Paula v. Paul

In legal cases of defamation, there is a certain standard that is applied to people in the public eye. In order for a celebrity to prove that she has been defamed, she must prove that there was something called “actual malice.” This means the celebrity has to prove the person defaming her spread lies on purpose and completely ignored the truth. Now let's look at what happens when a celebrity is the one doing the defaming. Do we hold celebrities to the same standard? Do we look at the intent behind the celebrity’s words and actions and judge him accordingly?

A celebrity perpetuating racism could be accused of spreading lies — after all, isn't racism one big lie after another – A lie to himself and to humanity? By what standard do we judge celebrities when they spread racism? Celebrities need publicity in order to be, well… celebrities. News media sources know this; they also know that if they can get us to pay attention to a story, they can run with it.

We need to start using the actual malice standards when it comes to celebrities behaving in ways that are detrimental to our society. Let’s look at an example of the actual malice standard at work with two public figures who messed up big time with racist behavior.

The celebrity chef, Paula Deen, was once associated with extreme butter usage – now she’s associated with racism and a career that's going up in flames. On top of that, allegations of Deen running a hostile and racist work environment have surfaced. Okay, she screwed up. We all screw up sometimes, but the question is, how did she fix it? Well, she apologized…and she fired her agent. Great! Real change has been made. Now that Deen begged forgiveness, a serious transgression has been righted and the world has learned a valuable lesson: When you screw up, fire your agent.

Earlier this year, celebrity chef Paula Deen dealt with allegations that she was running a hostile and racist work environment. Photo courtesy Digitas Photos. 

Pause. Remember that actual malice standard? Was there intent? Did Paula Deen know that she was spreading lies and ignoring the truth? I think her behavior indicates that she did know what she was doing; she’s just floundering now that she’s been caught in the act of bigotry.

Let’s take a look at someone else who screwed up. More specifically, a company — Paul Frank Industries. You probably know the company by its trademark monkey face logo. For 2012’s "Fashion's Night Out," Paul Frank LA held a Native American Powwow-themed party. The entire event capitalized on stereotypes about Native Americans through the usage of feathers, tomahawks and war paint. The company was called out by blogger Adrienne K, administrator of Native Appropriations.  Much to her surprise, not only did Paul Frank Industries respond to her letter, but also asked for her help to learn and grow from the situation.

Last year, Paul Frank Industries apologized for capitalizing on Native American stereotypes at one of its fashion parties. Photo taken at Paul Frank store in Berlin, courtesy of Brian Caldwell.

The president of Paul Frank Industries responded to Adrienne K directly and requested the blogger's help to change how the company was using Native American imagery. Since then, the company has collaborated with Native designers like Dustin Martin and Autumn Dawn Gomez, in addition to pulling offensive imagery from its stock photos. The company's response to the incident demonstrated contrition and a true willingness to change.

Actual malice standard? I think we can safely say that Paul Frank Industries realized they had unintentionally offended a lot of people and tried to make sincere amends. Paula Deen? Not so much.  

Every turn of the Paula Deen saga has been picked up by major news sources and spread across headlines. Meanwhile, Paul Frank has received limited media attention. Who are we rewarding? Paula Deen. By paying attention to her story and continuing to read and watch stories about her, we are only encouraging news sources to continue their coverage. In looking for news sources that are covering people who actually strive to rectify their mistakes and move beyond their bad behavior, we let the world know what we do and don’t support.

As long as we keep paying attention to people like Paula Deen and ignoring stories like Paul Frank Industries, we will never see the change that is trying to happen. The media has made a very clear declaration of which story it thinks is important for the public to see. As a result, Paula Deen is the story that will influence the people who hear it. It's the story that people will remember when they think of racism. It's the story that will ultimately influence their behavior.

Is Paula Deen's behavior really the standard we want the media to set for us?  

Posted by Juliana Rose, YWCA Racial Justice Intern

Hey, It's 2013!

When I was younger, my mom and I butted heads a lot over the state of my room. She wanted it clean; I didn't want to clean it. Not exactly a unique situation — what kid actually wants to clean her room? When I did get around to cleaning, I'd tell her when I was done and wait, fingers crossed, for the inspection that would follow. Without fail, Mom would come in and point out what I'd missed (or tried to hide). I'd like to say that I've gotten better at keeping my room clean as I've gotten older, but you'd have to check with my roommates on that one.  

   

So what does my room have to do with racial justice? Think of our society as my bedroom: even though we might think we’re done with the whole “racism thing,” we still have a lot of cleaning to do.

When it comes to racial justice, we still have a lot of cleaning to do.

Every time I see something new going on or talk to someone about the latest occurrence in the world of -isms (racism, sexism, etc.), the phrase, “It’s 2013!” undoubtedly pops up:    

"It's 2013, why are people so up in arms about a mixed-race family on TV?"

   

I recently found myself repeating the phrase often, especially in this internship as I examined the issues I wasn't aware of before. There are a lot of things going on in the world that I thought were problems of the past, and it never fails to shock me that these things happen today. For instance, constantly questioning a woman’s right to choose what she does with her body – why is that still on the agenda?
   

The more I thought about it and talked about it, the more I began to see a problem. Let's think about our society as my bedroom again: We've cleaned it pretty well; we've taken out the garbage; we've picked our clothes up from the floor; made the bed; done the laundry; maybe even sprayed some Febreeze around for good measure. Now take a minute, put on your Mom goggles, and look again.
    

Uh oh, what's that under the bed? Racial bias in the media. Racial profiling (think: Trayvon Martin). And in the closet? Are those some stereotypes we're still holding onto? For example, housing discrimination. It still exists. People of color are shown fewer properties by landlords than their white counterparts. 

Okay, you can take your Mom goggles off now. Yes, we've made a lot of progress, and that's wonderful. But as far as the deep dark corners of our metaphorical room are concerned, we've still got some major issues. Thinking that we've already cleaned them up only allows them to sit in the corner and grow into a bigger problem. 

   

We need to stop saying, "It's 2013! We should be done with racism!" That phrase is easy; it's a trap waiting to stop progress. It's dangerous, and it lends us a false sense of security about the work we still need to do. Just because we cleaned our room once, doesn't mean we get to stop. We need to start looking at our society with our Mom goggles and look at the things we missed before. 

   

We can't let the progress our parents and grandparents made in working toward equality go to waste. We have to carry that momentum forward and keep working toward change. I'm making a personal pledge not to use that phrase anymore whenever I hear about modern racism. 

It's 2013, and we're not done. It's 2013, and racism still exists. It might not look the same way as it did to our parents, but it's there all the same.
   

So put your Mom goggles on and keep an eye out for that mess under the bed. Cleaning is never easy, but it must be done. 

Posted by Juliana Rose, YWCA Missoula Racial Justice Intern

P.S. Thanks for the inspiration, Mom!

P.P.S. Check out these motivational pictures. Warning: may contain humor.

Respectful discourse.

Down with this sort of thing.

Do something.

The Zimmerman Verdict: Is Race An Issue?

Trayvon Martin. George Zimmerman. Still with me? I know we've heard those two names a lot lately, but there’s still a lot to be said about the verdict in the Zimmerman trial.

In a recent Pew poll, respondents were asked whether they were satisfied with the results of the case and whether the issue of race is receiving more attention than it deserves. Conversely, they were asked if the case raises important issues about race that need to be discussed. Of the respondents who were white, most responded they were satisfied with the results, while the majority of black respondents reported dissatisfaction with the results. Black respondents were more likely to respond that they believed the case raised important issues that need to be discussed while the majority white respondents said the issue of race was getting more attention than it deserved.

So what does this tell us? It tells us that when we’re getting tired of the discussion and thinking it’s been talked and written about to death, we need to take a step back and think about where we’re coming from. Who are we in the conversation? Are we someone who has felt the effects of racism in its many forms? Or are we someone who has grown up with the privilege of not having to think about our racial identity?

Race is an issue in this case because people who experience racism are telling us there’s an issue. Shouldn't we take a step back and think about that for a minute?

The thing is, any one of us could have just as easily been George Zimmerman or Trayvon Martin. In fact, most of us will assume roles similar to those seen in this case. We will experience judgment based on our appearance, and we will judge others based on their appearance. For that very reason, we can’t dismiss the conversation about the Trayvon Martin shooting and the subsequent trial. It isn't just a conversation about people of color or white people. It’s a conversation about the choices we make as individuals and as a society. It’s about the moments when we look at another person and decide who they are and what they can do to us based on snap judgments and stereotypes.

If we aren't talking about this, we aren't acknowledging that a serious tragedy happened. A young man is dead. The value of human life is too great not to examine why he’s dead, what led to his death and how to stop it from happening again. The same snap judgments that George Zimmerman made about Trayvon Martin could be the same you or I have made when we were walking down the street and we started walking just a little bit faster because someone fit a certain stereotype. The same judgments people have made about Trayvon Martin being a troublemaker and a delinquent could be the same judgments thrown on you as a young person who chooses to dress in a certain way, or even as a parent who would allow it.

We need to talk about these perceptions and judgments because, while they don’t seem that big of a deal in our everyday lives, it only takes that perfect storm of a moment when, you’re holding a gun and that profile goes up in your brain and your fear or anger turns into a finger on the trigger.

So have the conversation. Stick it out. Think about how you might have acted if you had been in George Zimmerman’s shoes. Then think about how you can act differently in your own shoes every day.

Posted by Juliana Rose, YWCA Missoula Racial Justice Intern

Wild Horse Island Adventures, Girls and Their Leaders Using Their Strengths!

I’m Miranda, a former intern for the GUTS! program here at YWCA Missoula. I had the pleasure of volunteering on the GUTS! Summer Adventure to Wild Horse Island a few weeks ago. I had never been to Wild Horse Island before, so I was just as thrilled as the girls were to get off that boat and discover this historical island! 

GUTS! trips are set up to give girls in our community the opportunity to learn new skills, utilize their strengths and explore Montana. However, this trip was also a life-changing one for me! It was so rewarding getting to develop relationships with each one of the girls as well as the leaders. Whether it was sleeping out on the dock, watching our Program Manager try to do a headstand on a paddleboard, or walking down the “catwalk” (also known as the dock) in our Inner Beauty Fashion Show  - which consisted of writing our personal strengths on body parts that we may not be so confident about, and then strutting our stuff while being cheered on by the others - my motivation and inspiration for life was rejuvenated thanks to a group of 16 strong and unique girls and women.

Wild Horse Island is just one of the Summer Adventures where GUTS! girls discover their inner strengths.

One of the activities that we organized for the girls was a Team Challenge Course, where these 11- to 13-year-old girls got to put their strengths to use while working as a team. The last challenge they faced was to build a raft out of the driftwood from the beach and rope we provided and  navigate to the end of the bay to retrieve their prize (a box of cookies that one of the leaders had planted there.) My GUTS! girls had more survival skills than those people on the TV show "Survivor"! I am confident that we have a group of strong, independent, charismatic, and inspiring young girls on our hands, hopefully serving as role models for their peers around the community. 

Throughout the trip, I kept wishing that the community I grew up in had a program like GUTS!. It would have made adolescence a lot easier and exciting to go through, that’s for sure! At the end of our trip, we encouraged the girls to write affirmations about one another, including the leaders - an activity we refer to as “Fill your cup." Sitting around the campfire expressing what we appreciated about one another was a really moving experience for me. I now have a piece of paper filled with comments from our lovely bunch to remind myself of my positive intrinsic qualities that will ALWAYS pick me up when I start to question myself!

Posted by Miranda, YWCA Missoula Ada's Place AmeriCorps VISTA

Women's Shelter Swing Set Has Seen Better Days

As the summer takes full swing in Missoula, blue skies and sunshine have kids at our shelter itching to enjoy the good weather. For the past several weeks, every time I’ve come to the shelter at least one child has begged me to play with them in the backyard.  

We play tag, soccer, football, and numerous games invented by the kids themselves, but by far and away our swing set is the Number 1 favorite for kids playing at the shelter. The swing set has worn many hats throughout the years, including Tree House, Star Ship and Monster Cave. 

The swing set at the YWCA women's shelter is on its last legs. 

Sadly, our beloved swing set has seen better days. Due to the wear and tear over the past few years, two of the swings became too dangerous for children to use. With only one safe swing remaining, our outdoor play set is struggling in its last days. 

We would love to have a new swing set for kids to enjoy safely! If you have one to donate, call the YWCA Missoula office at 406-543-6691. 

Posted by Hattie, YWCA Missoula Pathways VISTA

Quirky Finds in Secret Seconds' 'Pretty Room'

Our new store on Broadway is mere weeks away from being finished! We are very excited! Unfortunately, contrary to previously stated, the Broadway store will have to close for a couple of weeks in August. During that time, Secret Seconds employees will be hard at work reorganizing the store and making it look great! 

While the Broadway store is closed, take the opportunity to frequent our other thrift store location at 920 Kensington.


Due to our expansion, a charming little nook that we like to call the "pretty room" will cease to exist. This is a place where we keep extra special treasures at the Broadway store, like vintage jewelry and accessories. Be warned, not everything in the 'pretty room' is pretty (ex. creepy dolls). But come find these gems while you still can!

Posted by Shelby, Secret Seconds Thrift Stores Clerk

Keep Showing Up: A Child Advocate's Story

I have spent a lot of time this year witnessing trauma. In my position as a Children’s Advocate in a domestic violence shelter, I have served children who have survived and witnessed a staggering range of violence, abuse and anger.  

Trauma looks different in each child. It can speak through blank stares and distant gazes, or it can lash out as confrontation, defiance and anger. It can trigger refusals to eat, sleep, listen, share, use the toilet, go to school, or respect authority figures. 

One 13-year-old boy I worked with closed himself in the closet, screamed at the top of his lungs and threatened to harm himself. A nine-year old girl wet her pants every time she heard her father’s voice. A five-year old boy would scream, “I hate you! I’ll mess you up!” when he disagreed with your suggestions. One four-year old boy stopped talking altogether, opting instead to spend his day rocking back and forth in a ball on the carpet.

It can break your heart to watch kids surviving violence. But it reminds me every day about why showing up to them matters.

What children develop as coping mechanisms to survive and process violence can damage the rest of their lives. The attachment disorders, mental illness and violent behaviors that develop in response to trauma pose life-long obstacles to children – and later, adults – who endure them. Often, the women in our shelter who grapple with complex, multiple diagnoses (on top of the trauma of their current situations) cite the violent homes they grew up in as the root cause of their struggles.  

But what can we do about it? We can’t erase memories, nor should we. We can’t “fix” families, nor should we. We can’t heal every wound – we can’t even perceive them all.

But we can keep showing up.  

As a children’s advocate, my role is to be a peaceful, safe, fun adult that the kids in shelter can trust to be there for them. I’m the one they can play with, talk to, goof around with, earn stickers from, and accompany on outings. Sometimes I’m the one to cook their meals, tie their shoes, and help them with their homework. We talk about Spongebob and coloring books, boogers and fairies, dinosaurs, pancakes, calm bodies, and feeling angry. We talk about their friends, their pets, their stuffed animals, and their superpowers. We talk about what it’s like to move to a new place, to leave your grandma behind, and how a reservation is different from a city. There are giggles and high fives and temper tantrums, and a lot of messy dishes.

Sometimes it’s hard to understand the impact of service. It can be hard to see families return to abusive situations, or to see kids leave the shelter only to continue being homeless. But the greatest joy in my position is to witness the change – however small – that comes over children during their stay in shelter. Perhaps it’s as subtle as understanding the difference between gentle and violent hands, or it’s as monumental sharing your toys rather than hitting people with them. It can be that kids feel allowed to be kids again – to choose their favorite clothes to wear, belt their favorite tunes, blow bubbles in their milk, smile when they say hello, or shake their tail feathers when you turn on the radio. When a child who’s played a protective role can leave mom’s side, knowing she’s safe, I know that what we do matters.

Miranda, a YWCA Children's Advocate, stands with a tree created by children in the domestic violence shelter and attending support groups. 

Earlier this year, I was pushing a four-year-old girl and her brother on the swings in the backyard. The girl started singing and laughing. 

“Felicity*, I love to hear you sing!” I exclaimed. 

“Oh, I know!” she shouted. “Everybody does!” 

When I asked her why I hadn’t heard her sing before, she replied, “We only sing when we’re happy!”

I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of our time together finding reasons for Felicity to sing.

A domestic violence shelter can change a child’s life. Sometimes, it even saves it. And whether or not I ever understand the full impact of my relationships with the children I meet there, I’ll know that it’s a privilege and a joy to keep showing up for them.  

Posted by Miranda, Jesuit Volunteer Corps member, YWCA Missoula Pathways Program