The New Context

I feel as though our racism is currently undergoing a transformation. We now have "reverse-racism," and a new-found racism towards those of Middle Eastern decent. How progressive! Personally, it all sickens me. Innocent situations are inflamed by opportunist Reverends and made out to be racist, innocent community centers are made out to be violent meccas of terror-worship, and we can always trace the source to one place. Fox News.

My last post was better....read that one instead.

Whites Aren't the Only Ones Who Perpetuate Negative Stereotypes

I feel as though the perpetuation of racism is transcendent. African Americans are responsible for the perpetuation of racism just as white people are, though perhaps not to the same extent. The continuation of racism is apparently systematic. I was raised in a somewhat judgmental household. My grandparents certainly prescribe to the culture of racism that was prevalent in the 50's and 60's, and my parents aren't necessarily as open-minded as those in my generation. However, I have never judged a person by the color of their skin. Skin color is not reflective of personality, intelligence, compassion or work ethic. It is ALSO not reflective of prejudice, intolerance, bigotry or hatred. I feel as though my race has been stereotyped several times in our class, and to be perfectly honest, it greatly angers me. I have worked, and continue to work hard to promote equality and peace. My entire life has been dedicated to the political arena and to education, to ensure that the types of prejudices that once plagued our society as never as rampant as they once were. Having said that, when I hear people characterize white people as inherently bigoted, it demeans everything that I have ever worked toward and is personally insulting. There are many out there who fit the stereotype of the judgmental, hateful, and bigoted white person, but I am not one of them. Furthermore, I don't believe anyone else in our class is either. To make generalizations about an entire race of people because historically they've had it better is no different than making generalizations about an entire race of people because they've had it historically worse. A negative stereotype is a negative stereotype. If you don't appreciate being stereotyped negatively, don't do it. It's that simple.

Let's Breathe (15)

I am stubborn. I have no problem admitting it whole heartily. But as I grew as a person, I've learned to understand that being stubborn and thinking one sided will never get me anywhere. It's hard discussing touchy subjects when it feels like people refuse to try to understand your side of view. You feel like you're running into a wall head first because there is nothing that you can say to make another person think otherwise. And no matter how much you agree with the other person, they will never come to terms with you. I haven't felt like this a lot this semester until we got into White Privileged. I don't usually think on things a week later after class unless it's necessary, but I've found that I've been doing that a lot recently. I think as a people we sometimes forget that any answer we say towards these discussions are just opinions. Discussion are like brainstorming; it's not about being right or wrong, it's about thinking. Finding depth in subjects that on another day we would brush off and not think twice on. But when all is said and done, I hope one day that this term would cease to exist.

White Privileged v The N word (14)

White privileged should not be subject to white people. I've explained how those who are most likely in power and control the government are white and I understand that, that could be part of the reason this way of thinking has surfaced. But I believe that white privileged is label, or a name; just like the N word. In the past we've spoken about how even though the N word was directed towards those who are black, it's still a degrading word that could be used towards any ethnicity. I feel that the term/name "White privileged" falls right in the same category.

Multi-Cultural Weekend

So, this weekend has just been CHOCK-FULL of multiculturalism. I hosted the BSU Fashion Show/Spring Concert, I participated in the Campus Equality Carnival, I attended the Latinos Unidos Culture Shock event. It's been full of diversity and love. Before this year, I regulated myself to strictly Pride Alliance and Vagina Monologues. I'm all about gay lady power. Damn the man, etc. And it's good to fight for a cause you believe in. And I had attended other events for the Center of Multicultural Affairs, one here, another there. But I don't think I ever really GOT what it meant to be a part of the CMA. And this weekend, it kind of clicked for me. I gained an appreciation for everyone. Everyone's battles. Everyone's celebration. It feels nice to be a part of something bigger than myself and my own personal culture. I finally felt connected. And it felt great.

What's In A Word?

Let me preface by saying, I know that we've already had the discussion about the power of words. I was trolling facebook today and came across a friend of mine whose status had the "N" word in it. She happens to be black. It appeared to be used in an affectionate manner. And I also have Gay and Lesbian friends who refer to each other as the "F" word and the "D" word. It's all in good fun. Having said that, I just don't see the difference between saying it affectionately and saying it derogatorily. Saying it, enables it. In a perfect world, we could just say these words and there would be no power behind it. They would just be words. Unfortunately, there is an incredible amount of prejudice in the world. It is our responsibility as students, future educators, future media workers, to make the world a safe place to live. I don't agree with throwing derogatory words around just because the way it's said means something "different." To some people, it just means the same thing.

Money

I do believe that money changes almost everything. People were discussing about how Michael Vick was in jail longer because we was a black athlete. When people were talking about this all I could think of was Donte Stallworth. He was drunk with a 0.12 above the legal limit of 0.08. While drunk he drove and hit a man. This man died. Donte was only convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30 days of prison. He only served 24 days and was released after. He is now back to playing football. He killed a man and only got 30 days, this shows that Vick did not get his sentence because of his race but because of what crime he did. People do get more upset about animals then humans. So when it comes to professional athlete's crimes they do not discriminate by race but how bad the crime is.

Home

Growing up in a small town we did not have a very diverse community. In class when we were discussing the differences between the city and the suburbs I could not really join in because a small town is different then both of them. We were not diverse but a few minorities did live in our town. The thing was it seemed that people would pester them so much that they would assimilate. I had a friend who moved her when we were in 5th grade. He was Chinese and the kids would ask him how to say things in Chinese. After a while he got so fed up with this that he basically stopped speaking Chinese completely. In my mind this just showed how a lot of people think assimilation can make it easier to survive and prosper in a predominantly white town.

Pluralism or Assimilation?

I found it interesting in chapter 12 when Marger talks about a national survey that was done. The survey revealed that 59% of immigrants preferred assimilation over multiculturalism. I was a little surprised that a majority of immigrants would not prefer a society where their culture would stand out and tried to think of reasons to why this was. I think immigrants may prefer assimilation because blending in makes it easier for them to succeed in society.
Post 16, Ashley Allen

Bilingual America a good or bad thing? (18)

In chapter 12 of Marger he discusses the positives and negatives of a bilingual United States.  I think with the growth in technology and science that we will not have to worry that much about being a bilingual country.  I was  TV the other day and a commercial came on were this kid talked into his smart phone and the phone translated his sentences into a different language and spoke it for him.  So im for having a bilingual US.

Arab American (17)

While reading chapter 12 in Marger, it wasn't clear to me what Tier he placed Arab Americans in.  I would like to know what Tier group you think they should be in.  If I had guess or a choice I would put them in the third tier mostly because of what happened on September 11th.  Also in chapter 12 Marger talked about the differences between Arab and Muslim.  I had a little trouble understanding the way he described the difference between the two.

Affirmative Action=Reverse discrimination?

In chapter 12 Marger discusses the affirmative action policy. He explains that some people are opposed to this policy because they feel it leads to reverse discrimination, which means the minority that at one time was oppressed now has the advantage over whites. I personally do not agree that affirmative action leads to reverse discrimination. White Americans already receive many advantages due to White Privilege. I feel that affirmative action helps minorities receive similar advantages. It seems to me that affirmative action is more a way to level the playing field than reverse discrimination.
Ashley Allen, Post 15

what would you do?

The show What Would You Do is a ABC show which examines how ordinary people react witnessing situations. They are then confronted by the show and questioned as to their actions. The way people can react to situations can be pretty shocking and ridiculous as witnessed in class. I was not too surprised by the findings of the show, that far more people called the cops on the black kids then the white ones. It was shocking to me however that people called the cops about suspicious activity of the two black people sleeping in the car, saying they looked like they were about to rob something. That was pretty ridiculous. The show did a good job of showing the apparent racism, even if those confronted claimed they would do the same for white individuals. Yet listening closer to what they said indicated otherwise, a few claiming they would have called the cops sooner on the white kids. Why is that? It seems to be an overcompensation more than anything else. Going onto their website, I discovered they did a few more shows exposing racism. I think this is a great way of getting across the insanity of how these people were acting and the apparent racism showed through an identical situation with the difference being the skin color. Hopefully the show continues to expose such things because in order for the problem of racism to be fixed, a lot of people need to actually realize it still exists and how unfair it truely is.

Terica Post#18: The Problem with manhatten is

New York City is a prime example of white privilege. I talked in class about certain public school being better than other public schools. The schools in Manhattan often have better education than the schools in other boroughs. This is just a small injustice in New York. A couple of years ago, the city decided that everyone had to apply to get into a high school. You could no longer go to a zoning school. A zoning school is the school that that is near the place you live. It was said that too many “bad kids” were getting into “good schools”, now everyone to apply, and sometimes interview, to get into a high school. Going beyond that, everyone knows the area code 212 as Manhattan. What most people don’t know is that all of New York City was once 212. However, 2 decades ago they changed the area code to 718 for every borough in New York except for Manhattan. There is no reason for why this is.  There is no other way to explain any of this except is predominately white and holds more of the financially wealthy.  However, not all of Manhattan gets the same benefit. Place like Harlem and china town are large neighbor hoods in Manhattan but have separate names. Yet there is more than one Asian or African American neighborhood in the city. Neither have any names to separate them.

White Privilege

Andrea Burns A major idea discussed in class was whether white privilege can exist for people who are not white. I do not think that it can. The white privilege we discussed was that white people never need to consider their race. I think that is a very true statement and unfortunately disagree to the idea that those of color have attained that. The example for white privilege occurring for more than just whites mentioned was being a member of a predominately white school and still not needing to think about race in that setting. Does that mean a white privilege existed in this instance because race was not thought about? I'd say no. Even if race was not the focus in the setting and the individual was able to focus entirely on being a student, I personally think a white privilege did not exist. We discussed the white privilege to be never having to consider their race. It may have been that in this predominately white school, the race difference was not considered. The individual could exist there and have her primary focus being that of a student rather than being one of the few black individuals. Her race there was not the main focal point. However, overall situations are bound to arise where the race is brought up. She may not consider her race whatsoever, however an ignorant person could create a situation that could then cause her to refocus on the race difference. Unfortunately until ignorance is eliminated, the white privilege is still going to exist.

Post 18: What do we have to do?

Well I decided instead of just posting a paragraph, that is just a random ramble, I decided to call upon you guys for some help on the Activist Project. As we mentioned a couple classes ago, the world is filled with "cultural naivity" and our campus is not excluded from this. So I am looking to help our campus become more intelligent in the ways of other cultures/races/ethnicities. So I am wondering, what groups do you guys think need to be learned about more? Please list your ideas in the comments please.

Post 17: What a big discussion

Man, I got to say, this was probably the most intense arguement/discussion we have ever had. Though at the same time it was quite interesting. I thought long and hard about what I could remember in that class, and I realized we did continually rationalize white privilege, and that is something that does need to be change, but I do still stand on the side that those who are not white can have white privilege, but it is really only through money. So I also agree with the idea that White Privilege may be changing into Green Privilege. I can easily name a couple cases where this is the case: R. Kelly, Kobe, Mike Vick, and James Brown (if anyone remembers his Joy Riding incident in the early 90s). Now this isn't so frequent that we can say it is definite but it is still fairly likely that adjustments are being made.

Forget Me Not:Im black yall CB4 #19

I thought about this part of this comedy movie about "gangster rap" it made fun of rap group NWA. This reminded me of when we discussed being conscious of your race at all the times, or race being a factor at all the times. And this song was a spoof and a over exaggeration meant to be funny. Of how people are constantly reminding people of race. (Not just their race but race in general as a factor) particularly being overly voice-trous about being black. I am a African American woman but this is the biggest part of who I am. But its a significant part of who I am.(There are like a trillion +1 brilliant things about me...) So its part of me but not the whole of me, but far too important to me; for me to be unaware that I am black.

The good ole boy type politikin…

It was a bit too long to type out the entire quote here, but for those of you that have the text (Race & Ethnic Relations by Martin N. Marger), see page 355. It’s a piece of that glazed over patriotic version of history that I previously mentioned during class discussion.
Marger wrote about compensatory policies and among some of the questions asked under that heading: …was it fair to expect African Americans and other racial-ethnic minorities to compete on an equal basis with the white majority? He points out that former President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed the government’s intention to address the issue and then plugs in Johnson’s quote as though it firmly sealed the matter.
Well folks, Johnson did exactly what so many other presidents and government leaders did, and that was to get on board and throw the minorities a few bones and paint himself as a hero! You know, like that guy we were taught freed the slaves, Abraham something or other!!!!
Johnson, one of the powerful and rich good ole southern boys was actually opposed to such measures. However, he had to make some compromises in his political agenda if he wanted to continue his climb towards the White House. He was up against the richer, more powerful, good ole northern boys; the Kennedys!
They were both strongly advised to pay attention to the growing civil rights movements; to ally themselves with leaders of the movement. They did, but not by personal choice! Not because they felt any true compassion for the cause! Not because they actually believed in doing the right thing. And certainly not because they wanted to help minorities become their equals!!! But merely to do some damage control while maintaining the dominant group’s position!!!!!!
It irks me to no end that we are still being fed that load of crap!!!!!!!!!!!
S. Ramos, Post #18

o_0 So let's do a RECAP! #18

After last class in which Alaysia presented on White privilege and posed the question of; "Can people of color receive white privilage?" and then gave the example of when she felt as thought she had received white privilege as a person of color, by sharing in equal education at a predominately white suburban school. Then we proceed to discuss how she felt this way based on the fact that she was never "made to feel as though race were a factor"(Which very well may be true) that because of this she never really had to acknowledge her blackness seeing as though those around her (white peers/friends) never mentioned it. To this I say; "Nay" this may have been her experience but as I said in class I do not feel their is ever really a time in which you are unaware of who you are, and what race you are. Now is it something that has to be verbally recognized every place you go, No. Is it necessary to mention this fact in any fashion at all times? No, but there is never a time in which you are unaware of your differences to others. Its not in the forefront of your mind because its almost like second nature. Its like how you unsubconsiously recognize others people clothing and how they dress versus how you dress. If its something you really like, your more likely to compliment them, remember a certain accessory or pair of shoes. Or if they dress badly you remember a untucked shirt or holes in their socks. Its a second nature reaction. But difference is what is most memorable. So although this is Alaysia experience I refuse to believe this whole heatedly. And its seems too me based on all the people of color I have spoken with who have been in similar situations say as a youth they noticed their difference as a minority the most when they are around people who aren't of the same race even more. Also isn't the fact that Alaysia along with many other minorities even consider going to a predominately white school/suburban school a better school with better education as being a privilege of being white; This clearly say something about who can can NOT truly receive White privilege? No I do not believe that anyone other then white persons or person who can pass as white (white ethnics) can truly receive the real privileges of being white. The same as how I do not believe that anyone other then American Indians can receive the privileges of their tribes to which they belong. Everything isn't a two way street. I believe that people can share in a lot of the same experiences (school, clubs, public venues & facilities) but that's because of Brown vs. Board of Ed. and the abolishment of "separate but equal laws" that still doesn't mean you have receive White privilege.

Race as a social construction

Today in my class about the Underground Railroad, it really hit me how much visibility plays into the idea of race as a social construction. We were learning about slaves who escaped south, to Mexico. Along the way, some of them chose to become part of Native American communities, intermarrying, and producing children. I think this is another example of how races have been infinitely mixed, so much so that a "pure" race no longer exists. (Ironic as those who see themselves as pure have tried to drive others extinct, when they themselves are now extinct). If we all had the same skin color, it would be impossible to see where we are from, what language we speak, or what religion we follow. Our society is completely reliant on what is visible.

Terica Post#17: This Thing Goes Deep!

I don’t think it’s possibly to have white privilege. It something that runs so deep, it’s impossible to get a hold of it or be a part of it. This occurred to me when I thought about how far white privilege really goes. For example when traveling out said of the country, I may meet people that never have encountered someone of my race. With whites, people usually associate positive things with their race and with black there are a lot of negatives. Especially if they are American, because they have seen all of the negative stereotypes in American media. Not only that, but there are plenty of places where lighter skin is valued and darker skin isn’t, no matter where the person is from. In many places around the world 9notall of the world) whites are held up on as pedestal. No amount of money is going to let you buy into that. If Oprah, a worldwide renowned woman with millions, couldn’t escape discrimination based on her skin color then I doubt other people could.

The Pathology of White Privilege by Tim Wise

I think Tim Wise sum up the dangers and impact of White Privilege very well. To view the whole video go to youtube, its a six part video.

Interesting......

There is a possiblitiy due to interracial dating and intermariage, that in year 2020 that white people will become the minority. I was wondering if that were to happen what will happen to the idea of "White Privilege?" Will it be replace with something else such as "Bi-racial Privilege?" Will the idea of White Privilege will eventually go away and become a term that is non-existent?.....Just a thought that pop in my mind

Skin will always be skin. Marcus Anderson, Post 22

Reflecting on the discussions that we had last class, I have come to the conclusion that money does necessarily give any person white privilege. Why I say this is because when people see each other in society just by even passing by them I not have once heard a person say that they analyze a persons financial situation before they see their skin. I believe that an African American person can be a millionaire and still be identified as black. If he were to walk into public and no one knew of his wealth, he would be viewed as a black guy due to what people can only see is his black skin. There would be no more debates his political economic or social position within society. I due agree that money is a a factor in gaining the privilege but I don't think that just money alone is the soul factor to gaining white privilege.

Lessons to throw away....

Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote these lyrics for the motion picture ‘South Pacific.’

You've got to be taught to hate and fear
You've got to be taught from year to year
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made
And people whose skin is a different shade
You've got to be carefully taught

You've got to be taught before it's too late
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the people your relatives hate
You've got to be carefully taught
You've got to be carefully taught

We are still growing up, what will we CHOOSE to do about changing all that we have been so carefully taught?
S. Ramos, Post #17

Money Is Not The Problem

In a recent post, one student stated that they believe that money is more of a privilege than white privilege. I would like to play devils advocate :) I would like to disagree. Yes, money does give people of color an advantage or a step ahead of their less fortunate peers, however, I do not think that money plays that much of a privilege over white privilege. If a black man and a white man were both very wealthy and had the same amount of money the white man would still have more privileges then the black man. Even rich people of color, or celebrities of color are still faced with prejudices. Where as rich white people and rich white celebrities do not have to deal with that. No matter how rich you are, I feel like people will still be noticed for the color of their skin because that is the first thing they see, not a bank account. Even though I believe that money gives some privileges, white privilege is in most cases greater. At the end of the day, I believe it comes down to race.

Black/ White/ Green

We were discussing in class on Tuesday whether it's a matter of being white or having green that allows you to be considered privileged. I think that having money really does hold precedence over all else, but that's not to say that white people don't benefit regardless. But I do think that money can fade the color of a persons skin in the eyes of the public, making the fact that money is prevalent more important than any other details. Also, I feel as if education fades color too (from what I have witnessed at least) . In a classroom setting at any school I have attended people aren't treated differently based on the color of their skin. Education is something that is of greater importance I think. I know that not all learning institutions are like this, I've been lucky enough to experience tolerance throughout my educational journey. I think it is valid to say that some things do surpass color in some instances, but I don't understand why it takes something, B, to make A acceptable.

Being white is a privilege

Being white is a privilege without a doubt in my opinion. But in what instances is it a guarantee? Do white people earn the majority of the privileges they're afforded? I think not. Most white people are placed under a certain category of success due entirely to the color of their skin. Like we saw in the video in class, people who are black tend to get a worse reputation than white and therefore suffer being categorically placed into a pool of criminal tendencies or behaviors. The ability to not think about race is definitely a privilege that I was unaware of. I've really only had to worry about race a few times in my life and the times that I did worry about race were due to my involvement with minorities. I've gotten stares from others and been judged in a household of people who didn't want their son/brother/grandson dating a white woman. But mainly, being white has never meant that I will struggle. It's unfair. But can something be done to stop this? I, along with what I can only assume is millions of other white people, was not even aware that we think this way, that we're afforded the luxury of not worrying about race. And how can we stop what we're not even fully aware of?

White Children the Minority?

I found this interesting as well

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/06/white-children-in-the-minority-in-10-states/?hpt=T2

Erin Goldberg, Post 15

Are there situations where race doesn't matter?

Erin Goldberg, Post 14

I've been thinking about this since Alaysia gave her presentation on Tuesday and about how she went to a predominantly white school in a Suburban neighborhood, but her race was never an issue at school. I think this is the way it should be always, but I'm not so naive as to believe that this is always the case. I know that plenty of people have to deal with race on a daily basis. However, I'm curious as to whether there are universal situations where race is irrelevant? The only thing that came to mind for me was religious services. I know that, for example, African American Baptist churches are much different than Roman Catholic services, but the idea is typically supposed to be this: everyone is equal in the eyes of God. And regardless of race, people share the common bond of religion. Even Atheists do not discriminate in term of race. I realize that there are always exceptions to the rules (think Westboro Baptist Church), however to me it seems like religion can be considered to be the universal color blind test. But that's just my opinion. And if anyone else can think of other situations or institutions where race is irrelevant, please let me know.

White Privilege

Erin Goldberg, Post 13

So I'll be honest, I had never really thought about the concept of white privilege before this class. And now that we are examining it in class, that doesn't really surprise me. As the book said, white privilege is the ability to not have to think of race on a daily basis. However, as a gay person, I have often had to think about the idea of heterosexual privilege. That has been something that I've encountered before, such as whether it is okay to hold my girlfriend's hand in public or whether the crown I am in is gay friendly. These are things that heterosexual people do not have to think about, let alone the right they aren't denied by being considered the social norm.

When it comes to my white privilege, I admit that I do not have to consider my race on a day to day basis. I know in class we debated whether or not white privilege equates to 'green privilege.' And to be honest, I'm still not sure. I don't know if it is possible for minorities to completely forget that they are a minority, but I do know that not all white people have white privilege. I believe that if a well spoken, well off black or Hispanic man and a poorly educated white man were put in scenario where their credibility was in question, the black or Hispanic man would be given the advantage. However, I know that the context of this kind of 'experiment' would be dependent on the location and situation in which it took place. For example, in the south, the white man still might be given preference over the black or Hispanic man.

I'll be honest, this is the one subject that we have talked about so far that really confuses me. I still don't feel like I have a set answer.

White Privilege

It is clear from our discussion yesterday that there is a variety of privilege that exists in society. This privilege gives some opporunity and denies it to others. We have all agreed that these privileges exist. I think yesterday I realized the the greatest privilege the middle-class White heterosexual male has is his ability to deny that his privilege exists. In the same vein, White people are afforded the ability to deny they are privileged, heterosexuals are able to deny they are privileged, and so on. Those who are seen as the "other," that is, non-White, non-heterosexual, non-male, are seen as bringing issues such as racism and homophobia into the discussion without any sort of basis for doing so, when there usually is. Of course if a White heterosexual person were to present an even in which these were clearly at play, this would seem to be a credible source. What a primitive idea. This same sort of thing occurred in slave narratives when a White person had to state their opinion that the narrative was valid, because without this White voucher, it would be seen as an invalid account. The privileged need to stop hiding behind privilege and instead embrace a new-found sense of responsibility.

Future, Marcus Anderson Post 21

Will there be a new name for white privilege in the future? It was interesting to have that discussion on yesterday about it. There are two ways in which I am see things. One way is that yes society will find a better way to word this privilege into a better term that fits it. This is a possibility. The other way I am seeing it is that the white privilege as we know it now, might just be the privilege. Other factors rather than skin may be the driving forces that separate people of society. I believe as time continues to past there will come a time when the minorities wall outnumber the majority in society and that may cause conflict. I believe that one day if this is to come to past, people will not tolerate the privilege and rise up against it. I don't think the white privilege is something that will never change or is written law. I think that people are not fighting it to its best abilities. People talk about change but are fearful of making the actions to do so. Thoughts and actions are two different things and to make change, we must incorporate both for the effectiveness of the cause.

Shawna Post #Class Discussion

After today's class I left the classroom a bit bothered and uneasy. I realize that tensions got high and people were a bit emotional. To me, that is a clear sign that racism still exists. As for the debate about white privilege, I still stand by what I said in class. White privilege means so many different things, but the general term means that white people do not have to think about their race. When someone brought up the example that they did not have to think about their race even though they went to a predominantly white school, this is see as a privilege. Other black students have had to think about their race at their school, however, in some other way that privileged black student has had to think about her race. White people never have to think about their race, unless you are taking a class and are educated about white privilege think the rest of our class is. At the end of the day, no matter how privileged a person of color might be, there are still some circumstances that occur that make people of color aware of their race. I know that it is extremely hard for us to grasp that because, like we stated in class, we don't want to believe that people get privileges without deserving them. But I believe the sooner we accept that white privilege exists, the faster we can start to change it.

Do you feel where im comming from?. Marcus Anderson Post 20

Feagin and Vera remark, " Anti racist whites are not certain they can really understand the black experience, but make an honest attempt. They admit that it is hard to understand the pain and anger."(154). I thought this quote was very interesting because it reflects on what we discussed in class about the black experience. There was some remarks about how whites will never be able to understand that black experience and the struggles that African Americans faced and still continue to. I personally agree that anti racist whites will never fully understand that struggles, but can attempt to. In out society it may seem that African Americans are just 'angry about everything' but that's not the case because there is reasons for the anger. After reading the quote in the beginning, It touched me because there are anti racist whites who want to understand the African American struggle. Here is evidence of progression. There was a point in time in which whites and blacks were not even allowed to associate let alone try and understand feelings of each other. But now we have reached in point in which races want to strive to try their best to understand someone else pain and struggles. That's progression. I am not saying that everything is a pretty picture now but we must keep fighting racism in all of its forms. I believe there can become a day when racism is extremely minimal. We all must become allies toward one another to defeat racism. As the book said one one man is going to stop racism but I will take the masses to stomp it out.

how much does it cost? Marcus Anderson, Post 19

Beverly Tatum remarks, " What would it have cost her to speak? Would it mean momentary discomfort or could it really mean losing her job? And what did her silence cost her on a personal level." ( 149). This situation between the Lynn and her employer is the common situation in which many people in our society have dealt with regarding races. There is a problem with this situation. What wold it have cost her to speak? her job, loss of friends, isolation from the crowd, loss of progression within the company? Or should she have stood up for what was right morally? Throughout history there are specific figures who tower over the rest of the world at the current time that they live in. Figures such as MLK, Harriet Tubman, Abe Lincoln, and many other historical figures who made a differences in the world. These people risked and gave up their lives for a cause that MLKs case he was not even able to see materialize at its fullest potential. Here's my point. As a society, we can overcome anything and everything if we set our minds to it. As Paul Kivel said we must become allies to each other. Its time to let go of the 'couch mentality' and take a stand on what is right. If everyone stepped up within our society and became leaders, I believe racism could be defeated. I believe the problem is that everyone in society knows whats right and choose the good and the bad. So my question is to you how much would it cost you to stand on whats right? Is it worth it or should we all just continue to stay silent about racism?

Heterosexual Privilege Checklist from the Queers United Blog

Hi everyone,

Here is the link to the blog that I mentioned in class, in which the authors took inspiration from Peggy McIntosh and compiled a heterosexual privilege checklist.

http://queersunited.blogspot.com/2008/10/heterosexual-privilege-checklist.html

Best,
Jeff