who could benefit from conducting culturally sensitive research
[14:57] toeshooz: not to mention, this also says a LOT for who the author (a prof at BMC) assumes her students to be
[14:58] toeshooz: given that BMC GSSWSR has a relatively diverse student population, it's a shady practice to write such a directed chapter
[14:58] toeshooz: and even for student populations elsewhere, that's...ew.
[14:58] toeshooz: 2) the use of the word "minority" is incorrect. white people are the minority nowadays, and have been for quite some time if memory serves
[14:59] toeshooz: "marginalized" is a much better term, and one that is met with more approval from anti-racist and anti-oppressive organizations
[14:59] toeshooz: particularly since "minority" implies "small"
[14:59] toeshooz: 3) this sentence is a direct quote:
[15:00] toeshooz: "money is not the only form of compensation you can use. if you are studying the homeless, for example, responding quickly to their need for some food or clothing can build trust and reward their participation. a sandwich, some cigarettes, or a cup of coffee can be significant to them."
[15:00] toeshooz: ?!?!?!
[15:01] toeshooz: i most definitely acknowledge the point that financial compensation may not always be appropriate
[15:01] toeshooz: however, assuming that you know what a homeless person will find "significant" is pretty problematic
[15:01] toeshooz: not to mention, the paragraph does NOT go on to discuss ways in which one can integrate these forms of compensation with others, or ways to introduce these forms of compensations
[15:02] toeshooz: i.e. "i want to do this research project with you, can i buy you some cigarettes and we'll talk"
[15:02] toeshooz: vs. "thanks for talking with me, here are cigarettes, bye"
[15:02] toeshooz: etc.
[15:02] toeshooz: or ensuring that your in-kind compensation is of the same value that your cash compensation would be
[15:02] toeshooz: finally, thus far,
[15:03] toeshooz: 4) the use of culturally competent interviewers
[15:03] toeshooz: yes, this makes sense
[15:03] toeshooz: you want an interviewer who is able to relate to and interpret both the researcher and the research subject
[15:04] toeshooz: the text suggests getting members of the community involved (which reminds me, they keep referring to native american communities as "tribes" and i don't know how culturally sensitive THAT is), which isn't a bad idea
[15:04] toeshooz: but then they go on to say, in a direct quote,
[15:05] toeshooz: "one recommendation commonly found in the literature on culturally competent research is to use interviewers who are of the same ethnicity as the members of the minority population whom you seek to recruit. thus, if you seek to recruit and retain african american participants in a particular community, you might employ african american interviewers from a different community."
[15:05] toeshooz: what the HELL?
[15:06] toeshooz: the only redeeming point in that sentence is the inference that people might feel more comfortable talking to people who seem to be in their own social category
[15:06] toeshooz: this is true, valid, and worth considering
[15:06] toeshooz: but the rest of that is bullshit
[15:06] toeshooz: FIRST of all, it removes the responsibility of the presumed white researcher to culturally educate themselves as to the people they're supposedly getting so involved with
[15:07] toeshooz: SECOND, it implies that people who fall into marginalized categories will automatically be able to relate to each other
[15:07] toeshooz: while it's worth considering, for example, that i might be more comfortable talking with a queer researcher than a straight one,
[15:07] toeshooz: there's no way of knowing that that queer individual will have similar attitudes, experiences, and beliefs about being queer that i have
[15:08] toeshooz: there's no assurance that that person will have any more comprehension when i say i'm bi-queer AND monogamous AND engaged to a non-trans man than a straight interviewer would
[15:08] toeshooz: and assuming that they will is perpetuating homophobic and heterosexist assumptions about communities, identities, and "common experiences"
[15:08] toeshooz: good god!
[15:12] lechemiserouge: It sounds like you'll have some good discussion for class from the reading ;)
[15:12] toeshooz: hahaha
[15:12] toeshooz: i'm considering finishing the chapter, and then emailing the prof with my concerns
[15:12] toeshooz: i feel like there's a lot of danger in this text that doesn't get addressed
[15:13] toeshooz: also
[15:13] toeshooz: i'm liable to explode if i wait that long, heh
[15:16] lechemiserouge: Maybe its intended to show what fuckedupitude is?
[15:16] toeshooz: you'd think that'd be indicated
[15:16] toeshooz: maybe it's a mass-scale anonymous research project to determine how many social work students have previous anti-racism experience
[15:16] lechemiserouge: Not necessarily
[15:16] toeshooz: ;)
[15:16] lechemiserouge: heheh
[15:17] toeshooz: hermano grande is watching...
[15:24] toeshooz: YUCK, another nasty portion of the text-
[15:27] toeshooz: so the text is talking about how to maintain contact with your participants, especially with followup interviews/tests or longitudinal studies
[15:27] toeshooz: where you need to maintain contact with them for an extended period of time
[15:27] toeshooz: and they're saying this could be tricky, especially if the participant(s) are homeless
[15:27] toeshooz: so they're suggesting ways to keep in touch with them
[15:27] toeshooz: buuuuuuut they're definitely going beyond the "trying to locate them" and going into the "creepy stalker" territory
[15:28] toeshooz: i.e. direct quote:
[15:30] toeshooz: "if your participant is a homeless woman, for example, some anchor points [places participants tend to frequent] might include where she usually sleeps, eats, or hangs out. you might also ask if she has any nearby family or friends and how you can contact them. are there any social service workers, landlords, or other individuals in the community who might know how to locate her? is there an address where she goes to pick up her mail, her messages, or social security insurance cheques? what, if any, nicknames or aliases does she use? all this information should be recorded systematically on a tracking form."
[15:30] toeshooz: if your participant understands WHY you're using all this information, and CONSENTS to you using it that way, that's fine
[15:30] toeshooz: but that is extremely creepy otherwise
It cheeses me off that this is an attempt to educate the profession whose mission it is to END these forms of oppression and ignorance, not PERPETUATE them!
[14:54] toeshooz: ohhh my god, i can't believe what i'm reading
[14:55] toeshooz: first chapter was pretty standard, about ethical guidelines for designing research projects
[14:55] toeshooz: second though is about the consideration a researcher owes to marginalized populations when conducting research
[14:55] toeshooz: and it makes me want to knock my head against a wall
[14:56] toeshooz: for the following reasons THUS FAR (and i'm only...oh...five pages into it)
[14:56] toeshooz: 1) it's very very clearly intended for a white anglophone audience
[14:56] toeshooz: while white people certainly tend to have the most ignorance when it comes to cultural sensitivity, that doesn't mean that people of colour aren't culturally insensitive
[14:57] toeshooz: moreover, it makes it more difficult for the person of colour reading the chapter to identify themselves as someone who could benefit from conducting culturally sensitive research
[14:57] toeshooz: not to mention, this also says a LOT for who the author (a prof at BMC) assumes her students to be
[14:58] toeshooz: given that BMC GSSWSR has a relatively diverse student population, it's a shady practice to write such a directed chapter
[14:58] toeshooz: and even for student populations elsewhere, that's...ew.
[14:58] toeshooz: 2) the use of the word "minority" is incorrect. white people are the minority nowadays, and have been for quite some time if memory serves
[14:59] toeshooz: "marginalized" is a much better term, and one that is met with more approval from anti-racist and anti-oppressive organizations
[14:59] toeshooz: particularly since "minority" implies "small"
[14:59] toeshooz: 3) this sentence is a direct quote:
[15:00] toeshooz: "money is not the only form of compensation you can use. if you are studying the homeless, for example, responding quickly to their need for some food or clothing can build trust and reward their participation. a sandwich, some cigarettes, or a cup of coffee can be significant to them."
[15:00] toeshooz: ?!?!?!
[15:01] toeshooz: i most definitely acknowledge the point that financial compensation may not always be appropriate
[15:01] toeshooz: however, assuming that you know what a homeless person will find "significant" is pretty problematic
[15:01] toeshooz: not to mention, the paragraph does NOT go on to discuss ways in which one can integrate these forms of compensation with others, or ways to introduce these forms of compensations
[15:02] toeshooz: i.e. "i want to do this research project with you, can i buy you some cigarettes and we'll talk"
[15:02] toeshooz: vs. "thanks for talking with me, here are cigarettes, bye"
[15:02] toeshooz: etc.
[15:02] toeshooz: or ensuring that your in-kind compensation is of the same value that your cash compensation would be
[15:02] toeshooz: finally, thus far,
[15:03] toeshooz: 4) the use of culturally competent interviewers
[15:03] toeshooz: yes, this makes sense
[15:03] toeshooz: you want an interviewer who is able to relate to and interpret both the researcher and the research subject
[15:04] toeshooz: the text suggests getting members of the community involved (which reminds me, they keep referring to native american communities as "tribes" and i don't know how culturally sensitive THAT is), which isn't a bad idea
[15:04] toeshooz: but then they go on to say, in a direct quote,
[15:05] toeshooz: "one recommendation commonly found in the literature on culturally competent research is to use interviewers who are of the same ethnicity as the members of the minority population whom you seek to recruit. thus, if you seek to recruit and retain african american participants in a particular community, you might employ african american interviewers from a different community."
[15:05] toeshooz: what the HELL?
[15:06] toeshooz: the only redeeming point in that sentence is the inference that people might feel more comfortable talking to people who seem to be in their own social category
[15:06] toeshooz: this is true, valid, and worth considering
[15:06] toeshooz: but the rest of that is bullshit
[15:06] toeshooz: FIRST of all, it removes the responsibility of the presumed white researcher to culturally educate themselves as to the people they're supposedly getting so involved with
[15:07] toeshooz: SECOND, it implies that people who fall into marginalized categories will automatically be able to relate to each other
[15:07] toeshooz: while it's worth considering, for example, that i might be more comfortable talking with a queer researcher than a straight one,
[15:07] toeshooz: there's no way of knowing that that queer individual will have similar attitudes, experiences, and beliefs about being queer that i have
[15:08] toeshooz: there's no assurance that that person will have any more comprehension when i say i'm bi-queer AND monogamous AND engaged to a non-trans man than a straight interviewer would
[15:08] toeshooz: and assuming that they will is perpetuating homophobic and heterosexist assumptions about communities, identities, and "common experiences"
[15:08] toeshooz: good god!
[15:12] lechemiserouge: It sounds like you'll have some good discussion for class from the reading ;)
[15:12] toeshooz: hahaha
[15:12] toeshooz: i'm considering finishing the chapter, and then emailing the prof with my concerns
[15:12] toeshooz: i feel like there's a lot of danger in this text that doesn't get addressed
[15:13] toeshooz: also
[15:13] toeshooz: i'm liable to explode if i wait that long, heh
[15:16] lechemiserouge: Maybe its intended to show what fuckedupitude is?
[15:16] toeshooz: you'd think that'd be indicated
[15:16] toeshooz: maybe it's a mass-scale anonymous research project to determine how many social work students have previous anti-racism experience
[15:16] lechemiserouge: Not necessarily
[15:16] toeshooz: ;)
[15:16] lechemiserouge: heheh
[15:17] toeshooz: hermano grande is watching...
[15:24] toeshooz: YUCK, another nasty portion of the text-
[15:27] toeshooz: so the text is talking about how to maintain contact with your participants, especially with followup interviews/tests or longitudinal studies
[15:27] toeshooz: where you need to maintain contact with them for an extended period of time
[15:27] toeshooz: and they're saying this could be tricky, especially if the participant(s) are homeless
[15:27] toeshooz: so they're suggesting ways to keep in touch with them
[15:27] toeshooz: buuuuuuut they're definitely going beyond the "trying to locate them" and going into the "creepy stalker" territory
[15:28] toeshooz: i.e. direct quote:
[15:30] toeshooz: "if your participant is a homeless woman, for example, some anchor points [places participants tend to frequent] might include where she usually sleeps, eats, or hangs out. you might also ask if she has any nearby family or friends and how you can contact them. are there any social service workers, landlords, or other individuals in the community who might know how to locate her? is there an address where she goes to pick up her mail, her messages, or social security insurance cheques? what, if any, nicknames or aliases does she use? all this information should be recorded systematically on a tracking form."
[15:30] toeshooz: if your participant understands WHY you're using all this information, and CONSENTS to you using it that way, that's fine
[15:30] toeshooz: but that is extremely creepy otherwise
It cheeses me off that this is an attempt to educate the profession whose mission it is to END these forms of oppression and ignorance, not PERPETUATE them!