White Priveledge

I feel that White men privilege is something like a huge, mysterious cloud of meaning that looms over our society, covering some in its shadow, and passing by others unnoticed. I think that it refers to the underlying conception that puts white males in positions of authority, literally or figuratively, in the minds of people. It spawns from the dominance that the white male has pushed over others throughout history. One could say that a white male has typically been behind every western conflict that has ever arisen. Slavery, oppression over native Americans, women, immigrants, all seemingly resulting from the great white man's objectives. the results and reconciliation of all these conflicts have the white man in today's world in a precarious position. White man privileged has become something that those who are not a "white man" can never experience. It is having confidence that you will probably never be the victim of oppression, subjugation, or tyranny. That you will always be represented equally, politically, as well as in the media. That people will never question your authority based on gender or race. Its this weird thing that seemingly gives white men these additional rights, ones that are not written, and are rarely brought up. I think its an interesting concept, and one that does affect me personally, being one of these white males. Although i could go and say that "oh, this cant be true! because I've had to struggle just as hard blah blah blah.. Life's unfair for me to!", i know that saying that wouldn't be true. I know that there ARE things out there that I'm unaware of, that I dont have to worry about, being a white male. Ive rarely if ever have to consider if how I;m being treated is related to my skin color or gender. I dont really have to worry about being a victim of racism, or aggression, based upon me being a white male. And I can always be sure to find something in the media that represents me or my group.
I entirely agree that this concept is part of the way we communicate. Whether its evident or not. But as I've realized through many classes and experiences, that sometimes the things that are the most important, are often unseen. And white privileged is a form of unseen oppression. It symbolically places the white male ideal upon all other peoples, making it some "gold standard" of being. But unfortunately, one that most can never achieve. I feel that the best way to deal with this silent oppression is to bring it to light, open it up, be aware of it and try to change it.

Getting Stereotyped

I think that the majority of people have, at some point, been stereotyped for some reason or another. This is a fairly common happening, and as Harris(1999) states, " Stereotyping as a form of categorization is part of the human condition(p.72)." Understanding this, I figured that it would be easy to think of a time when I've had to deal with stereotyping. But it was tough. And I realized that for me, a middle class white guy in a fairly suburban area, the situations of stereotyping could seem minor compared to those that outside of my own particular context. I think that when i have been stereotyped, it hasn't been for negative things really, and if it had been I didn't really notice. i think that the majority of times i notice some type of stereotyping its in "good fun", but rooted in these notions of who can or cant do what. I often catch crap for wanting to go out and dance when i go out with a group of friends. This is influenced by Number 1: That guys aren't supposed to dance, as it is an effeminate thing to do, and Number 2: That white guys cant dance. Both of these work into Harris's ideas that stereotypes perpetuate myths about groups of people. The first one is stating that to dance is to lessen your masculinity, and that those who dance for a profession, or out of fun, are innately less "manly" that others. Although these assumptions and stereotypes are constantly being challenged by today media, with movies where male lead characters retain their masculinity while being passionate about dance, thereby changing those stereotypes constantly (Billy Elliot, Step Up). So for me, the idea that i should or shouldn't want to dance, although going against a stereotype for a guy, isn't really a big deal anymore. I think that although people may always use stereotyping as a means of categorization, that one day it will slowly dissolve to the bare minimum of usefulness. Because as we become a more and more diverse culture, integrating and globalizing, we realize that stereotyping is an ineffective means to predict peoples behavior.

Figuring out problem solving

Discussion on problem solving. I think that the outlining of how to make a choice in the decision making process to be particularly valuable. I think that understanding how and why we make the decisions we do can be an integral part of being a better communicator as well as improving the outcomes of so many scenarios we find ourselves in everyday. Because we are problem solving creatures by nature, our minds seem to have been built to find solutions. Over time though, and through the expansion on more and more ways to solve problems, our brains nowadays can sometimes be overwhelmed with to many choices for a solution. I think that a Harris(1999) outlines a great system for making a rational, effective, and promising choice.(p. 150) One of the things I liked about her questions for small groups when faced with making a choice was that it isn't a short list. Good decisions can sometimes take a long time to make. They are most likely thought out, considerate, and logical decisions that help get the group from point A to point B effectively. The first part of the system asks "how well does..." the solution interact with the rest of the problem, or the solution already in place. Knowing if a solution is really going to meet all your goals, how well it can meet those goals, and accommodates all the restrictions with the least amount of trade-offs , is an important level to meet when looking for the right choice. But, finding those win-win situations is rare, especially in groups. There are typically a multitude of choices, and not all of them negative, each having their own pros and cons. Just think of the last time you tried to decided upon what food to eat with a large group. What everyone wants to eat may be different for everyone, but everyone may agree that each choice sounds appetizing. What do you do when all the choices sound promising? What about looking at the underlying pro's and con's of each meal choice? The cost, distance, and level of service, are all parts of each choice to consider, and something we all have done without ever really thinking about it. Being able to better understand how choices are made, and how to make the best one, can be hugely beneficial in this simple situation, as well as majorly complex ones. Just don't try doing it with politics or religion with people, it might get ugly.

Violating a group norm

I think that the majority of people have felt the cold sting of violating a group norm at some point in their lives. Depending upon the scenario, violating a norm can be rather easy, and may pass unnoticed to you. This is the type that I typically end up violating. To me, norms in groups establish a structure. Having a structure to a group, allowing for the modeling of how things are, or should be done, is typically essential for the group to function cohesively. These can come in the most common forms, like the acting out of different relationships in workplaces. Because, although it is sometimes established externally, how we are supposed to interact with coworkers or bosses is something of a norm. In a stricter, more supervised environment, having the utmost respect for your boss, and understanding your "place" at work may be the norm. But norms in a workplace can vary from environment to environment. The norms of a laid back, smaller business may be different from a larger, more professional, corporate environment. Understanding how norms in groups can fluctuate is important in these types of situations, as you wouldn't want to show up to your bank job in shorts and flip flops, something you might of done at a surf shop. Jobs could be just one area where norms dedicated to how you look, act, and talk are an important part of a traditional, established system of doing things that that can be a snapshot of the norms for a larger system.How would throwing a wrench into these norms disrute the system, or affect you? Wheres another place where the norms might be different from the one's we're used to? How about family? Has anyone ever tried introducing a new friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, or whatever into your family? It can be an awkward time for the friend as they learn to adjust to new group norms. Cultural differences can also play a huge part in this awkwardness, imagine bringing your urban girlfriend to meet your rural family. What kinds of norms between the two would clash?
Like I said earlier, I usually find myself violating the more concealed group norms that I happen to find established around me. Sometimes though, I do this on purpose, especially if i find the norm to be archaic or illogical. Ive found that exposing these oft ridiculous norms we carry around is a good way to bring them up for discussion and interpretation. I like to know why we do the things we do, the reasoning behind the "that's just the way it is" mentality. This gets me in trouble sometimes, but that's OK, trouble's just part of the norm.

The Norms of SJSU

Since I was a student at San Jose State for only a short period of time, its pretty hard to distinguish any norms. I also dont think i know enough of the student body to really get an idea of the norms that have been established or are underlying. One norm I have established since starting here is with the administration. They are tough, not tough like "biker bar" tough, more like "tough luck" kinda tough, so I guess basically just cold. The reason I see this as an established norm is that many of my interactions, and other students as well, with the administration have left us jarred. This is probably because many students lives clash with the harsh admin environment that is San Jose State. And I don't blame them, the workers in the offices I mean, for they are just doing what they've been told to do, or what they find works, which is being strict on deadlines, finances, and help. This is the only norm I could think of for something at San Jose, and I dont know exactly how many other students feel the same or not.
When I'm not at school, I find the norms that me and my friends share to be subtle, and slight. This may be because I've become to in-tune to the ins-and-outs of being in this particular group that no longer see the specifics of our interactions. I think a norm that we are constantly playing out is our phone calls. We keep em short. This might be attributed tot he fact that the group I'm talking about are all my guy friends, but that's a whole different communication class and subject. But yeah, we don't spend a long time on the phone, and we are more than likely to get bored, speed up the conversation, or hang up, if one of us forgets this. This understanding that we have has come over years of being in proximity to each other. We've never really had a reason for having long talks, even when we were all going to different colleges. Like I said, this is probably a more gendered norm, but, its one that has proved itself time and time again. ..Actually someones calling me now.
Till next time.

Bifurcation points

Bifurcation points. I think that we've all experienced this concept at one point or another. Harris (1999) describes Bifurcation points as threshold periods in the decision making process of groups. The idea is that groups cross levels, borders, or thresholds of agreement and understanding at certain points, which sometimes comes into conflict with individual members times of suggestion.(31) Essentially, this states that a group can only reach a collaborative understanding of something at a certain point, and be ready for input regarding the subject only at that time, regardless of individual understanding levels. The main example given is when, during a discussion, one member makes a proposal or gives and idea, and the rest of the group overlooks it or doesnt fully understand it at that point. Its not until later during the group communicative process that the idea is proposed again, sometimes by a different member, but being essentially the same, and the group excepts it. This can be a frustrating experience to endure for most people that see themselves as the initial "idea person". It can leave the person feeling overlooked and devalued as a member of the group. But, as Harris states, it has more to do with the timing of the proposal and the groups proximity to the "decision threshold". Simply put, sometimes a group is ready to decide, sometimes its not. This may be due in part to the groups understanding of the discussion, or their comfortably with the situation or idea. People like to be sure of things, especially in groups, and they most often don't like surprises or underdeveloped proposals. So, although one may have the answers a little earlier and be ready to share them, sometimes its best to wait a little till the group is ready to hear them. And, if you wait till after they've got a couple ideas in mind, you can spring your amazing, awesome proposal or suggestion on them in the end and be the coolest person ever.!!!

Entropy and Equifinality

After looking over the terms and explanations of entropy and equifinality I took some time to understand how they are interrelated to each other as parts of a bigger system. Entropy is the compulsion of groups to decay, whether it be mentally, relationally, or organizationally, it comes in many forms. Its basically the premise that without newness or change to stimulate the groups energy or focus the groups attention, a group will become chaotic and dissolve. The book establishes that to prevent this, new energy, or change needs to be inputted, but not to much. I thought of entropy in groups a statement of group evolution. As the group grows, it needs to adapt and rearrange to survive, either that, or it gets eaten. Now, just like real evolution, those changes and adaptations that need to be made to stave of entropy come in many different forms and are and expression of equifinality. But as the group makes these changes they need to check that they dont make to many or make them to fast. Understanding that changes and innovation need to be made and can be made through a variety of different avenues is important to group collaboration.

Keeping Groups Focused

Ive found out through trial and error, through life and friends, that keeping a small group cohesive and focused is a tough job. The book describes the different aspects of systems that make up small groups as little pieces to a bigger pie. I think that the idea of small group interactions as living, diverse, complex systems works well when we understand how easily they can fall apart. The book talks about how interdependence of group members creates a stronger group bond, as each member of the group relies upon the other members for support.
This idea reminded me of a common game that is often played as a camp or school activity. Its a great test and example of how interdependence on each member of a group works. The activity was when you take all the members of the group and form a tight, standing circle. The group is then supposed to sit down at exactly the same time on the person behind them, while supporting the person in front of them. Its a tough game to get right, and the majority of the time you ended up on the ground. But it was great when you could get it right, and got exponentially more interesting as the number of people increased. (I think the biggest circle Ive ever been apart of was about 40 people) . The activity exemplified the good and bad of small groups. If everyone was in alignment and on the same level as the other members, the outcome was good. But when even one member of the group faltered, was out of time, or out of place, the group might be able to sit, but not for long, and eventually you crashed down to the group.
Another area I've found that is very dependent upon a cohesive group system is in football. I played football in high school as a lineman, who are the guys responsible for either protecting or attacking the quarterback and running backs. As part of the team, myself and each guy beside me had to have a perfect understanding of what we were doing each play, and I relied upon them for support the same way they did me. But just like any complex system, sometimes we didnt communicate properly, or make a bad call, and the quarterback got sacked. Oh well. Live and learn and keep playing.