The Blame Game in Social Work

According to Hardcastle and Powers, “Effective work with task groups, an important aspect of all social work practice, is essential for community practice. The task group is one of the main vehicles through which community practice is carried out” (2004, p 273). However, certain groups can be very difficult to work with and can sometimes seem pointless, especially with people are not taking responsibility for their actions and are blaming others for their mistakes. According to Fast and Tiedens, authors of the “Blame Game is Contagious,” blaming is increased when people feel their self image and positions are threatened. In the long run, this blaming hurts not only the individual’s reputation, but it also hurts the group and/or the organization the individual is apart of (2009).

The blame game is very apparent in politics. Generally politicians start out with good intentions. Then, as time goes on something bad happens that they refuse to take responsibility for, because if they did, it would threaten their image and their career. Fast and Tiedens mentioned Nixon as an example of someone who decided to place blame on others, which eventually led to his political downfall (2009).

Blaming it is not just limited to politics. It also comes into play in groups, committees, teams, boards, and within any other group of people where there is perceived competition. Therefore while there are many benefits of collaborating with others, when people are working in similar areas on interest, no matter how honest the intentions, there is also the potential for competition, which can create conflict and blame.

Hardcastle and Powers state, “Competition in a work group needs to be recognized and managed. While competition can be productive between groups, it is generally not productive within groups. It interferes with group cohesion, coordination, and a unity of resources and effort” (2004, p 278).

According to Fast, “when pub­lic blam­ing be­comes com­mon prac­tice — es­pe­cially by lead­ers — its ef­fects on an or­gan­iz­a­tion can be in­sid­i­ous and with­er­ing: In­di­vid­u­als who are fear­ful of be­ing blamed for some­thing be­come less will­ing to take risks, are less in­no­va­tive or cre­a­tive, and are less likely to learn from their mis­takes.”
Therefore, instead of creating a “culture of fear,” people in positions of authority need to acknowledge their own mistakes and reward subordinates for learning from their mistakes. This would then eliminate the need to self protect and encourage people to focus on creative ideas rather than defensive behaviors.

The following quote from Russell H. Ewing sums it up:
“A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting.”

As social workers I think it is particularly important to admit when we are wrong or have made a mistake, because like Fast pointed out, people with authority need to lead by example. Many of the clients we are working with have experienced a lifetime of being “blamed” by others, which results in them becoming defensive. In turn, they point fingers and refuse to take responsibility for their actions. This attitude can make receiving help very difficult. Thus in order to stop the blame game, people, especially those in positions of leadership, must put competition behind them, admit their shortcomings and enhance self-esteem in others. Of course this would require one to allow them selves to be vulnerable, which can be difficult. However, the end result will benefit large groups of people, because just like blame, kindness and humility is also contagious.

Forgiving the bad

So much of what the world tells us about life is about good vs. evil. Good guys and bad guys. It’s in the media, in literature, and in day to day interactions. Although many people may prefer to see the world in such clear black and white, in real life there is a lot of gray. And I think as social workers we see a bit more of the in between and realize that everyone has some good and some bad in them. How else can someone sit there and tell a violent criminal or abusive parent how much potential they have?
However, often times one or two people telling you that you are a good person doesn’t mediate the rest of the world telling you are “bad.” I’ve even noticed in some aspects of the helping professions, in an effort to support the victim, the perpetrators are demonized. I struggle with this because I can see the benefits of separating the victim from the abuser, yet often times the perpetrator was also a victim at one point or another and demonizing them may just cause more harm later on.
Personally, I’m curious when exactly a victim becomes a perpetrator. It seems as if it is as soon as one is old enough to be put in juvenile hall.
Because there is so much out there encouraging “justice” and the assurance that the good guy beats the bad guy, I am always amazed when I hear about people who have decided to forgive a person who has deeply hurt them, their family, or their culture. Take for instance the celebrity Jennifer Hudson. Her mother, brother, and nephew were all murdered, yet she still offered the killer her forgiveness. I think that is amazing.

Obviously there is a difference between forgiving and forgetting and by no means am I advocating for people to forget the pain they have experienced, whether it be because of their own actions or the actions of another. However, I truly believe that if people restrain from giving forgiveness they can’t move on. Granted, some situations are easier to forgive than others. Consider the following video


Know all and you will pardon all.
Thomas a Kempis

He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.
George Herbert

There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.
Josh Billings

The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.
Alden Nowlan

To err is human, to forgive, divine.
Alexander Pope

Organizations and the flu

According to flu.gov,
H1N1 flu (also referred to as "pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus" or “swine flu”) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. This virus is spreading from person-to-person worldwide, in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. Most people who have become ill with this new virus have recovered without requiring medical treatment. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something (such as a surface or object) with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose (extracted Nov, 10, 2009).
It has been interesting to see how organizations have gotten involved in the prevention of the H1N1 breakout. Many employers have been sending out emails about how to take care of your self if you get the flu and are planning on providing resources for their employees to get the vaccine. Some schools are even mandating the vaccine.
I’ve always thought immunization debates are interesting especially since a large group of Americans still feel as if health care should be private, and the government should not intervene in individuals' medical decisons, but what about when it interferes with other people’s health? Should organizations step up and enforce what the powers at be deem to be the most healthy? According to Hardcastle and Powers, “The whole point of establishing an organization such as a social work agency or a private business is to do what an individual or a group of people cannot do as efficiently and effectively” (p 249). Thus, for those who are in support of the swine flu vaccine, having the schools vaccinate the children is good news. For those who decide not to get their child vaccinated, they face the risk of getting harassed, shamed, and having their child die of H1N1. It is a difficult decision for a parent to make, especially when there is so much fear mongering out there on both sides of this argument. On the organizational side of things, organizations face the risk of their employees getting infected and not being able to do their job. However, Hardcastle and Powers state, “For any given organization, not only its task environment but also the structure and dynamics of the larger environment surrounding the task environment may affect organizational functioning.” Therefore, if people get sick it will not only affect that individual, their family, and their job, but also other organizations they are indirectly apart of.



The following are suggestions as to what to do to avoid getting H1N1:
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot, but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton swabs dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

economic development

As social workers, we are often thinking about people’s needs and what the solutions are to the problems our clients face. Frequently, the solution is finding a steady good-paying job, yet in a rural community finding employment can be difficult. Thus, some say small communities need economic development. According to Scales and Streeter, “Rural economic development strategies have been an important public policy focus since the nineteenth century” (2004, p. 209). However, although economic development in a small community is a valuable tool for job gain, it can also threaten the culture of the community, which needs to be considered.
Take for instance Del Norte County, after the logging and fishing industry crashed, the economy wasn’t doing so good. It became what Scales and Streeter refer to as a disinvested community, which is a community with few assets (2004, p. 206). Then in the late 80s, some community asset development occurred in Del Norte when a maximum security prison came in, which is now the counties largest employer, providing jobs for over a thousand people.
The prison succeeded in creating jobs for locals, not only for the people working inside the institution, but also for construction, garbage, maintenance, ect. Nevertheless, not everyone in the local community was in favor of the prison coming into town. Some concerns included bringing in outsiders, bringing criminals to the area, and having the town’s reputation change. Much of this has happened, not to mention the mental and physical health that has affected many people who work inside the institution. I recently stumbled upon this websitehttp://www.pelicanbayprisonproject.org/history.htm. It discusses the idea that Crescent City “sold its soul to the devil” by allowing the prison to set up camp in this small community.
This debate is somewhat similar to the Wal-Mart debate, which is also a business in Crescent City and where most people shop. Like the prison, we may not agree with the principles of Wal-Mark. However, Wal-Marts low prices and the prison’s jobs is what support most of the families in this community. Wal-Mart oppresses people and so do prisons. It is easy to see why these industries are harmful. However, using a strengths perspective there are some positives.
I would definitely like to see more jobs created by creating jobs in preventive services, so people don’t have to go to prison and there are still jobs, but given California’s current budget crisis and the tendency of our society to be crisis driven, I don’t see it happening anytime soon. So it’s a difficult choice. We want the best for the individuals we are working with, yet we also want what is best for the entire community in the long run. So is it the greatest good for the greatest number, or take one case at a time? Should people prevent the construction of new prisons and risk losing their economy, or create jobs for their community and contribute to the oppression of an unjust system?

assertivenss

You are not needed. Nobody really wants to hear that, but as social workers fighting for justice, isn’t that what we really want to hear? I think it is hard for some people to recognize, including myself, that social workers need to be replaceable. Being replaceable isn’t the reason people get into social work. People get into social work so they can be that one special person that makes a difference in someone’s life and sometimes that feels like being the one person who someone can depend on. However, having a client depend on you is not how social workers are supposed to operate. Social workers are not supposed to do everything in their power to meet the clients needs, but rather connect the client with resources and empower the client to meet their own needs. By doing this, hopefully, in the future the client will be able to assert their own skills and no longer need the assistance of a social worker.
Therefore, not only is it important for social workers to be assertive on behalf of their clients, but it is also important for social workers to teach their clients how to be assertive for themselves. Assertion is described as, “the act of standing up for one’s own basic human rights without violating the basic human rights of others” (Kelly, 1979, as cited in Hardcastle & Powers, 2004, p. 218). I feel that many people who don’t have proper assertive skills attempt to advocate for their needs, but inadvertently interfere with another person’s needs. For instance, consider an individual who is facing an eviction and in their experience the only way they know how to get their needs met is to use physical violence and threats. If this individual attempts this, they could face criminal charges of assault on top of an eviction. However, if they had assertive skills, they could possibly work a deal with the landlord and avoid the eviction. According to Hardcastle and Powers, professionals view assertive training as a resource for clients and believe it can enhance social functioning and self-esteem (2004).
Maslows hierarchy of needs prioritizes physiological needs above psychological needs such as self-esteem. However, I would argue that in some circumstances, if an individual had their psychological needs met before some physiological needs, such as employment, they may be more successful in fulfilling their physiological needs. Take for example career centers. They work with individuals on their confidence and prepare them for the interview that could lead to employment. Therefore, assertiveness skills are necessary at any point in a person’s life, not just when physiological needs are met.
It can be difficult for a social worker to not just fix for the client what appears to need fixing. However, just like why the teacher doesn’t do homework for their student, social workers must show their client how and then encourage them to do the work themselves. Hence, instead of cleaning up a person’s mess, teach them how to clean it up themselves. I have found that many parents get caught in this trap. Parents often care so deeply for their children that they will do anything for them, but unfortunately, the children grow up, not knowing how to survive in the real world. Thus, I believe it is more important to teach clients how to be assertive, than to be assertive on behalf of your client. Granted both can be done. Clients can learn assertive skills by watching their social worker. However, at some point they must be their own advocate. After all, who knows their situation better than the client them self.

For good or for bad, there is no doubt that social workers will always be needed. No computer can replace the work that a social worker does. However, part of a social workers job that is often forgotten about is teaching the client to become more self-sufficient and to have less of a need for professional assistance. It isn’t exactly job security, but it will assist in making individual’s lives and society better.

bullies

I know there are a lot of really great things about small communities, but from my own personal experience coming from a small community, I have learned there are also some not so good things. One of the great things is everybody knows everything about everybody, and one of the not so great things is that everybody knows everything about everybody. Thus, small communities can be beneficial to individuals who have a positive reputation, but if you come from a well-known family of trouble-makers, or have made some of your own personal mistakes in life, the stigma attached to your identity can be nearly impossible to escape and often times becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Growing up, my parents would always tell me that you don’t just represent yourself; you represent your whole family. Although that sounds a little heavy for a child, it was true. If you were good or bad at sports it reflected back on your family, and if you were running around with the “wrong crowd” that also reflected back on your family.
As most of us know, kids and young adults can be very mean, especially if there aren’t many entertainment options. Teens end up partying, making poor choices, and then they hear about it for the rest of their lives. To add to the gossip that already circulates throughout my hometown, I somewhat recently discovered a blog about my hometown’s “dirty laundry.” This site shallowly rates people on their appearance and contains multiple “hate” comments about other people, most of them mentioning intimate details about other peoples’ sexual lives. In my opinion the media and reality shows targeted at young people encourages the shallow judgments and hurtful gossip. These rumors and the gossip that comes from a community people identify with can be really painful, especially when one is young and they are searching for an identity and want to be accepted. Then, if someone really does seriously develop a problem, it is kept on the “down-low” because “the power of the fear associated with stigma often keeps families from accessing professional…services” (Scales and Streeter, 2004, p.136). Thus, families don’t want to make the pain worse by adding more humiliation by getting help.
When I was younger I was not necessarily above this bullying. I was a product of groupthink a time or two, which occurs when group members don’t speak up out of fear of upsetting the group. (Hardcastle, Powers, 2004). Hence, while my friends were bullying a “new girl,” I didn’t really do anything (I was only ten). She happened to be the principle’s daughter and came across to us a condescending. We bullied her enough that she changed schools. Although I wasn’t directly involved in this bullying later in life the girl informed one of my friends that I was a “side-kick” to the bullying. I still feel bad about that to this day. Our teasing left a large impact on her life and led her to taking the drastic measure of moving to a different community. Looking back and analyzing why the bullying took place was probably because we perceived the girl as a threat and we felt that she didn’t match our beliefs, which is no excuse, yet I’m sure this is the same reasoning other bullies have. It’s also interesting to look at the cycles of bullying. Many of us who went to that school had parents that went to that school and I assume we held similar roles as our parents. The bully cycles must be broken, and I think it is important for teachers, parents, social workers and anyone working with people to stop bulling, because the results can be dangerous. Members of communities give feedback to individuals within the community that the individuals then internalize. We want people to feel good about their communities not labeled and ostracized.

Competition in a community

One of the things that are really great about small communities is their ability to come together and support one another. This past weekend I went to a surf competition and it was a perfect example of how a geographic community can come together to support a community of culture. There were advertisements on the radio, numerous articles in the paper, local restaurants had signs that said “welcome surfers,” and there was an all around general excitement around town for the annual event.
While at the beach watching the surfers, I couldn’t help but think about how in other more populated parts of the county one would have to pay money just to walk on the beach and how lucky I was to live in a part of the world that is so beautiful. According to Rural Social Work: Building and Sustaining Community Assets, “Citizen participation…generates a sense of belonging to the community and gives ownership of the community to all members” (Scales, Streeter, 2004, p. 55). I could see how this is community pride is encouraged by events such as these because they are positive and memorable, which makes people proud to be apart of. The event was very family-friendly and all ages were able to compete. My favorite part of the competition was when a father and daughter went out together and the dad held his daughter up in the air as they surfed. Everyone watching on the beach clapped.
The people who put on the event are a family who owns a surf stop in town. Many other local businesses also sponsored the event, but the one thing I really appreciated was the fact that the family’s main competitor, another surf shop, also sponsored the event. Thus they were supporting a competitor in order to support surfing in general. I thought that was commendable. As said in Rural Social Work: Building and Sustaining Community Assets, “Solidarity, rather than competition and conflict, is what permits individuals to maintain and expand community assets by sharing common values, goals, and institutions” (Scales, Streeter, 2004, p. 56).

SURF’S UP!
They come, escaping the burnt-out
City air, board-wraps
Trailing from Amtrak doors, carrying
Glassine envelopes, precious
Invitations to the sea
Of sanity, welcomed by beach people
With joyous shouts, Surf’s Up!
The cry of life begins again,
And ends in a paddle-out with friends
That circles all our hearts to one.
Ray Clark Dickson

careful consideration with communities

Picture received from: http://www.nwhm.org/chinese/23.html
Not all community organizing is positive. Ross defines community organization as “a process by which a community identifies its needs or objectives, order (or ranks) these needs or objectives, develops the confidence and will to work at these needs or objectives, finds the resources (internal and/or external) to deal with these needs or objectives, takes action in respect to them and in so doing extends and develops cooperative and collaborative attitudes and practices in the community” (1967, p28, as cited in Hardcastle & Powers 2004, p 4). Therefore, a community can identify something as an objective that others outside the community may deem as unjust. For example, in the 1880s in the community I grew up in many road projects and mining activities were handed by Chinese Americans. In 1886 an anti-Chinese movement in Del Norte County peaked and most of the work the Chinese Americans participated in including the china towns they built was destroyed. The only evidence of the Chinese American’s work that was left was the roads. An example of a road project the Chinese Americans built is the Gasquet Toll Road, which provides a link between Del Norte County and Oregon. (http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/5views/5views3h38.htm)
Because community organizing can be so powerful and influential, it is important for social workers to honor the social worker values and ethics that guide their behavior, yet these values and ethics spark some confusion for me. The NASW code of Ethics clearly states social workers are to empower the vulnerable oppressed populations and to challenge injustices, which sounds great. However, I can’t help but wonder how these perceived injustices change over time as values change. Values are described in Community Practice as “generalized, emotionally charged conceptions of what is desirable, historically created and derived from experience, shared by a population or group within it, and they provide the means for organizing and structuring patterns of behavior” (Reamer, 1995, p. 11, as cited in Hardcastle & Powers, 2004, p. 19). I honestly believe that when the people were expelling the Chinese Americans, many thought that what they were doing was right. It is possible that the “white” community felt that their culture was being threatened and did what they thought was necessary to preserve their jobs and way of life. Of course we now know the absurdity of these claims. Nevertheless, at the time I don’t think these people believed that their actions would be now frowned upon.
By looking at this historical perspective, I sometimes worry that what I currently view as right may not look that way years down the road. For example, I work with a little girl who comes from a culture that discriminates against women. I find it difficult to support her empowerment without disrespecting her family values. I especially find it difficult because she is a minor and her parents still have a large amount of say over what she is able to learn. I worry that when doing social work and advocating for oppressed and vulnerable populations, I could, without meaning to, be changing and damages someone’s culture. Because who am I to say how they should treat their daughter? Those are my values. I feel examples like these points out the difficulty of trying to balance the social work ethics of respecting cultural beliefs and respecting equality. At the time it may seem like the right thing to do to advocate for equality, however, later on it may come across as ethnocentric and racist. Thus, because community organizing has the potential to leave dramatic impacts of many peoples lives, careful, consideration must be paid to the consequence of social organization and action.

A "savage" situation

Part of my family’s culture is going hunting. It’s a ritual that is valued in my community and in my family. Every year at a certain time my family packs up their camping gear and takes off to the woods for a week or two. Growing up, this was something that I had always looked forward to. I was eleven years old when I first got my hunting license, which I believe is as young as you can be. Then I was given a hunting rifle, a gun that was passed down to me from my grandfather. Now in the twelve years since I’ve had my license I haven’t actually ever killed anything, but I enjoy the experience and spending time with my family. Hence, the gun is basically something I carry around with me when I go camping.

While getting ready for hunting season a couple months ago, I went into a gun shop to buy some ammo with my boyfriend. When we asked for the ammo, the man behind the counter informed us that that the particular model of gun is now one of the hardest guns to find, and I should really hold on to it. After I became aware of this information I felt a sense of pride that I had such a valuable asset. Then I came across a sign with my gun’s logo. My gun is a 250 savage, and until this day, I hadn’t put two and two together. Along with the bright red word “savage” across the sign was a stereotypical Indian head with a headdress on. I was shocked that all this time I hadn’t thought that the title of my gun was a racial slur and my gun was possibly made with the idea of killing Native Americans in mind. I pointed the sign out to my boyfriend and asked if that logo was really for my gun. He confirmed it was and asked how I felt about that. I honestly felt pretty embarrassed and stupid. However, I was conflicted over what I should do about it. Here I have a valuable family asset, but also a symbol of the horrific genocide that took place in my country.

I am a little over an eight Native American. Therefore, I have relatives who were forced to endure years of oppression, colonization and forced assimilation at the hands of the dominant culture who thought of them as “savages.” The gun that was passed down from my grandfather was actually passed down through the non-native side of my family. I don’t know all the details about my ancestors on this side of my family but they came to the area I am from many years ago and owned much of the land. Therefore, it is very possible that one side of my family was partly responsible for kicking the other side of my family off their land, and my gun could have been a part of that.

In a class once, I learned about self-colonization, which is the internalization of the mindset of the colonizer and the continuation of this state of mind. Because I have Indian blood in me I wondered if I had been participating in this self-colonization, or am I just another ignorant “white” person who perpetuates racial discrimination.

Because the matter was bothering me so much, I decided to research the company Savage Arms. During my research, I found that Savage Arms was founded in 1894 by a man named Arthur Savage. In 1919 Arthur struck a deal with a tribe offering them discounted rifles in exchange for their endorsement. Thus, the Indian head was added to the logo, supposedly with the “blessing” of Chief Lame Bear (http://www.zimbio.com/Investor). After reading this, I was initially relieved that the gun wasn’t named savage because it was suppose to kill savages. However, then I started thinking, because Arthur made these “negotiations” with the Native Americans and because his last name was “savage” the company is able to get away with connecting the word savage with Native Americans, which is frustrating.

I then thought about the metaphor the gun could represent. The gun should not be ignored and forgotten about, just like colonization should not be ignored and forgotten about. However, the gun, like colonization and discrimination, is not going to be used by me. Therefore, I decided that the gun should be put away and I should look for another gun to carry around with me when I go hunting.

Passionate Belonging

In order to be a good community organizer, I believe the community must feel a sense of belonging and be passionate about change. I think some people feel as if they don’t want to direct their passion for certain social justice issues because they feel as if it is hopeless and don’t identity strongly with their community. I recently attended a Giants game in San Francisco. Now that is a place with some passion. However I couldn’t help but think about why the people were there. Why they would pay a large amount of money, possibly take time off work, and drive hundreds of miles (in some cases), to watch grown men play a game with a ball and bat? It even became annoying for me that these people would go to all this effort to support a game, when there are so many bigger issues that could use support and don’t get it.
I then game to the conclusion that people, who are truly passionate about baseball, or any sport for that matter, are loyal followers who have possibly had some experience playing or watching the game themselves and who have a positive connotation to the game. I have also noticed that people feel a since of belonging to certain teams and strongly identify with them. For instance, several times I heard fans referring to themselves as a team member, making statements such as, “Well, every since we picked up this guy, we have been winning.” Not only did it seem that they identified with the team members, but the larger community of fans as well. I witnessed Dodger fans slapping the hands of other Dodger fans in the stands, simply because they shared the commonality of cheering for the same team. It didn’t matter what they looked like, what they did, or where they were from; they were united based on the color they were wearing and when they were clapping.
In the United States, it seems as if moving from place to place is very common. However, this migration makes it difficult for people to identify a community that they are passionate about. Therefore, they identify with communities that they always have access to, such as sports teams. Watching the Gaints game gave me ideas for community organizing that involved community sports games. Thus, instead of sitting in front of a television watching sports, people can get out and interact with one another and build close relationships that will be beneficial when the time comes for a change. It also might help people get some exercise and raise money. I feel like the key is to get community members to identify with their community, so they have a sense of loyalty and belongingness. If this could happen in physical communities, then maybe there would be a higher level of passion and support for community change.

Town Hall Meeting

Can’t please everyone. That’s one thing I learned at the town hall meeting with Congressman Mike Thompson on Sept. 2 at the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka California. The contentious topic of health care reform drew approximately 300 people whose tempers ran high. As I walked into the event, several people stood outside with picket signs chanting that health care should be available for everyone. The building was spilling over with concerned citizens from both sides of the spectrum and a news crew was present to record these individual’s concerns. I observed that the majority of the people in attendance were white, somewhat older, and very opinionated.
When the congressman came out to face the rambunctious crowd, he attempted to set the tone by stating his interest in speaking with the people of Eureka is to gain ideas on how to reform health care. However, once the topic was opened for discussion, people proceeded to argue the problems with health care and offered few solutions. When an individual did offer a situation, the crowd reacted passionately with boos and cheers. The congressman frequently shushed the crowd and pointed out that everyone deserves respect and a chance to speak their opinion. One man needed to be escorted out of the building by security, and for a moment I thought things were going to get out of control.
In order to maintain control of the room the congressman did not allow picket signs in the building and prohibited the speakers from holding the microphone, which I believe was a strategy to keep some of the power in the event-organizers’ hands rather than the in the hands of the public who clearly had their own agenda. There were some pretty heart breaking stories told, whether it was from a widowed woman who couldn’t afford higher taxes or hard-working individual who lost their job due to health concerns and now has no way to pay their health bills. This meeting offered insight on both sides of the issue, and when making big decisions such health care reform, these insights are important to hear. I appreciated one man’s comment, which acknowledged that fact that until this day he hadn’t felt close to Washington or his political leaders. I too, shared this sentiment as it was my first town hall meeting. I thought it was pretty cool that Mike Thompson would come to Eureka to hear what we had to say.
The congressman did not speak very long about his own positions. However, I noticed the topics he did discuss were relatively uncontroversial and appealed to nearly everyone there. For instance, Mr. Thompson expressed his support for teleconferencing with specialists from other areas. This is undoubtedly something that rural community members would be in support of, for the reason that it provides greater opportunity to gain quality health care in areas that are isolated or distant from major medical centers. The congressman also mentioned preventative medicine, which is hard to argue with because it saves people and money in the long run.
I believe that everyone who spoke at this meeting felt passionately that their idea about what should be done with health care was the best answer to our country’s problems. However, these answers varied and there was no magical solution that would make everyone happy. Therefore, when doing community work, it is important to remember that you can’t please everyone.

Adaptability

I have always heard that human beings are an extremely adaptable species, which would explain our immense success on this planet. However, until recently I failed to research just how our brains are able to adapt to various environments and changing situations. According to medicinenet.com, if a part of the brain is injured, the neurons in the brain can compensate for this problem by reorganizing and forming new connections. The brain’s ability to reorganize itself by creating new neural pathways is called neuroplacticity (2004). This explains why a stoke victim can recover their speech after their brain is injured.
After reading and watching videos related to the newest advances in understanding neuroplacticity, I wasn’t real surprised, because I already felt I knew most of the information. It was just a matter of putting it into scientific terms. What did surprise me, occurred the day after I researched the topic when I met a woman who would be training be for my new internship. At first glance this woman appeared to be completely “normal.” However after a few minutes of speaking, she disclosed that she was blind with some peripheral vision. I found this information to be astonishing because she was able to work in a highly-demanding work environment for almost 20 years with great skill, despite her lack of sight.
During a break, I shared with the woman that my grandmother and great-grandmother both have macular degeneration, an eye disease that affects the center of one’s vision. The trainer explained that her situation differed from macular degeneration, for the reason that macular degeneration typically occurs in older individuals, whereas her situation began when she was a young girl. Therefore, she had many years to practice the utilization of her other senses. After discussing the remarkable ability people have to adjust to their environment, she shared with me that she recently watched a special about the brain’s ability to create new pathways if stimulated properly. She informed me that the special also showed a blind person’s brain who was learning brail, and the scan revealed that the visual part of the brain was stimulated, thereby creating new pathways.
Examples such as these enforce the fact that just because an individual is lacking in one area, doesn’t mean they aren’t proficient in another. For this reason, I believe rather than saying someone has a “disability” we might want to start saying a “differentability,” because we all have our areas of expertise. It is part of our resilient nature as human beings. In the social work field I will be going into it will be important to recognize that individuals are adaptable and are capable of learning new things no matter what age they are. After all, the brain is an amazing part of the body and in the following poem Emily Dickinson describes just how amazing she feels the brain really is.

The Brain–is wider than the Sky–by Emily Dickinson
The Brain–is wider than the Sky–For–put them side by side–The one the other will containWith ease–and You–beside–
The Brain is deeper than the sea–For–hold them–Blue to Blue–The one the other will absorb–As Sponges–Buckets–do–
The Brain is just the weight of God–For–Heft them–Pound for Pound–And they will differ–if they do–As Syllable from Sound–l