Hi Jada, I love this video! I like how you expressed that without a deep understanding of a culture or a ritual, it's difficult for us to portray it in such a short time and with so many limitations in a program, especially when it will ultimately the background of the program as you said. It's not impossible of course, but to do it well you have to humble yourself and invite (and compensate!!!!) knowledgable collaborators. But not every culture will welcome this (and not even everyone who identifies with a culture will) so that's something someone looking to do this will have to accept. I will definitely be listening to that episode of In the Loop to find out more, as well as the concept of cultural humility. I can't wait to see what else you have in store!

@MindfulBanter

2 жыл бұрын

Ah I should link that podcast! Thanks for reminding me (and for watching!)

Here's the link to the podcast Garrett mentioned! kzread.info/dash/bejne/mHaDx6avksifk9I.html

I wish that people would just look at each other as people (living souls) rather than putting identity tags on each other. Think about how boring this world would be if everyone looked the same, etc., which in a way is what they are trying to move us toward. There is too much sensitivity toward offending people. It has gone overboard. It is one thing if someone is outwardly and maliciously trying to offend someone. It doesn't "feel" good and isn't good manners. However, in reality you have to assess what the real damage is. People need to get out of their 'little worlds' and look at the big picture. There are good people and there are bad people. There are rich people and there are poor people, etc., etc. I understand that "white people" seem or are perceived to have been the ones in control of the whole world and many aspects of it. However, that isn't exactly true when you examine history over the centuries in countries around the world. However, if you currently happen to be one of those "non-white" people, in the world and you are outside of your original country culture, you will find that irregardless, it comes down to "human nature." Also, if you really examined your original country culture, even there, you will find the discrepancies of "the human creature." People are people and they are imperfect. Some think that they are better than everyone else and others feel that they will never be good enough. We are put on this earth for an 'experience.' Yes, it seems that skating has been dominated by the "white race" for a long time. However, regardless, when you are a competitor, you realize that the judges have your fate in their hands. You can only do what you can do and wait for the results. People take a lot of things too seriously. A lot of what they think is so important, isn't really as important as they think it is in the scheme of things. Life goes on. People should be able to express their own individuality or interpretation of whatever they choose as long as it does not physically hurt another person or cause that person to be hurt by others. People need to get out of their "mindsets and belief systems (which they are taught) and realize that everything is not about them and having everyone yield to what they have chosen to call themselves, believe, or pay attention to. Art and artistic impression is all about individuality. To deny that is censorship. And there is too much censorship going on right now. If you want to skate, skate or choreograph for yourself or student and stop worrying about other people. Be courteous, however, don't expect people to automatically be friendly to you. Most of the time, it has nothing to do with you or your race at all, it is that person. I'm not saying that there is not bias. Rink atmospheres will vary depending on the type of people there and the activities. I remember a lot of jealousy, competitiveness, and cattiness (who your coach was, how you dressed, how well you skated, fat or skinny) growing up in the rinks. Adult skaters were shut out for years by the 'younger skater mentality.' If you were over 21, you were considered over the hill in terms of competing. And that wasn't too long ago. Now you see competitors up to 40 in the elite competitions and now they also have the adult competition category. Also, look at all of the Asians currently dominating the top spots in competitions. Don't let yourself be held back because of your belief systems. And they are ingrained in all of us from birth . And some have to overcome more than others to realize themselves. You can't please everyone, so stop trying and just be who you are.

@MindfulBanter

Жыл бұрын

I appreciate your comment, but it's a little disingenuous to essentially wave away the impact of centuries of imperialism by European countries that manufactured whiteness, weaponized it to cast entire swaths of people, attempted to stamp out their culture, and then took the land/pieces of culture for their own use. No one is striving to please other people, it's about mutual human respect that while you may have for others, is not a universal notion. If you don't have the lived experience or have taken the time to listen to those who have, you have no authority to say whether something is happening or not. The US and Canada are large enough as is.

Dear Jada, I find this video a bit frustrating. I think it is reasonable to be the only person of colour at a rink. It is also possible to be the only Asian at a rink, and if I am skating in another country such as Japan, it is completely possible that I am the only non Asian skating at that rink. At all of the rinks that I skate at, there are Asian skaters, Black skaters, Polish skaters, Iranian Skaters and I can go on. We all are a community of skaters. If you feel too left out perhaps you are looking at approval for all the wrong reasons.

@MindfulBanter

2 жыл бұрын

I think you may have missed the point of this video. The issue is that figure skating was founded upon exclusivity and at some point in the recent past, people of color were excluded from US-based rinks. Now there are other ways of folks experiencing such exclusion on a systemic level, all the while the dominant folks (in this case, White people) in the sport adopt other cultures for their own skating programs where people from those actual cultures are not given a reasonable chance to represent themselves. It isn't normal for there to be one or two people of color in a municipality where they are the majority. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions.

@TheRacingWind

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Gary! As a white skater in Asia, I wanted to add on to Jada's thoughtful response. A lot of the time, I am the only white person at the rink. Of course this isn't unusual as I live in an ethnostate-- I am apart of an impossibly small minority of foreigners, an even tinier fraction of whom are white. However, this *should* be unsual in the United States, a country with a large and diverse population. I'm not trying to undercut your experience, but the way you've phrased your statement denies the reality that Jada has expressed: that they are often the only skater of color at the rinks they've attended. There is a reason for this as Jada said. When I get on the ice as the only white person where I live, I know that no one thinks twice about it because I'm historically represented in the sport. This isn't the case for many skaters of color which may engender a feeling of discomfort and lack of belonging. They're not wrong to feel this way. Just because we envision ourselves as a welcoming and warm community doesn't mean we're succeeding in being that for newcomers, or even for longtime community members of color. When we hear feedback that we're failing, rather than shifting the responsibility to feel included onto the people who voiced their concern, we should reevaluate our space and how we can improve it. If we want to further the mission of making skating a lifelong sport for everyone, we must be willing to listen and to change. Jada and Garret have gone out of their way to invite and guide discussion on something that does make people feel excluded and turn away from the sport. This is an important and laborious step that we should be grateful to them for having taken!

@garysimkins2179

2 жыл бұрын

@@MindfulBanter Perhaps I did. What I personally know is that there have been a few performances that may have offended certain groups or cultures, however I do not think that those skaters intended to do so, although it may have been a poor decision on their part. Perhaps also, living in Canada, where we do have exclusions, and racists and homophobes, etc, overall I find most are very inclusive in their skating community. I was not aware that people of colour had been excluded from U.S. based rinks, and I feel that if you had backed you point up with a peer reviewed study, that I may not have commented as I had. I do not mean in any way to appear insensitive to your points. I was not aware that you had felt left out at the rink, or that others had been in the past. I hope you are still going to continue to skate, as it appears to me that you love the sport. Congratulations on your Masters Degree.

@garysimkins2179

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheRacingWind Your point is very well made, and I was not meaning to be insensitive to Jada's experience. Not at all. Your perspective and sensitive manner in which you explain it had a profound affect on me, and so Thankyou for making it easier for me to see the side of this that I seemed to of missed entirely.

@TheRacingWind

2 жыл бұрын

@@garysimkins2179 Glad I could help!