Tag Archives: prejudice

Prejudices in Marriage

I came across this quote and I thought it was appropriate. ‘The less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudices.’ The quote is by Clint Eastwood and is from what I think will be a fun book called ‘The Best Things Ever Said in the Dark. – the wittiest, most provocative quotations from the movies.’ It struck me that there’s a lot of truth in the above quote. How often do you hear a man say, ‘I’m not going to see that! It’s a chick flick.’ This can be especially so when it’s an … Continue reading →

Keeping Keller – Tracy Winegar

The year is 1955, and Beverly and Warren Vance enjoy a good life. He’s a successful real estate agent, and Beverly enjoys making their home a comfortable place. They’re living the American dream, with one huge exception. Their son, Keller, is mentally challenged. Beverly is at her wits’ end trying to figure out how to deal with her son’s odd behavior. One minute, he’s peaceful and loving. The next, he’s frustrated and violent. Every minute of Beverly’s time is spent coping with him, and she feels as though she’ll never be free of stress. Making matters worse is the fact … Continue reading →

Book Review: The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate

My last blogs have talked about racist incidents a few adoptees have recently faced and resources for responding. The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate, by Janice Cohn, is based on the true story of events that happened in Billings, Montana in 1993. In 1993, a group in Billings sent out leaflets saying hateful things about several ethnic groups and Jewish people in particular. They spray-painted threats on a Native American home, threatened an African-American church, and damaged a synagogue. As Hanukkah began, rocks were thrown through several windows of homes displaying menorahs. One of these large rocks shattered … Continue reading →

Resources for Responding to Racism: Hate Hurts: How Children Learn and Unlearn Prejudice

In my last blog I mentioned recent incidents of racism against adopted children. One resource parents can use for talking to their children, and recommending to their children’s teachers (perhaps Scout leaders and religious leaders too) are the book Hate Hurts: How Children Learn and Unlearn Prejudice, written by Caryn Stern-LaRosa and Ellen Hofheimer Bettmann and published by the Anti-Defamation League (a portion of the proceeds from the book go to supporting the League’s work). One weakness is the book’s statistics on U.S. population by race, which were taken from the 1990 census, making them old even when the book … Continue reading →

Dealing with Prejudice

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I received one of the most rude, narrow-minded, bigoted comments on a blog today. When I weighed 260 pounds, I dealt with people’s attitudes toward my weight all the time. To salespeople, I didn’t exist. I’d walk into a store with the intent to purchase something (usually grossly overpriced clothing) an be completely ignored. Eventually, I found that I received better customer service by online ordering. If I had the nerve to go to a fast food restaurant and order anything more than a salad, I’d get “the look”. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of the look, … Continue reading →

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967)

Of all the Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn movies ever made, this is the one you most need to see. Katharine Houghton (Hepburn’s real-life niece) stars as Joanna Drayton, a young woman from a fairly well-to-do family who goes to Hawaii for a vacation. When she comes back, she has some news for her parents (Tracey and Hepburn). She met a wonderful man, got swept off her feet in a whirlwind affair, and is engaged. This is shocking news enough – it’s one thing to send your daughter on a trip, and quite another to have her come home with plans to … Continue reading →

Words have Meaning

For readers who believe in defending traditional marriage, don’t worry. You have every right to think, feel, and yes, say what you believe. Don’t feel obligated to comment here. Just know it. Look, even Heather says you’re entitled to your opinion: “First and foremost, understand that I respect the rights of everyone to have an opinion and a position.” Yet, there is a caveat. You have that right, but if you don’t agree with gay “marriage” then your opinion is just prejudice and bigotry and that’s all it is. There is no other word for it, in Heather’s opinion. It’s … Continue reading →

Do You Act Fat?

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I had the weirdest conversation with someone the other day. I was standing outside my daughter’s dance school and I was chatting with a couple of the other mothers. To put it into perspective, one of the women was a size 6 or 7 and the other I would hazard was somewhere around a 14 or 16. She wore my size. Both women look good and while I would hazard that the woman who wore my size was a little on the overweight side, she didn’t appear fat as we define it in our culture. Now, bear in mind, I … Continue reading →

Standards of Comparison: Housewife versus Stay At Home Mom

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been talking about the career wife versus the housewife. Now, I want to take the matter a little further. This is about the relationship dynamic and frankly the prejudice that exists now about the housewife, not the stay at home mom – but the housewife who elects to stay home whether there are children involved or not. Most of us who have commented on these issues over the last few days have all been moms, but what about the housewife who doesn’t have children. Forty years ago, when a woman married – most … Continue reading →