May 13, 2021 Reflection

Today's class started with an experience we've never had and one I was puzzled with at first. Problems like segregation and bias decisions are something that I have never experience in my life but is something that people in Palestine have to suffer through every single day. Being separated for something that we couldn't control was something I felt was unbelievable and horrifying and today we experience a minuscule version of this at the start of class. Firstly, we were separated by where we lived and because Mr. Paterson lived in Saitama and like it, he only allowed people who also lived in Saitama to enter the room and sit down at a table. Secondly, we had to show Mr. Paterson our ID cards to go in which he only came out when he wanted to, and also didn't let them sit on a chair and had to stand in the back, not bothering the one person who lived in Saitama. Lastly, he let in the people who didn't have their cards and didn't live in Saitama and made us stand in the back. Being a person how has only lived in developed countries with secure social rights, experiencing these kinds of segregation was a unique experience. I read and learned about these kinds of treatment in a textbook talking about 1900 when racism was still normal and I never would have thought that these things still happen around the world. It is honestly hard for me to do anything but one thing that I did think was my gratitude for being able to live in such peaceful and safe places throughout my life. 

After that, our class was separated into two and was told to write a paragraph talking about how good or bad Mr. Paterson's backpack was. I was on the bad side and I thought it was fun trying to find bad things about something and dissing it. Most reviews I wrote throughout my life were about positive thoughts like the book review and were a fresh sensation when we were told to write something bad about something. One thing that was important was to find useful information about the product and bad reviews about the object because it was something that we have personally not have used. Our group focused on the bland color choices, the expensive price tag, and the girthy design and size.