After the discussion we had about racism it became clear to me that there are two underlying factors that I look at in terms of how the topic is perceived and what, if anything, we as a society can do about it. First, as Tatum says in her article “Defining Racism,” “Each of us needs to look at our own behavior” (125). And second, as Rich points out in his article “White like Me,” “The world doesn’t change in a day” (140). When I analyze these with respect to racism the very first order of business is accepting the fact that we are all accountable for our own actions; furthermore, we all have to live with the consequences and results of the actions we take. I’m a huge proponent of multiculturalism and creating a world and society that is pluralistic and accepting of everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, sex, gender, religious views, etc., but I’m also a realist. I know that no matter what kind of efforts or laws our government passes in terms of racism and equal opportunity rights for minorities that somewhere along the way someone will challenge that authority and enforce their own personal will and opinions on the issue. In my mind, we live in a very stereotypical and egocentric society that it is difficult to encourage and foster change. Tatum talks about passive racism vs. active racism, but the truth is those terms only exist in the minds of the individuals who choose to either act passively or actively. Our society is far too complex to try and narrow down what can or can’t be done about the issues of race and prejudice, but I believe that if we do continue striving to make people aware of how their actions can have a direct impact on the other members of society then we have a fighting chance to make improvements. However, like I mentioned earlier as the number two key point, people and advocates for equality need to understand that changes don’t occur in a single day, month, year, and even decade. We needn’t look any farther back then when slavery was abolished or desegregation was being upheld and people classified as minorities, not only people of color, but people of all different ethnicities and backgrounds thought they had made progress, to see that in today’s world many of the same issues still exist.
The other issue I want to briefly touch on is the issue of what Sethi called the “model minority” referring to Asian Americans. I believe we discussed in class that do to their label as “model minorities” there can be an added element of pressure to live up to the expectations put on them by society. Like we talked about with gender and sexuality and how it is best to identify someone in terms of how they identify themselves, I think the same principle applies to Asian Americans who are labeled as “model minorities.” They aren’t allowed to be themselves, but rather someone who others want them to be. I fully believe that takes away from what makes a person unique and individualistic. If as a member of society we aren’t allowed to be ourselves then what are we? I like what Sethi said; “The onus is always on us, as outsiders, to explain and justify our culture while also being expected to know and understand majority culture” (145). Again, this acknowledges the fact that some members of society are forced into situations and stereotyped as how they are suppose to live and that ultimately takes away from their individuality.
Brian Pullyblank
I like your spin on optimism, yet realism; I agree with your thoughts and outlook. It would almost be nice for everyone to wipe their slates clean and start from scratch so that we were all on the same page. Unfortunately, that will never happen.
ReplyDeleteWhile I realize that these issues exist everywhere, I admit I don't like the "American" outlook on these issues. Perhaps college students from other countries would have the same responses as those pointed out in "Color-Blind Racism;" however, for the most part, American's have this preconceived notion that we're better than others. Where did that come from? Who said we were better?
I know I may be using silly examples to prove my point here but I see this attitude each and every day at the pharmacy I work at. People can never wait to get their drugs filled; how dare their insurance company charge them a $50 copay? No one ever has patience and no one thinks it's in their best interest to have any. Even the new health care bill, thousands of people are freaking out because this nation is going to go under. Really? I know we're the first large nation to undertake this new agenda but I don't think we should go running in fear. Where did this attitude of "we're better and we deserve better than everyone else" come from? And how are we going to make the world a better place by backing this attitude? Isn’t it time we started to change our outlook on things?
Relating this to the "model minority" issue, aren't we all immigrants? Didn't we all come from other places? So what, some were here before others. Why make the "new" individuals suffer by putting them into these categories? Many Asian immigrants came after the Europeans but so what? This is America. We stand for peace and equality for all; at least, we're supposed to. So why is it the common attitude that certain people fit these groups and these jobs in these neighborhoods? It's not realistic, I understand, but why don't we start using this to our advantage instead of leaving this country split into all these groups who rank on some imaginary list. I think we'd make a lot more progress as a country and maybe for the world that way.
While I think most students are getting ahead on these issues and adjusting ourselves appropriately, we still have some older generations to work on, some much more stubborn generations. They certainly won't take on a more open-minded point of view over night; but maybe if we make some progress each and every day, we'll get there eventually.
Brian, your post is a great meditation on the collection of readings on racism. It's also important to remember that to combat racism we just change not only our attitudes (prejudice) but also larger social factors that rank and advantage or disadvantage people on the basis of their racial categorization (racism).
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