Humanities 1010 Spring 2014 Journal 3 Race

1. What have you learned this week that you didnt know before? (Be sure to be specific and reflective in your answer. Remember, part of the purpose for these journals is for me to see how well you have understood the materials of the course.) The biggest thing that I have learned from this weeks material is to look at issues regarding race from different perspectives. I would consider myself to be progressive when it comes to issues regarding race. That is especially true for the area in which I live, and for the people that I was raised around. I have always tried to think about things from different perspectives than the status quo. I have always tried to question normal beliefs that were presented to me as unbending. It is always refreshing to be challenged, and to learn how things may different than I perceive them. I would like to believe that I am progressive enough to be beyond reproach in regards to accusations of perpetuating the problem (see my previous work on certain race tests and the discussion, haha). I know, from information such as what has been presented this week that I am not. I find some of the statistics that were presented very interesting. One such stat was in the power point lecture. Most black people believe that racism is getting worse, while most white people believe that racism, while it still exists, is getting better. To go along with that, 60% of blacks believed that race was a factor leading to the breakdown of relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina, while only 12.5% of whites believe the same. That is an incredible divide in viewpoints. I really was impacted from seeing the concept of the invisibility thesis. I am at fault by association. I am extremely ignorant to the plight of minorities in this country. I have grown up under extremely privileged circumstances. There is no way for me to know what it is like to be a minority, and to go through what they go through on a day-to-day basis. I think that it is so easy for people to shout loudly that it doesnt exist, or that it is not as bad as is being claimed because people dont see it up close and personal. They dont experience it. We scream and argue over issues that can be terribly trivial while under our noses people are being discriminated against, treated unfairly, left to fend for themselves. In closing for question 1, I would like to reflect on what the lady with the issue at the grocery store went through. It is amazing to see how somebody could have such a different impact just because here skin color is white. I like how she mentioned that here sister in law used her white privilege to do something about an injustice. The same effect probably would not have been produced if the black woman had spoken up. That is hard to deny. Am I using my white privilege to make the world a better place? Am I sticking up for people that have not been afforded the same benefits that I have? I think that I can do more.

2. This week you've seen how much your reaction to different races/ethnicities is conditioned in you by your society. That is, that racism is a "learned" condition. Given that knowledge, in what ways would you say you have been impacted by the things you've learned. What impacted you and why? There were 2 or three things that really impacted me pretty significantly in the material. The best way that I can describe some of the things Ive heard and read is eye opening. One of the heaviest pieces from the module was the woman talking about her experience at the grocery store, which I discussed above, I was also impacted by the audio file about Serry, Chloe, and their family, and the California Newsreel article. Serry and Chloes story was so powerful. That is something that is hard to argue against. Talk about a problem that is invisible!! I think that how much grief white Americans cause Muslims in this country compared to how many Muslims there are is deplorable. This story gave me a feeling in my stomach that stuck with me after I heard it. To think that a teacher could act that way, and then actually be defended by here principal and the district is honestly shocking. That is the type of thing that I would normally attribute to the 40s or 50s, yet it happened today, and was deemed acceptable by the white majority neighborhood they lived in. This story reinforced that feeling that I am not doing enough, and because of that, I am part of the problem. Growing up, and especially after 9/11, my environment was, without a doubt, anti Muslim. The people that come to mind when I say that would not think that they are racist, but I believe they are. If I had not conditioned myself to reject what was sold to me, I would have grown up as anti-Muslim. The article out of the California Newsreel also had an impact on me. It is always a shocking experience to see on paper how privileged I actually am. Also, it is amazing to see how minorities have been absolutely steamrolled, forgotten, and how we somehow say they have the same chance to succeed as we do. From the beginning of our country, minorities havent had a chance. 200 years of slavery, then the injustice of not being awarded what they had been deemed legally due after the abolishment of slavery. The blatant favoritism of whites in all of the legislation that allowed white Americans beginning to buy homes, while restricting minoritys ability to do so. This was a practice that was public, and accepted!! White Americans began to have real wealth accumulation because of these laws, while minorities were forced to live in the inner city, rather than moving out to the over 90% white suburbs. That white wealth is passed down (still today) while the minorities continue to struggle to get out of the hole that was dug for them by the white majority. Native Americans were forced off of their land, and have been given almost nothing in return. I have been one to believe in the color blindness that we all seem to want to portray, but after reading this article, I find it hard to argue against affirmative action in this country.

3. Why do you think it is important to know this stuff? As a human race I believe that we should always be trying to progress. I dont think that it is okay to stand by, and allow the way we treat each other to remain the status quo. I dont want to be the guy anymore that is participating in the problem by ignoring it. I think that it is vitally important to know more about race and race relations so that we can progress as a race of people. I dont think that it is

acceptable that we stand by while these injustices are taking place. I dont think that this should only apply to our country, but our country is certainly a good place to start. I think that education is important. The more people that we can get reading, and educating themselves the better off we will be. There are so many people that grow up learning the hate, and discrimination. They never have the opportunity to become deprogrammed from this way of thinking. They then pass the same beliefs along to their children, and it continues. I think that education is, in part, a way to introduce different views and ideas to people. It would be hard for a person to coast through a college education and not come out the other side having had their beliefs impacted, and questioned at least a little bit. More specifically, I think that the only way that we will ever grow closer to solving problems with race relations is to know the problems. We need to know the ins and outs and the intricacies that are involved. I would like to know more personal accounts. I have watched a few videos similar to the ones in the course material. At the very least, knowing about race can teach us about other cultures, and maybe teach us how NOT to treat other people, even if that is as far as we go.

Why did you pick this assignment to put in your ePortfolio? What does it demonstrate about your learning?

This journal really summed up the class for me. It was an eye opening experience. The section on race was a good beginning to the rest of the course because I was really forced to challenge my beliefs about what I thought I was and what I believed. I have always thought one way about myself. I thought that I was a progressive, forward thinking guy that was not discriminatory at all. What I learned was that this is not a straight forward issue at all. Once I started addressing the issue from different angles, and really challenging what I believed and how I acted, I started to recognize how I am discriminatory, and I really dont have a choice. Because I am a part of a society that sees little minority opportunity, and because I am part of the majority, I discriminate. The issue of the invisibility thesis really stuck with me, and still does. How much am I just ignoring the problem because I dont see it. Even more eye opening is when I thing of my parents, and their parents. How much have THEY ignored these problems, or even denied their existence, solely because they havent been around it during their lifetimes. How many capable generations of willing people have passed without being able to help because the problems of inequality have not been pointed out to them? This assignment set the tone for the course. I think that putting the race section at the beginning of the course is wise. I have trudged through a lot of classes unwillingly. I did the same with Humanities 1010 at times. To be honest, the first week of the class almost drove me away. This course has stuck with me though, unlike any other that I have taken so far. Even if it was the sole lesson of using critical thinking, it was worth the money. I learned that I can be wrong about things. I learned that even if my convictions are air tight, I need to look again. Journal 3 from this Humanities 1010 course sums up the class perfectly to me. After being frightened of what I was getting myself into early on, I ended up being extremely grateful that I stuck with this class, and gave it an honest effort.