The environment where one was raised impacts in a variety of ways- some that aren’t thought about much until later in life. I grew up in Spearfish, South Dakota. It’s a stereotypical small town where virtually nothing seems to happen, which is why I’ve always dreamed of leaving this entire state behind someday. Once I graduated high school and left for college in another state, I realized that I didn’t want to leave simply because it was a small town. I wanted to leave because I’ve always had an underlying feeling of being different. Like many other regions in the midwest, my hometown was predominantly caucasian. I was blissfully ignorant at the time, so whenever my friends made a joke at my expense, I didn’t think of it as racist- I was taught that it was supposed to be funny. This derogatory humor aimed at these races were just another form of comedy; they're just words. After attending college in Denver and encountering so many people of different races and cultures, I realized how wrong it all was. Because of this, I became aware of how crucial …show more content…
diversity is for empathy for all races. Ignorance is due to lack of exposure and covering up racism as humor will lead to bigotry. Now that I’m back in South Dakota attending college, I am working at the Center for Diversity and Community. I do my best to be involved in the university, and to speak out when needed. Since experiencing the different lifestyles Colorado has to offer, the importance of bringing different cultures to these types of rural areas is just becoming more prominent, especially in healthcare. Dentistry is a health field that’s dominated by caucasian men. Being a minority and a woman, I have the opportunity to bring diversity to this sector. When you are surrounded by a multitude of people from a variety of backgrounds, it promotes cultural competency, which is imperative for inclusiveness- a necessity in the midwest. Advocating for diversity in the working field of dentistry plays a significant role in my ambitions for the future. Along with achieving this goal, I also aspire to provide the availability of this type of care to everyone. Basic healthcare should not be a privilege, but a right for everyone of all different races, ages, and sexes. It’s no secret that many countries around the world would benefit greatly from dental or medical assistance, but people seem to forget that there are people who are struggling with being able to afford the right care just down the street. Hospitals are continuing to pull out of cities with poor neighborhoods, leaving them without any type of backup or safety net. The Affordable Care Act is in danger of being repealed. The healthcare system in the United States is known to be the most expensive and least effective system in the world. Can one person alone completely fix all of the nation’s healthcare problems by themselves? No, but there are many things in each health field that can be improved by individuals. All I did throughout the entirety of my adolescence was wait for the day where I could leave South Dakota and never look back. However, being conscious of the racial ignorance throughout my home state made it clear to me that I need to stay in these rural areas to promote diversity in places that have none. By no means should a patient select a healthcare provider based solely on their race, but seeing a few staff members that look like them would give them a sense of comfort and inclusiveness. When I was younger, I would rarely see Asian-Americans on television.
When I did, they were portrayed as simple stereotypes that can be summed up in a few words: martial artists, dragon ladies, spiritual healers. Relating to characters on television might not seem like the most important thing for a child, but giving representation to people who are usually marginalized can make them more comfortable with who they are. I would always picture myself with blonde hair and blue eyes throughout my childhood because it was the idealized look on television. Representation is particularly important in the health environment. A child seeing someone in such a powerful position, such as a doctor or dentist, that looks like them will give them the capability to believe that they have the power to reach that successful stage in their life. Someday, I hope to be that person who inspires them to reach their fullest
potential.
What are the most important aspects of Hmong culture? What do the Hmong consider their most important duties and obligations? How did they affect the Hmong’s transition to the United States?
More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City (Issues of Our Time)
Many of the stereotypes we encounter and hold today were formed because of events in the past, which were formed to rationalize and justify past social and political agendas. Many of the stereotypes that we now hold today were learned long ago and have been passed from one generation to the next. This book has forever inspired me to believe in the value of each child and discourage racist attitudes wherever I encounter them. Gregory Howard Williams encountered many hurdles growing up and successfully defeated them all. He could have easily confirmed the expectations of his negative peers and developed into a self-fulfilling prophecy, but instead he chose to shun his stereotypes and triumph over incredible odds.
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
At the time of the African-American Civil Rights movement, segregation was abundant in all aspects of life. Separation, it seemed, was the new motto for all of America. But change was coming. In order to create a nation of true equality, segregation had to be eradicated throughout all of America. Although most people tend to think that it was only well-known, and popular figureheads such as Martin Luther King Junior or Rosa Parks, who were the sole launchers of the African-American Civil Rights movement, it is the rights and responsibilities involved in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision which have most greatly impacted the world we live in today, based upon how desegregation and busing plans have affected our public school systems and way of life, as well as the lives of countless African-Americans around America. The Brown v. Board of Education decision offered African-Americans a path away from common stereotypes and racism, by empowering many of the people of the United States to take action against conformity and discrimination throughout the movement.
I wanted to wear brand clothes/shoes they did, I wanted to do my hair like them, and make good grades like them. I wanted to fit in. My cultural identify took a back seat. But it was not long before I felt black and white did not mix. I must have heard too many comments asking to speak Haitian or I do not look Haitian, but more than that, I am black, so I always had to answer question about my hair or why my nose is big, and that I talked white. This feeling carried on to high school because the questions never went away and the distance between me and them grew larger. There was not much action my family could take for those moments in my life, but shared their encounters or conversations to show me I was not alone in dealing with people of other background. I surrounded myself with less white people and more people of color and today, not much has
Chinese-Americans authors Amy Tan and Gish Jen have both grappled with the idea of mixed identity in America. For them, a generational problem develops over time, and cultural displacement occurs as family lines expand. While this is not the problem in and of itself, indeed, it is natural for current culture to gain foothold over distant culture, it serves as the backdrop for the disorientation that occurs between generations. In their novels, Tan and Jen pinpoint the cause of this unbalance in the active dismissal of Chinese mothers by their Chinese-American children.
Even in our preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation about people different from ourselves.” From an early age, we start to pick up certain stereotypes of different races other than our own. We over hear these stereotypes from everywhere. Being in such a diverse environment and having attended very diverse school’s I am aware of all the different stereotypes but I learned to not judge anyone based on what is said about them. People who do not live in a culturally diverse area may be ethnocentric. Tatum also suggests that “the unexamined prejudices of the parents are passed on to the children. It is not our fault, but it Is our responsibility to interrupt this cycle.” Prejudices of other races based on what your family believes is something that should not be carried on because it is ignorant to assume certain things about someone’s race that you may in reality know nothing about. I agree with this quote because every race in some way will almost always feel superior to another race. Instead of feeling this sense of ethnocentrism and agreeing with the prejudices that were told from our generations we should be more open to learning about other races. What drew my attention reading Tatum’s first chapter was the fact that she addressed stereotype and
The Asian American history is the history of the ethnic and racial groups in the United States who are of Asian descent. Spickard (2007) shows that the "'Asian American' was an idea created in the 1960s to bring together the Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino Americans for a strategic and political purposes.
This book, Japanamerica focuses on how the Japanese popular culture influencing the American culture. The author, Roland Kelts take a neutral prospective in order to create this book, which is done by interviewing many significant individual who took part in establishing the popular culture in both Japan and America. Kelts investigates why the phenomenon of Japanophilia, or the “outsider’s infatuation with Japan’s cultural character” (pg.5), is occurring especially in the United States. Even though Japanophilia phenomenon arose before the twentieth century, it is increasing in number because of the anime, manga, videogames, and other medium of popular culture.
Children are taught to stereotype at a young age (Schneider 353). They pick up the stereotypes from their parents and other relatives before they even attend preschool. Though once in preschool, their peers and the people that watch them only help to reinforce the stereotypes (Schneider 353). “They may acquire negative attitudes toward other ethnic groups well before they have supporting beliefs or stereotypes” (Schneider 354). Children first learn to classify other children by race. This development can lead to negative feeling toward the other children. The effect this has on the children being targeted shapes their views. This also starts to set up their perspective on others for later in
Asian American Literature Asian Americans seem to be fighting an unwinnable battle when it comes to the content of their writing. Writers are criticized by whites for speaking out against discrimination, and by their fellow Asian Americans for contributing to the stereotypes through their silence. I believe that Asian Americans should include politics in their writing as they so choose, but should not feel obligated to do so, as Frank Chin suggests. For those Asian Americans who make known their discontent with the injustice and discrimination that they feel, in the white culture, this translates to attacking American superiority and initiating insecurities. For Mura, a writer who dared to question why an Asian American was not allowed to audition for an Asian American role, his punishment was “the ostracism and demonization that ensued”.
This investigation will explore the question, “How did cultural boundaries and differences in America during World War 2 have an effect on Japanese Americans?” It will focus on why the Japanese-Americans in the West were interned and why other war enemies like the Germans and the Italians weren’t.
Occasionally, in a group discussion setting people would ask what my views about certain social topics are. They asked these questions because they wanted to know my perception of the differences between my Vietnamese’s culture and the American way.
I would like to find out why people think all Asians are smart. People think this way normally because they know an Asian that is really smart. Then they meet more Asians and realize they are smart. Asians actually aren’t naturally gifted. They have to work for it.