Hello everyone,
In the comments section of this entry I'd like you to write a reflection on last week's class discussions, quiz, etc. What struck you? What did it all make you think about? What did you like/dislike, agree with, disagree with?
Write what would be between one and two pages, double spaced, in a Word Document.
Since I posted this so late in the weekend (sorry about that) this won't be due until Tuesday at noon.
daniel
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I thought last week’s discussion about race and racism was interesting because it caused me to think about the different degree of issues that arise between different people and races. When we were discussing the Villanueva chapter, I thought about how weird it would be to grow up in a school and neighborhood where race was not an issue and you felt equal to everyone around you, then have to move somewhere in the same country and realize that because Los Angeles is closer to the boarder of Mexico and immigration is an issue there, you would be treated differently because of a stereotype. This struck me because I couldn’t really imagine having teachers and principles trying to place me in groups because of my race and not because of my personality or interests or intelligence. Victor didn’t necessarily relate to any other Hispanic kids in the school in LA, especially since he was coming from the east coast where he wasn’t associated with illegal immigrants. I think an individual’s perspective about racism depends on where you live, how often you encounter people who are of another race than you and how open minded you are or were raised. There was a lot of talk in class about how our parents and grandparents were raised while civil rights movements were happening and I wonder what kind of impact our generation will experience because of events that are going on today.
ReplyDeleteIt was also interesting to discuss whether we thought racism still existed and whether or not it is still a problem. It seems true that in America we have progressed and racism is no longer the biggest issue our country is fighting, however at times I think that racism has also slightly shifted aim to stereotype people Hispanic people like Victor because of our immigration issues and Middle Eastern people because of our problems with terrorism. I think America sometimes sees a face that has caused a problem for our country and then blames everyone who looks like that face.
Another thing I thought about was the election of President Obama. Someone in class mentioned that racism still exists because we are still aware of race; we still made a big deal out of Obama being a black president. I think awareness is not a bad thing. I think awareness is something to be proud of, having a black president is something to celebrate and once a woman is elected it will also be a step of progress. When people are aware of the great accomplishments others of their race or sex have made, it is inspiring and motivating; it is not always a struggle of power between races and genders.
This past week’s discussions on racism were very informative to me. I had never thought of racism in the ways that were presented in class. I would definitely have been one to blindly answer the question about the occurrence of racism in modern society that racism does not exist today. This is an incorrect answer. What this week taught me is that stereotypes and prejudices are everywhere. Whether these prejudices are perpetuated by the established power structure or formed by single examples, they are present.
ReplyDeleteThe presence of prejudice based on examples of one person was a concept that I found interesting. We use examples such as Obama being the president to justify the opinion that racism is no longer a problem. These prejudices based on single occasions or people are just as harmful as overt acts of racism. These stereotypes have the potential to be perpetuated by joke or common usage. The idea that women and Asian people are bad drivers is an example of common stereotypes likely begun by one instance but have staying power.
The Office episode watched during class showed the detrimental potential of jokes. Michael did not see reenacting a Chris Rock skit as inappropriate because he was using it to be humorous. In reality, one must know that even in a joking manner, racist or phrases of prejudice can be harmful. In his diversity workshop, another mistake was made by Michael. His focus shifted from identifying similarities to generalizing groups of people by stereotypes.
Reading a section of Villanueva’s book gave me a new perspective on racism. The idea of an English only society did not seem an awful idea to me at first. Being from a community where everyone spoke English as their first language, it seemed a natural idea. What I had missed was the fact that an English only society is an exclusionary one. Not everyone is an English speaker in America and we should accommodate for all fellow Americans. The concept of a unified language versus exclusion arose in our discussion. The idea that people could be denied citizenship or voting rights because of a language barrier seems unfair to me. I agreed that America does not equal English.
I especially liked the discussion on the "exceptional person of color." I never really thought of it that way, but it is really surprising to me the number of people who point out that racism is not an issue simply because the president is black. I find that a lot of people our grandparents' age respond this way when asked about race issues. However, these "exceptional people of color" do show that progress is being made. I don't think society's mentality 50 years ago would have allowed a black president.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to listen to people or watch them on television these days. Everyone is afraid of offending someone else or a group of people. By making it a point to include people of color in television shows, commercials, and news shows, they are just pointing out that race and diversity are problems. Affirmative action operates somewhat similarly in this regard. Wouldn't someone rather be hired based on their merit, character, and experience instead of their color? You can't fight discrimination with discrimination. There is a deeper issue at hand. To me, many ideas like these that are supposed to be "fixing" the race issues in this country sometimes do the opposite.
Michael showed how acknowledging stereotypes and issues on race can sometimes actually be racist in "Diversity Day." There were certainly more sensitive ways to handle the problem that he himself created. This was interesting because he certainly would never claim to be racist or have discriminating ideologies, but the way he communicates with others in the office is seen as inappropriate and offensive. But why is it offensive? Is it because he is a white person impersonating Chris Rock? What if a black person impersonated Chris Rock? Chances are, fewer people would be offended by this. So who is being discriminating, the white person imitating a black person, or the black person who thinks a white person shouldn't act like this? Possibly both of them. We know Michael should have acted more sensitively, though. Best not to say the jokes or point out the stereotypes in the first place.
Bryan Sherman
ReplyDeleteMarch 29th, 2010
Racism Discussion/Reflection
The discussions and reading this past week in class highlight some of social issues the United States and the world still face. While many of us feel that issues such as racism, sexism and segregation are things of the past, systematic racism is still prevalent in the world today. Through our discussions, we learned a significantly new perspective on this issue. People do not often think about the idea of hegemony in society, and few know what it means, but it is nevertheless incredibly apparent through readings such as Villanueva’s piece. Also, the idea of “fictive kinship” really struck me as interesting and as a new concept that I had never really thought of or heard.
I really enjoyed developing a basic understanding of the issue at hand. Often it is hard to hear something of this nature and believe in its prominence but having listened to the discussions and done the readings, you realize that these issues are still very much at work in the world today. We often believe that since the Civil Rights Movement, we have separated ourselves socially from racism, but we’ve have only taken steps, not completed the process. In these discussions we highlighted a few areas where improvements must be made.
I enjoyed the discussions we had in class because they highlighted areas of social shortcoming which we do not often hear in the classroom. Bringing these issues to light is a very important step in beginning to try and eliminate the problem. While some of these problems are inherent in society, it is worth a valiant attempt to try and distinguish them at their origin. Bringing the issues to light in the classroom first can help establish why and how this systematic racism can hurt and hinder our society. Personally, this discussion was very beneficial to me and it definitely highlighted some current inadequacies in our social system.
Last week, the class discussions were about racism. It is something that still exist and happening around our community. Everywhere you go; it is going to be diverse. Even like a place like Pullman, a small town full of land, you can still find some sort of diversity around. But places like Pullman has seen its share of racism, take for example, last year’s hate crime. This made me think about the level of racism and how people identify themselves. There are the people that know they discriminate against a certain type of nationality. On the other hand, there are people that believe they’re not racist but in fact they dislike certain nationality. It is interesting how people would immediately associate themselves as not a racist; when they actually are but just don’t realize it. It seems like that is the evolution of racism.
ReplyDeleteIn the episode of The Office, Michael reenacted a stand up by Chris Rock. This brought the attention of corporate was because it was inappropriate. Although the episode was funny, but it demonstrated how poorly some people can really be when admitting to an act of racism. What I dislike/disagree is the fact that people think that it is okay to be racist if it was just a joke. But what they fail to realize that to some, it might not be a joke but rather offensive, especially when it is jokes about your own race. This is mainly caused by comedians (where Michael got his joke), that is what makes people life and out of their comfort zone.
What is really interesting to me is that because we have a black president, society is not considered racist anymore. What people are forgetting is that Obama’s election was very close. Not everyone supported Obama and not everyone is today. He is constantly criticized by Americans because the economy is still in a slump. People believe he is a bad President due to the fact he is doing very minimal to raise out of this depression. But in reality, I don’t think anyone is able to find a quick cure out of this depression. Another interesting topic was America equals English. What really struck me was that America is the most diverse place in the world, with exposure to hundreds of language. It’s hard to agree that America is English. The ideology of English is the only language you need to know has passed. People are encourage to learn a second language at a very young age and English is not the dominate language anymore. Sure, you can communicate almost anywhere with English. But with the current growth of Spanish and Chinese culture, there could be a high demand of cultural shift.
We are no different than back in the 50s or even 1800s. I believe people are less open about their discrimination is because United States is not just predominantly White anymore. Because of the diversity, instead of words people show their discrimination with actions. We, as a society, are slowly trying to eliminate racism. Will we ever reach to the level of free from racism and hate crime? One day, will racism be dead and individual look at each other as truly equal? Guess we will find out soon enough.
Last week’s discussion on racism was enlightening to me in that I did not fully understand the idea of systemic racism. Although traditional acts of racism and outright displays of violence common prior to and during the Civil Rights movement have decreased dramatically, several common stereotypes and schools of thought have moved to a subversive front that is much harder to fight and even identify.
ReplyDeleteThis discussion has led me to think about situations such the office episode we viewed in class, in which Michael inappropriately told a joke in a skit he had seen that many people found offensive. This situation in general bothers me in that it seems unfair that it is okay for one person to tell a joke and it be hilarious, while another person tells the same joke and is looked down upon. But in all reality the whole concept of fairness doesn’t really apply at all. Some subjects such as race need to be treaded upon lightly as they affect people differently. Some simple guidelines to follow are if the statement is questionable don’t say it. Also when talking about race it is important to remember that just because you have a certain amount of life experience, you have never stepped into another person’s shoes and have no idea of what experience they have been through because of prejudices and racial issues.
Lastly I thought it was interesting to discuss Villanueva’s article and the idea of English as the only language in the United States. Although a majority of the US speaks English, those in the majority are not exposed to the minority as much as we should be. The United States was based on the ideals of equality and tolerance for all and simply believing that the country should be run in only one language is absurd.
Discussions of racism always make me frustrated with the world. It seems childish and irrelevant to create such ideologies that accompany ideas like racism and sexism. And while it may be helpful to our psyche to place these ideals into impressive sounding words like hegemony and fictive kinship, I think that all matters of racism sexism are solely based on personal experience.
ReplyDeleteRacism cannot be measured or categorized as a whole idea because it is differently defined and experienced by every individual. As far as personal experiences go, I was unaware of such categories and terms like we discussed in class so therefore it was an enlightening experience. Further, I always enjoy watch the characters of The Office make fools of themselves however I can never escape the knowledge that it is written to be outlandish and way over the top. Because of this fact I can never take what is happening seriously enough to consider it “fact.” Granted many of the situations the characters find themselves in are stereotypical ideas about culture, race, sex, etc the point is that nothing that happens on the show will make me change my point of view on the issues.
This comes back to why I get frustrated with group discussions about these kinds of issues. No matter how much you talk about it or how many words you assign to categorize the different aspects of the issues, extremely few people are actually going to change their minds about that issue. Certain periods of time can, and have, changed enough people minds for dramatic change, such as in the civil rights movement era of course, but this type of change is an anomaly. I like to think of issues like racism and sexism like a traffic jam. In a traffic jam everyone is usually going a comparable speed although all are comparatively faster or slower. But in the end, that speed is never the most efficient for that person. Every single driver in that traffic jam wishes that they could be going a different speed and frankly that is what is best for the whole group. It would be best for the whole world to be going the most efficient speed and negate all aspects of racism and sexism; in essence, why can everyone just speed the hell up to 70! However, we all know that no matter how much you try and maneuver, some of those cars in front of you are never going to speed up to what you want.
Change is gradual. That is the most basic fact of all life on earth for both physical and psychological aspects. As a whole, humanity is slowly shying away from racism, as can be seen when we look at past ideals compared to today, and I believe that eventually racism will die out as a problem.
The discussions we had in class last week proved to be very interesting and thought-provoking to me. The Office episode we watched was a ridiculous example of the racism in today’s business world, however, some of the issues and situations presented in the episode are still prevalent, just not to the scale that Michael escalated it to.
ReplyDeleteAll of Michael’s actions and comments, though incredibly insensitive, seem to play into many common stereotypes that are popular today. Michael has a knack for compounding bad situations by always saying what is on his mind. I believe many people have the same thoughts as Michael in a joking manner, but most are smart enough to not announce them publicly. It is these same stereotypes that I believe sustain the idea of systemic racism. Even though most people aren’t truly racist, the stereotypes developed for a particular race cause for unfair initial judgments. The discussion we had about about when people were asked if they were racist was also interesting to me. Obviously, most people when asked if they are racist will say no, however, that is never truly the case. Everyone is programmed with certain snapjudments of people of a certain race based on history and past experiences, and I am no exception.
When talking about Villanueva’s book, I agree with the fact that people of certain races may be at a dissadvantage when it comes to education opportunities. That being said, it seems to me like this becomes an easy excuse for people that aren’t willing to work hard. Instead of pursuing opportunities to better themselves, they give up and say they have no chance to succeed given their circumstances. In my opinion, people need to stop feeling sorry for themselves, buck up, and work hard to achieve something, even if that’s not whats “supposed to happen” in their respective community. I believe that in America the opportunities for success are out there, no matter your race.
Another topic that I found interesting was talking about America = English. I understand that America is home to many different cultures, religion, and therefore languages. It wouldn’t be realistic to force everyone to speak primarily English. However, English is the primary language so it just seems reasonable to me, especially in business environments, to have it be the primary form of communication.
Last week’s class discussions regarding racism covered many points that continue to impact our society, however hesitantly we admit it. Racism, a feeling of animosity against or superiority over other individuals based on their race, is in all cases unacceptable. Yet instances of racism on varying levels of society occur. We focused on certain points brought up is both in Villanueva’s writings and an episode of “The Office” which prompted personal reflection.
ReplyDeleteFrom the discussions, I agreed the most with the “Exceptional Person of Color” falsity. One success cannot be the solution to all problems. When considering a subject as vast as racial diversity, one instance will never be the big answer society is looking for. Also, the “Colorblind Racism” point, another simplification people cling to in order to make it better right now. When individuals do not admit to being part of the social problem, they forfeit their opportunity of being part of the social solution.
A new and thought provoking point was the English standardization vs. assimilation argument. There are instances where standardized languages are necessary. The military and air traffic controllers benefit from a standard communication language. In this way, English has established itself as a standard. I believe that too often, the promotion of English is viewed as the suppression of other languages; this should not be the case. In the global community, multilingualism must become more common, facilitating more communication. Standardization has its place though; a freeway exit marked with an index of instructions in several languages is dangerous. It can be assimilatory to force individuals to learn a new language; it can also be considered part of society, which in itself is a mutual cooperation between people. Forced standardization of a single language is wrong; encouragement of a uniform communication system is not.
Racism is a human concept. As such, it can be defined in the terms of all ideas, basics of human interaction, identification and division. Race happens to be a convenient means of classification. A constantly changing problem, Racism evolves to incorporate and exclude different groups from an imposed standard. Irish, African, Asian, Latin, Native, Arab, and many other groups have been excluded from the imposed standard of this country, separate from the now oddly inclusive “white” majority. “White” is now possibly the most over generalized category, currently including people with origins on three continents including Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa, according to the Census Bureau regulations of 2000. When the “majority” has an oversimplification of itself, there is a clear problem.
Racism arises when the opinions about individuals is controlled by this overlying categorization, and is an under appreciation of what each individual has to offer, by being unique, to society. At this point, all simplifying falsities fall apart. “Colorblind Racism,” everyone being “the same” is no closer to an appreciation of individuals. “Exceptional Person of Color” compiles a group into one individual. Differences make every person an individual, but cannot define a group. “The Office” shows that differences alone, by group, make the situation worse. An entire group of individuals simplified to a few stereotypes. These are faults that society has imposed upon itself.
My thoughts lead me to think that looking to the smaller differences, going into further subcategories, to a category of one, is necessary. Not a giant “non” race, not defined by one individual in a category, and not defined by preset stereotypes. It is impractical to suggest everyone gets to know everyone on a personal level, but it is at least feasible to leave the generalizations out of it and accept that we do not know everyone. Go back to the basics of human interaction, the merger between identification and division, allowing for every person with their own set of differences to make their own impact on society at large.
What struck me the most was the 'color blind racism' and systematic racism. I was always taught not to judge the book by its cover but what was inside. That didn't mean I didn't hear stereotypes or even sometimes believe them. I think that our discussion on how racism has changed and not that it doesn't exist was enlightening. I realized that it isn't just enough for me, one person, to know what is right and wrong but for the rest of everybody else to do the same. I think it is easy for our generation but harder for the older generation who was raised in the time of great judgment. I think that there is no way to get rid of racism or sexism because there is always someone comparing to someone else. The only way is to try to make things somewhat better.
ReplyDeleteI think that the discussion around awareness was important topic. I think there was a misinterpretation. I felt like that it was said that awareness was evidence that racism still exists in America. This is a complete a misconception, awareness is the key to help against racism. Awareness allows for people to see the differences, which yes allows people to judge, but these differences help us to realize that although that we may have differences we all have similarities that connects us together.
Also, we touched slightly on how racism seems to only relate only to one color. Most people do not seem to realize that racism does not just refer to African-Americans. This is an error that leads to racism still being present in our society.
What I noticed in class is that people tend to be conscious of a "race issue", but think that racism isn't much of a problem today. I also noticed that people felt uncomfortable at times.
ReplyDeleteThe episode of the office was entertaining, but highlighted some serious issues facing us today. Stereotypes are everywhere in the episode. Michael makes a complete ass out of himself as usual, but manages to go to the next level of insulting his employees. As the corporate trainer explains to Michael that he was sent there to address some of his own incidents he refuses to believe he has done anything wrong. Aside from the fact that Michael was obviously reported by one of his own employees, he continues to prove he's not racist by putting on an incredibly racist workshop. Sadly, I believe there are probably really people like Michael out there. In fact, I took a sociology class at TCC where a woman actually asked," Is it true that all Asians are ninjas?" and was dead serious!
I think the most interesting debate we had in class was concerning the use of English. I tend to agree with people who say that we should have a standard language to do business in. It just makes sense so that we can all communicate with each other. I don't think it has to be English though. Make it Spanish or Chinese for all I care, but everyone has to learn to speak it to do business.
The discussion on racism, reading from the Victor Villanueva’s book called “Bootstraps” and the episode of “The Office” were interesting. It was really great opportunity to develop, think, and learn about other people’s thoughts and ideas about the issue. The racism and segregation were definitely problems in the past. Many people had tried to solve the problems, but the racism still exists around the world today even in Pullman too. The racism is not the problem that can be disappeared in short amount of time. Therefore people should be acknowledged about the racism.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the class discussion, there were several interesting points including an issue of having a black president, thinking America is equal to English, and jokes related to the races.
The first point is the issue of having a black president. Some people think that having a black president shows, there is no racism in the society. It is significant that Obama is the first black president in this country. However having a black president is not a proof of racism-free society. Not everyone supports and likes Obama whether because he is black or not.
The second point is the thinking America is equal to English. It is a common misconception that America is equal to English. However in fact, English is not only language used in the country. Taking this misconception as a truth can be considered ignoring people who use other languages. As a result, this can be regarded as the racism.
The last point is jokes related to races. In the episode of “The Office”, Michael hosts the diversity workshop by forcing everyone without considering their feeling, and thoughts. Also Michael makes fund of Kelly by using Indian accent. He thought that it was just joke but for Kelly, it was not anything like joke. Moreover it was offensive to Kelly. Personally, making jokes about races are not appropriate in any situations especially when a person you are talking to is different race than you.
The racism still exists around the world. Therefore people need to think deeply about this issue, the racism. Not only thinking about self, but also thinking about others can make changes. Someday the racism would disappear.
After our discussions about racism, racist ideologies, and their place in the workplace, I am most interested in seeing what role racism will play when our generation dominates the workforce. Having been raised after the Civil Rights Movement by parents that were raised during the Civil Rights Movement, we’ve been taught that race and ethnicity shouldn’t play a part in any of our judgments of people. It is definitely true that issues of race and ethnicity do not come to mind as immediately for our generation as our parents’. When a high-school friend, who happens to be African-American, came over to my house for the first time, my mother was shocked—not because she was “prejudice,” but because she had assumed he was white since I had never mentioned his race. Those distinctions, whether they are relevant at the time or not, are very prevalent in the minds of our parents but not in ours. And yet we are the ones that will have to restructure the cultural barriers that have contributed to systemic racism. We will have to adjust law enforcement, political representation, economic inequality, language discrepancies, and other issues that affect minorities much more than the dominant white culture—not an easy task.
ReplyDeleteI think that our generation is less (or, perhaps more accurately, more) categorical. We reject simple groupings of people and are accepting of a much broader range of groupings (i.e. using nationalities to describe heritage rather than “Hispanic” or “Asian”). Hopefully this will decrease “colorblind” racism because we recognize that a person’s heritage is important and that society as a whole must recognize the differences between cultures rather than lump them together. However, racism isn’t something that can be changed overnight. We learn our culture from our parents; though our ideas may differ from theirs, they are still a powerful portion of society. We can teach our children differently than we were taught, but then we will still be around to be a powerful portion of society. Ideologies take a long time to change and I’m not positive that we will see the end of systemic racism in our lifetime.
After our class discussion on racism, I would have to say I was very much informed and had never really taken the time to look at the situation the way we did. However, the subject for me is always a bit hard because everyone has their own opinions and at times I think why does there have to be an issue? Unfortuntatley every one is entitled think what they want to, and rascism or other acts of violence toward another culture can greatly affect our society. The effects are not confined to the negative, but can also be positive acts. Now that we have a black president, it almost seems as if people think we don't have an issue with racism. But from my personal perspective, ever since Barack Obama was elected I have witnessed some prejudice acts that were a little shocking to say the least. I would have to say that if we were to have a black president 50 or more years ago there would be much more racism, but over the years, our society has changed and made progress.
ReplyDeleteSomething I always wonder is when will be the time to draw the line or do people even consider. For example, The Office episode we watched may have thought to be racist and unacceptable to some, it had some humor as well. Since Steve Carell was the one acting this way is it ok since he comes across as the funny immature guy or is it time to draw the line? I feel if someone else were to act the way he did then they would be looked down upon.
All in all the discussion opened my eyes to see things from a different perspective and I think it is always good for others to be enlightened as well. Since not everyone cares or takes the time to consider racism it is a social issue in our society that should continue to be addressed.
The chapter we read for class, “Spic in English!” is oddly similar to another article I recently read by Jacqueline M. Martinez titled, Learning to See What I was Never Supposed to See: Becoming Chicana in a White World. Both authors suggest the topic of “passing.” Passing is a term that describes the act of becoming more “white-like” which signifies gaining access to more privileges. Because whites are of the majority and historically have been for basically all of American history, they receive more privileges (access to more jobs, economically, etc.). Villanueva says he “tries to be white” (p. 35). It seems that the attempt to be more “white” comes from his mom, who he says pushed for assimilation. However, his attempt also brings up the idea of multiple identities. Villanueva seems to “try-out” different cultural identities. It seems that he is trying to find an identity that fits him best; maybe one that he has avowed himself, not one that someone else has ascribed to him. Dealing with ascribed identities is a common struggle for anyone of any color, but is probably even more prevalent for people of color.
ReplyDeleteThe section on biculturalism is interesting because Villanueva says “biculturalism does not mean to me an equal ease with two cultures,” rather he says it “means the tensions within” (p. 39). First of all, this supports the idea I previously discussed about having multiple identities. Secondly, it seems that one culture will always dominate depending on the context. Because two or more cultures are often in opposition to one another, it seems that a relationship of equality and harmony would be hard to achieve, particularly in an American society that often labels people as one race – as seen in our Census which didn’t allow people to choose more than one race until just recently.
I really like the quote “History is dates and dead white guys” (p. 38). This exemplifies the idea that the dominant group (whites) has written history because they have had the power to do so. I received a White Privilege Checklist by Peggy McIntosh of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women in another class. She describes white privilege as “an invisible package of unearned assets” and “an invisible knapsack of special provisions.” One of the examples on the checklist is that white people can be told about their national history and about people of their own color making our country what it is. Villanueva’s quote exemplifies this idea, which I believe is partially true. However, while American history has been significantly influenced by all sorts of people, our country was in fact founded by white Europeans so it seems that this idea is partially inevitable.
I found last week’s discussions on racism to be very interesting. I agree with the idea that racism still exists today. It is definitely better than it has been in America’s past, but is still present especially the idea of hegemony. These discussions made me think about how racism is portrayed in our society today. It also made me think about the town that I grew up in and the prejudice that some people still have in that town.
ReplyDeleteThe discussion about the “exceptional person of color” really stood out to me. It did because I had not heard this term before and when it was defined I realized how much this idea is used in our society to try to show that racism doesn’t exist anymore, when it is really showing that it does. This prejudice based around successful people of color such as President Obama and the WSU English professor discussed in class are intended to show that people of color can be just as successful as white people in America. I think that people like this are great examples for everyone that hard work can pay off, and that people can do anything they set their mind to. The problem is when people use these examples to say that racism doesn’t exist because in America as a hole the percentage of black people that are in high positions of authority in this country is a lot less than the percentage of white people.
Also I agree with the points brought up in class about the idea that how and where individuals were raised plays a large part in their thoughts and views on racism. For example I grew up in a really small town that was compiled almost entirely of white people. I feel that there are quite a few people that live there that have strong prejudice against people of other races, and I feel the reason that they do is because lack of exposure to a diverse population. This particularly applies to the people that have never left the town to go to college or go do anything else.
I thought the discussions last week about racism were very stimulating. It is interesting to see how different people in my generation view racism. The question the we discussed at the conclusion of class on I believe Wednesday was a very interesting question. "Are you a racist?" The cold hard truth is yes, I would not say I am on the radical side of the spectrum but I do exhibit slight prejudice when I meet new people. This isn't quite based on color but more based on environment, prior experiences, and who I am with. I base prejudices not on social stereotypes but from personal stereotypes formed from what I personally have experienced. In addition, it is difficult to explain this in a discussion which makes racism a very touchy discussion topic. I feel like as a society we have become much better about racism but I feel there is still a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteWhat stuck out the most from last week’s classes was the discussion over the chapter that we read by Villaneuva. This is a sensitive subject for a lot of people and there has been much pain in the past over the race issue. What stood out to me was how young students where being placed or encouraged to be with their specific race while they where in school. This grouping stuck out because as the world has been changing I did not expect this to still be happening in schools even though in the back of my head I still could see it going on. This country has progressed a long way on racism, so far in fact that an African American has become the president of the United States there is still some trace elements of racism that can be found. This probably will go on forever not only in the United States but also around the world because people are different.
ReplyDeleteIt really made me think about how I can do my part to help the world and the United States to be more integrated. It also called be to think about how I have treated others and how I could do better in that process.
What I liked about our conversation in class was that it was open an it had the feel that in my generation we are moving past race and judging people by the content of their character instead of the color of your skin. I like this conversion because it gives hope to the future and a bright out look on America.
This past week in class we have discussed the social issue in the United States of people being stereotyped or assumptions being made about them based on race, sex, or gender in and outside the workplace.
ReplyDeleteIn class we watched an episode of The Office where the corporate headquarters brought in a person to present a workshop on diversity. This workshop stemmed from Michael Scott the manager of the Scranton branch reenacting a very controversial Chris Rock skit. The episode demonstrated how one can be socially insensitive and racially prejudiced while not intending to or being aware of it. In the episode Michael made some very racist and offensive remarks but what really caught my attention on the subject is that Michael felt that he was completely politically correct and the not the least bit being racist or insensitive. What he found socially acceptable was anything but that and brought to light of underlying feelings in our society in regards to race and gender that are not talked about very often. This made me think about how often I have witnessed similar insensitive acts and not paid any attention to it or little attention to the cultural, gender, race insensitivity that is very common in our society. Another topic of interest that was brought up in class was the idea of how cultural and social attitudes are passed on from parents. Applying this to people who I have grown up with and know their parents I can really see how some parents attitude or opinions on a person’s sex, race or gender is passed on to their children.
What really surprised me during the lecture that our professor discussed was the amount of English professors of minority in the United States. I am not 100% percent sure or not if this is correct but if I recall correctly he stated that there are only 12 English professors of Hispanic background in the US and one of those being the author Enrique Villanueva who teaches at our university. To put the statistic into context we were discussing immigrants who come to the United States mindset is and how they feel what they are able to accomplish with their lives. We were assigned to read a chapter in Villanueva’s book “Bootsraps: From an American Academic of Color.” In the chapter Villanueva talks about how he always had the mentality and idea that there “would be no college” for him in the future. From the statistic it seems that it is a very real and pressing issue. That as a country we are not inspiring and stimulating people from all backgrounds to further their education or at least give people more options and skills sets instead of having to attend college.
In discussing racism I always feel like good topics and issues are brought up and talked about, but realistically nothing is really ever done because the majority of society today believes they are not racist. I feel that we are and have been, moving in the right direction - one that seems to be improving with each and every generation, but there are still things we need to work on. Most people in society today believe in stereotypes; although they usually feel it's not hurting anyone, I believe it's still a form of racism.
ReplyDeleteFor example, on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" last night, they interviewed a guy who is trying to form a basketball league that parallels the NBA. The key difference is that it's a league that only plays people who are white and are of white descent. The guy behind this feels that he is not racist, but that he is "bringing the game back to the fundamentals and it's foundation" by excluding African Americans because they are vastly "superior" in their ability to play basketball. Although our personal intent with stereotypes may not be this severe, it just goes to show how common "racism" (within the context of stereotypes) still is in society today.
For the clip shown of "The Office," I know the writers of the show vastly exacerbate situations and feelings found in a typical work environment - so in a real life situation, I do not believe it would be acceptable for Michael to re-enact the joke in front of all of his employees (clearly). It should have been saved for good friends in a private setting. But the problem is that generally (for example), many African Americans would still be angry that he re-enacts the joke in the first place; primarily due to the fact that he is white. As Ben said, he doesn't believe it's fair for either side of the racial coin to do that, even if it's with the best of intentions and not racially driven whatsoever. Of course there are boundaries, such as racial slurs that should not be used, and things of that nature. But, if a white person enjoys the comedy of an African American person (for example), no one should be the judge as to what they can share with their friends. I'm sure if you asked Chris Rock his opinion, he would tell you that he wants everyone to enjoy his comedy skits because he is an entertainer and he wants to entertain everyone.
The talks in class brought several issues to light that many people often fail to recognize or notice when they in fact occur all around us. It is because of this that it is all the more important to discuss issues of racism openly, including what is racism. People often think of racism as individual acts and ignore issues of institutional racism that maintain the hegemony that we have. There were several examples that we discussed in class such as fictive kinship, ‘colorblind’ racism, and ‘exceptional person of color’ prejudice and how these have been naturalized into out society. I am glad that we discussed these things in class and that they were brought out into the open for the entire class. The class as a whole was not as involved in the discussion as I am used to from other discussions, but it is understandable as it is a very controversial topic that most people would normally rather avoid. We dived right into the topic rather than easing people into the issues, but it likely would not have been possible to do it in the time we have in class. There are series of classes talking just about the issues we discussed and I understand that it is not feasibly possible to do more than skim the surface and focus on what issues are most prevalent in the workplace.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the episode of The Office that we watched in class I think it was too over the top to actually seriously bring any issues to light. It is impossible to in my mind to imagine anyone as bad as Michael in reality, so people therefore take all the racial points from the episode as ‘well duh’ moments. This means that any racial issues in it are essentially ignored, unless like our class, you are looking for it from the beginning. Probably the best addressed issue of the episode regarded Latino stereotypes and the idea that ‘Mexican’ had somehow been made a derogatory term because of all the ideas that tend to be unconsciously held in our society under the label of Mexican. The reaction is not limited to non-Latinos either. An old friend who came to the states from Guatemala when he was 5 years old will even admit to this frame of thought when someone refers to him as Mexican. The other moderately well addressed issue is when Michael is slapped for his stereotypical impersonation of an Indian male, which clearly illustrated the shear offensive nature of the event which most people would, and do simply think of as good humor. Aside from these instances I thought nothing much could actually be seriously taken away from the episode due to how over the top it was.