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Recommended: Grand Theft Auto V
In "A Letter To My Son" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, the writer talks to his fifteen year old son in the form of a letter, explaining the experience of being black in a country that automatically shames anyone who isn 't white. To further prove Coates ' point, I have looked into a very well known pop culture in today 's society: video games; and analyzed the absence of race diversity. My studies have shown that even the most well-known video games on an international scale are displaying heavy biases towards Caucasians being the primary characters in their game, thus adding to the racism that is evident in today 's video games.
I began my research looking into the game with the highest popularity in the world, with over ten million daily players
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More specifically, non-Caucasian primary characters. One great example would be Franklin, from "Grand Theft Auto V". Franklin is a well-known Black character, and is one of the three protagonists in this game. Using a Black male as one of the protagonists of a game is a big step for including racial diversity within the gaming community. On that note, the role that Franklin plays as the protagonist does not display a positive message. Essentially, these three characters are criminals; the goal of the game is to commit various crimes such as drug deals, robberies, and murder in order to maximize their income. This example is tied specifically to this character, but this is not an uncommon occurrence when it comes to Black characters in video games. In fact, if any non-Caucasian characters make it to a primary role such as a protagonist, they often have negative stereotypes tied to them. Because of this, video games prove to be racist through the exclusion of diverse character ethnicity, but also through enforcing the negative stereotypes that are inflicted upon any non-Caucasian
Perhaps some people’s first impression on Mona Van Duyn’s “Letters from a Father” is that its topic a cliché; since poems about death are not rare at all. However, Van Duyn’s unique interpretations and attitude towards her writing style, which are apart from other poets, shall also be discovered if one dwells on her poem. In the poem “Letters from a father”, it mainly portrays the daily life of a father, a mother and those feeders (birds). Throughout the poem, it may seem that it emphasizes the process of characters’ acceptance of birds and understanding on their daughter. Nevertheless, if we look deeper into the change in tones, repetitions and words use developed in the poem, it is arguable that the parent’s changes in acceptance of birds are in fact implying a mental process of bestirring from illnesses, which is most readers do not see. This is believed as an important interpretation since it reveals the poet’s attitude towards death, which underlie beneath the literal meaning of the poem.
The article, “I Don’t See Race; I Only See Grayish-Brown, Vaguely Humanoid Shapes,” mocks individuals who make explicit claims about how they are not racist. This article is an oped piece in which a fictional writer starts off by denying the existence of racial tensions and institutional racism within America. She supports this by claiming that it is impossible for the mindset of a modern American to adopt racist ideologies because it is impossible for one to view humans as anything more than, ”muted, roughly person-shaped silhouettes”. The op-ed then degenerates into a metaphysical questioning of the nature of human beings and her lack of ability to even perceive basic human attributes. The fault portrayed in the writer is that as she attempts to depict her own lack of racial bias, she denies the existence of racial diversity itself. Her line of reasoning is mocked as she extends it to a broader and broader scope until she claims that human life is an insignificant and mundane product of our universe. Her ideologies are never once directly criticized, only mocked through her flawed reasoning. In addition, the character of the writer herself is not the object or criticism, rather the ideology she presents is the object of criticism. This article is a prime example of modern literature utilizing satirical elements and does not deviate in any major from the original elements of Horatian
Tatum’s book “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” (1997) analyses the development of racial identity and the influence of racism in American’s culture. She emphasizes the Black-White interactions by comparing the terminology in which racism perceived based on David Wellman’s definition of racism. Tatum also believes racism is not one person in particular but is a cultural situation in which ethnicity assigns some groups significantly privileged compared to others. She illustrates how engaging children in terms of interracial understanding will empower them to respond to racial stereotypes and systems of discrimination.
However, this general knowledge is not apparent to White people. Similar to microaggressions, John F. Dovidio discusses the concept of aversion racism, “a subtle, often unintentional form of bias that characterizes many White Americans who possess strong egalitarian values and who believe that they are nonprejudiced” (90). Eduardo Bonilla-Silva and Sue both demonstrate from their research that Whites do not comprehend the impact of their unconscious biases. These biases towards students of colour in a white-based post-secondary school environment can result in stress and weak interracial relationships. This is an issue since the significance of these everyday actions are not fully recognized and acknowledged. I will elaborate on a variety of examples, specifically the influence of the peers, and
On 12th of January, in the year of 1780, Quincy Adams who is currently traveling abroad with his father, John Adams. John Adams is a diplomat and later the country’s second President. Abigail Adams, Quincy Adams’s mother writes a letter to her son guiding him to be studious and diligent in every possible way. In her letter, Adams uses rhetorical elements to guide and convince her son. She uses ethos, pathos, and logos, imagery and personification to advise her son throughout the letter.
Even today, African American authors write about the prejudice that still happens, like Ta-Nehisi Coates. In his essay Acting French, Coates recalls when he studied the French language at Middlebury College. Despite all his efforts to integrate with his fellow students into French culture, yet another barrier reveals itself. “And so a white family born into the lower middle class can expect to live around a critical mass of people who are more affluent or worldly and thus see other things, be exposed to other practices and other cultures. A black family with a middle class salary can expect to live around a critical mass of poor people, and mostly see the same things they (and the poor people around them) are working hard to escape. This too compounds.” Because of the lack of black people available to look up to in scholastics, it makes it hard for black students to find the motivation to pursue interests in English or other
Media personalities can lead in the breaking down of racial stereotypes. Racial identity may be an important factor for people, but perpetuating negative stereotypes does not break down walls. If media personalities such as TV and movie stars and respected news anchors and talk show hosts begin to address issues of white privilege, the masses will learn about the issues. This will allow us, as a society, to effectively deal with the problem of racism. In other words, if widespread media and educators join forces, then those in power will be pressed to focus on their method of management, and
Abagail Adams inscribed a letter to her son during the American Revolution. She wrote to him while he was travelling overseas with his father. Adams demonstrates “Pathos” and “Making Connections” repeatedly throughout her letter to convince her son that traveling with his father is the best entity for him.
Rankine cleverly titled the book Citizen to contradict the definition with distinct poems that tell a story of many Americans facing racism and mistreatment. However, the way one may interpret these poems may be different. Some readers may believe that racism is evident while some may not see it at all. An important factor that distinguishes the reader 's’ outlook on the poems is their persona. The people around us like our parents, siblings, media, school, teacher and our environment all play a role in influencing our development. .Nalini Ambady, a professor of Psychology at Stanford University, states that “cultural forces gives rise to different patterns of behavior, perception, and cognition” Each individual is entitled to their own way of thinking however as a child, you are reliant on your parents to help you become who you are. Part of that involves their own, distinct opinions. Since children don’t have the maturity to form on their own they need the help of their parents, and this is often where the problem
The book is very personal, incisive, and uncompromising towards those who promote or indulge in the racial hierarchy in America. It is not questionable that Coates goal for the letter is not only to advise and give his son knowledge about the idea of race, which damages all people but is more impactful on the bodies of black women and men, but the letter he writes his son is a conversation that black parents must have with their children to protect them from the racist excesses of the police. Not to mention, this is important because after black people experiences of America’s history of destroying their “black bodies” by being exploited through slavery and segregation, and the vulnerability on black bodies today, such as being threatened, locked up, and murdered. Coats makes a valid point about race being the child of racism and not the father. In other words, race is not an indubitable reality because it has been constructed, altered, and
In The Marrow of Tradition, author Charles W. Chesnutt illustrates examples that signify the thoughts that whites had of and used against blacks, which are still very much prevalent in public opinion and contemporary media. Chesnutt writes, “Confine the negro to that inferior condition for which nature had evidently designed for him (Chesnutt, 533).” Although significant strides have been made toward equality, the media, in many instances, continues to project blacks as inferior to whites through examples observed in television shows, music videos, films and newscasts. According to Poverty & Prejudice: Media and Race, co-authored by Yurii Horton, Raagen Price, and Eric Brown, the media sets the tone for the morals, values, and images of our culture. Many whites in American society, some of whom have never encountered black people, believe that the degrading stereotypes of blacks are based on reality and not fiction....
A study showed that specific cross racial training made a difference in opinions during 1st grade but made little impact during a 3rd grade period. It is suggested that discussing race early and directly is what considerable decreases racism in children. Bronson and Merryman’s research revealed that white parents were too ambiguous when talking about race with their children. Parents would use phrases like “Everyone is equal” and would not directly discuss racial differences. However, children do not understand the true intention of what the parent is saying because the message is too vague. Therefore, the parent believes they are teaching their child equality when in reality the child is not able to fully comprehend what the parent is
Most people are often unaware or misinformed of many situations that affect them in their everyday life. Some of this issues could include the topics that the authors mention – multiculturalism or white privilege. Gates explains that “the debate [on multiculturalism] has been miscast from the beginning [and] it may be worth setting straight” (26). Gates is addressing the opposition to multiculturalism by expressing that the topic that they might have original viewed as negativity, could actually the key to achieving true ethnic diversity. He is stating that if people continue to believe that multiculturalism is just a way to boost the self-esteem of minorities, then it will continue to create a problematic situation where different ethnicities constantly clash because people fear what they do not understand. McIntosh reveals a prime example of this dismissive nature of understanding cultural diversity. She states that she believes that “whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege” (1). Gates is able to shed light on McIntosh’s claim because the miscomprehension of cultural diversity and the idea of white privilege are intrinsically tied. If people are not taught to respect other ethnicities and their traditions then it creates this idea that the cultural that is being taught – in this case white – is the dominant one. McIntosh states that this is an unconscious effort and I would have to agree.
Lastly, many of the characters in the film were portrayed to fit the representation of the criminal racial stereotype of African Americans. It is common today for African Americans to be stereotypes as criminals, partly due to that fact that many come from backgrounds of poverty. The criminal stereotype is a direct connotation of this poverty background. Acts of crime committed by African Americans can be found throughout the film. One of the characters which most prevalently commits acts of crime is Deebo. On many occasions Deebo will steal people's possessions, such as Red's bike and his chain necklace.
Racism, stereotypes, and white privilege are all concepts that affect all of us whether we believe it or not. If an adolescent of a minority can distinguish these concepts in his society then we all should be aware of them. These concepts are all clearly demonstrated in “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. Anyone and everyone could clearly understand this novel but the intended audience is middle school to college level students. The novel’s goal is to help white students understand the effects of white privilege in an easier, more understandable way. Concepts are easier to understand when someone feels like they are connecting to someone they have things in common with, which is exactly what this novel does. I, for one, was always