Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Race isn't biological, but racism is still real.

9.Race isn't biological, but racism is still real. Race is a powerful social idea that gives people different access to opportunities and resources. Our government and social institutions have created advantages that disproportionately channel wealth, power, and resources to white people. This affects everyone, whether we are aware of it or not.

This point in the list really stood out to me. After reading this I immediately thought of the term white privilege. It reminded me of a discussion that took place  in the "Discussions About Race" lunch talks last school year. It is pretty clear that both the government and social institutions create certain boundaries where white can and all others can't. These unfair advantages cause people to second guess the race or culture they belong to and in the long run lead to problems in the development of the people who are not white and do not have the advantages due to race. I want to pay special attention to the ending sentence. From personal experience, I would have to say that everyone recognizes white privilege to some extent but those who are more heavily impacted in a negative manner have clearer views of the advantages white people have based solely on the fact that they are white. The term white privilege hits me hard personally because I am on the farthest possible negative end of the spectrum, the least privileged and I don't think it it either fair or appropriate that some have abilities that others don't simply because of the color of their skin.

1 comment:

  1. Tiffany has a good, strong point about the governments place in setting boundaries. Whether stated or not stated, advantages happen, even today. People concerned about their race is a big deal as Tiffany stated. People who are concerned about their race feel small and insignificant. I feel the strong tie to the phrase "white privilege" that Tiffany has and stated well. I agree with the statement that she makes at the end about abilities lacking because of skin color.

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