Design and ethnicity

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The Lecture

 

This weeks lecture focused mainly on black and Asian minority’s. It also covered some sexism, which I feel is a different topic. Didn’t cover religion (but that was last week’s topic) or culture.

 

 

Defining the Subject

 

“Ethnicity

 

Quick Reference

 

A term for the ethnic group to which people belong. Usually it refers to group identity based on culture, religion, traditions, and customs. In some contexts, it is a “politically correct” term equivalent to the word “race,” which may have pejorative associations.” (1)

 

The truth is that a lot of definitions and language involved with diversity changes regularly. So I wanted to begin this blog with a clear solid definition.

 

 

What forensics taught me

 

During an applied science BTEC I had a unit on witness statements and how the mind works. This is a small part of what I gained from the unit.

 

The human brain likes to put things in boxes. It categorizes things and files them. Even in my neuro-diverse scramble, the brain needs to know were to find things. The truth is that we do this with people as well.

 

In the mind boxes we put peoples; physical features, common activities, culture, common ideas, ideals, etc. Humans then sort and label each box. The box could be labeled, Russians, Travelers, Asians, Scottish, BMW drivers, Farmers, people with tinny dogs, etc.

 

The more relivent a, culture, ethnicity, style, etc, is to your life. The more we put in that mind box.

The more we get to know a people within a certain, culture, ethnicity, style,etc. The more accurate it is 'likely' to be.

 

We don't always put the correct information in our mind boxes. A lot of this information is based on opinion and the opinion of others. Which means we can create a mind box, based on a particular ethnicity, culture, sub-culture, etc and it can be completely skewed.

 

The nature of this misinformation could just lead to a misunderstanding. It could also lead to a large infrastructure of detention camps being built. So please be careful about what you put in your box.

 


 

Living in a fairytale

 

A BBC 2 interview, last November Yuval Noah Harari (an academic author) said something that made me stop in my car and take notes. He spoke about how humans use stories.

 

A country is just a story which people tell each other. The problem humanity has is not having a story which they all agree on.

 

Harari extends this theory to a wide range of subjects, during the interview. Saying that best way to test if something is real or a story is to ask if it can be (physically) hurt.

 

To put this into context if you drop bombs on a country. You will hurt the people it connects with upon impact. You cannot physically hurt a country. A country is a story. The people you hurt are real.

 

I have simplified the theory, but to be fair the theory is simple.

 

If you disclude a person based on there ethnicity. If you prevent them from being themselves. Remove their chances of gaining education or using the qualifications they have. You can tell all the stories you want. You cannot hurt/effect a persons ethnicity. But you can hurt/effect that person.

 

 

 

Watching America

 

Currently the USA is still struggling with ethnicity. 

 

 From forcing Chines technology firms, to sell their programs, to an American firm (Tic Tok). To not training their police force effectively, on the use of necessary force (George Floyd). 

 

This is a large problem as the USA has a large, global, political and media presents. The country is so prominent that an Indi band Razorlight made a song about it.

 

 It is concerning that a country, struggling so much, in so many areas, has such a strong influence on the world. However its mistakes are pushing others, to create pledges and organizations, which improve the way some ethnicitys are being treated.

 

 

 

Everyone else

 

Discrimination is global. Every country is guilty. Some are better at hiding it than others. some are more guilty than others. And people rarely like to look in their own back yard. 

 

For example –

No one talks about Scotland historically, independently, invading parts of the Americas, but it happened. It just wasn’t that successful.

China is currently forcing Muslims into concentration camps.

In India you can buy bleach to lighten your skin.

And the England? It has a vast experience in discriminating against different races.

 

 

 

My final thought

 

What information is in your boxes? Can you improve the quality of this information? Is it from a primary source? Or is it just another person’s opinion?

 

What stories are you telling? How do they effect people?

 

Though it is important not to be complicit with bullying, through ignoring the actions of others. It is important that we do not neglect our own back yards. Not only can we be unintentionally supporting bullys. We may also be more at fault then we realise.

 

Ultimately, we are not our ethnicity.

We are people.

And we all have something to contribute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes About this piece

 

This was quite a hard piece to write. I did not want it to be to personal. I wanted to fully understand ethnicity and how it effects humanity as a whole.

Coming from a New Age Traveler family I have enjoyed the same level of official and unofficial discrimination that many types of travelers in the UK have to deal with. Unfortunately, only 2 types of nomadic people/travelers are officially recognized as an ethnicity. This removes many peoples rights and reduces official record keeping.

Needless to say I have written and re-written this several times. I realize that the drought section of a blogging website is most posts go to die, but it was extremely important to me that this piece was right.

 

 

Bibliography

 

 

 

1.       Oxford Reference. Ethnicity [Internet]. Oxford: Oxford press; 2020 [cited date (5/12/2020)]. Available from: https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095759525

 

2.       MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU. History [Internet]. Poland: MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU; [cited date (December 2020)]. Available from: http://auschwitz.org/en/history/

 

3.       J Borrell, A Burrows. (2006). America [Recorded by Razorlight]. [Medium of recording: video]. Retrieved from web address https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9NhncU5_CE

 

4.       K Watson-smyth. (18th June 2020). Design For Diversity: The Pledge [Blog post]. Retrieved from web address https://www.madaboutthehouse.com/design-for-diversity-the-pledge/

 

5.       BBC. Yuval Noah Harari: What Makes Us Human? [Internet]. UK: BBC2; Date of publication (18 November 2020) [cited date (December 2020)]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08yrdf6

 

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