...permeates the narrative of humankind. Mindsets of preceding cultures lacked reflection, therefore, did not address the logic or reasoning of their thoughts, feelings, or actions toward those deemed different. Unbeknownst to them, their attitudes reflected the acceptance of racism on a global scale for centuries. Nonetheless, the precise definition of racism only came into existence in the last one hundred years. What is racism then? The answer varies according to the psychological awareness and social progress of the culture defining. Hence the definition of racism has transformed over time. However, in today’s society racism describes an attitude arranged into three components comprising feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Undoubtedly, the affective or feeling aspect of racism exposes the structural emotions of prejudice, condescension, and separation of a racism. The concept of liking someone is determined by our feelings. Racism acts on prejudice or “pre-judges” a separate race. Emotions of racism are arrogant enough they are construed for a fact, reality, or even in some cases divine truth, which created disdain toward the other races. The initial difference of people from Europe and the people from the “new world” were purely cultural. Unfortunately,...
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...Name Instructor Course Date Stereotypes in Mass Media Mass media has become a main source of popular culture in modern society. The media does not only entertain or feed information to the audience, but also transfers the beliefs, values and stereotypes of the society resulting to a change in the order of life in society (Wells 514). According to Althusser, families, schools and religions play a crucial role of ideological state apparatuses. Such institutions indoctrinate and transfer the ideologies of society into the minds of people in the society in order to control them. However, in modern society, the media is turning out to be yet another apparatus for controlling the minds of people. To most people, the pieces of art such as movies, magazines, documentaries and music in the media seem unique. However, all these products are no different from each other. The content in the media reflects the life of people in such a way that people would comprehend. Such a reflection occurs through reproduction of stereotypes which impacts profoundly on life in society (Wells 514). This paper examines the stereotypes mass media in more detail by considering the works of Betye Saar, the use of the concept in advertising and images in popular culture such as Aunt Jemima among others. The Liberation of Aunt Jemima Betye Saar is one of the few women who challenged the male artists’ dominance in the museum and gallery spaces in the 1970s. Some organizations such...
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...aim to explain how privilege and oppression intersect to shape my perspectives, values, expectations, and beliefs. First, my racial identity as a white person gave me many privileges I didn't realize.. Growing up in a predominantly white community, I was shielded from many of the harsh realities of racial inequality. My family and peers instilled in me the idea...
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...epoch for eons of time. minor races such as the African-Americans in the American society have time and again sought equality and neutral and balanced racial representation in America from generation to generation. The American experience has down through the memory lane taught and engraved the conception that some races are inferior. Racial discrimination, prejudice and inequality are tenets which the African American inhabitants, predominantly known as the blacks, have had to contend with in their lifetimes in the American society(Adkins 3). An exegesis of this presumption dates back to the period of slavery when the only relationship that existed between the blacks and his white brothers was that of master and...
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...Racism is something we've all witnessed. Unfortunately in 2014 racism is prevalent and still exist. There is an underlying problem that is promoting racism. It is the fact that a lot of people believe, and try to make themselves believe, that racism no longer exists. Many people today live their lives oblivious to what is happening in the world around them, often trying to convince themselves that racism is not a problem in their world. A stereotypical/ racist mindset usually begins with childhood and becomes intertwined and ingrained in the mental, social, and psychosocial integrity of the person. In this exercise I was asked to journal all acts of racism that I have witnessed in a weeks span. I began the racial moments log on and ended on . Discrimination, prejudice, and hate crimes are all present in social media, the news, one’s surroundings, and everyday situations. Throughout the week I have been open minded, looking at the world in an unbiased manner. In order to see racism I had to first understand that racism does still exist. In a weeks span I have witnessed racial acts on Facebook, the news, in class, and in interpersonal conversations. Many present acts of racism are broadcasted on the news. I tuned in for the morning news to be sadly informed that a young innocent teen was killed by racial profiling. A White male in his late 40s had asked a young African American male to turn down his music while he was at a local gas station. In brief the boy did not do so and...
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...When I applied for the diversity scholarship, I did it under the broader understanding of what diversity means to me. I believe true diversity includes race, religion, marital status, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation and importantly to me… age. As I later discovered, a broad definition similar to this had already been established by the diversity commission. It has been an honor and privilege working with the commission and I wish you the best in continuing to meet the ever changing diversity needs of the university and the surrounding community. Take care and God bless! Sincerely in warm regards, Question: What does the word ‘diversity’ mean to you? Large group session/personal reflection exercise Introduction This report contains the ideas, knowledge and insight that took place over a three and a half day session in Sackville, New Brunswick. The Youth For Diversity Project, aims to bring approximately 25 youth together in one arena to discuss, debate and create ideas and plans around the issue of diversity. Half of the session was spent looking at the individual and group definitions of diversity, with sessions that included both reflective and group exercises. Small groups were formed to further flesh out concepts around diversity—racism, ageism, sexual orientation, access to resources, etc.—to further understand the impact that diversity has had on us and those around us. To add to these sessions, four guest speakers were invited...
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...Personal Reflection Paper BSHS 345 August 26, 2014 Personal Reflection Paper Invidious comparison is the act of comparing one person to others according to their class, race, sex, or religion. This act can have a negative effect on people who are aware of it. Growing up in California, where the predominant Hispanic races were of Mexican and Central American origin, I was constantly compared to those Hispanic backgrounds. This was frustrating because I am Colombian and the Colombian Culture is very different from the Central American culture. My mind could not understand why people would compare me to them if I am South American. The traditions, food, music, slang, and even accents were different. American non-Hispanic people would call me, among many other things, a “dirty Mexican” or “wet back.” This was extremely frustrating because neither one of my parents hopped the border nor were they dirty. My young mind did not know how that these people were just ignorant so my frustration turned into anger and total repulsion of races of those other backgrounds and countries. A sense of insecurity and even self-hate would overcome me. I did not want to be Hispanic, I wanted to be white, and I wanted to be accepted. My way of seeing things changed in 2006 when the Immigration Equality Movements became popular. Latino activists would speak at events and in a sense give the people a sense of empowerment and hope. Attending these events made me feel proud of my Hispanic heritage...
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...Our media is a reflection of our society, and unfortunately our society often mirrors that reflection. How can we claim to be a progressive culture when we regurgitate the same problematic tropes that have plagued our society for centuries? We are always exposed through television, the Internet, movies, radio, advertisements, the—list is endless. Even during infancy, we have internalizing media that has likely been our first exposure to many new concepts. If we take American hegemony into consideration, then our country’s media is being assimilated into countless countries throughout the world. The assimilation of westernized sexism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia is being internalized by Western and non-Western people alike. Our criticism...
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...Venice and Othello, Shakespeare explores the effects of racial oppression and attitudes to race in general. The idea of cultural outsiders is one of the main themes present in the plays. 'Culture' is the customs and social behaviour of particular groups of people and societies and an outsider is a person who does not belong in a particular situation, organisation or community. This definition relates to both Othello and Shylock as throughout the play we see them as victims of prejudice and injustice because of their cultural differences. In the play Othello, Shakespeare expresses the culture outsider, Othello himself in this instance. As a moor. The term Moor means a person or persons of an African descent. During the renaissance time period there were various stigmas attached to 'moors' and other cultural outsiders. Leo Africanus wrote a book named 'the history and description of Africa (1526)' where he portrayed Moors as being extremely prideful. 'Subject unto Jealousy; who would rather lose their lives than put up any disgrace on behalf of the women.' This is ironic and would lead one to believe Shakespeare reinforced Africanus' ideology in the tragic ending of Othello. Shakespeare also reinforces contemporary attitudes to Jews through the protagonist Shylock. During the 1600’s Jews were extremely disliked and according to Peter Gintro were ‘usurious, cunning, malevolent and potentially murderous’. A stereotype of the Jewish community originated from medieval and again is...
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...Jalen Taylor Take Home Exam Fall 2011 Marvin Broome 1) Black culture has an interest and unique background that is very questionable. Curiosity about black culture arose during the Harlem Renaissance in the 20s but the Black community became more concerned during the 1960s. The concerns of the black community were the possession, meaning, reappropriation and reconstruction of their culture. It was during this time that many blacks shifted from the ideal of integration towards the resurgence of Black Nationalism. This movement sparked an interest in the Black culture, as well as the role in life and struggle. From here, a strong commitment to revitalize, reconstruct and actually construct Black culture came about. This newfound inspiration to rediscover the black culture led to the unveiling of a few paradigms that were centered on the theme of bits and pieces of the Black culture being lost or forgotten. The Deficiency Paradigm argues that Blacks have no real culture, that slavery destroyed it, and that what passed as Black culture was simply a pathological reaction to Whites, a duplication of them or an expression of lower-class culture rather than a specific Black culture. The Crusian Paradigm argues that although culture must be seen as central, the three factors of culture, politics and economics must be welded together into a dynamic synthesis and social strategy. Both of these paradigms argue that Whites have tried to destroy black culture by forcing their...
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...‘Race is a historically and culturally specific notion, embedded in a constellation of economic, political, and cultural discourses and uniquely linked to specific relations of power and authority’ (Hirschfield, 1998, p.34). It has been argued that race was an Enlightenment project that resulted from the desire to classify (Cohen, 1974, p.207). Racial thinking certainly existed before this period, but the modern concept of race is a more recent one that has developed from the encounter of more Europeans with other peoples (MacDonald, 1973, p.241). There is some disagreement as to when the construction of race took its current form. First, it has been suggested that the descriptions of race in ancient literature demonstrate that it originates in xenophobic beliefs (Hirschfield, 1998, p.34). The system of natural classification that developed in the Eighteenth Century is also seen as an important contribution (Hannaford, 1996, p.188). However, almost all studies agree that a distinctive development of racial thinking began to take place in the Nineteenth Century (Hirschfield, 1998, p.35). The Nineteenth Century saw the search for the historical and biological origins of race (Hannaford, 1996, p.235). It went beyond the simply classification of race and towards a more significant delineation of race into one that embodies characteristics, personalities and even mental abilities. Several key developments were relevant to this progression. These will be examined as follows: first...
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...had traditionally been dominated by white males. It first appeared after the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s as an attempt to accompany the new legal equality gained for minorities with social and economic equality. This paper I will discuss the history, advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action in college admissions. After explaining these issues I will state and my belief on the issue of affirmative action in college admissions. In 1961, President Kennedy signed Executive Order No. 10925, putting the term “affirmative action” its first use in relation to civil rights (Cable News Network [CNN], 2003). In 1964 President Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Included in the Act is Title VI, which prohibits race discrimination in education Racial quotas for public colleges were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the case of Bakke v. California. Since then, public colleges seeking to increase diversity have used other types of...
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...Analysis 3/11/16 SOC/100 Jay Gregory A few common assumptions would offer some general stereotypes which most American are probably subjected to each time they tune into their favorite program. The problem with making assumptions based on stereotypes, racism, and bias maybe considered two-fold. Of primary concern should obviously be the narrow-minded and over generalized prejudice which exist in mainstream media culture. Then, of only slightly less distress, would be the willingness of society to accept such demeaning norms. However, within the “high definition” world of television, some prime-time shows are shattering overused typecasting. Although some are not also. For instance, one such common immoral stigma would be that only men of European heritage may hold position of authority at home and more importantly, in an office. Furthermore, African, Spanish speaking, and other ethnic American will be depicted as second-class citizen. Additionally, women of all races may not hold any position of a profession as do their made co-star. Luckily, most of these false accusation were proven wrong. For this analysis of television diversity, or lack of, a look at the portrayal of African American men as in their position within a working environment, the dynamic of their family structure, and the overall social implication of such position will be explored. Then, in reflection of the growing population of Spanish speaking people, a look at the near absence may reveal a...
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...he had “‘a unique vehicle’ at his disposal that he would be wise to employ for ‘meaningful expression’” and his declared successor, Dave Chappelle, did as well (Simpson 114). The influence of Chappelle and Pryor’s comedy on the American audience has been a highly researched topic. The influence of the most recent and still dominant figure, Chappelle, has yet to be entirely seen, as many of his performances are hardly a decade old. It is undisputed among scholars and critics, however, that, like Pryor, Chappelle through his art “has made us look at ourselves and laugh at ourselves,” stimulating an open discussion about a multitude of issues including race (Lipton). Therefore, through their comedic art, Richard Pryor and Dave Chappelle, whose backgrounds shape their comedy, offer important insights and critiques of racial stereotypes. Their jokes help show which racial issues have improved as well as show which problems have remained a...
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...Teaching Guide The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin The Novel at a Glance SUMMARY The book opens with the essay “My Dungeon Shook,” written as a letter to Baldwin’s nephew on the one hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Baldwin says that the celebration is a hundred years too early, because black people in America are still not free. He exhorts his nephew to approach life with love, even though he lives in a racist world. In the second essay, “Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region in My Mind,” Baldwin describes his visit to the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad. Baldwin concludes that he does not agree with the Nation of Islam’s bitter beliefs about white people. In closing, Baldwin says that if Americans stop thinking of the United States as a white nation, it can transform the world. MORE ABOUT THE WRITER When James Baldwin was sixteen, he began one of the most important friendships of his life. As a confused and self-doubting teenager, he needed a mentor, and he found one in Beauford Delaney, a painter who lived in Greenwich Village in New York City. A black man and an artist, Delaney provided Baldwin with a model of how to respond to experience and transform it into works of art. Virtually taking the place of a father, Delaney introduced his young protégé not only to music and art, but also to a wide circle of friends, and Baldwin began to recognize new possibilities for himself. Through Beauford Delaney and his scratchy phonograph...
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