Rhoda Smith

Imagine yourself driving home from work or school only to find a group of seemingly young females with notepads and pens in each of her hands taking a tour of your neighborhood, your life, and your home. You see them following a young women who is not herself apart of your community yet she is giving them a tour of your so called “oppressed” neighborhood. What would you think of such a sight? Would you think that they were intruding on your life?

Well let me tell you how I would feel about such a scenario occurring in my neighborhood. I would feel angered by the whole situation. I would ask myself or maybe even the group why they feel the need to come over in this part of town. Do they also go to suburbs and observe the premises of their neighborhoods? What are they going to do to help us out here?

A community such as People’s Town is not there to be used as place for college students to come for a “field trip.” It should not be used as a mechanism to teach college students about the privileges and opportunities that they have been blessed with. And it should not be used as a place to explore the outskirts of poverty stricken areas. But rather People’s Town is a place of shelter for hundreds of families. Though it may be eye opening for some people to walk through a community such as People’s Town, it can also be viewed by many of the residents as a disrespectful and intruding thing to do.

To eliminate curiosity this is Rhoda Smith

My personal knowledge of refugees is very little to none. I have never been around refugees nor have I ever really learned about them. However, while watching the video in class and listening to Professor Pippin’s ministry and interaction with different refugee families, I realized how oppressed these types of people can be here in America. They are oppressed in the sense that they are not viewed as equal individuals and are not always given the same opportunities as that of United States citizens.

Having more of a sensitive and compassionate personality, I feel for these individuals that flee from their country because of life-threatening, safety issues. I know it sounds cliché, but the only thing I could do while listening to these stories was to put myself in their position. If I were forced to flee to a foreign country such as France, I would be perplexed as to what to do. Though I would be more safe, the language barrier would be such a defining mechanism in the way in which I would live. Having struggled through French classes all throughout high-school and coming out not even remotely close to being fluent, shows me the great difficulty of becoming fluent in a language other than your own. It is easy for us to sit back and be critical of these types of people and view them as being ungrateful because of their unemployment, but it is crucial for us to see that they are not asking to be rich or even well off but rather they are just desperate for a job that will enable them to survive here in this country. Their being safe here does not solve all their problems. We have to realize that they have to have financial means to survive just as any other American does.

I am not saying that we as nation should cater to these refugees. Nor am I saying that they should not have to work just as hard as anyone else in this nation. I am simply saying that we need to have a more understanding mentality toward refugees in which we need to realize that becoming adjusted to a new country is not easy, being far away from your loved ones can cause a great amount of emotional burden upon you, becoming fluent in a new language does not happen over night, and competing for jobs with individuals native to this country is virtually impossible.

To eliminate curiosity this is Rhoda Smith

Attitude is what gets you places in life; it is what people first observe about you; and it is the determining factor of who you are and who you will become. Attitude is formerly defined as “a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something.” Because we as a college are sometimes so quick to defend those that may be more less fortunate than ourselves, we often forget that those less fortunate than us have to be able to help themselves in order to receive help from others. And the main way that people in general can help themselves is by their attitude.

I have always been taught by my parents to never make excuses but rather live life to the fullest no matter what your situation or circumstance may be. I remember this going through my head while Kim and Kelly were talking to us in our class about their struggles in life and their need for a living wage. I do not think that fighting for a living wage for all Agnes Scott workers is wrong or even unachievable. I do not even think that they do not deserve it. However, I do feel that it is wrong for them to try to press that upon the student body to achieve for them. The tone in which we were talked to in class was an angry and bitter tone. I did not come to Agnes Scott to fight for a living wage for all. As selfish as it may sound, I strictly came here for me, not the staff. I refuse to be filled with guilt because I am not a part of the living wage and not passionate about the living wage as many are.

People’s Town: Rhoda Smith

Imagine yourself driving home from work or school only to find a group of seemingly young females with notepads and pens in each of her hands taking a tour of your neighborhood, your life, and your home. You see them following a young women who is not herself apart of your community yet she is giving them a tour of your so called “oppressed” neighborhood. What would you think of such a sight? Would you think that they were intruding on your life?

Well let me tell you how I would feel about such a scenario occurring in my neighborhood. I would feel angered by the whole situation. I would ask myself or maybe even the group why they feel the need to come over in this part of town. Do they also go to suburbs and observe the premises of their neighborhoods? What are they going to do to help us out here?

A community such as People’s Town is not there to be used as place for college students to come for a “field trip.” It should not be used as a mechanism to teach college students about the privileges and opportunities that they have been blessed with. And it should not be used as a place to explore the outskirts of poverty stricken areas. But rather People’s Town is a place of shelter for hundreds of families. Though it may be eye opening for some people to walk through a community such as People’s Town, it can also be viewed by many of the residents as a disrespectful and intruding thing to do.

Attaining an Attitude for Success: Rhoda Smith

Attitude is what gets you places in life; it is what people first observe about you; and it is the determining factor of who you are and who you will become. Attitude is formerly defined as “a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something.” Because we as a college are sometimes so quick to defend those that may be more less fortunate than ourselves, we often forget that those less fortunate than us have to be able to help themselves in order to receive help from others. And the main way that people in general can help themselves is by their attitude.

I have always been taught by my parents to never make excuses but rather live life to the fullest no matter what your situation or circumstance may be. I remember this going through my head while Kim and Kelly were talking to us in our class about their struggles in life and their need for a living wage. I do not think that fighting for a living wage for all Agnes Scott workers is wrong or even unachievable. I do not even think that they do not deserve it. However, I do feel that it is wrong for them to try to press that upon the student body to achieve for them. The tone in which we were talked to in class was an angry and bitter tone. I did not come to Agnes Scott to fight for a living wage for all. As selfish as it may sound, I strictly came here for me, not the staff. I refuse to be filled with guilt because I am not a part of the living wage and not passionate about the living wage as many are.

I believe that God helps those who help themselves and even though there is a large amount of staff here that are nice and that mean well, there is also a lot of staff that are rude and quite impersonal. The fact that we were told by Kim and Kelly that the cleaning staff steals our stuff if it is left out is not only a breaking of the honor code but it is a reflection of an attitude that should not be tolerated by anyone. If I leave my things in the shower or in the kitchen, it is no one’s right to touch, use, or steal my personal belongings. I find it ironic that they want us as students to fight for them to earn a living wage yet they admittedly say that they take our things and take full advantage of us.

To eliminate curiosity this is Rhoda’s reflection

 Many view the abolition of slavery as a symbol to not only the beginning of freedom for African- Americans but also the beginning of a purposeful striving for the equality of all citizens. While living in America, we are often times lead to believe that everyone is deserving of everything. We are somewhat trained to pity the homeless or assist those more less fortunate than ourselves. However, I often ask myself is it our job as more fortunate individuals to supply the less fortunate with a substantial amount of money that we have worked hard to earn? In other words, am I working my way through college trying to become a successful individual only to help support those individuals that did not have the money, drive, and/or discipline to do the same for themselves?

            As I think back on my childhood, I can remember all the stories that my dad would share with us about his background. Though he attended the worse of public schools, he would often tell us of how he still got accepted into some of the best of colleges. Though he grew up in the poorest of neighborhoods, he would go on to tell us of how he still made a way for himself and lived out his dreams. He never made excuses for himself nor blamed the “white man” for his rough upbringing. Instead he pursued his calling of profession and vowed that he would not only emancipate himself from the destitute life that he had experienced but he would also provide a significantly better life for his family. Hearing these stories, influenced me to view the less-fortunate as people who live their lives without any desire to achieve anything more than what they already have. Although this may not be the case for all of the poor, I truly believe that this is the case for the majority of them. While having many friends back at home that have lived in homeless shelters and experienced the poorest of situations, I have seen that a college degree is possible for the poor and a successful life is achievable despite their desolate circumstances. I know that my words may sound harsh and un-compassionate, but I believe the more we pity the poor the more dependent they will become on others like ourselves. Our pity and sympathy for them only hinders them to a greater degree. If a family is making it only by government support, why would they have the incentive to go out a make a way for themselves? I am not saying that an entire cessation of government support is necessary or even fair; however, I am arguing that in the midst of supplying the poor financially the government needs to find a way to motivate them into providing fully for themselves.

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