...Definition of Race Cristen Sanders SOC/262 February 29, 2016 Carol Definition of Race Race has been an issue in the United States for hundreds of years. At times it seems like more of an issue than it should be. No matter how far we come, it always seems that another issue arises and it leads back to race. If we view race as a social construction supported by political realities, can complicate things more than needed. We can compare this view to traditional, and biological definitions. The downside to both of these views can be seen. Traditional views of race may inhibit the thinking and beliefs of others. Going back to the slavery days to the Civil Rights Movement, and issues that have arose in more recent times, the arguments, and hate do continue. If we view race as social construction, more minds may be open to the idea of racial equality. Many of the racial issues we have today are supported by political realities. Politics are the main division of race. There are many political realities that fuel the racial fire. We see so many children involved in crime, abuse and so many other issues that plague us. So why is it when a child is killed, or a victim of police brutality, the media always emphasizes, that a black child was killed by a white cop? Would it not be a better idea to say a young adult or a teenager was killed by an officer? Race does not always have to be an issue. But as long as the media and politics are thrown in, then money is to...
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...Life At the beginning of time, racism was not something people had to deal with. As time progressed people views changed because the color of some ones skin color. We all face it everyday whether you notice it or not. You may be judged because of what kind of car you have, or even by the neighborhood you stay in. Racism is still going on in America even after the bloodiest war we have ever seen 620,000 men lost their lives. Seems terrible right? One question I still ask myself why would we as Americans fight each other based on our skin color? This is what led me to interview my roommate Aban Morisetty, about how he feels about the color of his skin. The interview took place in a small study room, where it was just me and him. I first asked the main question. Have you ever experienced racism? He looked at me weird, but then he went on to state that he does experience it. He said “every time I go to the airport people always eye me.” Aban grew up in Multan a small country in Pakistan. As you know people in America these days look at his race to be the cause of 9/11. See, the one thing done by one person in your race pretty much determines the outcome of how people view you in the future. The next question comes up “How does it make you feel every time you walk in a airport?” He goes on to say that “he doesn’t like the way he is looked at because his skin color. People automatically suspect me to be a terrorist. I even do the simple things, like try to dress like a regular person...
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...wanted white people to take all the land in the US away from those who once held it white moral superiority- whites are so good white racelessness- whites don’t have a race, we’re “normal’ and race means other than white white privilege- system of advantages based on race- more trusted, empowered, rewarded-unearned advantages of being white- no shame blame guilt or anger for being white- privileges- school promotes success, dr’s treat you, nobody thinks you’re stealing system is unjust such relief in trust we didn’t create the systems but we can change the way we view race base how you feel about race and other systems of your life- taught not to see systems blame shame guilt or anger if you feel about race rather than use your own life to allow you to make your own mind up Peggy McIntosh is the associate director for the Wellesley Centers for Women and a very passionate anti-racism activist. McIntosh has a lot of knowledge and wisdom in the fields of race and gender, and does a great job of exemplifying this in the video. McIntosh speaks of several myths about race, unearned advantages that the white race has, and also speaks on the different thoughts and emotions felt by society in regards to race. The first myth, meritocracy, states that everybody simply gets what they deserve. The second is manifest destiny. Manifest destiny is the myth stating God wants white people to take all the land in the United States away from those of other races who once...
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...In the documentary assigned they go into great detail about how race is perceived by people in todays modern society. The documentary honestly did not change any of the assumptions that I already had about race. It is kind of just part of society today that people often get stereotyped by the race that they are. For example I feel like most people in todays society think that people of African decent have more athletic ability that than people of all other races. Another example from the movie is that white people are more privileged than other races and once again I feel that is a very common issue in todays society that is assumed by a lot of people. The one thing from the movie that did surprise me though was that people of two different races some times have very little genetic diversity. They said that people of two different races sometimes have less diversity than people of the same race. I found that to be very odd because I though genes were what determined ones race and people of the same race would have very similar genes....
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...marked as separate to race. Hill Collins theory of race, gender, and class asks us to think about race, class, and gender as interlocking systems of oppression. Multiple levels of domination are experienced through people being oppressed and discriminated. Hill Collins introduces this dominant theory of multiple levels of domination that involves gender as a site of identity and politics that sometimes involves African people. Collins believes that Afrocentric feminism is ultimately anchored in the unique experiences and struggles of ordinary African American women. Gender is always gender when spoken about in any race or nationality....
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...long amount of time people have been categorized into what we commonly call races. The definition of race according to the Dictionary of Human Geography is a “means of social classification and differentiation that attempts to essentialize political and cultural differences by linking physical traits (i.e. skin, blood, genes) and social practices (i.e. religion, violence, passion) to innate, immutable characteristics.” this definition of race is widely used, and has been used for an array of time. In historical epics such as Gilgamesh and The Ramayana and many historical ages, people were categorized by their physical appearance and spiritual views. At the top is Gods, then royalty, followed by nobility, towards the middle...
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...this is how we view each race and define each race. In fact, this is the reality of how each race of child is influenced and raised. Racism still exists not because we haven’t talked enough about it, but because we never try to change it. Likewise, born in a foreign country, I faced this unchangeable problem as an international student with different views. Also through these diverse experiences I came to frame my identity racially and personally throughout my life. “Hey, is racism harsh in America?” “How fast are black people? Do they actually carry guns?” These are questions that I was asked when I went back to Korea this summer. Unfortunately, Internet is a huge network nowadays and it affects everyone in the world. Those questions were not randomly asked, but because that is what people see in movies and news reports. Most racial stereotypes are framed according to what is in the media, the reason they are constructed. For example, recently there was a huge issue in Texas about a 14 year old Muslim genius boy who was arrested because his invention, a homemade clock, was assumed to be a bomb by the teacher. He was arrested and handcuffed because he was a Muslim. I doubt this would have happened if it were another race. Looking at this phenomenon, no one can deny that personal identity and race identity are both consciously and unconsciously created in this society. Likewise, I cannot deny the fact that I am viewed as a smart Asian who studies 24 hours and does not do anything...
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...Beverly Daniel Tatum and Jonathan Kozol, respectively, the authors show how the United States educational system is still flawed when it comes to racial equity. After many years of laws against discrimination, it is still present in schools and everyday life with no signs of stopping. Beverly Tatum showed an abundance of examples of why discrimination is still present in the US school systems. Tatum also gave reasons for those discriminatory encounters. The essay starts off describing an image of a typical high school cafeteria with all the kids of different races sitting together at different tables. But, the only thing people really notice is “Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?” The...
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... culture Diversity in the United States For decades, the human race has been identified as nothing more but unique! From the various shades of skin to the native language and geographic native land, people are diverse and have a major impact on our world and society. United States has had major culture changes as money continues to be one of the leading causes to mankind’s problems. However, knowledge of justice has help citizens and the governments realize to a degree, humans are the primary concern rather than the root to all madness “Money”. The effects of money has had an impression on the cultural diversity of the United States primary because power played the role of inequality that lead to the destruction of many families of minorities by the majority because of money. Moreover, the United States has overcome barriers to fix the disarray that power has had on individuals to help the citizens to reach out for understanding and answers that has led to the combination of knowledge, awareness and solutions. Let’s examine how! Understanding the history of how the United States met with cultural diversity has helped me to see that through history the effects begin with a negative view and later after harsh treatment was administered; lawmakers examined the outlook of the country to benefit the citizens. Two unique situations were race and gender that had an influential role of the American culture. Race was distinguished between major groups; majority versus minorities...
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...She herself being mixed race of black and white and then being adopted into a mixed race (White and Hispanic) family, she provided me with a special view on the world. I am predominately white and was not introduced to much diversity during my high school experience. The student body was 90% white at my high school, so I was not able to interact with a lot of different races. Most of my friends in high school were of the same race as I was. I would hang out with the same people and not venture out to broaden diverse relationships. Over our meal, she shared with me her experiences and encounters with racism and her feelings on the country’s current political standings. Our lunch did not feel anything way out of the ordinary, but that may be due to her upbringing. She was raised by her white mother and mentioned how she feels a disconnect from the typical African-American culture because of this....
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...We need to figure out what we can do as a society to fix these issues with race in today’s modern world. There are many key components to race, but we need to focus on the ones that truly matter. Those issues could have solutions for solving race and ethnicity problems. One key issues with race is that race determines people’s opportunities in life and it affect what you can and can’t do. In order for this issue to go away there needs to be a solutions that could solve it or at least eliminated the problem to the point where it’s barely noticeable or exists. The only way that it could possibly permanently go away is by having companies get rid of their certain social qualities like race and ethnicity. However, there is one problem with this solution that I came up with and that is: If companies were to completely get rid of those social qualities from their application requirements then the company could lose their control over how their company is portrayed and run. I know for...
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...When examining the concept of race, it can be said that it is constantly fluctuating because of different factors. Race can be defined as a variable that is shaped by broader societal forces, whether it is political, social or economic forces. It is also important that views on race differ from country to country because of different agendas, whether it be to exert dominance or power over other groups. Race can be considered as a social construction because it is used to maintain hierarchies, as seen through it’s lack of biological support and shifting societal views on race. Race is a social construction because it is constantly changing due to shifting societal views on race. First, it is important to note that a socially constructed concept is an idea that is defined as “a perception of a group, individual or idea that is constructed through cultural or social practice” (Dictionary.com). In other words, society creates an idea of what race is, and how races should be distinguished from one another. Race does not have a consistent definition, and can change based on the society that is being examined. In “Racial Formations”, Omi and Winant discuss the use of race as a social concept and conclude that the definition is not rigid, but is used to maintain domination. Omi and Winant believe that this domination is a result of racial formation”, or the “process in which race operates as a central axis of social relations, which then determine social, economic and political institutions...
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...the perils of segregation (Moore 4)" meaning these neighborhoods are assumed to be known as weak and economically depressed places to go to and are easily of being segregated by other races. Her perspective is different because as an African American she tells a more clear, honest understanding of how her race is segregated than what most people talk about despite them being assumptions that they are making. The assumption she makes are that low-income...
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...xmazibuko16@gmail.com Xolani Mazibuko xmazibuko16@gmail.com A comprehensive view of South African race relations. A comprehensive view of South African race relations. Race relations in South africa Social Psychology assignment 1 Race relations in South africa Social Psychology assignment 1 Table of contents Contents 1. Introduction: 2 2. The impact of Social cognition and schemas on race relations: 2 3. Role of attribution and attitudes in understanding race relations: 5 4. Impact of prejudice and discrimination on race relations: 7 5. Social influence: how it impacts race relations in South Africa 10 6. Conclusion: 11 Reference list: 12 1. Introduction: When speaking of racial relations, one is referring to types of behaviours which are exhibited by individuals after being in contact or interacting with people of various physical and cultural characteristics. (Balandier, 1956). Race relations debates have very prevalent in countries all over the world, South Africa being no exception. Due to the diverse nature of the county’s population, the topic of race relations still continues to dominate discourse in democratic South Africa. Since 1994, the citizens of South Africa have strived to eradicate racism and hostile racial relations. However, it has not been smooth sailing to move beyond racial lines as a source of division. In fact, the racial nuances still cling on stubbornly as race becomes a daily tormentor, making it very difficult to erode the edifices...
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...Microaggression: “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority)” (Merriam- Webster) Microaggression have become in recent years part of the conversation on race in America. Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric sheds light on microaggression towards people of color in American society. She uses poetry and pictures to weave a story about race in America today. Yet race problems are not something new in human history, in Shakespeare’s Othello named after the main character who is a black man, in an all white society. Othello married Desdemona, a white venetian women and around them the plot circles. Microaggression have been part of our society for awhile. These two text show race is two different societies and time periods. Yet the similarities between race relation in each text, begs the question how far we really come in race relations. Citizen and Othello shed light on...
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