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Race as a social determining factor
The social construction of race affects
The social construction of race affects
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“This is who I am, this is how I stand up for myself” as quoted by Shane Koyczan was about his identity by people labelling him as pork chop. In school, many students had experienced bullying that can destroy someone’s identity such as a girl who called ugly. Therefore, it is all about bullying about the appearance of a person. This slam poem was about the internal and external surface defining of an identity; the idea of conformity. With that in mind, Koyczan talks about what is being against normality. He was against this conformities and stand up for himself, and at the end of the day, we needs to accept who we are as He stated “I will love myself despite the ease with which I leaned toward the opposite”. Koyczan describes the rejection …show more content…
One of the article quoted “discrimination imposes a disadvantage on certain persons relative to others, and those who are treated more favorably are not to be seen as victims of discrimination.” (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/discrimination/#ConDis) The next video was “Is this your bike?” is a social experiment about gender and racial identity. They demonstrated discrimination. I admit, I never liked social experiment because it tends to be a bias subject. This experiment shows the first impressions. I truly believed after seeing this video, as we already judge or felt bad for the African American guy, we will judge or criticize Americans. Isn’t it ironic? In this situation, there is really no win-win situation. One of the video I watched by Jackson Katz “violence about women”, I was amazed on his introduction. This is sort of related in a way that he mentioned when the society tries to synonymous one subject to an identity. This video demonstrated that the African American was synonymous to crime or the lady is judge by her weakness, they even helped her. Why is that? As he said that the dominant group is not paid attention. This was illustrated by the Caucasian guy who tries to steal the bike. Therefore, …show more content…
This video is another slam poetry about Kai Davis’s appearance as not being socially accepted due to the fact of her skin color. For example, her word of choice is more proficient or advanced than her classmates. She clarified that we do not have to judge the person by its color. Even though, it only talks about two race here in United States, she was trying to imply that the identity of a race can be define and discriminated; in a way white people are the dominant and ideal race. Therefore, she articulated her opinion. Some of us are so ignorant in a way a certain ethnicities such as Africans do not have the ability to be
It is commonly thought that one has to struggle in order to be black. Black people tend to have a stronger sense of group identification than any other racial group in the United States. The question is whether or not this is helpful or detrimental to the black population. In “Promoting Black (Social) Identity” Laura Papish criticizes Tommie Shelby’s We Who Are Dark. Shelby argues that the black population’s sense of group identity is vital to furthering their collective political agenda. Shelby believes that best way to make sure that their political ideologies are cohesive is for black individuals to have a “thick conception of black identity” (Papish 2).” Having a thick sense of black identity calls for “ African Americans think of themselves as and act as a ‘nation’ constituted not by physical borders, but by a shared ethnic, cultural, or biological trait that imbues the community with a ‘general will’ and this “ will” typically includes political motives (Papish 2). Papish argues that it not part of the duty of a black person to have any sense of loyalty or solidarity with other African-Americans and that not doing so does not make them any less black than those that choose to have a thick sense of black identity. Those who don’t grow up with a strong black group identity in their lives are just as black and go through some of the same struggles that other black people do. In the video “Black Like Who?” Debbie Reynolds did not have a strong sense of blackness because she was raised in a white neighbor. The other ladies in the short film talk about how they thought that she had a “ real problem with [her] ethnicity like [she] had a problem with the fact that [she] born African-American (Reynolds). This along with the documentary on Lacey Schwartz show that a person’s sense of blackness is very much a product of what others around them define blackness as. However, it is not clear
In this article, Dowsett uses the analogy of a bike argue his connotation when a white person is bombard by the term white privilege. Lastly, the author is trying to reach out to white people that the next time someone try to use the term “white privilege” remember they aren’t calling you a racist, they just want you to try empathize with how scary it is to be on a bike sometimes. One point I notice that the author is debating is about how the system allows discrimination to happen in analogy to how driver has more “privileges” over the biker. An example is how the rode is made for both cars and bikes, but when a car comes zooming by not realizing how frightening it may put a cyclist in danger they only see the road from the privileged perspective of a car. In another instance the author uses is the snowy weather. The fact that when it snows the snow in the street are being push over to the bike lane not realizing that cyclist exist. Another topic that caught my attention while reading the article is how Dowsett paints a picture of a nice
People in America are not all seen as equal, and this is especially true when it comes to people of color. According to “Theories and Constructs of Race” by Linda Holtzman and Leon Sharpe: “The continuous racial targeting of people of color and the privileging of whites, along with the misinformation about race passed along from one generation to the next and reinforced through the media, has imbued people of all races with a distorted sense of personal and group identity” (Holtzman and Sharpe 604). This quote means that people of color are often targeted in a negative way, which shows that racism and discrimination is something that can be passed down or learned from the media. Today, there are people who still think minorities are inferior based on the color of their skin. “Theories and Constructs of Race” also mentions how from an early age, minorities become the target for racism, blame, and overall hatred. According to “Theories and Constructs of Race” by Linda Holtzman and Leon Sharpe: “The myth of racial inferiority and superiority has been upheld not only by physical violence and discriminatory policies but also by the psychological violence conveyed through stereotyping and racist messaging” (Holtzman and Sharpe 604). This quote means that minorities are constantly targeted both physically and psychologically, which shows that inequality is a “monster” due to the damage it causes to individuals on multiple levels. Racism can also lead to internalized racism, which causes individuals to adapt a self-deprecating attitude and engage in self-destructive behavior. Furthermore, hate, racism, and discrimination often result from people not understanding that not everyone is offered the same opportunities due to the lack of
Barbara Jordan, who is a leader of the Civil Rights movement, once believed “we, as human beings must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.” Discrimination is a topic often found in the literature and is discussed in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a documentary trailer My So-Called Enemy directed by Lisa Gossels and a short-story “What of this Goldfish, Would You Wish?” by Etgar Keret. Those who believe that accepting others from different racial backgrounds will make the world a better place; meanwhile, there are others who refuse to accept others or being disagreed with the quotes of Barbara Jordan, they think the opposite direction of the people who are agreed with the quotes. I agree with Barbara Jordan that we, as a human beings, can accept others who are different than ourselves because we are sharing a common root of the Mother Earth; thus, we can learn to treat others with kindness and respect, and be more understanding of the differences in others.
“I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group,” Peggy McIntosh wrote in her article White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Too often this country lets ignorance be a substitute for racism. Many believe that if it is not blatant racism, then what they are doing is okay. Both the video and the article show that by reversing the terms, there is proof that racism is still very existent in this world. By looking into A Class Divided and White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack along with their ability to broaden the cultural competence, once can see how race is still very prominent in our culture.
The essay, “Standing Up for the Power of Learning,” by Jay Mathews explained how one of many students was accused of academic dishonesty. During the regular school session of the year 2001, three fourths of 187 students at Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) were found guilty of cheating. This was because they collaborated on an assignment in a computer science (CS) course with friends. By communicating with others about the project, the students violated the course honor code that prohibited the discussion among students for that particular class.
In relation to the “Implicit association test, which measures unconscious bias,” Myers acknowledges that “Seventy percent of white people taking that test prefer white.” Not only do white people prefer someone of their race, but “Fifty percent of black people taking that test prefer white” as well. Informing us of the results from the IAT (Implicit Association Test) helps showcase that there is a clear bias among us that “we’ve been schooled in.” Myers provides this data in order to further justify that we all play a role in the “prejudices that fuel those kinds of tragic incidents” that happened to the black men mentioned in the previous paragraph. Conversely with a grandiose tone, the diversity advocate explains that the problem isn’t so much that “we see color” its “what we do when we see the color.” Verna Myers bringing this issue to light is effective in the sense that it makes her audience re-evaluate their standpoint within these specific instances. Are their prejudices a part of the problem?” Yes. Verna Myers is well aware that “we are not shooting people down in the street” nonetheless, we still contribute to the issue until we are willing to “look within and being to change
However, there are occasions where labels could hinder a person 's opportunity. In fact, culture is the newest label that society takes into account the most, and to a minority, the main goal is to embed the roots of the old generation into the next generation. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to be versatile today, as a matter of fact, often times white Americans find themselves complaining about the lack of culture that makes other’s diverse. Hsu points out that “to be white is to be culturally broke. … They feel disadvantaged, and they feel marginalized. They don’t have a culture that’s cool or oppositional” (505). What Hsu really means by this is white individual’s envy not coming from a diverse background. An individual has a diverse background when they inherit multiple cultures. This allows for flexibility when choosing what culture to identify with. Although this may be true for some individuals, white Americans today tend to believe that it’s more convenient to identify themselves with the group that appeals to them based on styles and cultural backgrounds. Thus, being culturally broke meant finding the niche that one is accepted into in order, to obtain a diverse identity. Hsu emphasizes that culture is a necessity which in turn allows seeing the flexibility of racial identity throughout his examples. Hsu overlooks what can be considered as an important perception of how racial identity can be inherited, which is seen throughout McBride. Having a white Jewish mother and a black father proved to be a huge challenge for McBride as a child it can be seen thoroughly when he mentions, “I-thought it would be easier if we were just one color, black or white. I didn’t want to be white. My siblings had already instilled the notion of black pride in me. I would have preferred that Mommy were black” (McBride 419). McBride is constantly categorized into two different groups black
Despite the current scrutiny that her race faces she asserts to the reader that her race and color define her as a person and does not determine her identity. Despite the mindset that most of her peers keep about the inequality of race, she maintains an open mind and declares to the reader that she finds everyone equal. Thus proving herself as a person ahead of her own time.
After all these years, racism and prejudices are still present in our society. It seems as though there is not a day that goes by without seeing a story about a racially fueled crime or act of discrimination on the news. As much as people would like to believe that racism no longer exist and that stereotyping and racial profiling do not happen on a daily basis, the truth of the matter is that these prejudices are still very existent today. In the 2004 movie Crash, the lives of several Los Angeles citizens intertwine when faced with racism, stereotyping and crime.
In the United States, racial discrimination has a lengthy history, dating back to the biblical period. Racial discrimination is a term used to characterize disruptive or discriminatory behaviors afflicted on a person because of his or her ethnic background. In other words, every t...
I was late for school, and my father had to walk me in to class so that my teacher would know the reason for my tardiness. My dad opened the door to my classroom, and there was a hush of silence. Everyone's eyes were fixed on my father and me. He told the teacher why I was late, gave me a kiss goodbye and left for work. As I sat down at my seat, all of my so-called friends called me names and teased me. The students teased me not because I was late, but because my father was black. They were too young to understand. All of this time, they thought that I was white, because I had fare skin like them, therefore I had to be white. Growing up having a white mother and a black father was tough. To some people, being black and white is a contradiction in itself. People thought that I had to be one or the other, but not both. I thought that I was fine the way I was. But like myself, Shelby Steele was stuck in between two opposite forces of his double bind. He was black and middle class, both having significant roles in his life. "Race, he insisted, blurred class distinctions among blacks. If you were black, you were just black and that was that" (Steele 211).
Prior to beginning my readings on white racial identity, I did not pay much attention to my white race. If someone had asked me to describe my appearance I would have said short blond hair, blue eyes, average stature, etc. One of the last things I would have noted was the color of my skin. Growing up in overwhelmingly white communities, I never thought to use the color of my skin to differentiate myself from others. Over the course of this dialogue I have learned that my white racial identity is one of the most defining aspects of my appearance in this society. There is a certain level of privilege that I am afforded based solely on the color of my skin. According to Peggy McIntosh, “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks” (71). All these objects listed by McIntosh are things I have access to and certainly take for granted. Due to a history of non-white racial oppression, which transformed into decades of racial discrimination that still lingers today, the white race has dominated our society in terms of resources and prosperity. The ideas of wealth, higher-level education and ambition to succeed are all traits commonly linked to people of the white race that collectively define privilege. The aspect of privilege can also produce disadvantages for people of the white race as well. In the book Promoting Diversity and Justice, the author D. Goodman notes that people of advantage groups develop a sense of superiority, which will sometimes lead them to wonder if, “their achievements were based on privilege or merit” (107). Along with a diminished sense of accomplishment, the cost ...
Overall discrimination is an awful thing. It is like a STD, it can be passed from parent to child, or someone can become infected if you don’t watch out. Discrimination is also like the plague. It sweeps over a large amount of people, infecting most, and most don’t survive. Though today much of the discrimination is gone, just like the plague, but it is still there. Unfortunately for some people, they have to deal with people discrimination from others. Whether it be discrimination of one’s race, age, disability, or gender. Discrimination has numerous damaging effects to someone’s life. In Of Mice and Men the unlucky victims of discrimination also suffer from the same effects. They allow for people to have control of them and walk all over them. Discrimination is like a fire... It hurts.
Discrimination has always been there between blacks and whites. Since the 1800s where racial issues and differences started flourishing till today, we can still find people of different colors treated unequally. “[R]acial differences are more in the mind than in the genes. Thus we conclude superiority and inferiority associated with racial differences are often socially constructed to satisfy the socio-political agenda of the dominant group”(Heewon Chang,Timothy Dodd;2001;1).