Response to Carlson

Though the title threw me off, he begins exactly the same way that the other authors have started. He addresses that white, straight, male, middle-class is privileged and that black, working-class, women, homosexuals are not. Then he says that there is such a thing called normalizing community, which is basically Delpit's culture of power. Saying that if you aren't in the normalizing community then you are looked at as different (this case in a bad way). But now, I believe this is one of the first authors to say that people have began to "speak out" and taken initiative to fix this problem. Though it is not as easy as one would hope. There are still communities that live by the old ways and there really is no way to fix that. Now, with the rapid change of communities (due to the many new cultures) a fear has grown among the privileged that the way things are is being changed. Then I get a little confused. Carlson starts to talk about the different terms all relating to the word "gay" and says how they are harmful. Now this is what confuses me in that paragraph, is he trying to say that those words are harmful in the context of how you say them? or is he just saying the history of those words? because he said how they can be harmful and then he goes on and talks about how they are acceptable and commonly used. So maybe he is just saying that they are only acceptable when used appropriately (homosexual for scientific use, gay for naming the group, etc) I don't know. Anyway then Carlson starts addressing the problems of being gay in school. I agree that especially with teachers it is hard to be openly gay and they usually try to closet these people so that they practically hide who they are so that no one will look at them differently, and take them seriously in the teachers case. But then there are some students who don't care and they just be themselves and I say good for them. Usually to my own experience those who just go out and say they are gay are usually respected for it, no one usually treats them any differently and are okay with their decision. If anything at my old school those kids who were proud to be gay were probably more popular and had more friends than most other people. I was a little surprised on the 3rd page (236) when he says that some schools prohibit teaching about homosexuality. I thought that you could mention it, but it just never came up, I didn't think that it was completely prohibited. Then how in Minnesota they allow homosexual practices basically everywhere but school. What made me a little upset was when Carlson said how some look at being gay as "a loss of respect", there is really nothing I can say about that other than that is horrible and definitely untrue. Followed by some of the reasons why gay or lesbian teachers are not hired. The first reason he says that everyone thinks homosexuality is "contagious", the second is because they think that homosexuals hold crushes on their students. How in the hell can being gay or lesbian be contagious? that is what I want to know. Also who says that homosexuals have crushes on their students? they aren't all child molesters as well. In the end he wraps it up by saying that we should adapt to the way things are and leave what is "politically correct" behind, and I agree with him when he says that everyone should get equal opportunities and have their voices heard as well. For the most part this battle is much like the other ones we have been over, only this time addressing sexuality.