INSIDE THE BOX

We have widely talked about how African Americans, Hispanic, Asians and other minorities have been segregated and discriminated in the past and also in the present time. Color-blind racism is the concept that has helped me the most to understand why racial inequality still persists today. In our society, calling someone a racist is a serious insult; however, a racial ideology that upholds the superiority of whites and ensures that whites have access to the best resources persists. White privilege is a term that was unknown for me before this class; now I understand why most people make distinction between a white and a non-white person. I did not understand why I was followed sometimes when I walked into a store and why white people were not. After learning the concept of white privilege and all the ideologies embedded in our society, I am able to understand, but I still think that it is unfair.

I found the "Whiteness Project" very interesting. It gave a narrower understanding of how white people feel about being white and the privileges it involves. The participants were asked to describe their understanding of what it means for them to be a white American. Although not all the interviewed people feel privileged, most of them recognized the advantages of being white. One of them even mentions that she feels guilty due the white-privilege advantages they have. I believe that most of them are completely aware of the privileges they have just of being white. 

After watching the videos of the Whiteness project I was able to better understand how Americans identify themselves, and how they understand their whiteness. I was actually surprised by some of the answers. Some people declared that they have experienced discrimination. For example, an old man states that he has felt cheated sometimes; he feels like presently, white people are the most discriminated race. He has experienced discrimination in job search because of the minority requirements. They showed that 60% of working-class white Americans believe discrimination against whites is a big problem as discrimination against minorities. 

In todays society, most people do not consider themselves racist; in fact, many people do not believe that there is  a race problem going on in the present time in the United States. The concept of Color-blind racism helped me understand why such people really think they are not racist but in deed their behavior proves the opposite. An interview conducted by CBS News to Whitney Dow, the producer and director of the documentary, explains that after their research they concluded that there is a clear division of how both, white and black people perceive themselves and their relationships with the opposite race. 

---------  vs ---------

Explain Being White

Nobody has the power to decide their skin color, yet skin color is a feature that gives either an advantage or a disadvantage to that person. White skin privilege is a transparent preference for whiteness that pervades in our society. White privilege provides white people with advantages that they do not earn and that people of color cannot benefit of. Also, white privilege shapes the world we live in. Society is framed into a white superiority order in where interactions with one another and how we navigate through life is shaped around whiteness. White people usually do not see or are aware that they are benefiting from white privilege, but if they are aware of white privilege a few that do not want to accept that they do benefit.

 Most white individuals do not experience what a person of color lives through in the daily basis. For example, Kathie and Chris do not think about their race and do not really come across any situations that make them think about their race. This shows the opposite of what minorities live through in the daily basis. Minority groups more often than not come across situations where they have to experience injustice and discrimination because of their race. However, there are certain individuals, like Andrea, who are white that believe that do not receive the "white benefits" because of her choice of style. Even if a person that is white but have tattoos, like Andrea, are still benefiting from being white even if she is treated different for choosing a different fashion style. She still gets the wealth her parents have accumulated over time, being able to not think about race in the daily basis, and not getting singled out.

Also, most white people believe that they have gotten far to where they are because they have worked hard unlike those people who blame others and take advantage of programs such as affirmative action. Individuals like Jason, Ronald, Scott, Kathie, Harold, and Robert believe that they are where they are because they have worked hard and that minority groups are still were they are because they don't work as hard as they do and if they progress is because they take advantage of affirmative action. Working hard does not mean that one will get out of poverty or achieve success. One can work hard all their life and still barely be able to pay the rent.

Believes such as "color means nothing to me" (Michael), "it's like always walking on eggshells" (Claudia), "They [black men] scare me" (Deanna) perpetuate racism and discrimination which keeps the cycle going. Furthermore, this examples show that there many white individuals with these ideas, that ironically, do not see that they themselves do not receive these treatments because they are white. They believe that they do not benefit from white privilege yet they are not treated as they treat other racial groups. White privilege is not benefits that necessarily handout white people capital, but to be able to live their lives without worry of being discriminated, judge based on race, face racism, or be affected by negative stereotypes. Regardless of any fashion style or believes, a person who is white will benefit from white privilege.

Lets talk colors.

           
           

A lot of the comments that were voiced in the videos spoke on a person’s awareness (or lack thereof) of what they are perceived as and white privilege. Many of the people in the video spoke of their strong feelings for the lack of sympathy for African-Americans. A lot of them feel that in trying to compensate for the history of white exploitation of black slaves. One of the speakers clearly feels that it is not beneficial to be white, for minorities receive more benefits than he does. He claims that injustices have been happening forever and regardless of what he says black will always find a way to tell him that how he feels is unjust. This reflects their lack of education because if they were to fully comprehend how racism severely disadvantages minorities at micro and macro levels they would know that there is a lot that needs to be done to work towards it. 
            Talking about race is something tat further needs to be probed. Approximately 70% of white millennial Americans did not grow up in families that talked about race. This has resulted in very uncomfortable situation where some don't know how to act around the people that they don't interact with and have preconceived notions or stereotypes that they feel they have to walk around in a conversation. Their lack of exposure is defined even in their social networks, where 75% of Americans have few or no encounters with African Americans on a daily basis. Encounters that are made are often misinterpreted, guided by dominant beliefs about a certain race, such as the belief that al black men are violent, which creates a sense of fear among white women. Is it really fair to judge a race based on preconceived notions? It isn't rational to say that every person has an equal opportunity to make something of themselves when there is an entire system of oppression that is strictly detaining them from achieving this.  
           Colorblind racism. This is where we find ourselves. When we refuse to accept that minorities are victims of persisting impediments based on racism. 60% of white Americans believe that racial relations are good. Sixty percent!!! And are they really? NO! The world doesn't need to become more colorblind, WE ALREADY ARE. Unless one was any color other than white, they would not truly know the privilege that comes with being white and the disadvantages that we have to live with and fight against for the rest of our lives. 

           The only speaker that restores hope in me is the young man that speaks of the lack of diversity within his city. He is aware that there is no mixing of races within his city's perimeter and he wishes to have a feeling of belonging, of forming part of integration. It is disheartening to know that people continue to use prejudices and racism to further propagate segregation that hinders the opportunities of the minorities that continue to be oppressed at social, economical, and political levels. There is so much richness that we gain as human beings in the integration of various cultures. It is my prediction that with racial integration we will be able to overcome the gaps that exist in wealth, education, and the workplace.

            It is my ultimate hope that with this, the public will become educated and no longer feel that affirmative action is taking opportunities away from the “whites”. When in fact it is one of the few means that attempts to reverse the effects that slavery introduced. It is true, that today’s generation may not have in fact been the ones that engaged in the practice of slavery. The fact remains that the United States of America that we know today, was funded on the exploitation of an entire human race. Due to their work, American families have the amount of wealth that they do today. If it weren’t enough that these minorities have had to build their way up from zero, they continue to fall prisoners to the institutional racism that every aspect if their lives is exposed to.  Further, it is disheartening to know that studies conducted have demonstrates the “white’s” reluctance to live in integrated neighborhoods their discomfort with African-Americans. While these same African-Americans that have been exploited and trashed, remain willing to integrate with the whites

We NEED to talk about racism. Whats more, we need to address the history that has led to the inequalties that we see today.
There is a whole rainbow of colors out there. But we still live in a world of black and white.

            

Whiteness or Blindness?

How real can it be that race has never played a role in her life? 

When I watched the video of Kathie claiming she has never came across anything that made her aware of her race, I was literally sitting in awe mouth open and all. It's quite impossible to believe that as a white woman she has never realized the advantages or benefits that being a white American entails. She goes on by explaining that she is an American before anything else and that there are no benefits to being someone from a specific race or color. She also comments on her personal achievements through which she believes she has accomplished everything she has because of the person she is and not because of the color of her skin. Finally, she claims to strongly believe that "people are people" and that the world needs to become more colorblind. In other words, she feels that everyone should be able to look at each other and see the individual as a person without taking into account their backgrounds or where they come from. 

I must admit the way she framed her beliefs could appear to be correct and even beneficial to a certain extent as she states that people are people and that we should dismiss other factors. Sure, it even sounds a little sweet. But how realistic is that argument? Truly that would not solve the issues we experience in society in regards to race. Colorblindness presents itself as a major factor in perpetuating the continuous racism America has experienced and experiences till this day. This essentially allows me to understand her viewpoint however due to everything we've discussed in class it is impossible not to argue against it. Allowing colorblindness to serve as the quick solution for ending racism would truly not solve anything and racism would continue to exist. Yet, time and time again people believe that the solution to racism is to become completely oblivious to it and act as though it is not present in our society.

Throughout the course Advanced Race and Ethnicity, we have discussed the importance of race in our society and the way race in the past has shaped our present day. The belief that ignoring race issues would somehow magically make them disappear is unrealistic and far from actuality. America has a very strong past rooted in discrimination, which consequently embedded ideologies throughout many generations. These ideologies simply can’t be eliminated by acting as though they are not present. 

Lastly, Andrea is a young white woman who claims to also experience discrimination for the way she looks. She has tattoos that cover her body and feels as though she is discriminated because of her appearance. Through her testimony, she compares her experiences to that of a black person and claims to be treated the same way they are. She gives the example of walking into a store and being watched simply because of the way she looks. However, there are many arguments that can be made against her statement. Sure, tattoos are viewed differently in society and therefore could give people a reason to "watch" her. Nonetheless, she is STILL a white American woman. So how much discrimination could she truly experience? I do not intend to dismiss any discrimination she may be experiencing though I must say she sure does not experience discrimination at the same level blacks do. Definitely not! 

Views on Society

            Senior year, while taking an introductory sociology class, was where I learned most about the idea of race. I always assumed race to be a true concept and always believed in stereotypes among different races.  If I had watched these twenty-four videos at the beginning of the semester, my perspective on the comments would have been different. I am glad to say that my views on race and racism has changed drastically because of this class. 

One of the speakers named Robert, from the website, the Whiteness Project stated, “When I showed up to the office I was kind of surprised to see the three people that outscored me, they were three black females”, which demonstrates how some people view black people as unintelligent and lower than whites. Through this class I learned that people try to justify racial inequality in ways that are not accurate. People can show statistics to prove the educational gap among whites and blacks, but what they fail to answer is the question why. That man that underestimated the intelligence of the three black females believes in stereotypes and that is why he was shocked to know they outscored him. What he does not realize is that colored people have always been discriminated against and although before I believed racism did no longer exist, I am now fully aware that it actually does. The stereotype of black people being less intelligent can go back to the time where they were not allowed to be educated. These stereotypes have been passed down from generation to generation that it has become a norm to some people to believe in these ideas, although they are not true. Taking this class not only has demonstrated why people think the way they do, but also what people fail to realize when it comes down to gaps among whites and nonwhites.

            Besides race, another idea I got to learn more about was the idea of white privilege. This again, was another concept I did not learn until my senior year, and it wasn’t until this class that I learned not all white people receive white privilege. Another speaker  by the name of Andrea stated, “I don’t get the same treatment as a normal white person does, I get discriminated against just as much as a minority does”, which demonstrates how only a certain kind of white person gets better treatment over nonwhites. This woman had tattoos and piercings all over her body and because that type of look is looked upon as bad, she did not feel apart of the white community that receives better treatment.
          From all the twenty four comments, the one that captured my attention was one said by a female named Kathie, "I don’t think there is any drawbacks of being black either", which shows how some people do not realize that racism and discrimination still exists today. If I had not taken this class I would have had the same views as her. Now I understand that discrimination still exists today and have learned where the idea of race came about.