While sorting the race activity, I found myself categorization people based on characteristics that tend to be stereotypes. I though the activity would be fairly easy and was confident when I submitted my answers. I thought that I most likely got all but maybe one or two wrong. To my surprise I only got five correct and the ones I did get right were not the ones I thought were “obvious" but once i guessed. This exercise showed me that there is a difference in what the people consider themselves as and how the U.S. classified race. There were people who identified themselves as mixed but based on the stereotype characteristics they were labeled Asian.
Reviewing the facts under “Is Race Real”, I found all of the facts new and interesting. The three that stood out to me the most include; race is modern idea, skin color is only skin deep, and colorblindness will not end racism. Under race is a modern idea, it goes over the fact that ancient societies didn’t classify people under physical difference but based on religion, status and class. This was a surprise because watching Ethnic Notion; I assumed that stereotypes of African Americans were based mainly on their appearance. Under skin color is only skin deep it goes over how independently skin is from other physical appearances like hair for example. I just always though they kind of went hand in hand and lastly, I always thought if we as people were colorblind then most of society’s problems dealing with race would be solved so I was surprised to find the opposite true.
I personally believe that race would not be an issue if we could in fact be open and discuss it based on facts. The excerpt from The Common Elements of Oppression states how we need to teach in our schools about black history like we do ‘American History’ instead of delegating a month to it. Also, American History should include how whites became whites and not the watered down version we get in middle school.
Peggy lists what she considered her ‘White Privileges’ and while I thought about mine, it was hard to come up with seven but here are the ones that came to mind.
- Education
- Health
- Name
- Religion
- Family
- Female
- Heterosexual
Most of them seem self-explanatory but the one I wanted to explain would be my name. As a business student the first thing listed on my resume is my name. Employers try to find small things to distinguish from the hundreds of resumes they receive and students the meet, some positive and some negative, so having a somewhat unique name has been a privilege.
