Raquel Jimenez, Pd 8, 10/13/20, Day C

Raquel Jimenez

Modern Mythology

Ms. Fusaro

10/13/2020

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

     I believe how people feel about issues of inequity, oppression, and power are mostly influenced by personal experiences. I was raised in Sunset Park, a predominately Latino neighborhood, yet growing up not knowing a whole lot of Spanish. I understand some Spanish and speak even less of it. My parents were born and raised in Brooklyn with my father’s parents coming from Ecuador and my mom’s parents coming from Puerto Rico. I believe that we deserve to be here as much as the next guy. So this is why I find it astonishing, when one of the few times I do speak Spanish with my parents, I am told to go back to Mexico where I belong. This may not seem like a big deal to people, but I do feel this is someone trying to show how our differences from them make us inferior. Having this kind of experience has probably led me to believe that there shouldn’t be a debate on who gets natural born rights.

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences and how these can influence your perception of self and others? 

     I reflect on my beliefs by trying to see the other side, by trying to put myself in someone else’s shoes. I may talk to someone who happens to think differently than I do, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t change who they are to me as a whole. I don’t feel having disagreements about certain issues should ruin your relationship with people. I try to keep “debates” I have with them separate from our lives outside of that. I try not to take people’s stances personally because if you do, you might not find yourself having anyone. To live in this world, you really have to be empathetic and understanding. Like I said earlier, everyone has different experiences and ways they were raised. It is better to be exposed to various ways of thinking than to be stuck in your own bubble with what you think is right. At the end of the day, we are all people and should be treated as such.