Deck 22: Complacency on Campus: How Allies Can Do Better

Question 1

Are there other groups where it makes sense to engage in the kind of behavior that Kurt Blankschaen and Yingshihan Zhu talk about? You might agree that the term "ally" should be reserved for discussing LGBTQ issues but think that the general idea works in other areas, too. If so, when does it make sense to do this kind of work in other contexts? If not, why is the case of being an ally to the LGBTQ community unique?

Answer 1

Analyze whether or not the behaviors involved in allyship are especially appropriate in relationship to other groups or communities.
Either argue that there are other contexts where doing what allies do is important or meaningful.
Or, argue that the case of being an ally to the LGBTQ community is unique.

Question 2

Kurt Blankschaen and Yingshihan Zhu don't directly ask the question, "Why be an ally?" In your essay, imagine that someone on your campus asked that question. What do you think that Blankschaen and Zhu would say in reply? You can pull from their essay in your response. Do you think that there is anything that they don't describe that is an important part of answering this question?

Answer 2

Outline an answer to the question, "Why be an ally?," drawing from Blankschaen and Zhu's essay.
Describe whether there are any important features of answering this question that don't surface in Blankschaen and Zhu's essay, explaining what they are if some do in fact arise.

Question 3

When talking about how to be a good ally, Kurt Blankschaen and Yingshihan Zhu say that, "Just as antidotes are only effective when they correspond to the right kind of poison, so too is support only effective when it corresponds to the right kind of problem." In your essay, identify a problem on your college campus. Then, outline an effective solution that would target this problem in the right ways. What would need to happen for this solution to work?

Answer 3

Identify an issue on the author's campus, describing the nature of the problem.
Outline a solution that is targeted at this particular problem.
Describe what would need to happen in order to enact this outlined solution.

Question 4

Which of the following best fits Blankschaen and Zhu's definition of "cowardice?"

A) Someone is not very brave
B) Someone has the false belief that their trivial support is sufficient
C) Someone is overcome by fear and so fails to do the right thing
D) Someone refuses to face the harsh realities of life and chooses comfort instead
E) Someone believes that being brave is not a worthwhile endeavor

Question 5

Which of the following best fits Blankschaen and Zhu's definition of "complacency?"

A) Someone is lazy or slothful
B) Someone's heartfelt and responsive endeavors give them a profound sense of satisfaction in their work
C) Someone derives a smug feeling from being morally good
D) Someone refuses to face the harsh realities of life and chooses comfort instead
E) Someone's trivial support helps them to form the false belief that they've done enough

Question 6

Which of the following is true of vices?

A) They are habits
B) They don't change who we are
C) They should always be illegal
D) They are single actions
E) They should never be illegal

Question 7

Which two questions about allyship are Blankschaen and Zhu most interested in?

A) "Why should you be an ally?" and "Is allyship important?"
B) "Why should you be an ally?" and "Who are you an ally to?"
C) "How often are you an ally?" and "Is allyship important?"
D) "Who are you an ally to?" and "How are you an ally?"
E) "What does it mean to be an ally?" and "How often are you an ally?"

Question 8

Why do Blankschaen and Zhu think it's problematic to say, "I am an ally to the LGBTQ community!"?

A) This reply focuses on oneself rather than others
B) This reply overly personifies an abstract idea
C) This reply reflects a certain degree of naiveté
D) This reply focuses on the relationships one has to specific people
E) This reply includes some people at the expense of others

Question 9

What is a major reason that people become allies, according to Blankschaen and Zhu?

A) They understand that activism is an important and meaningful part of a life well-lived
B) They personally know someone who is or has been mistreated for being LGBT
C) They are passionate about defending the concept of "the LGBTQ community"
D) They are themselves members of the LGBT community
E) They want to form bonds with members of the LGBT community to gain their support on other issues

Question 10

Being involved in active allyship on behalf of LGB athletes is an example of what kind of complacency, according to Blankschaen and Zhu?

A) Forming an empty commitment
B) Cowardly complacency
C) Small-mindedness
D) Missing the mark
E) Stopping short

Question 11

What do Blankschaen and Zhu think that allies who lack knowledge on how to support people in the LGBTQ community should do?

A) Spend time researching the long history of the issues that affect LGBTQ people worldwide
B) Become well-versed in the pop culture pantheons important to the LGBTQ community
C) Make friends with one member of the LGBTQ community
D) Meet LGBTQ people on campus and learn about the present and pressing issues affecting them
E) Remain at a respectful distance so as to not cause unintended offense or grave harm

Question 12

What would be an example of one of the most helpful things that allies can do if trans students are routinely assigned to dorms they aren't comfortable in?

A) Sift through regulations about administrative categories
B) Be kind to trans students on their own dorm floors
C) Transfer to a different university where it's easier to be an ally
D) Appreciate that respecting university policies is an important part of allyship
E) Understand that they can't solve the problem, and focus their attention elsewhere

Question 13

Which of the following is the last question that Blankschaen and Zhu focus on in their essay?

A) Why should you be an ally?
B) What does it mean to be an ally?
C) Should allies work with each other?
D) How often are you an ally?
E) How good are you at being an ally?