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35
White Supremacy:
How People of Color are Always Inferior

If you live in a difficult neighborhood, youre poor. If you wear ragged clothes, poor. If
you are in a white, racist family and are in a relationship with a man of color, he is poor, and a
dangerous person. My sister was terrified to tell the family about her year long relationship with
her boyfriend of color, Jyrone. When talking to my parents about Jyrone she brought up two
things of information about him that changed my parents point of view on him right away. He
lives in the Bronx, and he wants to become a rapper. My parents first comment contained,
Youre too good for him. At that moment you could tell that my parents already thought of
him as poor and up to no good, even though they would disagree because they do not consider
themselves racist. That is why I argue that, it doesnt matter if you consider yourself racist or not,
people of color are always going to be categorized poor or even less of a person than white
individuals due to racial stereotypes created either by economic, political, or social acts.
The issue of minorities thought to be economically poor or less of a person all because of
their skin color is not right. This issue should be examined due to the many conflicts minorities
have to face because of these poor judgments, like poor or not qualified, from white individuals.
With these assumptions, people of color run into conflicts with getting jobs or even getting into
good schools. They also run into issues with trying to get a good home. This issue needs to be
taken care of or even recognized by the general public.
People of color are segregated into lower economic, and social classes based on what
is considered norm. When kids are young, they learn mostly from their parents, school,
television and other activities or clubs the kids may be in. White kids easily can pick up the
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concept that people who are not categorized as the norm, are less than them, meaning that they
will give people of color a harder time when the white kids are older. This makes it much more
difficult for people of color to live in society without any discrimination, especially with finding
an apartment for example.
An organization called Fair House, collected data proving that Black people are being
categorized as poor or even less of a person than white individuals. This data included sending a
young, black man named LB to an apartment building, stating that he was interested in renting an
apartment. The white landlord told LB there was no rooms available even though later on Fair
House sent a young white man to the same apartment building. What the Fair house organization
had discovered was shocking. The white man saw the same landlord, who let him see the room
and even gave an estimation of cost, $1150. When LB was there earlier, he too asked the
landlord for the price, which was said to be $1250.
1
The landlord raised the price of the room just
for the black man, to make a point: that the man of color was not making enough money to
afford the room. Not only did the landlord deliberately spit out that he was judging LBs
economic standing just based on the color of his skin but also on racial stereotypes created by
society.
People of color are not only discriminated face to face, but also all over the media,
especially television. The footage allowed to be broadcasted on television shows individuals,
especially kids, that people of color, not normal, cause crime and are also poor. A man with the
name of Anderson in 1994, describes how the media portrays the poor. He stated, that all of the
reality based police dramas reinforced the stereotype that all people of color are poor and cause
issues in society. They did this by airing Low income men, particularly poor men of color, are

1
512, House Rules, narrated by Nancy Updike, and Nikole Hannah- Jones. Radio Archives, This American Life,
November 22, 2013, http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/512/house-rules
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involved with drugs.
2
Television shows are providing the people with false accusations and
stereotypes on individuals with color, by stating that they are unsuccessful and troublesome.
They are forcing the racial stereotypes created by economic, and social messages on white
individuals. Apparently, a man of color cannot live his life without being involved with drugs or
poverty. Also, Sidel in 1996 stated Either way, the poor are defined as outsiders who deviate
from the middle class values and the norms.
3
Anyone that is different than the norm, which the
norm is considered white, is being broadcasted and brainwashing all kids. The media is really
affecting anyone of colors life, by brainwashing kids minds early, with the concept that anyone
thats not considered normal, is inferior to white people. The media, especially television, has a
huge impact on society, and societys views, which is a major reason it would be hard to change
all of the stereotypes created by social and economic acts.
These stereotypes created by economic, social, and political acts, affect all people of
color, even those that hold a position in the United States government. Even though in the United
States, everyone of color should be treated the same as any white individual, people of color are
still being discriminated, even in the Oval Office. Our president, Barack Obama, cannot easily
run in office without being looked down on, or even laughed at. Even though Obama holds the
highest position in our government, he is still not taken seriously all because of the stereotypes
created by political, economic and social acts of others.
All the way back when Andrew Johnson was president, Obama was considered never fit
for presidency. it must be acknowledged that in the progress of nations Negroes have shown

2
Heather Bullock, Karen Wyche, and Wendy Williams, Media Images of the Poor, Journal of Social Issues Vol 57,
No. 2 (2001): 232, accessed March 28, 2014,
http://shiftingattitudes.pbworks.com/f/Media+Images+of+the+Poor.pdf
3
Bullock, Wyche, and Williams, Media Images of the Poor, 231
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less capacity for government than any other race of people.
4
This was said by Andrew Johnson
after the civil war when people of color were now supposed to be equal to white people. His
statement on people of color in government added to the political and social stereotype of all
black individuals not capable or even smart enough to have difficult, important jobs in society.
Even today, white people, who consider themselves not racist, are involved with the government
discriminate against people of color. The black family was better off under slavery.
5
Michele
Bachmann and Rick Santorum kept asserting this during the presidential-primary race. Even if
you have a high rank position in government, you are still considered less of a person than white
people. These social, economic and political stereotypes are keeping all people of color, and
even president Obama away from actually doing their jobs, and living their lives.
Majority of the white population would deny being racist. They would state that they do
not believe any of the stereotypes about people of colors economic standings that is thrown
around society. Even though a vast amount of white people would disagree, there is always that
one stereotype that you believe, or that one race that you think less of. In Kluegels research, he
discovered that most white people look down to people of color, especially black people. A man
with the name of Ryan stated in 1976, A substantial majority believed that blacks lower
socioeconomic status was due all or in part to a lack of will or effort to achieve.
6
Instead of
feeling bad for the black people with economic problems, white people just thought they
deserved it because of their general knowledge on people of color, and by accepting the
stereotypes created by political, economic, and social acts in society. In other words, majority of

4
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Fear of a Black President, The Atlantic, August 22, 2012, accessed April, 21, 2014
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/09/fear-of-a-black-president/309064/, 7
5
Coates, Fear of a Black President, 10
6
James R. Kluegel, Trends in Whites Explanations of the Black- White Gap in Socioeconomic Status, 1997-1989,
American Sociological Review (1990): 512, accessed March 28, 2014,
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2095804?uid=3739832&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=2110384610198
7
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white people would oppose the argument that people of color are considered less of a person than
white people, by stating that they are not racist, even though nearly everyone is.

After my sister told my parents about Jyrone, they had to deal with it. They later on
realized that he was going to the same school as her, he really was a nice kid, and also was not
poor. They, even to this day, regret jumping to conclusions about Jyrones life and believing
those ridiculous black stereotypes. No matter if you believe that you are not racist, there is some
part of racism in all of us. There is always that one stereotype you believe that affects anothers
life. For most white people, it is that all people of color are an inferior race to white people. This
makes it hard on people of colors life, like getting a job, or even an apartment, without being
judged based on the color of their skin. This issue will be very difficult to fix because it would
involve changing everyones, including people of colors, views on race, and erasing all the
stereotypes created by social, economic and political acts in society.