Thankfulness

Today millions of Americans come together with family and friends and celebrate this day called Thanksgiving. This is my 27th year being a part of this world...today spending it with intention and meaning with my family. I think like most consumer driven American holidays, the meaning and history has been lost along the way, however, this one, for me, asks that I reflect on my life and the many blessings that I am truly thankful for. It does not require purchasing gifts, making resolutions, or asking for forgiveness....I do generally over eat the feast my parents usually provide, and am grateful for the over filled belly at the end of the day that requires a long nap on the couch. Holiday, celebration, genocide, or not, taking the time to be present and grateful for all the beauty in my life proves once again how amazing this world really is.

I woke up this morning with the typical Humboldt weather of cloudy overcast skies and the dear sun trying its hardest to find its way around the clouds. I decided my little garden in the front patio of my studio needed some attention, so I put on my work pants with holes in the knees, pulled on some boots and gloves, and started weeding the morning away. How much I love working my hands in the soil. I pulled the last of my summer flowers (dahlias) and turned the earth up before winter truly sets in. I made sure all my spring bulbs were in place and ready to poke their heads up with a season. I later stopped by to feed a friends cat, who anxiously awaited my arrival by nearly dashing out the front door, and then headed to my parent's house, where the beginnings of what was soon to be a meal to feed 15 but meant for 4 was taking place. Grandpa came to join us, and a conversation with my brother on the phone completed the family circle. We are not a family of traditions, nor of saying grace or thanks or what have you, but we laugh, share stories, and most defiantly tease each other. My late evening was spent dancing and laughing with a friend, to the tune of old classics. My day was full, complete, and satisfying.

Today was filled with so many of the things I am thankful for...family, friends, sunshine (sort of?), good food, wine, laughter, warm shelter, health, the earth and my little garden, music etc etc etc....today I thought of the world around me, of the millions of people who go without enough, and of the people who have suffered and had to give up something for me to be here, now. As the rain sleets down outside my thoughts go to those sleeping in unsheltered places, without full bellies, who go unnoticed and underserved, in this county and around the world. My heart goes to them as I am truly reminded how thankful to be for what I do have.

Confrim or Ignore?

I think Facebook has been both a blessing and the existence of my demise. Ever sense I started using Facebook I have struggled with the dilemma of confirming friend requests or ignoring them. There are the friend requests in which you thought you would never hear from again, and are eager to see what they have been up to, and those you wish you would never hear from again. Is it socially unacceptable to ignore a request? What if the chances of you running into them at the grocery store are high? What then? Although I’ve never been confronted for not accepting someone, there are the lingering requests that I’m just not sure what to do with that stay in my “request” box for days and weeks until I ultimately decide either to accept them out of guilt or obligation, and those that I somehow manage to justify to ignore. And there are the ones that send multiple requests after I managed to justify that I can’t remember that person well enough from high school to want to reconnect etc etc. Oh, and then there are those that I’ve accepted, who post non-stop, and am tempted to hide out of annoyance for their unnecessary updates.

Has this social networking just became another source of addiction and attempt at moving us (people) further and further away from real face to face contact? Well maybe I’m just made for this modern day technological way of communicating with people or something. Not to mention the corruption of personal information being distributed by Facebook to who knows who. And what about the pictures we all post? Where do they really go? It is kind of creepy to think that friends of friends of friends have access to snap shots of my life. And what about the people who frequent Facebook but never write anything, but then make some comment to you in person about a picture they saw of you.

Funny story is I’m logged onto Facebook right now as I write, and an old college buddy just posted how he is addicted to Facebook and has nothing better to do while visiting his parents then constantly is on it. Ha, just proves my point that social networking is weird. With that, there have been some benefits to my break down of socially influenced pressure to conform. I have appreciated the few friends I lost contact many years ago, who have reappeared in my life. But the question still is, do the benefits outweigh the coasts? Do I confirm or ignore?

Using Self in Community Practice

“When people see that you get things done, they line up behind you. D. Kessler (as cited in L. Thompson, 1990, p. 1)

I found it interesting the timing, delivery, and discussion that was shared in class a few weeks ago, which felt ironic to the group process and cohesion of the community within. A few weeks back now, we studied the chapter in our community practice book (Hardcastle and Powers, 1994) on using self in community practice and assertiveness. It was ironic in that the discussion/lecture on assertiveness followed a break though moment of communication and miscommunication amongst our class as a community. The aggressive and passive aggressive behaviors that were taking place surfaced to a peak of disequilibrium in which we could no longer ignore and attention was needed in moving forward from the past. Once this shift was achieved, the idea of the use of self (in the text as a social worker, but I think applies to all facets of life), became an interesting and important discussion to reflect on.

So often in my work as a social work intern, and in my work facilitating anger management groups with both teens and adults, the idea of aggressive, passive –aggressive, and assertiveness has come into play. As I grow both professionally and personally, this is the one area I have felt the most challenged in. Hardcastle and Powers (1994) may call this “expansion of self” and “becoming more mindful.” As I have told many of my clients, awareness is the first step in change, and I believe it can also apply here. Understanding our role, how we perceive ourselves, and others and how we choose to respond are important in practicing assertiveness. I think for most, and true for me, assertiveness is a learned behavior that takes time to perfect, and even so, is one of those skills that just never goes away from perfecting. I think another piece I’ve experienced in assertiveness in the work world is the idea of confidence in the work I’m doing, as well as the belief that I can make positive change (both in agency policy/politics, but also with the populations served). “Assertion is the act of standing up for one’s own basic human rights without violating the basic human rights of others” (Hardcastle and Powers, 1994, p. 218).

Our text also notes the importance of critical thought, self-examination, making judgments, and taking positive actions. From my experience, the type of relationship given greatly affects the depth and breadth of critical thought and assertiveness put into practice. For example, I use different skills when it comes to interacting with my family then I do with friends, classmates, co-workers, and so forth. How does my belief about these relationships change my behaviors? For me, it means understanding my strengths and limitations, in knowing my place, understanding and believing in my confidence, and my resilience toward resistance and conflict. As Hardcastle and Powers (1994) state, healthy assertiveness transmits to a sense of empowerment, personal power, advocacy, client (and self) self-determination, behavior modification, personal comfort, and ethics.
Hardcastle, D. & Powers, P. (1994). Community Practice. New York. Oxford University Press.

Prison as an Industrial Complex

For every inmate there is ...
a family left behind;
a potential job unfulfilled;
an impact upon our communities;
a life with little hope for a productive future.
It does not have to be this way.
Excerpt taken from: http://www.unicor.gov/information/publications/pdfs/corporate/catar2008.pdf

This weekend I took a workshop on Prison Industrial Complex. The following is a reflection I wrote following the dialog/video/guest speaks, and discussion had during the workshop.

I came to this workshop having some idea of our country’s prison system, of the disproportionately of people represented in the justice system, and of the corporatization of prison in our culture. Several years back now, I took a women’s studies class in my undergraduate course work in Arizona, and a component of the course was to visit an all women’s prison outside of Phoenix. Many of the topics discussed in our workshop were issues I had explored during my visit. I remember leaving the prison and thinking both what a rare opportunity to have a guided visit of this place was, and yet how strange and surreal the experience felt. It really did feel like the women were on display, especially the 4-5 women they pulled for us to interview. I remember thinking the same thing we discussed in the workshop, that if felt like we were visiting the zoo. The workshop furthered my understanding of comparing prison as a warehouse and as a cage for racism, sexism, homophobia, homelessness, poverty, mental health etc. The words “social junkyard” “security housing unit” “catch and release” and “waste management” were terms used during the workshop that had real affects to my understanding of the injustices prison and the justice system has on our society.

I remember we toured the highest security setting in this prison, and at the time I remember feeling scared of the experience. We went through several metal detectors, and screenings, and were asked to wear stab proof vests, as well as hold plastic shields. We walked through the halls in small groups of 2-3. I clearly remember the intimidation I felt as I walked down the hall. Women were yelling and screaming at as, holding their scar covered wrists up to the slotted windows in their doors, and sexually harassing us as we walked by. At the time, I was maybe twenty years old and probably didn’t think too much about the context of these women’s lives that would help explain their behaviors. Now, as a master’s graduate student in social work, and with more life/work/educational experience, I think I have a greater understanding for the complexity and depth that would/could make up the psychologies of the women incarcerated. Interested in women’s studies, and now focusing on clinical social work with women survivors of trauma, I think it’s important to take into perspective the historical trauma, sexualized violence, and issues of oppression women face, that represent the disproportionately and marginalization of women in the prison system. Although the workshop mentioned the increase in women being incarcerated, we didn’t discuss many the reason(s) for this increase, as well as discuss the core crimes women are being committing for. During my prison visit, I remember hearing from the women we interviewed that most of them were incarcerated for assisting their partners (men) in robbery/theft, usually for money or/and drugs. I’m wondering if this is true or still the case for women today.

I found the workshop discussion on the roots and history of our US prison system interesting and noteworthy in understating the prison as an industrial complex (PIC). Historic to slavery, white privilege, patriarchy, political values, economic growth opportunities, the war on drugs, and the prejudice that prevails in our culture, PIC’s exist because we allow it to. The criminalization and disproportionately exhibited in our workshop touched upon the social issues of race, class, unemployment, low education, gender inequality, poverty, mental illness, abuse history, and substance abuse. One area I hadn’t really thought too much about was the culture and union of the prison guards themselves. The correctional communities that are built and the effects they have on their families and community at large.

Not suspiring to learn that the United States is the leading country for use of imprisonment to deal with crime. Thus prison as an industry or industrial complex is also not surprising. We live in a consumer, for profit society. Any help to increase economic stimulus, exploit natural resources, exacerbate political agendas, increase shock value through the media, “control” cultural and social norms, and perpetuate militaristic views seems at the core of the United States values and ethics when it comes to crime and punishment. The interview with the incarcerated women lead itself to talk about the “work” opportunity’s for “good” behavior allowed while in prison, sponsored I’m sure by some corporate agenda. We also discussed the meals and nutrition provided in prison, which at the time shed light to the corporatization and privation of prison for profit. We live in a culture based on punitive punishment rather than rehabilitation. We need the immediate “fix” rather than develop preventative measures.

Of all the field trips and discussion had during my educational journey, the visit to the prison outside of Phoenix seems to be so clear and vivid in my memory. Why is that I wonder? My guess is because of the realization from an early age of the injustices and inhumanity our county values. In my last year as a graduate student, I reflect on the impacts the justice/criminal and prison system have on me as a social worker. Often working and viewing the world from an ecological and systems perspective, I see that the prison system greatly impacts everyone. I think about the last few years working in the social service field, and thinking about the many encounters I witnessed while working with people in my direct community that have been greatly affected by the prison/justice system. I wonder if this awareness is simply enough in providing the greatest empathy and understanding? Or is more action necessary?