Running Head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Critical Analysis
Whitney Lawrimore
University of South Carolina

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
2
Introduction
Discrimination and limitations of all types has been one of the main topics we
have discussed in SOWK 331: Social Work with Diverse and Oppressed Populations.
Ableism, lookism, and classism, are some of the lesser focused upon types of
discrimination and it was refreshing to learn about isms other than sexism and racism
(not that those arent equally as important). Being well rounded in regards to your
knowledge about discriminated against and oppressed populations is very important to
being a good person as well as a competent social worker.
Ableism
Ableism is one of the topics in class that I really enjoyed learning about because
this is the first semester any class has really discussed it in detail. It was really interesting
to talk about the challenges people with disabilities face on a day-to-day basis, which I
honestly had never thought about to any real extent. The book asks the question, What
happens when a committee schedules a meeting in a physically unacceptable room? The
answer is the committee member with the disability has to remind the committee chair
that he or she cannot attend. I thought that that was really insightful because being able
bodied, Ive never had to worry or even think about not going to a meeting because it was
not physically accessible to me.
Prejudice, oppression, stigmatization, marginalization, isolation, and
discrimination are in varying degrees long-lasting companions of people with
disabilities (Diversity, oppression, and social functioning: Person-in-environment
assessment and intervention). Its really upsetting to me that persons with disabilities are
treated this way for something that is most likely not their fault at all. I also found it

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
3
interesting as well as saddening that people with disabilities were the first to get sent to
the gas chambers during World War II, according to the book.
In SOWK 441: Human Behavior in the Social Environment III, we watched the
video When Billy Broke His Head and Other Tales of Wonder. It was a documentary
about a man named Billy who received a traumatic brain injury. In the video, he talks to
a woman who could not get her drivers license for 8 years because she had a disability
(even though she drove perfectly fine and learned in two days). I thought that was a great
example of ableism and will probably use it throughout my career. It was nice to be able
to connect both classes but not feel like I learned the same thing twice.
Lookism
Lookism is another thing that was really interesting to learn about because its
probably the ism that most people can identify with at some point, in some way. In the
book there is a joke that goes, You may be forgiven for having a bad heart or personality,
but you cannot be forgiven for being ugly. I think that thats very much true most of the
time and that its really unfortunate people are treated a certain way based on how they
look, good or bad.
One of the most disturbing things about lookism is the fact that women (and men)
can be fired for being too attractive. Recently, a woman got fired from her job as a
dental assistant for being too attractive and I think that its completely unacceptable for
that to have happened. There have also been female police officers that have been fired
based only on their looks. It was interesting to discover that there is no legislation
regarding discrimination because of looks so theres no real way of stopping it as of now.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
4
The halo effect is always funny to think about because most people truly do
believe that what is beautiful is also good, but that isnt always the case. Some of the
most attractive people I have ever met have not very good people but Ive also known
many truly nice, attractive people, dont judge a book by its cover as they say. One of the
most well-known and recent cases of dont judge a book by its cover is Susan Boyle on
Britains Got Talent, which the book mentions. I think her story is great because she
really proved people wrong and Im a sucker for that sort of thing.
Classism
Classism has always and probably will always exist in some way or another. I
think that there will always be very rich people and very poor people, the rest falling
anywhere and everywhere in between. I thought it was really disheartening to learn
about how much systematic oppression affects a persons whole life, from beginning to
end. Since this highly affects young African-American males, it was also interesting (and
upsetting) to learn about all the jail statistics.
The book says that there are four myths related to social class in the United States.
First, we are a fundamentally classless society. Second, we are a middle-class country.
Third, we are all getting richer. Fourth, everyone has an equal chance to succeed here
(Diversity, oppression, and social functioning: Person-in-environment assessment and
intervention). I think all of those things are unfortunately true because education is a
huge key to success and those who live in poverty arent as likely to get that education to
be successful.
This class has made me realize how much we need more programs and support
systems for children to get educated so that they can become successful. If there are

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
5
more people getting educated, it seems as though society in general would benefit, as
well as the people that have been educated. Unfortunately though, classism is putting a
stop to the majority of people living in poverty to getting an education.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have learned quite a bit from this class. I think this course is very
significant to the social work curriculum because it is extremely important to learn and
know about all of the diverse and oppressed populations we will encounter as generalist
practitioners. Being knowledgeable about populations that are discriminated against may
also help you recognize your own biases and actions, which is always good to know for
your practice as a social worker.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
6

Works Cited
Appleby, G., & Colon, E. (2011). Diversity, oppression, and social functioning: Personin-environment assessment and intervention (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and
Bacon.

Golfus, B. (Director). (1994). When Billy Broke His Head [Motion picture]. Fanlight
Productions.

Strauss, Eric M. Iowa Woman Fired For Being Attractive Looks Back and Moves On.
ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. Oct. 2015