Comment by Ciuin Ferrin on September 27, 2011 at 2:48

Dear Tina,

I appreciate what you are trying to say, and saying it quite beutifully, I might add. But...when we are talking about MBFGW, we are not talking about students. We are not talking about teens. We are not even talking about college students. We are talking about adults, adults who have learned that they keep their jobs by the grace and prejudice of the almighty dollar. Without ratings, they fail, and failure sends them back to making commercials featuring animated talking plants or, heaven forbid, the need to feel clean after using a certain brand of toilet paper.

I have taught at all levels, from pre-school to university. I understand that students learn on many levels, that the school system sets students to fail, to become obedient to the upper class. If we were talking, be it face to face or on the phone, about true students, I would agree with you.

You are comparing apples to oranges. MBFGW is teaching people a lie, a whopper of a lie with no interest whatsoever in the truth. They have no desire, no interest, and no reason to give Roma equal time to present our side. They have stated this in no uncertain terms.

I agree that we need to teach. I have stated that from the very beginning. But, as a teacher, you must know that there are some people who refuse to be taught.

Saturday I was working at a multicultural festival with O Porrajmos Education Society. A man, his wife, and son approached the display and began a conversation. "So this is about Gypsies, huh?" "Yes," I started to explain, but he cut me off right away. "You don't look like a Gypsy, not the Gypsies I know." I nodded. "I know. I hear it alot that I am too pale but..." and he interrupted with "I know you aren't a Gypsy because you are wearing shoes."

He asked me about the Romani being from Romania or Hungary. I lead him to the back of the display where the historical section is and began to walk him through the history using the maps. He cut me off once more. "No, that isn't the way I heard it," he said, shaking his head. The more we talked, he kept tossing out things he'd heard, asking my opinion, but never letting me finish with the truth. He left me with, "Don't get me wrong. Some of my best friends are Gypsies," and he walked away.

He was even asking questions, but he didn't want to learn. Over time, he may, and he has my card and an open invitation to contact me. I doubt he will. I'm not concerned for him, but for his teenage son who listened quietly to the entire conversation.

I am working on a program to help teachers teach students about the Romani; our history, culture, and current events. I am happy to teach. For those that listen, I feel joy. For those who ignore me, I feel sadness and pity. But for those who deliberately state lies to make a dollar without any regard to the consequences? Then the answer is to take away the thing they love most. Money.

We can go back and forth for pages about this, and I do respect your position, but after the statements made by producers/directors of MBFGW, I see no need to try to force an education down their throats.

Baxt,

C

Comment by Kristina Burbank on September 27, 2011 at 8:47

Thank you, C, thank you for your feedback and for pointing out the apples and oranges, the crux of the matter. I have to say, I respectfully disagree. And feel free to end the conversation with me.

 

Members of MBFGW are learners because they are of the human race, a species that by nature learns from cradle to grave. Furthermore, for humans, children, teens and adults, resistance is a part of growth and development. When the learner refuses a lesson, it is really redirect for the teacher...

Teachers boycotting, cutting off, shaming resistant learners (MBFGW because they have "stated in no uncertain terms"...) MIRRORS LEARNER’S INTOLERANCE.

This was a hard pill for me to digest because it meant I had let down so many needy students, Furthermore, it meant I had to figure out a way to ward off the offensiveness of the resistant learner in order to find the gumption keep teaching even when a student acts like a whosiwhatsy.

It is hard to be in a position where clients, students, constantly berate and belittle you in their effort to learn.

For IRADL to employ a strategy that involves hurting (hitting MBFGW where it hurts, in the pocket book) in order to educate and raise tolerance is contradictory, and frankly, probably just as annoying for both sides involved. Even if other institutions use this method with confidence...This is not education...

The resistant learner predictably plays nasty tricks to throw the teacher from the train, like lying.

Teachers believing in the life long learner wear armour daily and re frame resistance as a positive sign, an invitation for an elevating and interesting conversation. Believing helps manage the crud and exhaustion of this game. Teachers persevere with the re frame, knowing that the resistant learner phase will soon blossom into tolerant learner with the collaborative conversations.

Of course, one cannot be forced to learn. However, the issue of force disappears when teachers value a student’s background knowledge, whatever it is. The learner won’t go anywhere with the teacher without this. Being able to value a students background knowledge and skills, with acceptance, is a craft teachers hone over a lifetime, asking questions of and listening to the learner first and foremost, from child to adult.

When a teacher cannot accept what is the learner’s reality because it offends the teacher’s sensibilities, how will a student ever move forward? Kind of like a surgeon stopping an operation after first incision because of the resulting bleeding from the cut was too messy, leaving the patient die. Or a nurse who stopped treating a patient because the family or patient were rude...

I appreciate you, C, putting yourself out there at the multicultural festival. It is challenging and exhausting to do outreach, especially when learners (the man and his family asking you questions) are insensitive in sharing their knowledge. You had to simultaneously put up your guard because the questions pushed buttons AND yet you still had to impart knowledge. I wish you had had a wing man to help manage the educational and emotional foray.

I’m not trying to second guess you, but perhaps the man interrupted because he wanted you to ask him about his knowledge first. He showed up to the multicultural festival and asked questions, after all! He wanted to be valued by another multi cultural multi intelligenced human being.

You did not mention if you followed up his initial query with clarifying questions, developing a rapport, maybe having a laugh over the ridiculosity of the shoes in a friendly way. Respectfully again, (I have been there!) from your explanation instead, it sounds like you understandably got offended from his initial query, flustered, and then inadvertently ran him over with Rroma.  So, it ended up being more about your “answers” then him learning or his family learning (again, I have been there).

Rarely does a person like to be lectured to. People prefer real conversations with friendly folk. Much more fun and effective in the long run...Still apples and oranges? I’d love to see the conversation our group has had with MBFGW...All via writing?

 

Comment by Stoimen on September 27, 2011 at 13:50

Dear friends, amale,

Let's focus first for a while on those who put obstacles in the educational process. Producers of rubbish like MBFGW are money makers in the first place. They do not only NOT educate, they prevent their audience from getting educated. Their interest is a status quo of existing prejudice.

Sometimes it happens that money makers change their mind and open up their hearts and minds to get educated, but this happens in exceptional cases.

The meaning of this IRADL group is not to save the souls of a few money making producers, but to stop them from spreading lies so that the large audience can get educated.

Harming their business is not a goal, but fighting prejudice (IRADL) will harm their business and reduce their income. So what? If we stop a thief from stealing, we are not going to wheep over his lost income. My BFGW producers steal a nation's identity by replacing it by bullshit.

If IRADL wants to be effective, it has to focus on the betrayed ones: Roma and audience. A strong letter sent out to producers is just the beginning of this needed process, in which hopefully the market for commercial nonsense will shrimp.

Els

Comment by Ciuin Ferrin on September 27, 2011 at 15:32

Tina, as I have said, I am a teacher. I did indeed smile when he said it, though it did offend me. He asked me a direct question and I was giving him a direct answer, not a lecture, and he interrupted almost instantly. He wanted to show off what he knew and he had no interest in learning the truth. He disagreed with me all the way.

 

Please understand that we are not being intolerant towards the moneymakers. We are using something they understand, money, to make them take notice that they are doing something wrong, even then they have stated IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS that they can do as they like due to artistic license.

 

The tactic of 'name and shame' is a proven and effective tool in the fight for human rights. The same tool was used to end the slavery of the Roma in the Balkans. University students employed it against their own governments and it worked.

 

Teachers use tools of all kinds. As far as ending the discussion, yes, it is time. We will not change our minds and I do not feel this is a productive debate.

 

Baxt,

C

Comment by Kristina Burbank on September 27, 2011 at 20:34

Thank you for starting conversation with MBFGW. Thank you for honestly and patiently offering up your data and expertise and also for considering other perspectives. Thank you for going back and forth 7 rallies.

 

I hear we need time now to separate, chew on and digest the relevant and sensitive existential, interpersonal, intrapersonal data; I feel that, too. Interesting, coincidentally, this is predictably smack dab in the middle of the 4-9 exposures a human needs to begin to understand new concepts and skills! It is comforting.

I am so glad that we allow each other the time and space to do that safely within our own group. I know we are all exhausted from rigors of daily living but wasn’t this edgy, fun and refreshingly organic?

Airing out the assumptions and sussing out the facts is productive when working with collaborators in human rights. Education is a human right. Furthermore, for life, within each person is a teachers and learner.

The adults are the easiest to let slip through the cracks because they tend to be selfish showoffs and should know how to act better. I just can’t shake the reality that they were the children and adolescents that fell through the cracks, victims of intolerance and here we are repeating the intolerant lesson that they have become attached to, like a backwards wicked evil twisted case of Stockholm syndrome.

What is clear to me, hearing from you and hearing people in my neighborhood, that MBFGW has a) told lies and hurt people and b) shared enlightening stories, increasing pride and tolerance in others.

Effective transformation happens one person at a time and over a span of time. Our group is big on human resource, we are good at what we do, and we have time to rethink our approach with each individual we meet in the IRADL journey.

It would be most collaborative, democratic, equitable, fair, good, just, and tolerant for IRADL to extend at least 9 individualized invitations / exposures to any person/people involved in perceived wrong-doings...

Approaching in this manner would eliminate obstacles, altering IRADL voice from parental (expecting, demanding immediate obedience with an authoritative tone) to collaborative. It will open up our learner’s sensibilities.

IRADL has extended one exposure to MBFGW. Can we extend 8 more, listening carefully and respectfully to where each individual involved is coming from, treating them as a collaborators for truth and justice instead of a mortal enemy? It would take time, but good use of time, paying off for all in the long run with everybody getting selfish needs met....

After all, the real mortal enemy is intolerance and the savior is love and understanding...

the people are pawns...

 

Comment by Kristina Burbank on September 27, 2011 at 20:37

Gogol Bordello breaks it down in a musical way with "Let's Get Radical" 

Comment by Stoimen on October 7, 2011 at 22:54

Please, Tina, try to invite Gogol Bordello to this Initiative!

 

Comment by Stoimen on October 7, 2011 at 23:25

 

Another serious "incident" happened at the Summit of Mayors on Roma on 22 September, where journalists from the Cana + program "Action Secrète" managed to enter the buildings of the Council of Europe, pretending they were working for "Dimanche +".

Once inside the building part of the team of Canal + behaved like serious interviewers or concerned participants, whereas others played the role of begging Roma.

The result was screened on French television by Canal + and can be seen here:

 

http://www.canalplus.fr/c-divertissement/pid1780-c-action-discrète....

 

The organizers, representing the Congress of the Council of Europe, have sent a letter of protest to the director-general of Canal +. That's fine, but the program has been broadcasted, a program in which a team of professional clowns makes fun of a whole nation, abusing the scenery of a serious summit, attended by 400 representatives of local and regional authorities.

I happened to be in the foyer, when the racist speech by a "fake journalist who had entered the building with a fake indentity" was held in the plenary. Another fake journalist reacted on this as a fake Rom, who defended the rights of Roma on their own traditions, stealing being a part of those. He was removed, shouting "Racists, racists!"

This incident I saw myself. Later, while seeing the film by Canal +, I understood what had happened.

Some people consider this a joke. There are racist jokes that make us laugh. Is laughing an excuse for racism? Divertissement means entertainment. Is entertainment an excuse for racism?

If the fact that the majority can relax and laugh about the clichés of minorities, is an argument to accept racism, then racism is acceptable. Then civilization has been reduced to the fact that we can relax to someone else's expence, then we are back in the Middle Ages, the dark ages.

Comment by Zuzana Brejcha on October 8, 2011 at 10:09

I am shocked, and thank you for reporting this to us. What can we do? Protest at Canal+?

I will go to Brussels for the Culture Forum. Two years ago, at the  beginning  of the Culture Forum, a music  band  of 6 Roma  from Roumania were playing at the entrance  of the building, Flagey, and were  hardly  noticed by  the  participants. They  probably thaught, they were  begging there. Jan Figel, then Commissary  for Culture, let them play one song  on the stage, and  this was the  participance  of the Roma at the conference. Not one  person from any  of the NGOs, not  one Rom or Romni as participant. "A music  band for pleasure, and  leave, please", that is how Europe would  like to see the Roma. I commented on it in the discussion at the plenum and got applause. I wonder what it is going to be  like  this year...

Comment by Stoimen on October 8, 2011 at 14:12

 

Dear Zuzana,

I informed Glenda and she drafted a letter. I also suggested to choose a financial approach. How much money will this Summet of Mayors have costed? How much time did the Canal + clowns take? They abused the scenery to make a satirical program "Action Secrète". That is two times cheap: they turned 400 participants and the whole Council of Europe crew into their unpayed walk-on's in a racist show.

If I were a Council of Europe official, I would not not only protest, I would hand over a bill to Canal + and a complaint to the police.

The most frightening thing is that this is considered to be just an anoying incident. If the program would have been made on e.g. Germans of British who claim to have the right on their tradition to steal, this would have caused a diplomatic disturbance, with ambassadors involved.

But it was "only" about Roma. That's why a letter will do. In this "only" is the racism of the involved Institution, the Council of Europe. It is frightening that they are not aware of this.

In Brussels, I am afraid, the situation is not better. We al witness a process in which is more and more accepted.

Els

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