Pushed Out and Forgotten †The Batwa Essay Example for Free

Pushed Out and Forgotten – The Batwa Essay Born in the United States, I grew up believing that the children who lived next door or the boy who sat across from me in class had it all. Even as an adult, there are bits of me that occasionally envy the family with the perceived â€Å"perfect life;† church every Sunday, home office with a big window, stain-less carpets, and children with perfect hair. But, I know better. Life in the United States is something I take for granted. I knew this and needed to remind myself just how truly grateful I should be for the life I live in the great states. How do I do this? What do I need to see in order to really understand life outside America? I needed to leave my country and visit a place that has many struggles; where people live humbly. What I didn’t realize was that I would leave the country I chose to visit, wanting to go back and make a difference. Rwanda is rich with many things; culture, diversity, and land. Rwanda has also perfected the art of discrimination. When my plane landed, I could not have grabbed my luggage and left the airport more quickly. I was excited for what the change in culture would bring me. What I would take home to teach my own family and friends. Some were excited to see me and others were less than thrilled to see me traipsing my way through their lands. I did what I could to respect the people and their cultures, as I did my research before coming to Rwanda. The population there is made up of mostly Hutu; traditional farmers. The rest of the population, mostly consist of Tutsi (or warrior people) and the Batwa. Though I would have enjoyed getting to know all the different people and ethnicities of Rwanda, I spent most of my time with the Batwa (Whitelaw, 2007). The history of the Batwa is something that I came to hold close while traveling with some who are conflicted with the fear of the past and the uncertainty of their future. The Batwa were former Central Africa residents  who lived their lives hunting and gathering in the rain forests. Though the lives they lived were not ideal for all, they were happy. But as time went, so was the expectation that they left their homes in order for the rainforest to be used for forestry and conservation. You may say, â€Å"So, were they compensated for the land they had to give up?† Well, no. The Batwa were physically removed from their homes and their land and were never given a red cent to live elsewhere. Kicked out of home, with no money, no good explanation, and expected to build a life in an area unfamiliar to most. The Batwa had no idea what this was going to do to their lives. They knew they did not want to leave but because of their naà ¯ve understanding of the modern world, they would face some struggle ahead. This was a disaster in the making. It didn’t help that many of people, already living in the areas the Batwa were forced to move, did not accept them as people. They were and continue to be discriminated against. The Batwa live in poverty in what is supposed to be a more modern society than what they were founded on. Yet, the population continues to deteriorate. How is this possible? It is possible because they have no land to live on, they eat the farming scraps left after a harvest, they are shunned from the education system because of illiteracy and a lack of money, they are allowed to vote but not allowed to be part of government, and they find it almost impossible to find a job that can support their needs because of discrimination and lack of education (New African, 2010). The Batwa’s situation sounded eerily familiar to me. I equated their situation to the Native American’s situation when the Europeans came to America. Pushed out of their land and forced to live a different way of life in a place that was â€Å"approved† by the rest of the people. I can imagine that the way the Batwa live is similar to the way the Native American’s are forced to live. The difference is that the Native Americans feel forced by lack of education of the rest of Americans, where the Batwa’s are forced because they are still not accepted in today’s Rwandan society. Another big difference I see is that the Batwa are a part of Africa and are being discriminated by their people. Yes, they are a different ethnicity and would live their lives differently, if not forced into another. But, they are still from the same country. After spending time with this  amazing group of people, I have realized that I could not accurately explain the difference between ethnicity and race. Six months ago, I lumped those two terms together. Though they have similarities, they are different. I am a Caucasian, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to assume my ethnicity. My great friend is Caucasian, but that doesn’t mean her and I have the same ethnicity. I was born and raised in a small town out of Minnesota and she was raised in Ireland. The two terms are different. Her family traditions around the holidays are different than mine. Really understanding the differences between race in Rwanda and their ethnicities was important when trying to understand why there is and was so much discrimination. Though the race may be nearly the same, each group of people lived completely different lives. The Batwa’s lived in a rainforest and Hutu’s ran farms in a more modern lifestyle. Even the way each culture enjoys dancing is either accepted or it is not. The Batwa were forced to study Christianity, eat the foods of the modern people, and even had to learn how to wear clothing differently. The way the Batwa chose to live their lives in the rainforest would not be acceptable in the eyes of the rest of Rwanda. Ethnicity and race are different and this is why discrimination exists in Rwanda (New African, 2012). * Learning the history of how the Batwa live, by choice or not, begged the question, â€Å"what has this done to them as a people?† The discrimination of the Batwa and other small groups of people, have made it difficult for them to thrive much less survive. They impact they have on the government is nil, so seeing a dramatic change through government representation is unlikely. There are groups such as the Organization of Rwandan Potters (COPORWA) who consider the Batwa and their situations. The Batwa are value their culture and ways of life, but have lost touch because of highly encouraged religions and lack of acceptance of their culture. The Batwa do and will continue to struggle to be recognized as a minority group who needs help (Ingelaere, B., 2010). * The Batwa have lost their land, they are losing their culture, the people are not surviving, and the idea of maintaining hope is slowly slipping away. Spending time with my new found friends made me want to bring them all home with me. But, as I have learned, moving people from their homes and lives can create more problems than intended. Though, I would see to it that they were treated with the respect they deserve, it does not fix the bigger problem. The  human race has much to learn about what the true meaning of love, life, and respect is. Unfortunately, discrimination and a lack of understanding is a natural course of nature. There are some things out of our control and others in which we can only influence. If I could change anything about my visit to Rwanda, it would have been to spend more time there to understand more about why the other cultures see the Batwa the way they do. Though the discrimination against the Batwa is moving at a snail’s pace in the right direction, at least it is moving that way. Until then, I send my prayers and well wishes to the Batwa people. I would also challenge those of you reading my article to take some time to travel to a place similar to Rwanda to learn about another culture; what it has to offer is far more than money can buy. * References: Batwa A people under threat. (2010). New African, (497), 38. Ingelaere, B. (2010). Peasants, power and ethnicity: A bottom-up perspective on Rwanda’s political transition. African Affairs, 109(435), 273-292. Whitelaw, Kevin. (2007). Rwanda Reborn. U.S. News World Report, 00415537, Vol. 142, Issue 14

Urban Homelessness in Canada Essay -- Urban Homeless

Definition of Homelessness Homelessness can simply be defined as the lack of house or shelter. Hulchanski (n.d.) believes that homelessness is â€Å"a great unresolved political and social problem of our time.† He defines homelessness as: The absence of a place to live (a house or apartment or room - the physical structure) - which includes the absence of belonging to a place and the people living there (a home, in the social/psychological sense). [It refers to] situations in which people lack regular and customary access to adequate and appropriate conventional housing (the physical structures that are designed and intended to be permanent residential accommodation). A person who has no regular place to live stays in an overnight emergency shelter, an abandoned building, an all-night coffee shop or theatre, a car, outdoors, or other such places not meant to be living spaces† (Hulchanski, n.d.). On the other hand, Springer (2000) views homelessness as term encompassing many possible meanings. Springer suggests using the "houselessness" instead of homelessness. She also identifies Categories of Houselessness/Homelessness. According to Springer (2000), there are three categories of houselessness: Absolute houselessness refers to people who use public or private housing. â€Å"People sleeping rough, which means in the street, in public places or in any other place not meant for human habitation are those forming the core population of the "homeless"[as well as] those sleeping in shelters provided by welfare or other institutions† (Springer, 2000). Concealed houselessness refers to people who are houseless but temporarily housed with friends or family. â€Å"†¦all people living wit... ...trieved March 30, 2007, from http://www.parkdalelegal.org/Homeless.htm Pollack, G. (2001). "Who are Canada’s homeless?'. Reader's Digest (2001). Available at http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/44/244.html Raising the Roof. â€Å"Case Study: Homeless Initiatives Fund.† Retrieved March 30, 2007, from http://www.raisingtheroof.org/ss-case-dsp.cfm?casefile=Homeless_Initiatives_Fund Raising the Roof. â€Å"Case Study: Literacy and Homelessness Project.† Retrieved March 30, 2007, from http://www.raisingtheroof.org/ss-case dsp.cfm?casefile=Literacy_and_Homelessness_Project Springer, S. (2000). "Homelessness: A proposal for a Global Definition and Classification." Habitat International, Vol. 24,Urban Homelessness in 11 Toronto Report Card on Housing and Homelessness. (2003). Retrieved March 30, 2007, from http://www.toronto.ca/homelessness/pdf/reportcard2003.pdf

When Harry Met Sally

When Harry met Sally Based on the communication styles listed in your text (Closed, Open, Hidden & Blind), please match a character to each of these styles. List the character, and then support your answer with a specific example. Closed Communication Style- Marie shows signs of representing a â€Å"closed communication style† because she spends most of her time in the film overly obsessed with a married man. She has a hard time recognizing the fact that he is married and stays in the â€Å"relationship† with him even though it has no clear destination.Hidden Communication Style- I witnessed two examples of hidden communication thru out the movie. One example, when Harry is persistent about questioning Sally’s life and never really shares his own life experiences. Jess is another example of a hidden communicator. Jess was concerned about Harry not being happy when they were batting. He also showed that he was concerned about the progress of Harrys relationship an d his emotional feelings while his marriage was disintegrating. Blind Communication Style-From my understanding, blind communicators voice their opinions about how things should be done and have no problem with telling people what they have done wrong. The character that I think represented blind communication mostly throughout the film was Harry. Harry had the tendency to think his knowledge superseded everyone else when it came to relationships. For example, Harry criticized Sally on the way to the restaurant when they first met outside the college. He talked about her choice of career, and basically said that she will not know what to do when â€Å"her world comes crashing down† so to speak.Open Communication Style- Based on my knowledge from the book, people that express all their feelings, emotions, life experiences and more are considered â€Å"open communicators†. Based on the conversations between Harry and Sally, I would have no choice but to say that Sally is classified as an open communicator. When Harry asked Sally at the restaurant who she had great sex with, at first she refused to tell him and only seconds later she rambled on and on about her sexual experience. Match a character to each of these conflict strategies? Give a specific example to support your answer.Compromising- (Jess) In the movie Jess and Marie were having an argument over Jess’s table (whether or not to have it in their home). Marie did not want the table, Jess asked Harry what he thought and after Harry gave him his opinion Jess got rid of the table. Collaborating/Problem-Solving- (Harry) Harry spent a lot of time attempting to fix his relationship with Sally after their huge fight. He kept calling her and eventually sang to her over the answering machine when she did not pickup. Accommodating/smoothing-(Marie) In the movie Marie held a relationship with a married man.She discarded her own feelings to make this guy happy, and he never once considered her f eelings. She had this fantasy that he was going to leave his wife to be with her, but it reality he never intended to. Marie put her feelings last to make the so called relationship work. Avoiding/Withdrawal-(Sally) When Harry and Sally first met and were at the restaurant, Harry complimented Sally on her attractiveness. Sally, be loyal to her friend, immediately gets up and is ready to leave, because she knows that Harry is in a relationship with her friend.In this example she is withdrawing herself from a situation, by avoiding the compliment. Competing/Forcing-(Harry) Harry is constantly debating his relationship knowledge with Sally in the movie. He is a very competitive individual and seems to always have the need to be â€Å"right†. Provide 3 signs of poor listening seem throughout the film. Provide ways that their listening could be improved. One sign of poor listening that I remember, was each time Marie talked about her boyfriend and Sally tried to tell her that the he would never leave his wife; Marie appeared to listen but refused to take the advice to leave him.She could of maybe did some compare and contrast to her relationship and others to realize that Sally was right. If she would have listened to her, she would have saved herself the emotional rollercoaster and maybe could have found a man sooner. The second sign of poor listening was when the two couples were exiting the restaurant from their double date. Harry and Sally both expressed, separately, to Jess and Marie that it would be better for them to wait to call each other to protect the feelings of Harry and Sally.Jess and Marie obviously couldn’t wait to be together, so they got in the first cab they saw and drove away together. This illustration of poor listening could have been improved if Jess and Marie took Harry and Sally’s advice and waited a little bit to see each other again. The third sign of poor listening I witnessed was during one of Harry and Sallyâ€℠¢s many conversations. He told her that it was merely impossible for a woman and a man to be friends. He stated that sexual relations would basically occur no matter what.Sally eventually forgot about, (and Harry as well â€Å"having no recollection†). Physical Barriers to effective listening Throughout the movie I saw quite a few examples that could be defined as physical barriers. One of them was when Harry and Jess were discussing Harry’s marriage issues during the football game. Also when the two of them were batting cages at the same time as they were discussing Harry and Sally’s relationship issues. Both of these scenarios could have prevented effective listening by distraction of physical barriers. Personal Barriers to effective listeningHarry was unable to concentrate after seeing his ex with her new partner. Harry was completely distracted and wasn’t even able to hear Jess, Marie, or Sally talking to him about the table. Gender Barriers to effect ive listening When Harry and Sally were driving to New York and they had discussed Casa Blanca and the end of the film when the lady was boarding the plane, Harry expressed that the woman should stay for sex. Semantic Barriers to effective listening Harry told the waitress that Sally was with him. In my opinion he was just telling her that they would be sitting together.However, sally took it the wrong way and expressed her thoughts aloud and said that they she was not with him. What is your own conflict management style? Give an example that supports your style. Have you been guilty of any of the signs of poor listening? What will you do in the future to improve your listening? I would have to say that my conflict management style is the Competing style. To my understanding, people who hold this style tend to be extremely assertive to achieve their goals. I have the tendency to be what some would call â€Å"sneaky†.I tend to elevate my own argument and conceal my goals to le t the opposing side think they are ahead. For example, I currently hold a sales position. As we all know the sales industry is very competitive. My employer often has rewards and bonuses for the top sales performers of the month. I like to â€Å"fake† people out and make them think that I am not doing so hot on my sales so they will think I am behind them on the ranking. This way, once they think they have beaten me, their effort will slowly decline and there I am still banking on my sales.Being in the sales field I do need to have attentive listening skills so I can read between the lines and let the customer know exactly what they need. I’m positive that at one point we have all been guilty of poor listening skills. Maybe for example in the drive-thru when they read back your order and you just automatically say that is correct because you have been sitting there for 10 minutes already, and then when you get your food and it’s not what you ordered but it is ex actly what is on the receipt. In the future I will continue to build my listening skills buy getting clarity from individuals and clients.

What´s Corporate Social Responsibilities - 579 Words

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