I found the readings for Tuesday’s
class very informative, but not eye opening.
As we discussed in class, I had always been aware of racism and realized
the marginalization of some groups, but I had never given it much thought. I also found interest in the views of racism
between the students who grew up in rural Minnesota vs those who grew up in the
cities/suburbs. I myself come from a
very Caucasian community and was not exposed to race unless I travelled, and
when I did travel, I considered myself to be “non-racist”. I laughed when I read through Rethinking Racism by Barbara Trepagnier
because her definition of the white viewpoint on racism could not be more
spot-on. “Most whites think in the terms
of the oppositional categories ‘racist’ and ‘non racist’”, (Trepagnier,
pg.3). Before taking any classes at
Saint John’s I definitely thought that being racist meant your actions had to
be blatantly racist, but never gave thought to the idea of institutional
racism.
“Fewer
and fewer whites were willing to openly make claims of biological superiority
to people of color”, (Williams, pg. 92.).
I really couldn’t agree more with this statement, especially coming from
a rural blue collar working class community.
People of my town thought everyone had equal chances and opportunities
to achieve the America dream. I would
like to say that I didn’t live a sheltered life, and that I was exposed to
racism, but the only direct racism I ever heard was a joke my grandpa had
told. When I learned how the media
operates and that there are basically 5 major companies that dominate the
industry, I really began to be exposed to institutional racism. The media is controlled by white power and
really only shows what whites would like to see. There are some off-stream media channels that
will cover other racial groups, but the main 5 cover a white perspective. “If racial parity had been achieved, African
Americans would have 2 million high schools and college degrees, nearly 2
million more professional and managerial jobs, and roughly $200 billion more in
income”, (Williams, pg. 92). The idea
that everyone has an equal chance in life is crap. People are either born into privilege or are
born into oppression and rarely does resilience exist for those in the second
category.
Brandon Kasper
After reading your blogpost I found myself relating in many ways. First, I also grew up in a very Caucasian community and was not really exposed to racism. Second, I had the view of racism being that it had to be blatant. I really think the articles that we read for class are meant for people that have similar backgrounds as ourselves. Its these people who come from very Caucasian communities that are sometimes ignorant to the fact the racism still occurs even though it may not be blatant at times. Institutional racism has changed my viewpoint on racism and has made me more aware of what people of other races go through. Once again, in my community we had a couple students who were African-American and the only racism I witnessed was racial statements by other students. My growing up has influenced my earlier viewpoint on people being either "racist" or "non-racist". The articles have definitely made it clear the there is a medium in between the two and that goes unnoticed in today's society.
ReplyDeleteLastly, I like your statements on the media and how it has institutional racism. I am also learning this semester about how the media is controlled by 5 major companies. This causes less viewpoints on issues and really only gives one perspective on things. "The media is controlled by white power and really only shows what whites would like to see". This statement shows how the media shapes our countries views. Most people today get their information from the internet and TV which goes to show the great population that these media channels reach out to. Overall, it is until people are educated and made aware of this type of racism that we can make steps towards eliminating institutional racism.
Great job on your post!
Jordan Radel
Graded Reply #3