Assignment 3

I chose "Americans Have a Different Attitude: Family, Sexuality, and Gender in Filipina American Lives", and "How Working Class Chicas get Working Class Lives".

Even though I am no Filipino, I could definitely relate to the Americans Have a Different Attitude article. I have a very large close-knit family, and my parents are always saying that we are lucky to have that because American families aren't as close, and instead of dreading getting together with our family, I am always looking forward to it. I can always relate to the overprotectiveness of the family, and how my parents feel the need to know my every move.

When reading these 2 articles, it struck me how different the 2 cultures were. The Filipino families are very structured and they say how it is important to do well in school and for girls not to be promiscuous, or date at all, whereas the Hispanic girls are completely opposite. They seem to not care about any of it, and if anything encourage sex. They don't care about their schooling or what they want to do after high school. The Filipinos dress conservatively, while the Hispanics were wearing midriff tops and short skirts with heavy make-up. I thought it was extremely sad for them, because no one expected them to be any better than what they are doing now, and they did not feel the need to prove any of these stereotypes wrong. They already know that they are going to be young mothers that need to work several jobs to keep a family stable, and they can't rely on a man to do anything. Filipino men, on the other hand look for filipino women because they know they can take care of the children, and that the men will be able to go to work and bring home money, they are reliable.

I definitely think that situated knowledge is an impediment in seeing the world clearly. Situated knowledge is almost like tunnel vision. You only see one side of the situation, and cannot adequately give information on the other side. In order to be successful, you need to be able to have intelligible answers on both sides so you are able to argue your side better. This affects a person's worldly knowledge because they refuse to look around them and expand their horizons to different people's views