by Ruth A. Sheets
My computer and I are at a near constant tug of war to see who or what will become master. Sometimes I win and can get my computer to cooperate to do the many tasks I need it to do. I use a screen reader which adds an additional layer to the challenges and the sense of victory I feel when I complete an article, a lesson plan, or an activity for use with my students.
Sometimes the computer “wins.” Its little victories come daily when my screen reader just stops talking to me, requiring some extra keystrokes to get things going again. The big victory happened last November when my hard drive crashed. I was truly lucky because I had backed up most of the material and the folks at Geek Squad were able to retrieve the rest after about 10 days of computer vacation.
When I got my computer back home, I discovered it had been returned to its default settings. These settings reflect the actions the manufacturer assumes most users would want as automatic. I had changed most of the problem actions on my pre-crash computer, but now had very annoying settings adding to the usual challenges. I had forgotten that numbering can be automatic even if I don’t want it. Autocorrect has its own time-consuming moments. I had to relearn the arrangement of the toolbars and still can’t find some of the things I need.
I suppose default settings are necessary for computers, but I am noticing that there are default settings in other places in our lives. These settings generally aren’t noticed until they affect us in some way or are brought to our attention.
Lately, I have been thinking about the kinds of questions reporters and pollsters ask interviewees. “How does it feel to be an immigrant in America? What kinds of challenges have you encountered as a woman in engineering (or physics, or aeronautics)?” There are numerous books and articles about what it’s like to be Black or Hispanic, or Asian in America.
We have been exposed to these perspectives for so long that we rarely, if ever, hear anyone asking “What is it like to be male or White or rich in America or in any specific type of business." If we stop to consider why this is, it becomes clear that the default setting for America is White in general and male in particular and their goal is to be rich.
It is possible to change the computer default settings if you know the menus that cover each one, but changing the American default setting will be much more difficult.
On the computer it is assumed that people might not like or be able to use the factory settings, so changing them is not too hard. In America, many forces are in play to make sure that the default remains as it is. Efforts to limit everyone else’s power and influence work behind the scenes all day and pop into the spotlight often enough to be sure we all know How things are supposed to be.
Our various government entities have worked hard over time to ensure that African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans have few opportunities to succeed and are regularly blamed for the high levels of poverty they face. Educational opportunities for them in no way come close to matching what white males receive. Women are regularly undermined and victimized, the result being low self-worth and frequent denigration of women by other women as well as by men.
Immigrants are maligned as criminals, rapists, invaders even though fewer are coming here than in the past and have a much lower crime rate than non-immigrants. They contribute extensively to our society as well.
It is hard to change this default setting when an entire political party, Republicans, depends on it for their existence. Republicans point out the token women and people of color they include, but revel in their whiteness and maleness. Their leaders find often ingenious ways of blaming our nation’s problems on “the other.” They state directly that when racists go for a “reset” to default, and people protest, there are “fine people on both sides.” Those White men who are afraid people will move from “factory settings” to something else will do whatever they can to keep that from happening. Fear is one of their most effective weapons and they have had generations to learn just how to wield it with the greatest impact. And, there is a lot of money and power spreading fear far and wide.
We don’t need to breathe in the fear. We can become more vigilant and pay more attention to how we are being treated, what we are being called. Who is speaking? Who is listening? Who is taking us seriously?
So, perhaps just as I had to change settings to make my computer usable, we who believe in diversity and the value of immigration must enter the settings of inclusion we want for our nation. It will be hard. We may face a crash of our hard drive (our democracy) and experience new efforts to reinstall White male settings (white supremacy, repression of women, etc.). We will have to work together to find the right “menus” that help us get to equality and appreciation of all persons. We must make our society work for all, not just the default.
