Reflective Journals: Culture, Bias, and Discrimination

Reflective Journal 2

The interview was an educational and refreshing experience. I wasn’t aware of the fact that the Indo-Aryan group is the largest in all of India. Perhaps what struck me the most was the realization that environment plays a critical role in the shaping of one’s personality. My interviewee grew up in, essentially, two strikingly different environments, and each played a role in his formation as an individual. His time in Delhi cultivated fond memories. He spoke with an affinity toward the people, and with a fondness for their welcoming demeanors. My interviewee developed, socially, as a friendly person because he was surrounded by warm and personable people. Even his recollections from school were met with a positive response.

His experience in Bombay was considered mostly positive, and he claimed that it was his development in Delhi that gave him the confidence to adapt to the new environment of Bombay. I was surprised to find how significant a role culture plays in India, from their music to their classical Indian dance. My own notions were almost nonexistent, being that I have never seen this part of the world, or interacted with many of its people. I learned that is easier for someone to follow the traditions of his or her culture when living in the homeland than it is when living in another country.

My interviewee expressed his ability to maintain aspects of his country, even when living in the United States. He did claim, however, that is much different than if he were living in either Delhi or Bombay. I found myself surprised at my reactions to the dowry system. Before the interview, I had heard of this word, but was not familiar with the definition. My interviewee explained that the dowry system in India has caused a major problem for the poor families to get their daughters married. These two issues are deeply rooted in Indian culture and, according to my interviewee, should be resolved to move ahead and improve the culture. He believes that when the women are granted equality with the men, India will develop more quickly.

Reflective Journal 3

Bias and discrimination are two of the issues we have discussed in class. I found that these relate to my interviewee in a personal way. Because he is Indo-Aryan, my interviewee has his own personal belief system and culture. Although he did not recount any significantly negative events, he did discuss the fact that he was sometimes treated as an outsider upon first moving to Bombay.

Bias and discrimination are essentially acts of social exclusion, as they prevent the groups that are the victims of these acts from participating in and benefiting from the knowledge, power, and wealth of the larger society. In extreme cases, biases and discrimination can result in feelings of disempowerment, hopelessness and despair. My interviewee was fortunate enough to have lived without experiencing any of these negative effects. However, he did express a keen understanding regarding the vulnerability among such excluded groups.

Although he did not personally experience bias or discrimination, he did speak about the bias and discrimination that he witnessed toward women in his culture. I suppose that even just witnessing such discrimination can have a direct influence on the shaping of one’s perceptions. When he spoke about the dowry system, he was emphatic in his belief that this must be changed. As a male, he did not suffer the negative effects of being discriminated against; however, as a human being, he did suffer the effects of internalizing such a reality. It is one of his hopes that this system will soon be changed in his home country.

Reflective Journal 4

In comparing and contrasting some of my own experiences with that of my interviewee, I find that there are a few similarities and a few differences. Because I was raised as a white male, I personally haven’t experienced what I would consider bias or discrimination of any kind. I am fortunate to have lived most of my life without encountering any of the negative experiences that some of my friends have experienced because of their ethnicity. I did, however, grow up in the culturally diverse city of Chicago, and I was exposed to people of varying ethnic backgrounds.

I found that living in a city like Chicago gave me the opportunity to develop a better understanding of diverse cultures, and a better appreciation for various lifestyles. My interviewee lived part of his life in Delhi, and from our conversation it sounds like he interacted with people from different cultures as well, but possibly not to the extent that I did growing up in Chicago. It wasn’t until my interviewee moved to the United States that he felt like he was more significantly exposed to such a breadth of multiculturalism. I think that we both have similarities, in that we are male, and depending on the cultural situation, are often perceived as stronger than or brighter than females. My interviewee and I both feel that this bias against the female gender is inappropriate and unfortunate. We also agreed that women are generally treated more respectfully in this country.

Because we both grew up as younger siblings, we also have a common denominator in terms of our own family upbringing. We both celebrate holidays with our family, yet my interviewee draws upon his traditions as part of the celebrations in ways that are unique to his culture. I think it is interesting to talk about some of our traditions because we both can relate to enjoying food and laughter with family and friends. I like hearing about how traditions are carried out in Bombay. Sometimes I think I’d like to make a visit there, as well.

Reflective Journal 5

In communicating with my interviewee via email, we found that we both learned quite a bit from our conversations. We reflected on the lack of discrimination we faced growing up as males, and we also discussed the fact that we feel fortunate to have pursued a path of education in the United States. My interviewee mentioned that he often misses Bombay because it was the place of his childhood. He spoke about some of the games and the stories that influenced him as a little boy. I can remember my own games and stories from younger years, and it was humorous to recount some of the memories with my interviewee.

Because our course work centered on the issues of bias and discrimination, we discussed some of the deeper reasoning behind them. Sometimes it was difficult to try excavating the truths, but we tried with the knowledge that we have to come to our own conclusions. We both agreed that power and ego are two of the driving entities behind both bias and discrimination. It appeared to us that in cultures world wide, the root of many conflicts are the result of some want for power or some prize for ego. It became a muddy topic when we attempted discussions on how these could be changed. Our general consensus was that in smaller encounters, bias and discrimination can be handled with sensitive and effective results. However, we felt that in a more global context, it is difficult to convey the same message because there are so many more people to try and reach. Overall, we felt that we both grew up without any ill effects from either bias or discrimination. We both feel fortunate with that aspect of our lives.

Reflective Journal 6

I reflected on how I initially felt about my interviewee and his culture. To be honest, I didn’t know as much about Indo-Aryan culture as I thought I did. It was interesting hearing him discuss some of the statistical information. He explained that the Indo-Aryans are the descendants of the Indic branch of the Indo-Iranians. They are the semi-Nomadic white people who were initially from Central Asia and Southern Russia. I didn’t know that these people had roots connected to Southern Russia. I also didn’t know how the word “Aryan” was originally conceived, and my interviewee defined this in our interview.

I initially had more of a romanticized view of India, from what I’d seen in a few movies, or what I’d read in a few history books such as the pivotal contributions of Gandhi. By sharing information, my interviewee allowed me to see another layer of his culture that I might never have known about, otherwise. I now feel that I have a better understanding of how people in Delhi and Bombay interact with one another, what their schools are like, and how their families celebrate long-lasting traditions. I also know about the dowry system and how it is not viewed in a positive light by both the men and the women in India.

I think it is important for people to share stories like this so that we can learn from one another. Since conducting the interview, I have come to feel more of a connection to my interviewee’s culture. I feel like I can have a conversation and share my own stories that reflect a boyhood similarity, while also sharing a cultural difference. This is what makes us all unique. The opportunity to discuss our backgrounds and our experiences allows us the chance to learn more as people, and to learn more about how to reduce the incidences of both bias and discrimination in our lives.

Reflective Journal 7

In my previous journal I discussed the fact that my interviewee claims to have lived a life free from bias and discrimination. He said that he feels lucky that he didn’t have many experiences that he would claim as being biased against or discriminated against. He did have exposure to different cultures, and feels that this is simply how life unfolded for him, and not necessarily for one specific reason or another. In our class we discussed how both bias and discrimination can affect people and their personality. My interviewee seems to have a solid foundation of self, and he also seems to have a generally upbeat and positive outlook on life. Had he been exposed to a serious degree of bias or discrimination, it is likely that he would not exhibit this same personality. On the other hand, perhaps he would. It is nearly impossible to know.

My reaction to this was initially one of surprise, and it may have been from some of my own subconscious bias. For example, I thought that my interviewee may have encountered discrimination in either Delhi or Bombay, and I thought so because these are large metropolitan areas. In areas with such a large population, it seems more likely that one would either be a witness or a victim to some form of bias or discrimination. A less populated area will likely not have as many opportunities for such bias or discrimination for the simple fact that there aren’t as many people to exhibit the behaviors. I think the longer I spoke with my interviewee, the longer I came to realize that we have several commonalities. These commonalities gave us the chance to see how people can maintain their cultural heritage and maintain their uniqueness at the same time.

Reflective Journal 8

I conversed with my interviewee and we shared stories about growing up. It was easier to have a natural conversation when we both just talked about where and how we were raised. We both grew up playing baseball, and we both grew up loving adventure stories. In our conversation, we shared a few laughs about more memorable baseball games we participated in as kids. Since we both have younger siblings, we talked about how sometimes they would beg to go to one of our games, and even though they didn’t understand all of the rules, they still managed to have a lot of fun.

We talked about some of the lesser known places in both Bombay and Chicago. For example, my interviewee told me about a stream in Bombay that he and his friends used to frequent in the warmer weather. They used a giant rope swing to try and get from one side to the other. I laughed at some of his story-telling because he spoke with such excitement it felt as if we were both there. I shared some of my own stories, as well, including the time that I got lost in the mall at 8 years old. We both had a good laugh.

We decided that we had both learned that bias and discrimination are two serious issues found in cultures all over the world. We learned that bias and discrimination can affect children and adults, male and female. We agreed that at least in our situations, males seemed to be less affected by either bias or discrimination than women. We both learned that it is helpful to keep an open mind when meeting new people, and that by sharing stories, we can learn and grow.

Reflective Journal 9

My final reflection involves thoughts about my own upbringing, my interviewee’s life experience, and the issues of bias and discrimination. I learned a lot from speaking with my interviewee, and I was surprised that some of my own preconceived notions were inaccurate. It was helpful completing this assignment, because it made me think deeper about how these issues can affect people, even if only by indirect means.

Bias and discrimination are two issues that both I and my interviewee have learned about through our class discussions, and our own conversations. I have a greater understanding of how women are treated in parts of India. I also have a greater understanding about the Indo-Aryan people. I think I am more equipped to speak about the roles men and women play in both Indian and American culture. I also feel more knowledgeable about India’s dowry system- a subject I knew little about before the interview.

Overall, I feel that we both learned from this project, and we both came away with an appreciation for each other’s culture. We both shared stories that reflected similar childhoods, even though we grew up continents away. Bias and discrimination are two issues that left us discussing possible resolutions and possible outcomes, in both the small and big picture. I think we both have a greater understanding of how ethnicity can be a complex yet wonderful piece of the human experience.