If you are white, male, 30’s, middle-upper class, english-speaking and heterosexual, you might have a hard time knowing that a culture of power exist. For those that are outside the culture of power, they can see it as a wall in front of them, inhibiting them from further advancement.
Kimberly Blaeser tells about how her inability to communicate in english separated her from the culture of power in her essay, “Learning ‘the language the presidents speak’: Images and issues of literacy in American Indian”. When Native Americans were colonized by Europeans, she notes that there was the establishment of categories, those who were literate and those who were not. The power of being illiterate “can be seen as instruments of colonization, necessary to establish the desired social divisions and to maintain political control”. Therefore the Europeans used literacy to create a culture of power that secludes outsiders (Native Americans).
The culture of power also has certain rules that perpetuates itself so that those in power will remain in power. Those within the culture of power may deny the forces of race outside their circle, therefore they are being colorblind. Not only is being colorblind being ignorant, but it is also saying that all races don’t have to deal with racism. This is simply not true; whether outside or inside the culture of power, racism will always be an issue. According to Amanda Lewis in her essay, “‘Even Sweet, Gentle Larry?’ The Continuing Significance of Race in Education”, if we continue to ignore the issues of race, we will only make the circle that embodies the culture of power smaller, rather than larger so that all will be accepted. She also states that many organizational leaders and school officials say they are colorblind in order to avoid the uncomfortable issues of race. I believe that this will only foster greater ignorance, and it is up to us, as future educators, to bring up the issues of race so that students can deal with their inner conflicts of race that they may of not otherwise known how to handle. This in turn will bring about more tolerance for other cultures and races. If successful we will be able to practice colorblindness, but for now that is only a future aspiration so now we need to continue to deal with the adversities of racism.
I personally have not had to deal with the culture of power because I have the qualities that keep in in it. That may sound bold, but growing up my family never had to deal with the issues that prohibited us from advancing forward. I am quite fortunate, but that is not to say that I can’t help those who are outside the culture of power. It is important that I have realized that I was in the culture of power and don’t enforce the rules that restrict others from gaining access. As a future educator, the greatest thing I can do is educate students now they can deal with the negative effects of the culture of power, and create a future that is most advantageous to them.
Kimberly Blaeser tells about how her inability to communicate in english separated her from the culture of power in her essay, “Learning ‘the language the presidents speak’: Images and issues of literacy in American Indian”. When Native Americans were colonized by Europeans, she notes that there was the establishment of categories, those who were literate and those who were not. The power of being illiterate “can be seen as instruments of colonization, necessary to establish the desired social divisions and to maintain political control”. Therefore the Europeans used literacy to create a culture of power that secludes outsiders (Native Americans).
The culture of power also has certain rules that perpetuates itself so that those in power will remain in power. Those within the culture of power may deny the forces of race outside their circle, therefore they are being colorblind. Not only is being colorblind being ignorant, but it is also saying that all races don’t have to deal with racism. This is simply not true; whether outside or inside the culture of power, racism will always be an issue. According to Amanda Lewis in her essay, “‘Even Sweet, Gentle Larry?’ The Continuing Significance of Race in Education”, if we continue to ignore the issues of race, we will only make the circle that embodies the culture of power smaller, rather than larger so that all will be accepted. She also states that many organizational leaders and school officials say they are colorblind in order to avoid the uncomfortable issues of race. I believe that this will only foster greater ignorance, and it is up to us, as future educators, to bring up the issues of race so that students can deal with their inner conflicts of race that they may of not otherwise known how to handle. This in turn will bring about more tolerance for other cultures and races. If successful we will be able to practice colorblindness, but for now that is only a future aspiration so now we need to continue to deal with the adversities of racism.
I personally have not had to deal with the culture of power because I have the qualities that keep in in it. That may sound bold, but growing up my family never had to deal with the issues that prohibited us from advancing forward. I am quite fortunate, but that is not to say that I can’t help those who are outside the culture of power. It is important that I have realized that I was in the culture of power and don’t enforce the rules that restrict others from gaining access. As a future educator, the greatest thing I can do is educate students now they can deal with the negative effects of the culture of power, and create a future that is most advantageous to them.
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