Presentations

Unforunately have missed out on many of the class presentations, but from the few that I have seen I can say that the world has a lot of doctors on the way. One of the presentations that sticks out to me is the very first one. I think the whole concept of making sire the patient really understands the doctors is saying is key. As shown with the two illustrations of the phrase a dog eating chicken it shows that many things we say and do can be interpreted in many ways. For example the classic case of is the glass half full or half empty. As far as communication between doctors and patients I think the real problem comes in is when yo go to the ER. There the people don't know you and sometimes seems that they really prefer not to. when it comes to psychologist I think the tone a voice one uses could have a effect on the flow of the conversation between doctor and patient. Not to many people respond well to people who seem to be snappy. At the same time body language can also play a role because the doctor has to seem interested in the the conversation and the patient. All in all I think the presentations I've seen have gone well and many have helped me with more paper.

The Bad News Doc

In the field of medicine one can be faced with many issues. Everything one does can change a person’s life for better or worst. I have always wondered how doctors handle different situations. How do you tell a woman she has cancer or a family that their child has a disease that could take their life? Is then a handbook on what to say? Is this something doctors learn when they are in school? How should a doctor handle bad news?

Many patients that are faced with bad news do not really hear much of what the doctor is saying after the point they realize it is bad. When cancer patients, for instance, hear that they have a disease that could possibly kill them, they really don’t hear what can be done to save them. What a doctor says is very important. It can affect the way a patient fights.

If a doctor comes in a says that a patient has cancer and there is nothing that can be done about it then the patient might leave the office and start planning for their funeral. Whereas if a doctor tells a patient they have cancer and only they can control how that effects them then the patient might put in their head that they are going to fight this diseases and have a speedy recovery.

I myself have had the same issue. I was born with sickle cell anemia. Many people who have this disease cannot take part in many sporting events. When I got to an age where I started to see my fiends playing sports I decided that’s what I wanted to do. My parents took me to the doctor to see what he thought about it and he told us that with the proper training and comment I could do what ever I wanted to do. After a year of nutrition training and physical training I was ready to play sports. Since the age of eight I played baseball, football, and basketball. I was a six time all-star in baseball and won 4 league championships. I won two championships in football and one in basketball. I even wrestled one year in middle school and finished fourth in the city.

So I know how important a doctor’s words can be. If that doctor would have told my parents that it was risky and that many kids with my condition couldn’t or shouldn’t play sports I would have stayed looked up in my house with nothing to do. I would have had to sit and watch life pass me by.

So when it comes to kids with serious diseases how does a doctor go to the parents and tell them that their child might not get the opportunity to do things that other kids do? How does a doctor tell a mother that their newborn child has a condition that she caused but at the same token she had no control over?

The key is to not sound so negative. When a doctor takes a negative approach when giving bad news they evoke a feeling of helplessness on their patient. To help make the news a little easier to digest a doctor should go in with solutions and ways that the baby can lay a normal healthy life. Also it helps if the doctor doesn’t make it seem like it’s the patient’s fault. In some cases it may be, but blaming them at that very moment only makes the situation worse.

When giving bad news to a patient it is good to have family around. Family is going to be a big influence on what a patient does after leaving the doctor’s office. Sometimes a family member hears thing the doctor says that, for one reason or another the patient doesn’t this could help with the emotional part. Also having family there and seeing the reaction can help a doctor decide how the news will be handle and recommend different treatments to help.

For example if a doctor tells a patient that they have diabetes and a family member is there then maybe the family member will help make sure the patient follows the proper diet and exercise. If the family member gives off a negative vibe then maybe it would be better to recommend the patient to see a nutritionist to help them plan out a diet.

Being in the medical field is a hard job. When you discover something with a patient only makes the job harder. But what is said and done after that discovery is made can affect a person’s life in many different ways. It can send them into a state of depression, or make them determined to change.

Many of these decisions depend on how a doctor communicates the news to their patient. Doctors must be sensitive and open-minded. They must be able to realize that the proper medical analysis is not always the right approach. Taking the proper approach when it comes to delivering bad news to a patient is key. When done right it can add minutes, days, even years on to a life.

And That Is A Refugee

When you think of the word refugee what is the first thing that comes to mind? Take a second to close your eyes and try to picture what you think a refugee looks like. When I asked students here at UT to do this many of them said they saw: a short brown skin tone man with black hair jumping the border into the United States. After getting basicly the same reply from most of the students I asked I felt like it was safe to say that many people’s first thought when thinking of the word refugee is a Mexican.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the earliest printed definition of the word refugee was in 1685. Its defines a refugee as, “ one who, owing to religious persecution or political troubles, seeks refuge in a foreign country.” The OED says at that time the English used the word when referring to, “ French Huguenots who came to England after revocation of the Edict of Nantes.” The word changed several times over the next three centuries before coming to the most recent definition recorded in the OED which simply defines a refugee as, “ some one driven from their home by war or the fear of attack or persecution” which was formed in 1914. The United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees 1967 Protocol formed a definition that was agreed upon by many countries (including the United States on November 1, 1968). According to it a refugee is:

A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.."

In this essay I plan to search for the true meaning of the word refugee, and answer the question posed after Hurricane Katrina, “ Can Americans be refugees in America?”

Also one of the most recent issues with the word refugee is when reporters from big news stations started to refer to Americans who had to leave their homes due to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. During the events following the destruction of New Orleans and several other cities in the United States by Hurricane Katrina news articles and broadcastings covering the story went out all over the country. Pictures of men and women born and rasied in the U.S. searching for food, shelter, or just a way for their fellow Americans to take notice with captions under them reading “A Hurricane Katrina refugee searching for food.”

Many people argued that one cannot be a refugee in their own country. According to the associated press many people, “argued that “refugee” implies that the displaced storm victims, many whom have been black, are second –class citizens- or not citizens at all.” By calling people from America refugees it makes it seem like they don’t belong. President Bush said during a press conference that, “ The people we are talking about are not refugees. They are Americans.” But the words of the president couldn’t stop the press.

Even after that big time publishers like the AP and New York Times continued to refer to the displace citizens of New Orleans as refugees. According to the Associated Press both were using the word only where appropriate. Referring to someone as something they are not never seems appropriate to me but I guess that why I’m not in journalism. When Kathleen Carroll, Executive Editor of the AP was asked why she issued this statement:

"The AP is using the term ‘refugee’ where appropriate to capture the sweep and scope of the effects of this historic natural disaster on a vast number of our citizens. Several hundred thousand people have been uprooted from their homes and communities and forced to seek refuge in more than 30 different states across America. Until such time as they are able to take up new lives in their new communities or return to their former homes, they will be refugees."

After reading this comment I went back and looked up the word refuge. I felt like in every definition I found in the OED one sought refuge because he/she was running from something. The people of New Orleans weren’t running from anything. Yeah, they needed shelter because their homes were destroyed by the hurricane, but if those people had a choice they would still be in New Orleans.


Another issue in this debate is can one loss the refuge title? Some say yes because they feel that once a person becomes a US citizen then they no longer fall under the umbrella of being a refugee. While others say anyone that is not born a US citizen, yet they reside here in America will always be considered a refugee. Personally I think that the definition of the word plays a key role in this argument.

So what is a good definition for the word refugee? Well, let’s see. Most “refugees” flee their country for many reasons and come to America because they think they are going to have a better life full of opportunity. So for that reason along with others I feel that the perfect definition for the word refugee is, a person who leaves his/her country of birth, for any reason, and never returns. With this definition people in could not be labeled a refugee in their own country. Plus, once one becomes a refugee they will be one until they return back to their country of birth.

Mom, What's A Refugee?

Refugee, one who seeks refuge in a foreign country. This is the first definition for the word refugee, which was printed in England in 1685. The most recent definition for the word was printed in 1914 and according to it a refugee is someone driven from his home by war o the fear of attack or persecution. It’s been nearly a century since this definition has be rewritten and I feel that maybe its time for a change.

When the word refugee first came about it was used mainly for the purpose of the church. Those who had trouble with the church would leave England and therefore referred as refugees. But, in today’s society this issue really doesn’t come up. Most people leave their country because they simple don’t agree with the way things are being run. It doesn’t mean that they are in trouble in their country.

Also one of the most recent issues with the word refugee is when reporters from big news stations started to refer to Americans who had to leave their homes due to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Many people argued that one cannot be a refugee in their own country. By calling people from America refugees it makes it seem like they don’t belong and that are states are divided.

Another issue in this debate is can one loss the refuge title? Some say yes because they feel that once a person becomes a US citizen then they no longer fall under the umbrella of being a refugee. While others say anyone that is not born a US citizen, yet they reside here in America will always be considered a refugee. Personally I think that is a very interesting debate and can’t really say who I agree with when it comes to that topic.

So what is a good definition for the word refugee? Well, let’s see. Most “refugees” that come to America come become they think they are going to have a better life full of opportunity. People who live here in America cannot be referred to as a refugee. Nor, does anyone really just come because they are running from the law in their country. Refugee, a person who leaves his/her country, for any reason, that is expecting to never return.

march 7

This week was interesting. I really enjoyed the conversations we had. As far as what makes good writing I believe last weeks reading proved that you do not need perfect grammar to be a good writer. To me what makes a good writer is the word usage. If you can put words together in ways that wouldnt normally be, you can be on the way to being a good writer. Think about all great writers have their own unique way of wording things. Shakespeare was a great writer not because he knew what verb to use but because he knew how to word things in a way that captured the hearts of his readers. Maya Angelou Mark Twain and other great writers also had there own way. But is writing all about poems plays and novels? I think when we think about great writers we forget those in the music industry. What makes a good song? To me it takes a great writer along with a good producer. When u look at a song on paper most of the time all u will see is words. They don't really make sure that they have every punctuation. If we wrote without all the punctuation would it take away from what we write? Whats the difference between talking and writing. We dont stop a conversation to correct a persons grammar as long as we can understand what it is they are saying. And now with texting as popular as it is we are learning we dont even need complete words to get our message across.


What am I black African American or a Negro? Why do I have to be either? I understand that my ancestors were dragged from Africa to America to be slaves and I really do appreciate my history but I have gone as far as 6 6 generations of my family history and everyone I found was born and raised in columbia south Carolina. I myself have never been to Africa although I would love to go. Therefore I dont consider myself an African American just an American. I was born here and have lived here for most of the 18 years of my life. We dont call whites European Amercians . The only true Americans are Indians. They are the only true race that came from these lands. I think that America should get away from the labels of race and color and except all American born people as Americans and thats it.

Hopefully u noticed that I left off many punctuation marks. How was the read. Was it affected due to the absenceof the punctuationarks?

A Week In Review

I think the reading by Baugh is good. I have never really thought about how my skin color affects some of the things I can and cannot do in the world. I guess it comes as a shock to me because I never really lived with that issue. I grew up in and upper class suburban neighborhood that only had two black families in the whole community. But, that didn’t pose a problem in our community. Everyone got alone with everyone. Most of the kids in the neighborhood attended the same school and played on sports teams together in the neighborhood park. From what I could see race was not an issue. As far as African Americans and Hispanics devaluing the property in the area case they trash the yards and stuff like that, that’s where your neighborhood council and dues come in. In my neighborhood everything was organized. Your grass had to be cut , you had to get certain things approved before you could put it in your front yard and every month you paid a fee that took care of someone patrolling the neighborhood for people not following the rules. If issues came up people were warned and given a day to have the problem fixed by. If it wasn’t done by then the person was fined. Everything was perfect in that neighborhood.

When It comes to speech I think that as an African American, we are our hardest critics. Like I stated in one of my first blogs, when I reached high school I told my parents that I wanted to go to a public high school. Now the funny thing about the high school in my community is that it is one of the worse in the state. One reason is because people in the community really don’t take interest in it cause all the kids go to private school . another reason is because they bus students half way across the city to fill the school. These kids did not come from the greatest neighborhood in Nashville. When I started school I had a few problems because of the way I talked. Now, when I was little I had a speech impediment. This was one of the reasons I went to private school so I could have a speech specialist work with me. But, the problem at this school was that I spoke too proper. In a school of people of my own race I was discriminated against because of the way I spoke. I think that blacks devalue their own a lot. That’s just like Obama, some people say that if he gets to be president it would be like having a white man cause he is not black enough. I think that the African American race needs to sit back and take a good look at itself and start forming new more positive judgments about us. If we cant do that then how can we expect other races to?

My Language My Name

When many people talk about language barriers and things like that they are referring to the understanding of a person from a different country. Although that is the typical type of language barrier there are others that struggle with language right here in their own country. One of those people use to be me. There have been many instances that I can think of when language barriers made me feel uncomfortable.

One time was when I started going to a new school. For nine of the twelve years I went to school I attend Davidson Academy, which is a private Christian school in Nashville. This was a school that had high standards for its students. We couldn’t listen to any kind of pop, r and b, or rap music. We got in trouble at that school if we told someone to shut up. Davidson Academy was a great school. I loved everyone there and learned a lot, but when my family moved closer to downtown Nashville, the kids that I went to school with were no longer the kids that lived in my neighborhood. So during the summer before my ninth grade year I decided that I wanted to dropout of private school and go to public.

On the first day of my ninth grade year I felt normal. Most of the freshmen were like me. They were getting use to a new school. For many of them this was the largest school they had ever attended, but for me two buildings seemed like a joke compared to my private school campus. It wasn’t until we went to lunch that I felt like I was different from everyone else.

When lunch started I tried to find people that I had seen I class. I remember the first words I said, Hello, how are u this afternoon. There was that awkward moment of silence at the lunch table before the guy directly in front of me started to laugh. Finally that same guy introduced himself to me as T man. Of course later I found out that that was not his real name but instead what everyone on the block called him. I remember him asking me what planet did I come from and I really didn’t understand why he had posed that question, so I decided not to entertain it. After that I sat down and really just listened to everyone else talk. I had never heard so many curse words and the N word used so many times in one sentence before in my life. It was awful. After lunch we went to our next class and that was when I realized that they use curse words and the n word at my school not to show anger but just because. When in class it seemed like every time I would speak that awkward moment of silence would come. It didn’t matter whether I was introducing myself or answering a question. So at the end of the day I went home and of course my parents asked me how my first was and I explained to them what I observed. Then my father sat me down and explained to me that I was in a very different environment and that people will probably look at me strange because of my up bringing. So, the next day I went to school and already I had people that for some reason did not like me. That’s when I met my friend Josh who explained to me that those people were just “haters” and all they do is hate on people. Then he said that word had got around that I was stuck up and thought I was better. All of this came about just because of the way I talked. I would go to class and answer a question and hear people say that’s that proper dude everyone talking about. Finally Josh offered to come to my house and tutor me on the language at school.

When Josh came to my house he commented on it by saying, “ this house is bad.” I took offense to that cause my parents worked to get where we were and for someone who I barely knew to criticize our house seemed wrong. Josh just laughed and explained that our house was dope and finally after he realized I didn’t know what that meant he said that bad means good so when he said our house was bad he meant it was nice. I just my tutorial session started sooner then I thought. So finally we went to my room and again Josh let me know how nice it was but this time by saying, “damn this is nice.” Hen he explained to me that curse words were used to express forms of excitement and that the N word was used as a culturally bonding unit. Now, most of this seemed crazy but I went a long with it any way. So the next day I tried to have a conversation like everyone else and again that awkward moment of silence came followed by laughter.

It was finally explained to me that the first few days of school I had made a name for myself and that everyone knew that I was proper so me trying to be like them was fake and that no matter how hard I tried I would always be known as the proper kid. That came to be true. The next four years went by and I was known as either the proper kid or Carlton, which was the son on Fresh Prince. My language was who I was and nothing I did could over shadow that.