Talking Point #3 Carlson

Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community
Dennis Carlson

Authors Argument:
Carlson is arguing that communities, and schools should teach to the people how to realize everyone is normal, and their isn't normal and abnormal people, just people. he also states that it is the job of teachers and leaders to use the words "gay," "lesbian," "homosexuals" etc. in their language because it isn't something to be ashamed of just another aspect of life diffrent from the "normals."

Quotes:

1."gay people have for the most part been made absent, invisible, and silent within this community and at the same time represented as the deviant and pathological "other.""
When I first read the quote I thought to myself I never thought as gay people as invivible or silent, or others. It makes me wonder who really starts by pointin out someone as diffrent. How do we even know what the normal is, or wat should be the normal. It saddens me to think that some people stay silent just because fo their sexuality. When did it happen that people had to be classified by sexuality and not by the person they are.

2."(i.e., black, working class, female, homosexual, etc.) are disempowered and represented as deviant, sick, neurotic,criminal, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and in other ways 'abnormal'."
WHAT?! I cannot even believe people would write this or even believe it for that matter. I just got so mad after I read that. Not only because I am a female but really, just because of a persons race or sexuality they are dumb and lazy. I would love to know where these people come up with these ideas and how they even get out to the public without the snot beaten out of them. As a future teacher I hope to God I can teach the children I have to be open minded so they don't grow up to be one of these people who have ideas like this. Sometimes I wonder..

3. "The objective of classroom discourse is thus not so much to acheive consensus on on "truth" or "objective" depiction of reality, but rather to clarify diffrences and agreements, work toward coalition-building across diffrence when possible, and build relationships based on caring and equity."
This is our future job, this is what as furture teachers we need to strive to do. I read this quote over a couple of times and I thought to myself, I hope that I can really do this, I hope I'm up to the responsibility I hol as ateacher to shape and mold young people to become better then what I am and how everyone else is. I am really inspired to make changes to young lives.

Questions/Comments:
This was really hard to read for me, I don't know if it was the lanuage or what it was but it was the most difficult piece I've read in the class. I could sort of grasp Carlson's concepts but I mostly understood my quotes, and it was quite hard to even pick some quotes out. I think his writing style was more informative then relaxed so it wasn't as easy to get into. i really did enjoy the fact that we are talking abotu sexual identity though because it is going to be a factor in the classroom, ecspecially being a high school teacher as I'm trying to be. I cant wait for class to talk about it though!