Monday, November 25, 2013
Why I Believe White Supremacy Still Reigns in the US.
As the year progressed in this class, the amount of discrimination that was evident throughout our country's history is shocking. I never would have believed how severe and long-term the effects of racism and segregation are in today's United States. The idea of white supremacy was the reason for racism in the first place. White males-- who almost always were the main proponents of this idea-- believed themselves to be the most superior race, leaving any other race and ethnicity behind. In this class, we have focused on the discrimination and racism toward african americans specifically, and it is obvious how incredibly devastating and morally corrupt the institution of slavery was. However, through this study of african american racism, the racism of other ethnicities in our country today began to cross my mind. I began to think about the different races in the United States and the oppression each of these different ethnicities or races experience. In doing this thinking, I began to realize that the white supremacy seemed to be the ultimate driver for American thought. This may be a bold statement, but when we look at examples of this, it begins to become more evident. If we list, very informally, and consider the different characteristics tied to certain ethnicities, the result is essentially; anything that is different from white american thought or ideology, is a negative attribute. For example: Hispanics are known for being heavily involved in manual labor. Asians are known for their intelligence, often seen as abnormally intelligent. African americans are often seen as violent, or ignorant. Middle-eastern people are known for their intense religious belief. These are just a few of the stereotypes that are tied to different ethnicities that we see in our country. I believe, and have witnessed myself, that these stereotypes mold the perceptions that people have for different ethnicities. With that being said, most of these stereotypes are negative! Why do we see above-average intellect as a weird or bad thing? Why do we discriminate hispanic workers for their dedicated hard manual labor? Why, when we think of the city of Atlanta, do we focus on the violence and crime down town, rather than the largest concentration of black millionaires in the country? When we see Middle-Eastern religious worship, its weird and "over the top." Pondering scenarios like these forces me to believe that throughout time anything that was foreign or different to the average US citizen was deemed wrong. What is the "average US citizen" look like? Well, I'd argue -- keeping in mind that the foundation of our country and its leadership positions were created in a time of white supremacy -- mostly white people. The idea that whites were superior was almost factual during the creation of our country's government and most of its developmental years, and I strongly believe, whether consciously or not, the idea still lingers in american thought today. So to wrap all this up, anything that is different from what we consider normal in our society, is wrong and will experience discrimination. Many may believe that this idea is extremely opinionated and biased, but in my 20 years of being a citizen in the US I witnessed all these examples to be true. I think one thing we can all agree on is that for whatever reason there is racial and ethnic discrimination in our country, that needs to be changed.
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ReplyDeleteThis is a very well written topic and you bring up many great points. Across the whole world there is discrimination no matter where you go on such things as skin color to religion to even the country you are from. Americans to people in other countries are stereotyped as fat lazy slobs. Going back to the US, discrimination has been around since its creation not only whites against blacks but also whites against whites. There is certainly a class system still in the US and I have seen it first hand being told by kids from wealthier families that I am not respectable because I come from a poorer family (That’s actually true people have actually said that to me). So just in general I wouldn’t get the idea that it all comes down to skin color.
ReplyDeleteAnother factor about discrimination in general is it usually stems from the real world. For instance Indians are outsourcing many Americans that work for large business. This is because it is much cheaper to higher outside the US and that is true for the most part but in turn it is putting Americans out of jobs. It is quiet easy to be like those damn Indians and start to hate them instead of hating the actually problem being the business but that’s what happens.
I agree with the idea that people consider those who are different as inferior. All society's consider their values, beliefs and practices to be the best; therefore they naturally consider all others to be of a lower rank.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that at the time of our country's founding white people were superior as you say. Like all groups of people, they believed themselves to be better than all others. That belief was their justification for imperialism and slavery. However, differences in culture and appearance does not necessarily mean that one has more worth. Accepting this premise supports racism and was the reasoning behind the oppression of black people in America.
Stereotyping in this country has become common practice. Most of these stereotypes are either negative or condescending in tone. The issue with this practice is that it generalizes a race, gender, or religion and does not focuse on the individual. Through this class, we have seen that individual actors can have a huge influence on an enormous scale. From James Meredith becoming the first black man to attend the University of Mississippi to Rosa Parks refusing to move to the back of the bus, it has been individuals who have started movements within Civil Rights. In this day in age we use stereotyping to look at a minorities and put them below us. One popular joke is that stereotyping is faster. This sometimes lends to be true, but it does not give people the benefit of the doubt. If a large group all acted in a similar way than they would not be human. Not every African American is lazy or every Mexican like to do yard work. Stereotyping has evolved into a 21st century type of racism and it needs to end.
ReplyDeleteTo address your comment that ethnic and racial discrimination must come to an end, I believe that we must fist be aware that there is discrimination. As a person of color I can't get away from the fact that I am a Latina student in a WASP-y college. However, when bringing up topics of discrimination and racial profiling I have, unfortunately, come across students that do not know or don't wish to understand that racial issues on this campus is a big issue that must be addressed. The first step to deconstructing discrimination is awareness and I don't know that we are there yet. If anyone is willing to tackle this issue on Rhodes campus from a student-led approach, please let me know.
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