Race And Gender Classification Essay

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The Injustice of Race and Gender Classification
Some believe that the world we live in is free of problems. That the world has no divides, and there is no longer segregation between races or genders. They ignore the modern reality of separation between races and genders. Race and gender are part of a person’s social identity, and we use them everyday to define others. Using race and gender as classification in society is wrong.
The book Difference Matters by Brenda J. Allen gives insight to how labels are formed from gender. Chapter three, Gender Matters, demonstrates how females are categorized differently compared to males in society. Allen states that, “sex is a biological classification,” and that “gender refers to cultural norms or femininity
In “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh arranges a list of freedoms she gets to enjoy on a daily basis due to her race. In this list, she comments on how she can write checks without people around her questioning her financial stability because she is white. This privilege is often overlooked by white people and seen as reality rather than an advantage. She also mentions several instances where her race will be considered the “right” race if any arguments were to arise between her and another co-worker who was of a different race than her. Number twenty-eight on her list states that, “I can be pretty sure that an argument with a colleague of another race is more likely to jeopardize her/his chances for advancement than to jeopardize mine.” Privileges like these are almost always overlooked by white people, and they are often abused by whites in order to assert their dominance. This list of privileges is one that few white people would admit was right, and many would deny that these were even privileges to them. The fact that one race believes themselves to be superior to all others in society is wrong. All races should be treated the same, and individuals should not be chained to the color of their skin or the path of their

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