In lieu of recent events, I think it important to discuss human beings tendency to objectify individuals and groups, while also using them to personify emotions and things. Both of these tendencies are detrimental to society, and us the people who compose this world, and more specifically the United States of America. I must whole-heartedly admit that I am deeply grieved by the recent events in Charlottesville and the steps backward we have taken as a Nation. Furthermore, I am horrified by the news and social media’s usage of the term “White Nationalists” to describe people who have always been referred to as “White Supremacists”. How can they be dignified with the term ‘nationalist’ when they oppose everyone that is not a straight white American man who supports white supremacy? I am 100% certain that statistics would support the belief that the majority of Americans do not fall under this description. Moreover, it us who support all individuals residing in the United States, whom deserve to be referred to as ‘nationalists’ and the growing majority. A case in point, the United States now chooses to include Italians in the white category, although we were once considered colored under Jim Crow laws.
In essence, white America has had to extend its view on what is white, since year by year, all sorts of minorities are growing in number; thereby, if unified we would be the majority. I highly recommend that we stop referring to White Supremacists as “White Nationalists” because these people are not fostering growth in our nation. I don’t like the propaganda that is being employed by white supremacists who have money and power. JFK’s clever word choice prevented the Cuban Missile Crisis and what we have now is play on words that will propel a crisis in America by fueling hate. Call them what they are… white supremacists. They are also dwindling in numbers, causing this silly and also dangerous retaliation. They are not nationalists, they are a group of people that choose to objectify people, while promoting the personification of hate. To me, personification and objectification, cycle and feed into each other as a circle. As they exist in a circle, there is no end or beginning to this entrapment. White supremacists in Charlottesville, same as the KKK and all other hate groups throughout history, objectify groups of people. That is, they turn them into something that is inanimate and then impose or personify a particular emotion(s) that is self-motivated. For example, Southern Plantations in America objectified the enslaved, while also personifying hate and greed. It was through objectification and their attribution of falsified notions of the enslaved that these slave owners were able to sleep at night, coveting their greed in sacks of gold that swayed in their pockets. That’s just one illustration, but there are so many. For example, think about the drug dealer who objectifies a client. The drug dealer must turn that person into something without emotion, family, thoughts, and more in order to make a profit through drugs. Again, a living and loved human being is objectified for the sake of greed. Or how about the frequently used term ‘object of my desire’, and I would add to that ‘object(s) of lust’. People will objectify and personify lust in other humans, including children, and most often these are one-sided attractions. The sex slave trade of girls and women, something that should not even exist in the most horrendous of nightmares, is a reality because of lust. Each day people are molested, harassed, kidnapped, and raped. Why? This happens because they are turned into objects, having no temporal existence, in the mind of their aggressors. Sometimes, it’s not aggressors, but everyday people forgetting that all humans think, and therefore they feel. It is personified feelings leading to the objectification of people that torments us as a race. Not a single person is an object, we all are very intricate fragments of one larger whole…the human race. There is no color or gender or anything assigned to the human race, making it inclusive of us all. In closing, I want to tell a story about the man who inspired this blog the other day. I was walking my dog, Leo, in Cleveland’s cultural gardens. Now for those of you who don’t know my dog, he will turn vicious in a second if he senses that my well-being is in danger or is suspicious of someone. I did choose my dog because he was the first on the list to be killed and I didn’t want him to die. Needless to say, I was afraid when a gentleman in the Italian garden called over to me and asked if he could pet my dog; I didn’t know what would happen. I took the risk as this man seemed genuinely interested in knowing my dog. Leo ended up loving this gentleman, Nick, and enjoyed being petted by him. While Nick was petting my dog, he told me about a time when he had to walk home in the pouring rain with his son, carrying bags and bags of groceries. He said, “There was so much rain and not one person stopped to offer us a ride. I never felt like such an object before. It was like me and my son, were nothing.” His words really resonated with me, remembering times where I too had been made to feel like an object, without emotions. I realized that objectification affects us all negatively. As I stare lovingly right now at the dog that caused me to have such an eye-opening conversation, I feel pity for those that choose to objectify others. I never saw my dog as an object, but as this living creature, deserving of life and love. This has always molded our interactions, and he rewards me by never leaving my side when I’m home, taking me for walks, and giving me his paw when I say “friends forever”, (it’s a deal we shook on many times and will never be broken). He also profusely scolds me with his barks when I’m gone too long. It's the same with my cat, who also shows me love in so many ways. She was the reliant writing alarm clock and at times literally nudged me to finish my dissertation and keep going. She watches me sleep, her own way of protecting me. If dogs and cats have such capacity to feel, then simply imagine what humans think and feel. No one needs to be personified. No one needs objectified. What we need are actions that reflect the depth of human nature. That is, we all need to be treated like subjects, possessing a ranges of capabilities because of our complex thoughts and emotions.
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Nowadays technology is everywhere. There is almost no escape from the digital world and it is hard to separate our lives from our smart phones. Like with everything, there are both positives and negatives associated with technology and how it applies to social work. Indeed, technological advances have made the world more accessible. We can now speak to people from all over the world, and even see their faces using the world-wide web. The internet then allows us to easily connect across countries and cultures.
This ability to access what was once inaccessible permits us to enhance social work practice, research, and education. For example, telehealth/telemental health accommodations provide a space for people to receive services even when transportation issues are present. Most social science researchers would agree that computer software simplifies the management of data collection, organization, and analysis. There is also much utility for technology in the realm of social work education. For example, my friend Dr. Beal, has created goggles to simulate group work with clients, so that students may practice facilitation skills before entering the field. Clearly there are benefits to living in the digital age. Technology is a wonder, for certain, that contains both attributes and problems. In truth, I would argue that the good aspects outweigh the bad. However, this blog will focus on some of the drawbacks associated with technology as it relates to the social work profession, and how to address those issues as social workers. Whether you are a social work client, student, educator, or practitioner, it is important to consider the impact and consequences of how technology is used. For one, privacy becomes problematic in the digital realm. Social media permits immediate access to photographs, location of status updates, spots frequented by digital consumers, birthdays, and much more. People oftentimes voluntarily disclose information without considering the consequences. What ensues is the creation of an irreversible technological trail that influences who connects with you and what they think about you. Many times, our digital faces, are one simple facet of who we are as people that fail to represent the whole. However, what we portray on the internet is how people perceive us to be. As social work educators, we should inform our students about the need to maintain professionalism in technology and privatize their personal information. We must also empower clients to thoughtfully consider the consequences of what they choose to share, while brainstorming ways for them to use technology to their advantage. A related subject to privacy is confidentiality, which has become also non-existent in today's digital world. With a simple Google search, people can find your age, your address, and even the names of your relatives and their addresses. Although, I appreciate the ability to share my thoughts with all of you through this blog work, there are certain things I want to keep confidential. Information that was easily kept confidential in the past, is now made attainable to just about anyone, after grazing a few minutes on the world-wide web. As social workers, we must consider the ease in which confidential information is found, take steps to safeguard our clients' personal information, along with our own. We must also educate students to take precautions that ensure their confidentiality is maintained. Consider the implications of abusers having access to survivors' personal information, such as addresses. Even as someone that tends to look on the bright side of life, I can think of numerous situations where the internet places clients, students, educators, and practitioners at risk. This brings me to my third point, technology creates safety issues. In addition to the lack of confidentiality and privacy, people also use the digital world to aggressively target, bully, and harass others. The increased usage of social media has created a forum for the occurrence of bullying to occur outside of school premises. Youth suicides associated with cyber bullying, have become a recent phenomenon that we frequently hear about on the news. This is inexcusable and an area where social workers can work with clients and students to navigate through this horrendous reality. The bumper sticker, "mean people suck", just came to mind and can be used as a mantra for those experiencing cyber bullying. Additionally, the increased usage of online dating is also a cause for concern. Although many have found love on these websites, truth be told, no one really knows who is on the other side of the computer screen. Men and women alike, who have emotional disturbances, utilize these sites to lure children and/or vulnerable people looking for love. Again, this is an area that requires social work attentiveness. We should encourage clients and others to be careful on these sites, review risks, and empower them to effectively ensure their own safety. Finally, those of us that grew up with easy access to the internet seem to forget that many generations did not and cultures do not. Simply put, we will be working with people that don't know how to use a computer. Some of the wisest people in the world have never used a computer or are limited with what they can do on a computer. Intellect is an internal process within each of us that we may, or may not, choose to share digitally. When working with people limited by technology, we must keep in mind the dignity and worth that resides in each of them and us. People are still intelligent even if they don't know how to use a computer. As someone in her early 30s, I remember when people used checks at the grocery store and the card catalog at the library. We owned a phone growing up with a cord attached to the wall. Technology is a newer phenomenon and we forget that sometimes. We should do our best to remember that, while honoring wisdom for wisdom's sake. In closing, I believe that the social work profession and people in general must critically think about issues created by the digital world that we live in. We should work diligently to mitigate these problems, while preparing for potential consequences. Together, we emphasize the dignity and worth of all living people by attempting to keep them safe and treating them with respect in our digital age. |
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