Language is a collection of symbols, letters, and words with arbitrary meanings that are governed by rules and are used to communicate. People sometimes use language in unconventional ways, which can present a barrier or a bonus to communication. These unconventional language include racism, sexism, heterosexism, and ageism which I had learned after the last human communication lecture class yesterday. 

  First, prejudice or discrimination by one group toward others perceived as a different 'race', plus the power to enforce it.'' Groups may be almost identical physiologically, yet be divided against each other on the basis of culture, language, religion, nationality, or any combination of the above. Prejudice that remains an attitude can be emotionally painful and demoralizing, but it is not racism until it is put into action. The actions of individuals, in turn, are harmful to the degree that they are supported by power. Imagine, for example, that a Muslim applied to rent an apartment from Hindu landlord. If the landlord hates Muslims personally but rents the apartment and treats the tenant on an equal basis with any other in charging rent, maintaining the apartment, etc, that is an example of prejudice but not of racism. If the landlord refuses to rent the apartment to a Muslim, the landlord's action is individual racism, but can be only a temporary setback if it is not supported by the society. It, however, the rest of the tenants and neighbours support the landlord's decision, if no local media find it to be news, if the applicant finds no official avenue for appeal or redress, that is institutionalized racism. The following link is about the article of racism:

http://www.globalissues.org/article/165/racism

  Second, sexism is a form of discrimination based on gender. Discrimination on the basis of gender can take a wide variety of forms. For example, some people believe that women should stay at home to focus on rearing children and keeping house, rather than pursuing professional careers. This attitude can lead to severe criticism when career women are involved, and as seen in the 2008 US presidential primaries, high-profile women are not exempt from sexism, even when they are running for the office of president of the United States. Others may feel that men should not pursue “women's work” such as nursing, teaching, or homemaking, criticizing men who pursue these activities.

Incidents of sexism may be ambiguous and come from men, women or both.

Third, heterosexism is the system of oppression of persons who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual based on homophobia. Prejudice and discrimination against persons who are LGBT based on the assumption that heterosexuality is the only "normal" sexual orientation and therefore preferable. For instance, assuming that all unmarried people are "single," while in reality they may have a same-sex partner or all children live in families with a male-female couple in parental roles. Let me share a short video clip which is about the heterosexism.

  Fourth, ageism is discrimination based on age. Ageism is often a cause for individual acts of age discrimination and also discrimination that is more systemic in nature, such as in the design and implementation of services, programs and facilities. Age discrimination involves treating persons in an unequal fashion due to age in a way that is contrary to human rights law. Both seniors and children are marginalized in many societies. Seniors, for example, are presumed to be incapable of making decisions because of their advanced age, while children are not allowed to make choices because they are perceived as too young. Some regions of the world have laws which are considered ageist by activists, such as laws limiting the drinking age, or laws mandating retirement at a specific age. 

World of communication

  Last Saturday, we had make-up class (class replacement) of human communication to replace the classes of the oncoming Chinese New Year. We presented according to the subtopic of the chapter which is chapter 5 verbal messages and chapter 6 non-verbal messages. As the popular saying by Chip Rose, an attorney and mediator, '' We all use language to communicate, to express ourselves, to get our ideas across, and to connect with the person to whom we are speaking.'' Communication involves verbal messages and non-verbal messages which mean the words we choose and our body language respectively. For example, to convey an exact though, teachers must carefully select words their students will understanding. Therefore, we should use short words for best understanding, and adjust our speaking volume to a level that seems effective for each circumstance. The effective of verbal messages are free of jargon and do not create resistance in the listener.

  Next, the power of non-verbal messages cannot be underestimated. The messages we send through our posture, gestures, and facial expression are perceived and understood by others. In fact, through our body language we are always communicating, whether we want to or not! For instance, relationships depend on non-verbal communication, if they are to be strong and lasting. The quality of your relationships can be improved if you can skillfully read people, and understand the emotions behind their words. The important thing to remember when looking at such non-verbal behaviours are to consider the actions in groups. What a person actually says along with his or her expressions, appearance, and tone of voice might tell you a great deal about what that person is really trying to say. Although verbal output can be turned off, non-verbal cannot. Even silence speaks. Last, the following video will helps illustrate the wide variety of messages that might be sent and received without saying a word.

After watching the video, can you think of a message that you might commonly see communicated in a school setting that could be acted out like the ones in the video?

Miracle Worker

  

 

We had watched a movie from last Wednesday during the Human Communication lecture class. The title of the movie is " The Miracle Worker". The Miracle worker recounts Helen Keller's discovery of language , through the teaching of Annie Sullivan, after losing her sight and hearing in early childhood. I like the way that follows Helen's progress and pursues her clown the road beyond that water pump. When Annie first encounters Helen, the child has never been discipline. Isolated in silence and darkness, Helen wanders the house and is prone to tantrums. Annie has herself been institutionalized, so she sympathizes with the urgency Kate feels about Helen. Annie is also blind. so she knows partly what Helen's world is like. She knows that the key to Helen's transformation is language. Annie succeeds in teaching Helen to finger-spell several words, realizing that her pupil understands this activity only as a memorization game. Helen does not understand that the sequences of letters have meaning. Meanwhile, Annie begins the task of teaching Helen manners. Lacking words, Helen expresses her emotions through actions, smashing objects when she is angry and striking people when frustrated. Annie responds with patience and determination.










The Keller family must also be taught to help Helen. Out of pity and guilt, they have allowed the child to rule the household, as Annie observes. To avoid enraged outbursts, family members indulge Helen's misbehaviour. With difficulty, Annie persuades the Kellers to give her two weeks of isolation with Helen in the garden house. During this time, she makes progress only to see it erode upon returning to the main house; family members are unwiling to enforce the new rules.

In a crucial encounter, Helen pours out a pitcher of water in rage; Annie takes her forcibly to the pump to refill it and out of habit finger-spells 'water' as Helen feels liquid gush over her hand. Suddenly, Helen understands that things have names, and that she can learn them through this new game and communicate her inner world to others. In the closing scene, Kate, Helen, and Annie go to the Perkins Institute. Helen is no longer isolated.