Investigating Oppression

The Progression of Anti-Semitism:

Many would be able to associate the great persecution and discrimination against the Jews with the Holocaust. But is that really where Anti Semitism began? To clarify, Anti Semitism is the discrimination (unjust or prejudicial treatment) of Jews.  At the emergence of Christianity, conflicts began to rise between the two groups of people: those who associated as Christians and those who associated as Jews. The Roman empire under control at the time adopted the beliefs of Christianity and the conflict between the two religious groups intensified. Because Christianity was the religious culture of power, Refusal to submit to Christian beliefs initiated oppression against the Jewish people. Restrictions were placed on them such as who they could marry and what positions they could hold. This oppression carried into the Crusades, when attacks were placed on the Jews in an attempt to "free the Holy Land". As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the Jews became an easy target for any negative occurrence. An example of this was the Bubonic Plague. Europe blamed the Jews for the spreading of the Plague. Much can be said in relation to the history of Anti-Semitism. The discrimination against the race of Jews was inhuman. While researching this topic, I found the list went on and on. I haven't even began to describe all that occurred during the Holocaust. The discrimination of the Jews for the building up of another group of people was wrong and will forever be. 


Anti Semitism in the U.S.
Although the oppression and discrimination mentioned above has occurred outside of the United States, that does not mean the U.S. has been free of its Anti Semitic views. According to studies performed by the Pew Research Center, there are approximately 5.3 million Jews currently living in the United States. This makes up roughly 2.2% of the adult population, which has grown slowly over the last 10 years. 
Through research, one can find that the Anti-Semitic views and beliefs have decreased substantially in the U.S. Jews can get by in this country, living a free life with little disturbance. However, that does not mean that the prejudices have altogether disappeared. The Anti-Defamation League fights for the civil rights originally rooted in the defense of Jewish rights. They have done studies to measure the stereotypes and perceptions that are prevalent to Jews. The ADL has created a survey to analyze this. It is called the Anti-Semitic Index. Individuals who take the survey are told 11 statements and they must state whether they believe the statement to be true or false. These are the statements used in the Index:

Anti-Semitic Index:
 • Jews stick together more than other Americans.
 • Jews always like to be at the head of things.
 • Jews are more loyal to Israel than America.
 • Jews have too much power in the U.S. today.
 • Jews have too much control and influence on Wall Street.
 • Jews have too much power in the business world.
 • Jews have a lot of irritating faults.
 • Jews are more willing than others to use shady practices to get what they want.
 • Jewish business people are so shrewd that others don’t have a fair chance at competition.
 • Jews don’t care what happens to anyone but their own kind

With these studies, the ADL has found a decrease in Anti-Semitism, but still 12% of the nation hold onto stereotypes of the Jewish people: in regard to their drive for power, their loyalty to Israel, etc. Although some may consider Jewish individuals to be connected through religion, many people who claim to be Jewish do not practice the religious beliefs. It can be referred to as the "Jewish race". Therefore, these statements above would be evidences of passive racism. These statements don't necessarily signify a hate of Jewish individuals; however, they are considered as less according to the above statements. 

http://www.newsweek.com/anti-semitic-incidents-college-campuses-nearly-doubled-2015-adl-474394

"The good news is the number of anti-Semitic incidents overall are much lower than we witnessed in the mid-2000s. While that decrease is encouraging, it is troubling that on average there is one anti-Semitic assault reported in this country every week, and at least two anti-Jewish incidents on average every single day. These numbers do not even account for all of the online harassment we see every hour on social media, which is so widespread it is difficult to quantify" (Marvin D. Nathan- National Chairman for the Anti-Defamation League)

-For further more on Modern Anti-Semitism in the U.S., visit www.adl.org


The Role of Education
Although, I am not sure how to make the biggest difference in the classroom, I know that change starts with being informed. The Anti-Defamation League encourages the study of Anti-Semitism as it allows us to better understand prejudice and the repercussions that can occur (www.adl.org). As an instructor in the classroom, I desire to teach by inclusive pedagogy, informing my students on the history of Anti-Semitism and how to combat prejudice. It is easy to say that I will make my classroom free of bias and prejudice; however, the chance of oppression and discrimination being present exist. Therefore it is also my responsibility to stop any oppression I see right in its tracks. As an educator, I will have some form of influence on my students. I pray that it is for the better!


Sources

• https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007170
• https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/education-outreach/Brief-History-on-Anti-Semitism-A.pdf
• http://www.zionist.org/2016/05/anti-semitism/(Image Retrieved from)
• https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/25/american-jews-anti-semitism_n_4159295.html
• http://www.newsweek.com/anti-semitic-incidents-college-campuses-nearly-doubled-2015-adl-474394
• https://www.jta.org/2014/02/18/news-opinion/united-states/anti-semitism-in-america-today-down-but-not-out
• https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/press-center/adl-survey-attitudes-towards-jews-in-us-2013.pdf
• https://me.me/i/white-man-are-you-sick-and-tired-of-the-jews-14189475 (image)
• http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/blog-post/jews-america-numbers (Pew Research Center Statistics)

Warhammer? Sorcerers? Nekrons? Oh my!!

More anxiety was felt with this experience than any other assignment I have had. Knowing the purpose was to get me into a situation where I was an outsider made me feel uncomfortable. I expressed frustration to my roommates before leaving my apartment. "Why do I have to do this? I don't purposefully make others feel uncomfortable or like they're a minority! Plus, I already served a mission where I was a minority. I don't need this!" I also must admit that there were some prejudices I had developed. Looking on the Facebook page, I had the preconceived bias that the individuals playing the game would have minimal to no social skills, they would treat me like I was an outsider, and they would fall into the category of "nerds". Understanding that this rationale would not change the task to be done, I strapped on my boots and walked out the door to attend the Warhammer Game Day.

What even is Warhammer? I found a Facebook page advertising for a game day so I made my way over to the store where it would be occurring. I walked in the store to discover it was a Hobby store. Model airplanes, craft paint, etc. were all  around. This was not what I had imagined. I tried to keep to myself, wandering up and down the isles creating a strategy as to how I could find this Warhammer game day by drawing the least attention to me. Overall, I had a feeling of obligation. In no way were my own desires carrying me to that location. I didn't want to do this, but I had to! Before the game even started, I already had sufficient thoughts and emotions to get a glimpse of what others may go through. I was able to participate in Warhammer Game Day. The event was very small and there were not enough players for me to join without being an inconvenience.  I sat on the side of the game, leaning on the table trying to observe how they were playing. Questions went through my mind of things I could not comprehend just from observation. However, fear of appearing dumb or being a nuisance kept me quiet. The Warhammer jargon was another language in itself. Sorcerers and Nekrons, moral checks and psychic lightning...I never have had experience with this before. I did not possess the cultural capital to fit in. I didn't understand the jargon of the game. It was a different language to me. As a result, I didn't know how to fit in. I was dressed up too nice and may have seen to stiff and proper to be in that environment. It was very clear I did not fit in with this culture. I was not discriminated against, nor was it their intention to make me stand out; however, this lack of cultural capital kept me from feeling comfortable. 

Although I could sit here and unload all of my new understanding of the Warhammer playing field, I would be missing the mark. The discomfort from this situation cleared my vision as to the situation of those coming into a classroom as the minority.   I had little desire at all to place myself in a situation as an "other". Of course, my situation wasn't a daily occurrence. Could I possibly imagine the situation of a student who goes to school every day thinking "I don't want to do this...but I have to." or "I'm not going to ask questions because I don't want to draw attention to myself"? Even though those who were at the Warhammer Game Day were welcoming and trying to help me interact, it still didn't take away my feelings of apprehension. How then would I construct the environment of my classroom to create a safe atmosphere for those who may be the minority? How could I help students develop culture capital? How could I develop in their culture capital? How should I interact with students who feel like outsiders? Can I really change anything? Although I do not know how to respond to these questions right now, they will be in circulation of my thoughts as I go forward in creating a healthy multicultural setting in my future classroom.