Tiffany+Burke

= Sharing Religious Views Blocked =



This is not a new thing for religion, ever since the creation of religion there has been problems. Religion is the one uncertainty that has caused disputes even wars in the past and in the present. Like today, its very common to hear religious protest all around the world. On August 28 of 2011, a UNM student started a protest called, “Mass on the Grass”, against a free public Catholic mass at the Duck Pond. He wanted to voice his religious beliefs and felt he had every right to since the University itself is open to the public and that the mass was open to anyone who wanted to join and listen to his sermon. Although his intention's weren’t harmful, it caused an uproar at the university and for one particular professor named Peter Lundman. Professor Lundman even went as far as to write a letter to the State Governor of New Mexico to stop this event.

The UNM campus was founded in 1889 by the legislative assembly. The University later became the first university in New Mexico, its location is in the heart of Albuquerque. Many pedestrians come and go as they please on the campus; making the University itself an easy accessible for protesters and activists. Many groups and activist go on the campus to persuade and basically preach so that students and civilians can listen to their causes and maybe donate or sign pledges to follow their cause or beliefs.

The student (unknown) took advantage of the UNM policy of freedom of speech and started to protest his religious beliefs to the public. Since he was Catholic and a member of “The Aquinas Newman Center”, he wanted to perform a religious mass to spread the word about God. He choose to do it at the Duck Pond since it was a main attraction for many UNM students and others. But because religion itself can be a touchy and controversial subject, it caused an uproar in the community and to the university.

Peter Lundman, a student and professor at CNM, took this prayer service to be offensive. Lundman said it was not appropriate for the public and it especially was not appropriate for non-religious people. He went as far as to write to the governor of New Mexico about it. He stated,

The announced religious encroachment on public space is disturbing”. . . “Imagine an analogy; that some Hindu group has planned a ritual blood sacrifice of a goat to Shiva or Kali at the duck. . . I think [it] will be, equally disturbing to non- Catholics. (Ervan)

**(Warning!! This video contains disturbing scenes) SERIOUSLY!!** media type="youtube" key="gp2lkJzqZ0A" width="425" height="350"

Also in an earlier quote, Lundman explains that it violates one of the Amendment rules. "It is a clear violation of law upholding separation of church and state" (Ervan). His actions drew much attention. The university itself went under investigation which caused a halt to the Protester’s mass. And with further more investigation, UNM's Board of Regents and the Governments court case ruled out that no religious activity,“... Good News Club v. Milford Central School ruled a government operated 'limited public forum' like a public University,cannot discriminate against speech taking that takes place within that forum, including any type of religious expression.” (Erven) shall take place on campus. This protest ended and the “Mass on the Grass” never went public. Members of The Aquinas Newman Center were not pleased with the outcome of the protest.

The Aquinas Newman Center was established on July 21, 1957, making it the Catholic campus Parish of the University of New Mexico. The center was first created to provide a place for students on campus to go and hang out and group with other Catholic students Eventually that changed over the years. The priest decided to expand their use of the church by opening up the center to the public and spreading “Catholic traditions and history with a broader, more family-oriented community” (Affeldt).To this day, it has been a place where Catholic students can go for social gatherings and where civilians can go and worship.

Pursuing this further, the student/member (unknown) of the Newman Center told the director of Campus Ministry Brother Gabriel Dault, that he also gave the University the place and time of where this mass was supposed to be held. Word got out on campus and throughout Central Avenue, even gaining recognition from the news and from UNM’s Daily Lobo blogs and newspapers. Regardless that the event never occurred, the student did however captured many attention from the new coming freshman and current students at UNM/CNM and civilians who were aware of this protest event.

To be honest I can see both sides of the argument. First, Prof. Lundman has a point that certain religious practices should not be allowed to be exercised in a public space or form but are better left being practiced or exercised in their proper place at their house of worship. However, I also believe that he went overboard in trying to make his point by comparing a mass to a ritual animal sacrifice which is most definitely not the same thing and was an exaggeration on the professor's part. Next, the student who wanted to have the “Mass on the Grass” should have known or realized that certain individuals would take offense to the very visible and public display of religion on the UNM campus. He wanted to preach the Word of God only to those willing to listen to him. He didn’t want to stirup unrest in the community and that is why he choose to do it in a public area. It may have worked better had the student distributed fliers detailing a mass on the grass in a different location to as many students as possible. Additionally, most people won't take such offense if one student is evangelizing on a one-on-one level to another student rather than trying to proselytize to the masses.

This public space, the Duck Pond, will remain an open and free space for the utilization of UNM students. A calm and rational understanding between both parties could easily form a resolution that allows the open expression of religion in public spaces. However, I am reminded that most recently certain protesters have taken over locations on the UNM campus and are saying some rather outlandish and non-fact-based things about certain members and private financial sectors of our economy. The real question is if I took offense to the actions of these protesters would the same rational thought and protection of my freedoms be protected? I fear that certain elements of our society are allowed to get away with more than others and us harm emboldened to continue these types of activities while still offending others of our citizens.



**Works Cited**

Erven Chelsea. “Catholic mass draws protests.” Daily Lobo. 26 August 2011. Web. 12 October 2011.

Affeldt, Mary S. “ A History of the Aquinas Newman Center.” Aquinas Newman Center, N.D. Web. 12 October 2011

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Perceptions in School False?


Everyone remembers high school and everyone has an opinion about it. Some either will say it was the greatest years of his or her life in school, or it was a total nightmare; and one imparticular reason could be due to stereotyping. Stereotype being either positive or negative comes from the personal belief of individuals.The same stereotypes and remarks that dominated high school back then, are still relevant today because each generation still looks back on high school the same way, when everything mattered. For an example, "ghetto" and "preppy". I personally know what it's like to be given this label. I know some of my friends feel like these accusation is false and whereas other individuals who feel like this label has given them a good reputation (in other words, benefited them) or negative reputation. So getting in better detail of what it is to be a “ghetto” or a “preppy” person, how one could be characterized, and how it benefits and harms one another.

During the past decade, there has been a growing number of youth gang in school, especially since the youth think its the new cool look or new deal to act this way; But if you stop to think about it, dont you think youth gangs in schools have been exaggerated and that classifications of youth as gang/ghetto members have been biased against the poor and racial minorities? I mean, i think some acquisitions could be true but how about in schools and students today in this new generation, how stereotyping there peers just based on appearence and personality can cause false acquisitions. I begin by identifying some of the characteristics of what it is to be ghetto and preppy according to others. So what comes in mind of a ghetto male is that they automatically live in poor homes, like rap and hip-hop music, love clean stylish shoes, and like “low to the ground” expensive cars. For appearance aspects, they love to wear saggy pants, wear lots of “bling” (aka jewelry) around their necks, like to wear wife beaters, and there outfits must be color coordinated. As for their actions, they get involved in selling illegal drugs, like to pick fights, they talk as if there is no such thing as proper English, they hang in groups, and the list goes on. As for a ghetto female, the stereotype is very similar but with some few exceptions such as they dress skimpy, and wear lots of heavy make-up and perfume. As for their actions, they are loud, obnoxious, stuck up, jealous, and like to drink. According to these identifying descriptions, you’re ghetto if you fit any of these descriptions. Again, I personally have been given this label as well as some of my friends. I can now see why I would have been classified as this due to the fact that I would go to school dressed a little skimpy and talk as if there was no proper English, just to fit in. I know some of my friends were on the same boat as I was, but some of my friends purposely did this just because they felt comfortable being labeled as “ghetto”.

Funnier version of what it is to be gangster media type="youtube" key="khFhF64P3VQ" width="425" height="350" Now as for a preppy male or female, social hierarchy is dominated by the popular crowed, and are given specific terms which arent always appealing to others. There characteristics one would have, is that they always have a fun, nice personality, very talkative, bubbly, and always have a smile on their face. Appearance wise, they always wear expensive and/or brand named clothing, their appearance is neat and clean (in other words, had good hygiene), and they always smelled nice. Also unlike the ghetto people, they speak in proper English and are usually considered to be good students. However, with this beauty comes the cliche personality and thinking there above everyone else. For some of us, it is hard to see the pros and cons about being ghetto or preppy, but you can see the characteristics of these two stereotypes and see how it fits its name.

However, the question is how can one be characterized as a ghetto or preppy person? My answer to that is, by the way they act, dress, and the people they surround themselves with. For example, during my middle school years, I was still trying to find myself so I decided that I wanted to fit in with the popular crowd. At the time it was with the ghetto group, so I started acting and dressing like them and making friends with them. It actually wasn't that hard to be accepted in this crowd but as the next two years passed, I started feeling uncomfortable with my peers. I was being pressured into doing drugs and alcohol and the thing is I wasn't into that. I was a Christian girl, (which I still am) going to church and I believed that it was a sin to get into drugs, alcohol, and be involved in sexual activities. So one day I decided to change and started to surround myself with a new group of people and peers. I lost a lot of old friends that way and was judged cruelly by them, but I also learned that it’s not all about fitting in and trying to be someone you are not. Over the next year, I cleaned up my act and started to just be me. During high school, I was labeled as a preppy girl, the girl with a sweet personality, always smiling, and dresses nice. I can honestly say my personality hasn't changed but my style definitely has. Regardless, I now say that what my peers labeled me is not entirely true. Thus, I now believe from my own empirical evidence that it is easy to be stereotyped simply by the way you act, dress, and/or the friends you surround yourself with.

media type="youtube" key="gZ_qXmxdgGM" width="425" height="350" In conclusion, after having learned a more general idea of what these two stereotypes are about and how could a person be characterized in these categories? I have a question. Have you ever thought about the things you say and how it could harm or builds ones confidence? For example, more than half of my friends felt comfortable being categorized as a “ghetto”, while others thought the identification was false. The other half of my friends were comfortable with their label of being ghetto because they enjoyed drinking, listening to rap/hip-hop, dressing ghetto, and etc. It helped them with their own self-esteem, and when a person started judging them, they felt comfortable admitting who they were and accepted the criticism since they were proud to be who they were. Finally, those who chose not to compromise just to fit in felt that others were too quick to judge them because they felt that not all of these so called “qualities” of a ghetto or preppy person fitted with their individual personalities. Some were like me, Christian kids for example trying to fit in with the popular crowd. I know some of my friends who eventually stopped hanging around the ghetto crowd started getting and name called “fake” and or “posers”; Some of those hurtful words affected some of my friends emotional and mentally. I had a friend named Dawn, who I do not keep in contact anymore, she used to be teased in middle school for being a “poser”.She was one of my friends who tried to change everything about herself just to be accepted in the ghetto crowd. Since that never worked out for her, she isolated herself from everyone and has been considered an emo chick during her high school years. It’s sad to see how the world could be so judgmental about everyone and everything. Its gotten to the point whether you accept what others label you, or you ignore what they say and just simple be you. It was hard for me to learn that at one point, but I learned to accept things and move on. I encourage others to do the same.

In short, you learn the definition and characteristics of a “ghetto” and “preppy” person. Also how these stereotypes can and or benefit one’s self under this title. Not every characteristic about a ghetto or preppy person is all true. Some of these acquisitions are false, and I would know from a personal perspective. In all, it best if everyone should just ignore and or accept what the world labels us as and move on.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ = = = = =<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Corporal Punishment and its Effectiveness =



<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Corporal punishment is a common discipline technique used in many families around the world. Corporal punishment has been documented as far back as early as the tenth century BC in the Book of Proverbs 13:24. The term means infliction of pain on the body for punishment which involves spanking and or other forms of physical punishment. Although in some countries it is prohibited to conduct physical punishment against a child at most schools, it is still popular in the majority of the countries that corporal punishment should be taken into action (in a home friendly environment) whenever a child is misbehaving. In my own family, on both sides of my parents, this form of punishment has been a tool that has been traditionally use to correct poor behavior. Many parents see it fair to discipline their child in any way they see fit. I agree that it is appropriate for any parents to discipline his or her child as long they are not angry and are using corporal punishment in addition to other forms of accepted disciplinary measures. In some ways I can understand what the grandmother in the short story, “Who’s Irish” was trying to do in terms of disciplining her granddaughter “Sophie”. I’m sure most parents would never mean to actually harm their child. There doesn’t seem to be enough empirical data that really examines the question of whether or not this form of punishment is productive or counterproductive. I believe that when not overdone and effectively used for the right reasons, and with other effective training methods, physical punishment can be an effective tool to help train and discipline children.





<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Every child at a certain point and time in his or her life is disobedient and do not understand right from wrong. That’s when corporal punishment (such as spanking) should come into play when a child is misbehaving, but should never be overdone. An article was written about this issue titled, “Spanking Children: Evidence and Issues,” by Alen E. Kazdin and Corina Benjet who provides evidence and expresses their perspective of spanking and whether it could turn into abuse or not. They write, <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">This [pro-corporal punishment] view is represented by the familiar, cryptic… biblical quotation, “’ spare the rod and spoil the child”’ (Proverbs 13:24)….The view underscores the beliefs that desirable consequences…includes such punishment. (Kazdin and Benjet 100) <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">I personally have been brought up this way and recognize its effective results. My parents happen to be very religious and follow that “biblical quotation” but also tempered it with other methods of non-corporal punishment. My parents use of “spanking” as a form of punishment was productive and resulted in positive results. I stopped making it a habit to do negative things since I knew what the consequence would be if I continued them and turned out to be a well mannered, respectful, and honest adult. It’s sad to say that not all forms of punishment that other parents utilize with their children are productive and effective like my parents, but with proper punishment, a child can learn from right and wrong. Effective training method could include not spoiling the children by giving them what they want whenever they throw a tantrum. Another example, having timeouts, or loss of privilege time (grounding) to hangout or play with friend, watching TV, play video games, and etc. There are numerous ways to create an impact in a child’s behavior without physical punishment, but if a child goes as far as to start throwing and kicking a person (such as the parent), or causing a big scene in public places such as the store, then that’s when I believe spanking could be involved.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Now I believe that when not overdone and effectively used for the right reasons, physical punishment can be an effective tool. Abuse is commonly reported in the US and in other counties. According to an article called “Child Abuse Much More Common Than Official Statistics Indicate” claim that abuse is on the rise. Some examples of common reported abuse is sexual abuse, burning, starvation, and the list goes on. Parents who use these kinds of methods to discipline a child, that’s when corporal punishment has gone too far. Parents should never even go as far as to abuse his or her child to show them discipline. Its more appropriate to use spanking as a method of punishment. Even spanking could lead to abuse if not done correctly, like not causing welts or bruises on the body, but again it’s appropriate and has been used in the sense of “more than” for over a thousand years.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">In the short story “Who’s Irish” written by Gish Jen in 1999, the grandmother is narrating from her point of view. I can relate to the grandmother in a lot of ways as to why she tried to use her methods as it is from what she’s learned from her family traditions and cultural background. From her training and experience and from the culture in China, it is perfectly acceptable to use "spanking" or corporal punishment as a means to correct, teach, and train a child. One affirmation of the grandmother’s knowledge that physical punishment can work is detailed when she says, <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">“Still Sophie takes off her clothes, until one day I spank her…Then I tell her she's a good girl, and give her some food to eat. The next day we go to the park and, like a nice Chinese girl, she does not take off her clothes." (Jen 8)

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Not only does this change the behavior for the granddaughter Sophie, but the grandmother again sees the positive results of her spanking her granddaughter. Natalie, the mother of Sophie, the daughter of the grandmother in this story has become too Americanized in her thinking and no longer follows the Chinese thoughts of discipline for children but rather the American <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">psychologists’ view which is to speak to your child and explain rather than to discipline. One indication that Natalie is more Americanized is,

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">In America, parents not supposed to spank the child. It gives them low self-esteem, my daughter say. And that leads to problems later, as I happen to know. (Jen 3)

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Now in some ways, I can see why Natalie claims that it can give children low self esteem, if a child who is always in trouble might eventually feel he’s worthless, if that ever turns to be the case; but at the same time, I don’t think that gives the excuse for a parent not to punish their child for their bad behavior. A child must learn from his or her mistakes, and must always respect their elders and parents. A spoiling child can lead to a lot of problems in the future if it isn’t stopped at that given point and time.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">In this particular story and we do not know ultimately whether or not a positive or negative effect has been made upon Sophie the granddaughter. We know that short-term effect was positive because Sophie continues to keep her clothes on. However, Sophie still continues to observe her grandmother, so we don't know the long-term effects of physical punishment especially after the grandmother is not allowed to babysit for the granddaughter. While it seems that many American psychologists or many psychologists around the world do not want to see any forms of physical punishment used on a child, I believe that because society has changed their view that physical punishment is no longer settle for any reasons that children of today are becoming worse than sure of the past. For example, in an article called “Children's Behavior at School Deteriorating, say Teachers” from The Guardian Magazine, gathered up surveys from teachers claiming that girls were more likely to cause more trouble than boys. The teachers claimed saying that their younger male students are more aggressive to other male students and to even their own parents and teachers, while the younger female students are more aggressive verbally toward other female students and etc. Trying to find solutions to minimize children behavior hasn’t become an easy task in our generation. I believe that proof is in the very high rise in discipline problems as evidenced in our public school systems. Children feel that they can get away with almost anything and know that their punishment will not be severe.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">I personally believe that physical punishment, if utilized correctly, can be an effective means of discipline for a child and is acceptable as a method of discipline and training a child. However, no parent should physically abuse a child or any adult for that matter abuse a child at any time for any reason. Like I said before, when not overdone and effectively used for the right reasons and with other effective training methods physical punishment can be an effective tool to help train children.

<span style="color: #1b60de; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Work cited Vasagar. Jeevan. "Children's behavior at school deteriorating, say teachers." __The Guardian Online__ 17 April 2011. 20 November 2011 []

Jen, Gish. Introduction. //Who’s Irish?// By Alfred A. Knopf. New York Times: 1999. 1-14. Print.

Kazdin. Alan., Benjet. Corina. “Current Directions in Psychological Science.” __Association for Psychological ScienceStable__ Vol. 12, No. 3 June 2003 pp.99-103 11 November 2011 __ [] __