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182464 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/inequality-class-question-three/Inequality+Class%3A+Question+Three2010-02-20+12%3A22%3A48Sam+Richards to Inequality Class: Question Three
I don't know about the first question I would ask if I looked at you… but if I made an assumption about you I would say you look like a normal college student… actually in all honestly you look a middle class person who is a little preppy–which is fine–I am too. Because of the way you talk about yourself however, you spark some questions in my mind–have you been discriminated against often before because of your color? You sound like you think white people you think white people have a typically negative view about black people. Did you grow up in an area where there were an abundance of white people who made you feel this way? Or maybe the opposite? My first thoughts were not, "he's a rapper, thug, or threat to me," of course someone may assume you are an athlete because of your build, but student athlete who is hear just because of a scholarship would not be the first thing to come to my mind… I would have just though you lift or spend time in the gym a lot. Perhaps I have a different mindset than others you have come in contact with, but my first thoughts were not negative ones…
I don't know about the first question I would ask if I looked at you… but if I made an assumption about you I would say you look like a normal college student… actually in all honesty you look a middle class person who is a little preppy–which is fine–I am too. Because of the way you talk about yourself however, you spark some questions in my mind–have you been discriminated against often before because of your color? You sound like you think white people you think white people have a typically negative view about black people. Did you grow up in an area where there were an abundance of white people who made you feel this way? Or maybe the opposite? My first thoughts were not, "he's a rapper, thug, or threat to me," of course someone may assume you are an athlete because of your build, but student athlete who is here just because of a scholarship would not be the first thing to come to my mind… I would have just though you lift or spend time in the gym a lot. Perhaps I have a different mindset than others you have come in contact with, but my first thoughts were not negative ones…
katieladie43 Reply: February 26th, 2010 at 2:16 am
I agree with lss5052 completely. You have good style sense, but not very 'thugish' or rapper like. This question makes me think that you worry too much what others think of you. I mean yea if you wore baggy south pole jeans with huge shirt and hat, then my first thought would be he is 'gangster' not thug because I think the word thug is a bad word. When I hear thug, I automatically think bad and violence or gang member, but that is just how I grew up. I would say gangster just because it would be the look of a gangster. My thoughts about the way you dress and your build are the same as a white male with your style and build. The only difference is if a white male dressed in baggy jeans and big shirt I would not call him gangster haha I would actually call him a wangsta.
I would have to agree with you here. I wouldn't think "he's a gangster" or anything based on his appearance. I have black friends who are much more ghetto-like in appearance, style, and language, and yet they're some of the kindest people I know… so I think the question needs to be separated into two parts: 1) How does he appear to the eye on first glance and 2) What kind of a person do I think he is. Just because someone looks like 50 Cent doesn't mean that they're going to mug you. I have to admit that my kind-hearted and ghetto-fabulous black friends were intimidating at first simply because I didn't actually *know* them, so that's definitely testament to the fact that you need to get to know people before you can judge them.
I agree with lss5052… I didn’t automatically think you were a rapper, gangster, drug dealer or an athlete, (but I have seen you personally and know that you have below average height so perhaps that is why I didn’t think you were an athlete despite your level of fitness). I will say, though, that if I had seen you in another setting I may have thought something different about you.
I am not a racist in the sense that I think that I am mentally or physically superior to you because I am white; but I do prejudge everyone by the way that they dress, the areas they live in, their facial expression, and their demeanor.
Had I seen you dressed that way in Philadelphia, I would have thought you were like a lot of other males in Philadelphia. I would assume that you were probably an avid Obama supporter, because over 90% of black people voted for Obama. Had I known what high school you went to, I would have prejudged a lot more. ~~ But I wouldn’t have judged you on your skin or by your clothes alone. ~~ I know that there is only so much you can tell from clothes. Knowing about someone’s schooling and home cities allow me to prejudge more appropriately. If you went to a public school in Philadelphia, like Bartram High School, I would have thought your family had a very low income and that your neighborhood, your family and your house were probably not the best in America. No one would choose to go to a subpar school if their parents had the job opportunities, the money and the ability to live somewhere else and to send their kids to go to a better environment to learn.
I’m not saying that all kids who live in bad areas are heading for prison either, or that all black people are flaming liberals. I’m saying that I, as does everyone else, prejudge people based on information as my brain receives it. The more information I get, the more I am able to figure people out until I know the truth. And I NEVER act on my prejudice because being publicly wrong about someone because of prejudice will cause anyone to look like a jackass.
Nonetheless, because you go to Penn State, I thought you probably cared about your education. Your parents or community encouraged you to do well in high school and to stay away from things which will impede you from getting an education, then consequently a job, then money for your own well being and for that of your future family. So I didn’t think you were some social deviant, as I guess you thought all white people would have thought from your clothes. I thought you dressed that way because that’s how your friends dress and that the culture which you identify with and like is the hip-hop culture.
Additionally, if YOU think people would have assumed that you were a drug dealer or something negative, then why would you choose to dress like that?
Yeah, because you are at Penn State I believe that that takes away a certain level of "threat." Everyone, or most everyone at least, in State College treats each other with a certain level of respect, whether they are an athlete, musician, or engineer. We all love being here and I think that breeds a sense of togetherness. That being said, if you wear the clothes that the "thugs" on t.v. do, and you listen to the music they do, aren't you trying to imitate them to a certain extent? Now, when a white person does it it is almost comical because of the stereotype that goes along with people like that, but if you are black and you aren't really a "thug" isn't that the same thing as the people that get made fun of by skaters for being posers? If you are going to wear 50 cent's t shirts or Lil' Wayne's jeans, then why wouldn't someone look at you and assume at least a little bit about you? After all that's why we buy certain clothes no matter what they are, we're trying to look a certain way or live a certain way. I don't think that it is a bad thing, but at the same time I wouldn't get mad if someone assumed that I play the guitar if I wore a Blink-182 t-shirt, or that I liked their music. In fact, I have that t-shirt because to a certain extent I am trying to imitate them.
In regards to saying that being at Penn State takes away a certain level of "threat" I must say I completely disagree with that. Although State College is far different from let’s say the Bronx, that doesn't necessarily mean that the level of threat goes down. From experience and through talking to many students I can say that there is "threat" on campus to some degree, keep in mind bad events happen anywhere at any time even in the best of neighborhoods. Also, to say that everyone in state college treats each other with a certain level of respect is also somewhat falsifiable in my opinion. There will always be those kinds of people that don't show respect for others no matter what type of surrounding they are in. Even if almost everyone that goes to Penn State loves being here, that doesn't automatically mean that we have a sense of togetherness. If that was the case then every surrounding you could possibly put yourself in would be you would have a sense of togetherness with the other people located there as well and that is by no means true. People find a sense of togetherness with things that personally relate to the type of person that they are. Thus, if a person decides to wear Lil' Wayne jeans or 50 cent's t-shirts they are most likely doing so because it is something they like and something that makes them happy. Why should anyone be judged for wearing a type of clothing that makes them happy? Unfortunately, I know that we live in a very judgmental society so that does happen somewhat frequently but just because a person wears a certain brand of clothing or dresses in a specific manner doesn't mean that they are a thug, poser, etc. I'm not trying to be unrealistic or naive though to think that NOONE out there in the world is trying to imitate another person like a celebrity or someone. We all know, or should know by now, that there are some people in society that try to imitate certain rappers, models, or other celebrities. However, it's not fair to assume that everyone or even most individuals who wear a brand of clothing, such as clothing from 50 cent's G-Unit line, are trying to imitate him and be "thug". For example, just because I may own a few items from Jessica Simpson's clothing line does not indicate in any way, shape, or form that I am imitating her and trying to be like the multi-millionaire pop-star. Overall, an individual should be able to wear whatever they want because it makes them happy and shouldn’t have to feel like someone thinks they are trying to imitate another person based on the brands they wear.
I must admit a fault in my day to day thought processes. Here at Penn State where diversity barely exists, whenever I see a black student, I immediately think athlete and try to guess the sport they play. Many times these kids don’t play a sport and often times are actually probably more unathletic than a majority of the white students. However, it is my perception, good or bad, that whenever I see a black person on the Penn State campus I’m thinking to myself that he or she is an athlete. Maybe it’s because Penn State is overwhelmingly white or maybe because the athletes on our sports teams are overwhelming black, regardless when I see black at Penn State I’ll usually think athlete.
the_situation Reply: February 23rd, 2010 at 11:54 pm
I am going to have to agree with you about your first thought. I come from a high school where I graduated with maybe a dozen people of color, so naturally I am not used to diversity in a school setting. When I see a black student, the first thought that runs into my mind is sports. My first day freshman year did not help that, since I saw Derrick Williams on campus. But since then my views have changed, and now, I would assume that if I see a black student on campus, he or she is just like me, a hard-working college kid trying to live the American dream. But people from other backgrounds, especially those in the predominantly white south, would think otherwise. This inequality question reminded me of a scene from the movie Crash. Ludacris and his buddy are walking in downtown L.A. when Sandra Bullock tenses up and grabs her hubby’s arm. Luda goes on this huge rant about how it is so typical that a white woman would do this upon seeing a black man on the street. I feel to show the full effect I must include this monologue: “Look around! You couldn't find a whiter, safer or better lit part of this city. But this white woman sees two black guys, who look like UCLA students, strolling down the sidewalk and her reaction is blind fear. I mean, look at us! Are we dressed like gang-bangers? Huh? No. Do we look threatening? No. Fact, if anybody should be scared around here, it's us: We're the only two black faces surrounded by a sea of over-caffeinated white people, patrolled by the triggerhappy LAPD. So you tell me, why aren't we scared?” This can kind of relate to lss5052’s original response that preppy dress would relate to the middle-class. Ludacris says how he and his bud are dressed like college students in a predominantly white neighborhood, yet women still cringe in fear at the sight of them. Now of course this is where my tidbit from Crash ends, since Luda and his friend go on to carjack Sandra Bullock and just goes to show that looks can be deceiving, but that is a whole other story. But anyway, I also think that people’s first perceptions have to do with how you are acting. For example, when the camera zoomed back, Ozzie was standing there with his hand in his pocket, his shirt riding up because of that. Obviously if he was standing there with a hand down his pants and a crook in his stance, people’s views would be different. Looks are not everything. I am a fairly medium height white kid, but if I really tried, I could dress differently and stand differently to make people think I am dangerous or a gangbanger, something that I really am not.
What you said is pretty funny. Yes, I am a black student and I probably should not be on this topic. However, I just wanted to express my idea on what others have to say. It is true that some of the black students up here are student-athletes for the school. But majority of the black students up here are actually here because of academic reasons and goals. I live in the only dorm that has more than 20 black people living there in the whole Penn State. I remember, when me and my "black" friend went to the Inter-mural Building to play basketball. We were the only blacks there at the time and wanted to play a game. We were both picked on the same team. We both noticed that the other team sort of lost hope and confidence because the only two "black guys" are on the same team. I find it funny because they think we are some sort of Lebron James. Even though we were both pretty good in basketball, color should not be a way to judge us.
I think this question is a great one but can be expanded on a much broader level. The first question of “What do white people think when they look at me?” could be substituted for every single race. It would be real interesting to pick several different people of different races and compare their responses.
To answer the question though (being a white person myself), my first reaction when I saw you was that you look like an average African American dude. Not a rapper, sports player, etc. To tell you the truth actually, your dress and build are similar to mine, so would you say if you saw me that I am one of the above? Do you think if you put a fitted on your head that would affect their answer? The key to every single persons answer is definitely based on exposure to diversity more so than race. You are right in the fact that many white people hold stereotypes about blacks but the fact of the matter is everyone holds different stereotypes about each other. These stereotypes are formed more by the society that you live in/are accustomed to instead of the specific race that you are. For example, do you think an African American who grows up in State College is going to have a similar answer to your question than an African American who grows up in Los Angelos?
It is interesting that you have this preconception that a white person is immediately going to jump to conclusions because of the color of your skin. By the sound of your voice when you asked the question, you have a bit of a defensive tone throughout the video. You do not say where you grew up from but I think it is obvious that this may be a sensitive subject for you. Maybe white people have shown disrespect towards you? We live in a world where differences are not always accepted so it understandable that you may feel this way.
I want to pose a separate question to you to think about. Why do you think white people think of you in the ways that you stated? Do you think it is because of the hip-hop culture? If we did not see listen to these self-proclaimed “thugs” like Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Tupac, etc. do you think people would have a different opinion? I am not say whatsoever that hip hop culture is the sole reason certain people think the way they think but I am sure it a factor for some. I think that there are so many different reasons why people associate others with stereotypes but at the end of the day you know what you are so why let the haters affect you?
I also think that this was a really great question to ask and be put on a blog response. I do feel that there are general stereotypes for every race that could be applied and seeing different answers to different people would be very interesting.
Some background information on me, I am a 22 year old white girl from an upper class town. I went to school with one black boy, but spent a lot of time in New York City where I was exposed to a lot of different ethnicities.
So what do I see when I look at you? To be honest, I thought you dressed very well and were comparable to most of the boys I hang out with. Nothing about you screams rapper, thug, or drug dealer. I don’t know anything about your personality to assume that you would be any of the above. Although I understand where you are coming from by asking this question, I do believe that most people who decide to take Soc 119 are already very open minded and not quick to judge. Yes, if you went to the town I grew up where you would be one of the few black men, maybe people would be a little curious as to why you were there and be fearful. Those people however, haven’t been exposed to as much as students at Penn State.
I am very curious as to why you believe that a white person would be so quick to judge you. Has something or someone in your past taken an opportunity away from you for being your skin color? I also, can totally see why you feel this way. Although I believe that world is becoming more accepting about the physically difference between people, there are those who were brought up with strict beliefs and aren’t willing to change their views. Hopefully, these racist depictions will disappear with future generations.
I would like to comment on the hip-hop culture that was noted above. These black men who become rappers and make a lot of money aren’t necessary thugs. Maybe they grew up in poor conditions, but they clearly have made a name for themselves and wanted to be something. Music, no matter what type it is, is extremely inspiring. No matter if they turn into drug dealers or are wrapping about “bitches and hoes,” they have made the decision to become famous and have worked hard to be where they are. So why should we judge them?
Now that you’ve posted this, I do want to know how you perceive yourself. What do you like to do? What was your childhood like? Where do you see yourself going in the future?
I too believe that there are general stereotypes for almost each and every race nowadays. And like you said, the general stereotype for a black male would be that he is either a thug, an athlete or a rapper etc. It's disappointing to see how a lot of people still look at other races in a stereotypical way and without even talking to them, let alone getting to know them, assume that they are this or that. But I think that a lot of the people who do look at other races in a stereotypical way are people who do not live in areas where there is a lot of diversity, or people who are not very highly educated, and therefore, because I'm in Penn State (or just in college, for that matter), I do not see a thug, or a rapper, or an athlete in you as soon as I see you. I have learnt to stereotype people before I get to know them, but to me, you look just like a normal college student working hard to make a future for himself. So I believe that people should be more careful about stereotyping people, because as it often turns out, once you get to know the person, you often find that they are not stereotypical, and not like how people assume them to be.
I like that you brought the hip-hop culture into the spectrum. And i also agree that when I look at the man in the video I don't see a thug or a rapper or a sports player. I live in intercity Philadelphia my exposure to those who dress like a thug in excess and for sheer shock value is high. For me the clothes and even the color of skin is not what causes a "threat". Living in the city is a lot of diversity whites blacks Hispanics Asians, its a melting pot in a dense area. So everyone is effecting everyone else. So even the white boys, and girls that live in my neighborhood dress like rappers or thugs. Maybe it is the hip-hop culture that affects how they dress. How people dress does not always correspond to who they are. For myself especially, I have learned to look past the clothes and the skin color and pay attention to how people carrying and present themselves. And this is strictly a survival tactic. If you present yourself with an attitude that says I feel inferior so I plan to rebel then the threat level is a lot higher. So for the man in the video when I look at you I see a well dressed black man, who obviously is doing well for himself being at Penn State and who walks with a pride but who also presents himself with respect. You don’t walk in a fashion that gives off a vibe that you’re hiding something or that you feel inferior to me, I would most likely not feel threatened by you.
At home is when I learned that clothes mean nothing in the terms of detecting a threat or not well dressed white boys who follow you or yell things out car windows as you walk down the street are threatening I have come to find. A group of black kids who were dressed in nice school uniforms khakis and polos did not seem like a threat to me at the time until I felt 3 fists hitting me in the back of the head. I was not paying attention to the way they presented themselves if I would have taken the time to notice the threat then I would have ran. But now I know. I don’t consider myself to think of black thugs as threatening. I consider everyone a threat. Walking home late on Friday nights who is to say that the white kid behind me in the Abercrombie polo wont attempt to assault me. No I have learned to weed out the hip-hop culture dressers vs. the ones that actually pose a threat the exterior never matters.
i do not think that all white people think that especially at school. I do feel though that if they were lets say walking down a city street in front of you then maybe they would be scared but I feel like skin color would not apply that much. I mean I’d get scared walking down dark streets regardless of who was behind me. I feel like yeah maybe you were discriminated against but I don’t think that you should feel that all white people would think that because I doubt that that helps the whole color situation. Not everyone is like that and making assumptions isn’t any better either.
My first impression of seeing you in this video was that you looked normal. You look athletic, but the clothes you where do not give off the impression of thug or criminal. Your pants aren’t any baggier than mine; you just look like anyone else walking around here. Even if we were not at Penn State, I wouldn’t think too much different of you. The way that you are portrayed in this video is like any other normal college student. I think that if I saw you maybe in a bad area around where I live, I may think differently about you, but not a PSU.
I have to agree with the statement above. By looking at what yo are wearing it looks like you dress well and not like a thug. I would agree though, if I saw you in a neighborhood with a lot of crime and big unsafe neihborhood then I would think differently. I feel that if you did live in a place like that you would not be wearing those clothes. You seem like a nice regular PSU student. You do not seem to talk "thuggish" shall I say. I think you have a little humor in you because that kind of question surprised me. I guess you really think many white people think negatively about you.
I agree with this statement. You look like any other Penn State student. If I had passed you on the street, I would not take a double take, but then again those kind of thoughts do not really cross a person's mind a school like Penn State. I think the environment a person is in also has a lot to do with the opinion one forms. So if I had seen you on the streets of a run down town I may have thought otherwise. Many people automatically form impressions of a person if they see him or her in a certain location even though they have no idea what that person is like.
I actually remember on the first day of class seeing you standing on the side stairwell handing out pencils. I walked right by you, gave you a little head nod, and you gave one back. Walking in your direction, i had no thought of putting you down in my head, although i come from a dominantly black neighborhood and have become pretty good at judging who is going to be a problem and who is going to be cool, and my first impression of you was that you were a respectable guy who was just having fun. There was nothing that stuck out to me that made you seem like a offensive black man, you were just another college kid who was happy and having a good time. Again, i did grow up in a majority black community, i am white, and i have no prejudice towards anyone and always give everyone a fair chance. But like i said, you seemed like a very respectable guy to me from the get go, didnt have a preconcieved notion of you being a bad person.
The first question I asked myself after the camera panned up and down on you was actually not a question of race, but a question of stance. Your legs were spread really far apart and I just didn’t thank that would be comfortable. Being white I can definitely understand why you think a lot of white people would look at you and immediately assume athlete, rapper, or drug dealer, but in my opinion these are the people who have lived very sheltered lives. Perhaps they were in a predominantly white town and school and the only portrayal of black people they saw was on TV or in the movies. I grew up with black neighbors and I have had, and still have, many black friends so maybe that’s why to me you look like a clean cut guy with a hint of “prepiness.”
I totally agree with you BruceEtt. I believe that people who stereotype other races are definitely people who have not been exposed to a lot of racial diversity, people who have been living their whole lives in predominantly white towns, or people who are not very well educated, who have not been exposed to people of different race, people who see different races only on TV etc, and therefore, their perceptions of black males are usually that they are rappers, athletes or drug dealers etc. People who are in colleges, or who have spent time in New York City etc, know better, that many people are not as they are assumed to be, that most of them aren't stereotypical at all. I have many black friends as well, and most of them are of different personalities, and really, none of them can be classified in a stereotypical manner, except for their obvious addiction to Basketball. Haha. But really, on a more serious note, it is just wrong for people to stereotype others in such manner, because as people, a lot of us have different personalities than each other, and therefore, it just does not make sense for anyone to assume anyone to be like this or that etc.
I only have one assumption upon seeing you. The only assumption that comes to mind is (and has to do with) about your muscular physique. I would assume, because of this, that you are an athlete, which, I should add, I do not associate with negativity. Also, I think that aggression is commonly associated with sporting and atheleticism because of the competition that is automatically involved in sporting events. Overall, I would not say that I believe you are a “thug,” but I would assume that you are involved oin athletics, whether being for appearance or sport, which I would associate with increased aggression in either case.
I think that people that are not black may presume you are a "thug" because of the media. People are heavily influenced by the media. If you judge people based on what is shown on television you're bound to make this conclusion. Celebrities like 50 cent, T-Pain, and all the members of G-Unit dress like "thugs" and rap about "getting money and fcking bitches." I think people who do not like in a diverse area would be more likely to judge people like this. I went to a very diverse school. I saw preppy white people, preppy black people. As well as thug like white people and thug like black people. Every race has a TYPE of person in it. You don't necessarily have to be black to be a thug.
Based solely on appearance, I would think that Isaac is a well educated person, rather than a “thug” or “criminal”. This is because in my own mind, a “thug” or “criminal” would dress in baggy and worn out clothes rather than a nice clean shirt and khaki pants. I think that Isaac feels people might initially see him as the “gangster type” solely based on the fact that he is black. However, even though Isaac is black, the way he represents himself makes me think that he is a good, honest person. I personally noticed that I judged Isaac based on what he is wearing rather than what his skin color is.
Eh….this subject just makes me roll my eyes. I understand other races go through a lot more battles in their lives than I do…I am white by the way. But our society has come an extremely far way with equality. I do not want to come off as rude or heartless, but when a Black person says well white people automatically see me as…..fill in the blank, it makes me believe that they are racist against white people. Sure some white people may view Isaac that way, but definitely not all. Black people categorize White people…so it makes me mad when the table is always turned our way. I get offended when I hear these remarks being made, because I personally am not racist in anyway. I could care less about what color you are. If you are a genuinely nice person I will be nice to you. However, if you so happen to be Black and rude I am not going to like you. So do not try to turn that into me being racist. If you are Black and nice then yes I would have nothing against you. I feel everyone should stop worrying about what others think about them and live life for you…not for others. If you are happy in your skin then be happy. Why do you care if someone thinks you’re a ‘thug?’ If you care that much then change the way you dress. You may obviously be exploiting yourself this way. Sometimes I try to dress a little ‘punky,’ because I want people to see that I have a little ‘edge’ to myself. Now if I wanted to portray myself as a slut then I would prance around in short skirts and four inch heels, but I do not do that. Therefore, I do not get the stereotype as a slut. I would not get all bent out of shape if someone called me a punk, but if someone called me a slut while I was wearing baggy jeans and a hoodie then I would have to question that stereotype and try to figure out how that was made up. This always goes back to psychology, the Labeling Theory…
I like when Isaac mentioned people would think he is an athlete because he is black. For the most part when I see a tall, bigger, black male yes I do try to figure out in my head what sport he plays, I also do this with white males. When looking at Isaac that particular question would not cross my mind. If I asked Isaac what he thought when he looks at a seven foot white male, I bet he would assume he played basketball. I would.
To some extent everyone is judged. Everyone is going to have a first impression of everyone else. Personally, that impression was not different or negative because you are black. Skin color made no difference. As many have mentioned, you really just look like any other college student, definitely, educated and athletic. Honestly, I didn’t think thug or rapper at all. Even if we were outside the classroom, outside of Penn State and State College, I couldn’t see myself thinking otherwise. But, as others have said, maybe first impressions are made on the basis of clothing and how you present yourself, which includes, speech (and articulation) and stance.
I think that your question is something that everyone asks themselves at some point. I have a friend that I met a couple years ago and after getting to know her for a while we joked about what we each thought about each other when we first met. She thought I looked intimidating and like a typical rich catty girl. I thought she looked like a total bitch. The more we got to know each other the more realized that those labels we put on each other were completely wrong. She's one of my best friends now and one of the nicest people I'll ever know and she doesn't think I'm not rich, catty, or intimidating. So I think the whole "first impression" question is something that everyone does in their head, but it's something that as soon as you actually have a conversation with that person, that goes out the window. But on the other side of that, if I look at a black person who is muscular and tall, yeah, I'm going to think maybe he plays football or basketball. AND if I see a white person that is muscular and tall, I'm going to think they play football or basketball as well. If I see a person with really broad shoulders, I'm going to think maybe they do gymnastics or swimming. I don't think the whole if your black, you might be a rapper, athlete, drug dealer etc stereotype holds true. I'd never look at someone's clothes and be like, oh that person is a thug, or a hick, or rich, because I know most of the time that is not true at all. But if I see someone with a certain type of muscular build, like broad shoulders for example, there is part of me that will always think "oh she must be a swimmer," but that has nothing to do with race.
I think this is an interesting question you bring up. First off I would say I don’t think you are a rapper. I wouldn’t even say I think you’re a thug. You are dressed decently preppy and in my experiences this is not how a thug would dress. Because of your skin color and physique, I may think you are an athlete though. You appear to be decently tall and muscular so that is my first tip off. If this sounds wrong, I’m sorry, but your skin color adds to my assumption of you being an athlete. For whatever reason, as the years have gone on it seems that black people are more athletic than people of other skin colors. I’m sure that that is not because of their skin color but for many other reasons. However that is the noticeable difference that I and other people see right away so of course they are going to immediately relate the two.
Graduating from a very diverse high school, I did not categorize you as an “athlete, rapper, or gangster.” I honestly saw you as one of my fellow students. Attending a diverse high school, I became accustomed to seeing blacks as people with their own unique personalities, styles, and qualities. I did not see them as a part of a race and did not try to find parallels between them and their stereotypes. Like white people, blacks have different styles and interests. Some may wear Phat Farm clothing and Tims while others will wear Abercrombie and American Eagle. Some may be athletic superstars while others are musical or academic geniuses. When I saw you, my impression was that you were a student excelling at Penn State University since you are facilitating the Soc 119 class. Sounds crazy, but I did not notice your dress or physique that would stereotype you according to your race.
Like most of the other people on this blog, I don't assume the worst when it comes to you, Isaac. The first thought that comes to mind is that you are just a regular student here at Penn State. I know that I've seen you in the gym before, but I never really assumed that you were an athlete or anything along those lines. I just think that you're a regular kid just trying to do his own thing here at Penn State, just like the rest of us. I did not automatically assume just because your skin was a different color that you were dangerous or a Penn State athlete or anything like that.
Also, like most of the people have said, most the country is not racist. That's not to say that they are no racists in America, clearly there are, but there are way more people who are not racist and do not immediately jump to conclusions when viewing people of another race. If you walked around with a bandanna on and a shirt of Tupac or 50 Cent and had a menacing look on your face at all times, yeah I would probably feel threatened. That is not because I'm afraid of black people, but it would be that you're basically giving me no choice and appear a threatening individual, so therefore, I would probably make assumptions of you based on how you look. And I would think the exact same way about a white person if they were wearing the same attire; for me, it's not skin color, it's more about appearance and how you carry yourself that makes me judge what kind of person you are. If you look normal and non-threatening, I will think that you are those things. I would say for the most part, that is how white people in general think. If you're giving me a reason to think of you other than just your normal, average person, then it's really probably more of your own fault than my own because you are making yourself come off as something besides an average guy.
Those were obviously all hypothetical examples, but getting back to you, Isaac. The first thing that runs through my mind is that you are an average kid and honestly no more than that. I don't look at the color of your skin and think, "That guy must be an athlete or a thug or something like that because he's black." I just think, "Hey, there's a regular guy right there." And do I notice that you're black, of course I do, but it's not like just because I notice your black means that I automatically assume anything crazy or out of the ordinary like any stereotypical comment involving black people.
I do not know Isaac personally and do not want to judge him. But I feel like a problem with a lot of black people is that they expect people to think the worst of them. They meet a white person and automatically think that this person is looking down on them or for some reason thinks less of them. This doesn't make sense to me. A lot of our discussions are about equality, and this video post focuses more on black equality. Every black person wants equality, so I think that they should act like they are equal in the first place. Don't right off the bat be thinking that everyone assumes the worst of you. White people are more likely to not like you if you act this way, because you come off as arrogant or seeming like you think you are owed something. And I'm not racist. If a white person from a different city, background, etc. came up to me and acted like I thought I was better than him for no reason, I wouldn't like him either.
Of course there are racist people left in our country. But the majority of our country isn't racist. Most people judge others on character, not skin color, and I think everyone needs to realize this.
I would have to agree with most of the posters who think at first glance you just look like another student and I would have to agree with that. You do have a muscular build and many might think you're an athlete but I just thought you worked out a lot. Even on the first day where I saw everyone in the front I didn't think of you as a thug or a rapper just another guy at the university. I for one would think of someone as a thug if their actions made me believe that, I can't just assume that at first glance. I would think many other whites would think the same unless they grew up in an area where there were only people of the same race. I grew up in State College and there was actually a lot of diversity in high school. I had friends of many different races and beliefs and before I was close with all of them I did judge them in some way or another as I expected the same in return.
I understand where Isaac is coming from though, not first hand but in high school there was a black student who moved to my school from Philly, and he didn't know anyone at all like any other new student. I clearly remember him waiting in the office to sign in and I could just see in his face how nervous he was. Anyone who would be put in the same situation would have the same emotions and wouldn't know how to meet new people right off the bat. Anyway there was some racism that took place in our school by many whites who grew up in many different areas in PA where they wouldn't have been in contact with other races. So I ended up having a few classes with this new student and he didn't say much. So after my first class, I had him in another and I introduced myself to him and at first I could see how surprised he was that a white student came up to start a conversation. State College is a pretty wealthy area and at first glance he probably thought by the look of all the students that we were all stuck up rich kids, which was nearly the case. I have been friends with him since and he has many friends who are black and white and I think just making an effort to getting to know made him see other whites differently.
Back to what Isaac said I think it really relates to the personal experience I just shared and stereotypes are always going to be there as much as people say they don't do it.
First and foremost, I personally think that this man is a very attractive, good-looking man. I know that the stereotypes that he would assume he would be classified as are negative, such as some of the ones that he mentioned in the interview. I would not automatically assume that this man is a drug dealer or even a thug who goes around gang banging and what not. He could be an athlete because of the way his body is built. Being an athlete to me is not looked at as a negative characteristic. If he was a white male who had a large built frame I would think that he could possibly be an athlete as well. I do see where he would get the ideas of people thinking he is a drug dealer or thug. He does wear baggy jeans and all white fresh shoes; those are some stereotypes a dealer would portray. As for the rapper stereotype…there are so many white rappers now. My boyfriend is a rap artist and he is white. Some people stereotype him because of the way he dresses (baggy jeans, Nike shoes, etc.); I really admire this student for standing up and asking this question, for a couple of reasons. First, he had the bravery to ask the question what people think of him, which is a bold act in itself. I know that I would not be able to take some of the criticism from some people if I asked a wide variety of people what they thought of me when first looking at me. Secondly, I agree with him that most people or students at Penn State would think he is an athlete. Like I previously stated, he has a strong build and that is the stereotypical build in central Pennsylvania for an athlete. I think it is very common that people here at Penn State judge the way we look, regardless of color. For example, if I wear a north face, leggings, and ugg boots then people think I am in a sorority. I am the farthest thing from being in a sorority (no offense). Another example would be that everyone who wears a hemp necklace (white or black) is considered a stoner. That is not always the case. Since when does black skin color + baggy jeans+ specific name brand clothing =drug dealer? Or better even, who says that that is the case or why is that even the label? It is unfair and people of color should not feel like they are a threat to the community as a whole. It is unfair and unjust. A white person could just as well wear the same outfit he is wearing and they would probably call him a “thug.” But why? Who made these stupid cultural cues?
I don’t know about any other white people, but I was sort of insulted when he said that he thought a white person would think that he is a thug or a rapper or an athlete or some other stereotype linked with black people. I’m sure there are white people that do, but I personally do not think that way. I like to think that I don’t judge people solely on the color of their skin. If were to judge him just by looking at him, I would not assume that he is a thug. If asked to make an assessment after a few seconds, instead of looking at skin color, I focus more on how a person is dressed and the way they speak. His clothes are not “thuggish” so to speak. If he were wearing his pants down below his knees with backwards hat and a chain, then I might assume that he is the thug type. However, he is wearing pretty nice jeans with a decent shirt. When I look at him, I would just assume he is a middle to upper middle class kid at Penn State. At the same time, I wonder what black people would have to say about me. If they looked at me what would they think? Would they think I am just another rich white girl? When in reality I’m not very wealthy. Would they look at the color of my skin or the way I am dressed and the way I speak? I’m pretty curious as to what stereotypes they would attach to me. I’m sure some would label me with stereotypes, but I know that not all black people would think that way.
This is the sort of thing that bothers me about people that assume what other people think. He assumes that all white people think that black people look like thugs, when in reality, people are not judging you on the color of your skin, they are judging you on your entire appearance. This is the type of thing that we need to take responsibility for. If you wear clothes that make you look like a thug and if you speak like a thug, then you have to assume that people are going to think that you might actually be a thug. If I wear clothes that portray me in some sort of way, I can’t really blame others for making a mere observation. But you cannot just say that people are wrongly judging you because of the color of your skin. If I saw a white person wearing thug-like clothing, I wouldn’t think that they are any less than a thug than a black person dressed the same way. I really do not think that I judge people on the color of their skin alone. In all reality, it is so much more about what you are wearing and the way you speak. I’m sure that black people judge white people just as much as white people judge black people, and it’s kind of insulting when someone thinks that I would think a certain way about them, when in reality I’m thinking something completely different. This is the root of the whole problem… no one should assume anything about a person because of the color of their skin.
So first off let me say that although I try not to, I judge people. I feel like everyone does. If you say that you do not, then you are probably lying. Most of the time when I do it I do not notice, it is subconscious. We were brought up in a world of materialism and judgment. You might think that you do not see color or race but you do, in some way or another you judge. I do not hate any particular race but I do tend to make judgments. I wish we lived in a world where there were no judgments. No eyes that see color. No minds that think certain things about certain races and ethnicities, but we do not.
It took me a while to realize that I judge on occasion. The first time it happened was when I first got my license. I was driving through North Jersey and I accidentally got lost and ended up in Paterson, NJ. The equivalent is like Camden, Newark or the bad parts of Philly and Pittsburgh. But anyway back to the story. I was terrified. I automatically assumed that my car was in danger because a black man approached my car. I thought he was going to shoot me. My ignorant little self. He only came up to ask me if I needed help or needed directions. I felt so ashamed, but at the same time how many of you would have been scared? I’m guessing a lot of you would have driven away. I did not drive away at first but I did not role down my windows or unlock my door either. He mouthed the words.. ‘are you lost do u need help?’ and although I knew he was trying to help, I drove away out of judgment and fear.
Now pertaining to the student in the video. If I saw you at Penn State I would think you were a nice preppy young man and maybe an athlete. If I were in Paterson or Newark however, I may quickly judge and say you were a thug. I think it is situational but I would have been scared in that situation if we were in a bad area. It really does have a lot to do with situation and environment. Clearly you are not a street thug if you are at Penn State and dressed nicely. I am sure you worked just as hard as all of us to get here.
I am trying to change my ways. The Paterson experience really opened my eyes not to judge as much. It is hard let me tell you. It is hard to reverse the stereotypes that we all are prone to think.
If the tables were turned I am sure you would think some way about me as I walk around with my blackberry and UGGS. I feel that more people need to stop being so judgmental but first before I speak for others I need to start changing myself.
I think there are stereotypes that go along with all races. Actually any external factor on a person can create a stereotype. For example if he was wearing different clothes or had a different haircut it would bring entirely different stereotypes into play. I argue having black colored skin is an external attribute that comes with stereotypes but not more or less than the clothes you wear or your hairstyle in today’s society. The key difference is being black or white is not a conscious choice. What you wear is a conscious choice. However, for most people all these stereotypes can quickly diminish once you get to know a person.
I am Caucasian but was raised a military brat so I think that my outlook on people is quite different being that I moved around a lot and was always interacting with very diverse kids when I was little and young adults as I went through high school and now onto college. I read other’s comments on how they first thought you were an athlete at Penn State and which sport did you play. When Sam first introduced you in class, I just thought of you as any other student at Penn State. One thing I did notice though is your very strong, pronounced jaw line and that made me associate you with being a strong person, inside and out. That’s really all that made you stand out to me though.
When looking at Isaac, I don’t personally think about anything. Everyone at this university has the right to be here and has made good decisions in their pasts in order to get accepted. Although I see some people as being a bit more thuggish than others, I don’t think that anyone here at Penn State has killed someone for initiation into a gang or anything like that. I think that they simply came from an area that required them to be a bit more tough than my area. Now, when considering the possibility of Isaac being a football player or some other athlete, I think it is fair to say that he probably gets that a lot. If I didn’t know him, I would question it. To add, I don’t think that is a bad thing at all, nor is it a stereotype of being black. Being an athlete at a D1 school is quite the privilege. The only stereotype would be in deciding which sport he plays. Too broad, too short, not fast enough, etc.
I don’t mean for this to come off racist in any matter but this is one of the things that African Americans do that does bother me. Just like this boy, African American always believe that white people think the worst of them. He already has it programed in his mind that just by looking at him white people automatically think he’s a drug dealer, or a thug, or he has to be an athlete. I do not understand this. When he asked the question of what is the first thing you think about when you look at me, none of his answers fit what i said. I said he looks like a well dressed upper class-man college student. I didn’t say drug dealer and i didn’t say thug.
Stereotypes are never going to go away if people constantly think they are being judged and still being stereotyped. If we as diverse people want to get away from stereotypes we have to stop believing that they still exists. When one asks a question like the boy did in this video and you are already expecting an answer based on a stereotype then something is wrong. It is the people who still believe in stereotypes that keeping them around. because like this boy, they think that certain people only see them a certain why, when they are wrong. The fact that he thought people would say he was a drug dealer and a thug makes him not like the people who are judging him. Or makes the people seem racist, but in reality he’s wrong about what people have to say about it. He has it programed in his head that he thinks he knows what people think of him when they first see him. This is bad because most people don’t look at him the way he thinks people do. This causes hate and a racist attitude on his part.
People need to stop worry about other people judging them and being wrong about their judgements. If everyone would just get to know people for who they are and not what they look like then everyone would be better off. I know it is hard to move away from stereotypes but it is the only way to try and unify everyone. We need not to look at color, or clothes, or cultures. We need to start accepting everyone and getting to know people based on who they are and not where they came from, or what color they are, or how they wear their clothes. But more importantly people need to stop thinking that others are judging them based on their culture, race, and clothes. Once we can do these things no one will have to worry about how people judge them based on appearance ever again.
This is definitely a question that makes you think. When I look at you, I don't think I automatically group you into a group. Well, at least not one of those that you mentioned. Honestly, for me it's more the way that people talk than the way you look. If you weren't speaking properly, yes, I might think you were a thug or a rapper. But you speak intelligently, so that isn't what comes to mind. More than anything, I look at you as a college student.
As I'm sitting in my room typing this, you aren't a threat to me. But I sure as hell believe that if you were walking towards me or behind me late at night that I'd be scared. I wouldn't be scared because you were black though. I'd be scared because you are a big male and I'm a small female. So for me at least, it's more about size and sex than race. Any guy- black, white, brown, yellow- could rape a girl, and that's a scary thing. Being a girl at Penn State, I've learned to fear men, not just black men as other places socialize you to do.
Although I see where Isaac is coming from, and what he's getting at, every single group is stereotyped- no race is unsubject. If you looked at a white guy wearing Ralph Lauren you'd think he was rich. If you looked at an Indian guy you'd assume he was Muslim. If you see a girl wearing sorority letters you think she's a tramp. No one is free from this stereotyping. And although stereotyping is wrong, it does have a social function. It helps us to group people to remember them and classify them.
Sure we're all our own person, but we are all also part of groups. These groups define us and help us to better understand our surroundings. Even if all groups were removed, we'd still belong to the group of human beings. You see these groups won't, and really can't, be completely erased.
I wonder if Isaac resents people thinking he belongs in these groups. Or what group he thinks that he belongs in? Many of the groups that he questioned about have negative stigmas, but then again, almost every group does. Every group has positive and negative beliefs about them by people outside of those groups. Even if he was white, people would have negative things to say about him.
I've learned to just brush off these stereotypes. Regardless of what I do or how I look someone will have something to say about it. But who are these people, and what do they mean to me? Nothing, so why let them effect me? Most times I think that stereotypes are okay, unless they cause discrimination. If Isaac wouldn't be hired post-college because he looked like a thug then it's wrong. The problem is that everyone stereotypes, and as much as we try it may never fully be erased. I think that our generation is much more accepting than those of the past, so maybe by the time that we're holding leadership positions this won't be such a prevalent occurence.
i think this question has to do a lot with what sam talked about thursdays lecture about inequality in the workplace, etc. the first thing i see when i look at you or what i think of you is what you r wearing and how your wearing, and if people dont say they do this also, they are lying to themselves, because this is the only way other then talking to someone that we can try to guess who they are. Now if you asked me how i think of you after talking to you, then thats completely different, but thats not the question. to be quite honest i just think you are just a normal guy. you dress well, but not to flashy, and thats it for the first impression. Now i live in a really country town and if someone from my town i would hope they think they same way. But lets take a different example and say that you started talking and it was very slangy and could barely understand you and you were wearing fubu with your pants hung low, i would automatically think your a thug. but am i wrong to think that when people act just like a thug and then they deny being a thug just dressing the way they do. this might be a little bias but i think if a study was done with people dressing like a thug and men or women dressing in camo and carhart and boots, that if you asked them if they were a thug, or a redneck or hick, that the people that are dressed as rednecks or hicks would mostl likely say that they are one of those things and the person who is dressed like a thug would deny it. now i have never done a real study but i have asked people this and it seems to be this way everytime and i dont know why this is, why would you dress just like the definiton of something if you dont believe thats who you are. and im not saying this in race if a white person dressing as a thug and a black person dressing like a cowboy, it is the same result,(believe me, i have seen both many times actually. so this i guess its kind off subject and maybe it will start something new to talk about, but i just dont get it and it bothers me. when someones asks how do i judge them? well what am i suppposed to say? its how you present your self and how you dress, thats the only way i can wihout talking to you. so i guess my real question is why would people dress a certain way and then deny dreessing like them, when they know damn well they are copying their clothes and their persona.?
My first thought when I saw you is "normal college kid". Only when you started pointing out some stereotypes that some people might think about black people is when I began to look at you through the "lenses" you described. I really feel as if when people look at other people they look at them through their own lenses. For instance, where I come from many people regardless of race, try to emulate and imitate "rap" style and culture and thus they dress and act like the rappers they see on TV or listen to. However, in no way shape or form did I think you looked like "thug" or a "threat" to anyone. To be honest, I judged you first on your appearance and what you were wearing before you even opened your mouth because people, myself included, have the awful tendency to judge people based on their clothes and outward appearance and judge them on that instead of a person’s intangible qualities such as the ones I listed previously. How can we stop judging people by their outside appearance? Our clothes and style personify and exemplify our personalities, and it is hard to ignore these outward physical signs when you first meet someone. There have been so many stereotypes associated with different kinds of dress and style that now it is almost impossible to separate stereotype from reality. For instance, many girls that dress well can almost automatically be judged as “rich, snotty, stuck-up, etc” when many times that is not the case. Judgments can be passed on many different people in a plethora of situations. I guess the ultimate lesson I am trying to stress is the age-old mantra of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. I know it is extremely hard to do, but in order to really appreciate people and understand them not a superficial level we need to look past the outward appearance to really appreciate the true person, and everyone needs to be given this chance. I hate to think that people are judging me on my outward appearance because I am so much more of a person that the clothes or I style I choose to adhere to. I wish and hope that everyone gives people the chance to prove to each other that people are so much more than the superficial physical things we place on our bodies, and in order to create true meaningful relationships and views of certain people we need to look past all these labels and stereotypes associated with style and clothes.
Well I wouldn't think you were a thug or rapper. You do not look like the typical thug rapper (such as Plies, Gucci Mane, all those guys). You look like an educated person and dress like many students I see on a day to day basis on this campus. I would think many people would assume you play some sort of sport or that your a gym rat due to your athletic build. I would in no way look negatively toward you, I do not feel that you give off that persona of being threatening or someone who should be feared. You look like the average Penn State student, who I'd be confident in asking for a spot from in the gym.
It's funny because I feel like you want people to think that of you. Looking at you I would not have picked any of your suggestions. I personally don't think you look like a thug. I wouldn't assume you were a rapper, that probably would never cross my mind. I don't think I would be rushing you after class trying to buy a gram. And I couldn't tell how tall you were to predict you were a football player, or any PSU athlete. Looking at you I wouldn't judge, you look like a nice guy! And if I ever see you outside I class most likely the only thing that would come to my mind is, 'hey that's the kid from the blog.'
My question is what do you think when you look at yourself? What you consider yourself, most people will consider the same. They way you act, dress, portray yourself is what people will think of you. The way you want to be, is the way most people will see you as. My problem is I look at others and put myself down before someone is looking at me, before they get a chance to judge me. I truly am my biggest critic and I think we all are. During your question you suggest people think of you as a thug, rapper, drug dealer, or athlete instead of suggesting they think of you as a cool, laid back, smart etc. guy.
Don't ask yourself the question 'what do others, or other race, in this case, think of you.' People will always be judging, and stereotypes are never going to die so the basic lesson to learn from all this is who cares. Don't follow your typical stereotypes, their lame anyway.
I absolutely agree with the above posts- I do not think I would have had any preconceived judgments about you. The only thing that I would have agreed with would have been the athlete thing, but that is definitely not a bad thing. Of course people make judgments about athletes, but I think it is basically inevitable at this point for people in society to not make judgments about anyone in the first place. Therefore, although judgments may be made, I do not think they have anything to do with the concerns that you originally voiced. I mean, I am sure that there definitely are people that that may have those specific stereotypes in mind when they see you, but I am thinking that it really is not as many people as you may have thought.
What I think is really sad is the fact that people even have to be curious as to what everyone else thinks about them, like what first impressions and judgments are being made before anything is ever said. I know that I have wondered the same thing so many times, but it is just so frustrating that this even has to be a thought that crosses anybody’s mind. I feel like this is just the epitome of what makes everyone so self-conscious. Seriously though, imagine how many people’s lives would be absolutely and completely changed. I feel like this world would not even be the same place. It would be so nice if we could enter any situation with any crowd of people and not have to worry about what they thought of us. I feel like people would just be able to act so differently; maybe more like themselves? I really wonder what our world would be like if we lived in a society like this. Of course it will probably never happen, but it’s a nice thought.
Stemming from this, that is what was so interesting in lecture today- the whole concept of the differences between people that are handing in resumes and what their appearances are. It is so crazy to think that one person can be picked over another due to their appearance and skin color when everything else is EXACTLY the same, down to the price of their old house and how much they made at a previous job. I guess it really is not that crazy, because it really is not unheard of, and we all know that it happens on a day to day basis, but I never really gave much thought to all of it before, and now that I have, I feel like it is something that I just can’t stop thinking about. I guess that is definitely a good thing though, because I feel like stuff like this should be on everyone’s radar on a consistent basis.
I am not a white person but the question interests me so I will make a response to it. My high school which was very diverse, and had many colored people in it a lot of them would dress as you would call a thug, or gangster. Also most of the athletes in the school were colored so most of the people in the school that seen a colored person at times would assume they played sometime of sport for the school, and were stereotypical in their ways of looking at them, at times I would to. Though I realized after awhile that not all colored people are athletic at times when I would see a muscular black person the first thought that would come to my mind was he played a sport. It was a very stereotypical thought, but in my school it was mostly how it was, many of my friends that were colored at times would be mistaken for drug dealers, or some type of thugs. And many people assumed this because in Philadelphia colored people are usually the ones doing all this, but that didn’t mean that every black person smoked, or sold. One of my closest friends in school with whom I went to kindergarten all the way to graduating high school was at times misunderstood because he was really good at basketball and always had the latest basketball shoes, that he sold some type of drugs as many people asked him. Though he never sold, he never till this day has smoked, but as the stereotype goes all black people smoke and sell. But to be honest I think till people don’t really meet colored people and get to know them they will always have stereotypes about them.
As a white person, I would look at you as another human being. I know that stereotypes about people continue to exist and falsely accuse blacks of being hip-hop dancers, rappers, thugs, threats to society, or drug dealers. However, I truly believe that if you portray yourself in a certain light, that is how people will judge you. You, for instance, are well dressed with jeans that are not hanging below your waistline, you do not have ten-pound tacky necklaces of dollar signs around your neck, and you look like a person who would respect people. When black people demand respect when they walk around cities smoking weed, drinking, wearing huge clothes, and playing with guns, I believe they are just asking to be called a potential threat to society. When white people wear too much bling, oversized clothing, and the “gangsta get-up,” they look ridiculous and I treat those white people differently than I treat a white person who dresses respectfully. In my opinion, they are not showing any respect to themselves, so why encourage this behavior? Also, if they want to portray themselves as high school dropout rejects or juvenile delinquents, red flags instantly spring up in my mind to warn me to stay away from them because they appear to be “bad news.” Hip-hop and R&B style artists often speak of four main themes in their songs: sex, money, violence, and drugs or alcohol. These idols seem to glamorize these ills in society, objectify women, and demoralize ethics as a whole. Because many blacks are involved in the hip-hop and R&B scene, I believe that by association with these genres of music, they often get dubbed as thugs or aggressive people.
I believe that by dressing respectfully, black people will face less discrimination and be viewed as intellectual, tenacious human beings. This is not to say that by changing their dress code they are conforming to white society standards. In my opinion, there is no such thing as “white society.” Just because people do not dress like thugs, does not mean that they form a society. There are plenty of white people who dress horribly. For example, white girls that wear miniskirts up their butt or high cleavage shirts are only setting a low standard for the respect they want to receive. Because they do not respect their own bodies enough to cover their parts, why should people walking by them treat them with high levels of respect?
Obama is a great example of a black man who dresses respectfully, conducts himself with well manners, and speaks intelligently in full sentences. He is not becoming “whiter;” rather, he is simply respecting himself and those around him. He does not have to put on an act, a rap, or be different from other politicians just for the sake of being different. He knows he is different culturally, and he embraces that part of him with intellect and pride. If all black people conducted themselves in this manner, white people would be more open to listen to them and be less afraid to see them in the street at night.
Personally, when I first looked at you, I thought you looked like a human being. After hearing your question, I tried to put my mind in a place to judge your appearance. From the looks of your clothing, I thought you looked just like most of the other college students here at Penn State. I do not find you threatening what so ever and you look like you come from a middle class family. You do not come off as thuggish to me at all. I did not judge you to be an athlete, only that you are fit and probably like to work out and take care of yourself.
Growing up in the suburbs of Central New Jersey and attending the high school I did I honestly did not come across that many black individuals. The black people I did know were just like the rest of my friends. It really wasn't a question of the color of your skin that would make me have judgments about you it would really be about where you were from and the setting where I first meet you. The town just south of me has some areas you don't really want to walk around in at nights so if I saw you coming up to me on the street in the middle of the night I would have thought something else. Last year I had a roommate that was from Newark, New Jersey, which is seen as a rough place to grown up just as Trenton and Camden are. Had I met him in Newark I would have been out of my comfort zone and may be a little more on the edge of my seat than when I met him on move in day. Moving in I had no idea where he was from until I took time to talk to him and get to know more about him. By the time it came up in conversation I could already tell that he was a real chill guy and we were going to be pretty good friends.
So I suppose to wrap it up and give you some closure on your question I will say that I did not see you as a thug or a rapper, I thought you were an everyday college student working hard to get that piece of paper that says this man is willing to put in the long hours and do work. Could you have been an athlete? Yea sure I suppose you could have been an athlete, but walking into Rec Hall, White Building and East Area Gym I see a lot of people who are by no means athletes they just spend a great deal of time working on their fitness. I feel like it is part of the social pressure put upon each and every person in the world we live in today. If you look good you will do better in life, its sad to say that but people put so much emphasis on first impressions and appearance that it really does help. Had I seen you standing on the street corner in Philly I may have thought something else, but that's just how it goes I suppose. People are sometimes more afraid of the town or area than who or what is actually in it because of its wrap for being a rough place.
My first impression of your physical appearance? You dress well. I would guess you are somewhere in the middle class based on that. The style of dress would make me think you live in or near a city. You have an athletic build so I would guess you played a power-oriented sport like football, wrestling or track. I really don't see the thug or drug dealer look that you were talking about. I hope you don't honestly assume most white people would automatically think that about you just because you're a black male. The thug look is more doo-rag with extra baggy jeans and white t-shirt. Though, I feel like most people who actually dress like that are middle schoolers who listen to too much 50 cent, where I grew up anyways.
The first thing that I see is a normal college student. However, I know many people who would think athlete. Being here at Penn State, there are mostly white students and there is such a high population of athletes here who are black. Basically, people go with the percentages when they see a black person they assume athlete. People assume a lot of things about people, but when it comes to color, I think the type of clothes that person wears plays a big role in their assumption. If you were wearing baggy clothes they or I might think something differently. I saw a guy with normal everyday clothes that I wear and I see myself as a normal college student.
Nothing in particular really comes to mind when I look at you. I guess I would ask how you got to work the presentations for Sam in class. I think that is pretty cool and you do a great job with it. I wouldn't associate you with being a thug, or football player, or rapper. You just look like an average Penn State student, and since you are in this class you are obviously open minded and curious about other backgrounds. Most people in this sociology class are of very accepting nature, and I doubt anyone would jump to any conclusions just based on appearance. People at penn state are very well educated and often stereotypes and discriminatory behavior comes from a lack of intelligence and education on the matter.
When I look at you I do see someone athletic because of the way your body is built, but that is definitely not a bad thing. Being athletic is good and you have a great muscular body! It has nothing to do with the color of your skin in my opinion and I definitely don't stereotype you as a football player right off the bat. If some people are intimidated by you, its probably because you are outspoken and get to the point. Many people these days are scared of honest and straightforward individuals.
Maybe I feel this way because I come from a very diverse school in New York. I know people of various backgrounds and appearances. I am used to seeing different styles and all kinds of personalities. It ultimately comes down to the point, of how open minded an individual is. If someone is not exposed to different backgrounds they are less likely to be accepting of people different than them and would ask some questions that are very different from mine. These people may assume that you are a thug, or rapper, or anything else. I think people should feel free to ask other people questions about what they like to do and such instead of assuming things right off the bat. You seem to have a preppy style and have a very well mannered speech. all characteristics indicating that you are an average, intelligent penn state student. People just need to get out of the bubble, and open their minds to others, maybe we will ultimately learn something. If people want to judge each other, tan everyone should be judged on the same basis. No one should be judged and stereotyped on the basis of the skin color. So to answer your question of what I would ask you, I would ask you the same question I would ask a white guy in the same clothes standing in front of me. Until the rest of society gets to this same state of mind the deep rooted racism in our nation will never go away.
Ok I can understand where he is coming from me being black and muscular myself. Sometimes I get moments as if I don’t belong here or even looked as what you are doing at Penn State. With me being an athlete up at this school many white people do come off when they first meet me oh you play football here don’t you and then they ask where I’m from. That put me in a place as if I don’t belong here other than sports or like I can get into this school with just my academics or I’m just not good enough if I just had these talents, In their eyes they feel as if things where just giving to me to come here to play ball and you can call me crazy I can feel that deep inside me when certain people ask me that question. As from what you stated I know tons of black males that tell me the same thing you just said most of them get ask all the time do you play sports and where they are they from like they can’t be at this school just for academics . I didn’t look at this before I got to this school but it’s still some stuff that lingers in the air with black males at this school and it sucks to say that. Don’t get me wrong being a male athlete up here is great but why mostly by the public you be questioned to the point you really sit back and ask yourself is this the reason why black people from the places I come from are scared to set foot on a white based campus and as most black people do they choose to go to a school that tend to have more black ethnicity than others. When I go home I get asked by the old black generation all the time how penn state treating me which in some cases they are really saying am I going through problems. It crazy because the mind frame that the older generations stress on us it’s a different world up here and some cases that is true. Me not being racist in any matter kind of know how to block all that stuff out and keep a smile on my face because it’s a new time in day and I believe things will get better. It sad to say but I know of some black people on this campus that is tired of being looked as if they don’t belong and I always stress to myself it’s how I react to that type of pressure and that why I am at a type of school like this to show different races and the world that we also can be smart and be the best athlete at the same time. Making a change is what counts to me.
I completely agree with many of these posts. I absolutely did not think Issac was a thug, gangster, drug dealer ect. when I first saw him. First of all we are all students at penn state, in order for us to get here we have to obviously be intelligent and placed somewhere in the middle to upper social class. Another reason is that even if I saw you walkin in my hometown or the streets of new York I would not assume these thoughts. I personally think you look just like any other college student. I have several black friends who do like to make their own raps and post them on facebook so yeah maybe you could be a rapper. I also have many white friends who rap. . Issac also mentioned that people may think he is an athlete. Personally yes he may have the same statue as maybe a wrestler or soccer player, but even if I saw a white, Indian, Hispanic, or asian with the exact same built I would assume that also. Furthermore who even have the same exact shoes, shirt, jeans, and even the same style hair as you who you; the point is that when I first met them I did not put them in such specific categories how you think people are so judgmental about yourself. You can be the wealthiest man and still wear sweatpants and nobody would ever know it. I think our society has come a very long way from racism thoughts. Not all but many intelligent people first judge you by the way you speak or carry yourself; not with your dress. I completely agree with the fact that some black people automatically have this guard up and assume that white people are scared of them or something. We are all students further more we are all human beings. The situation may be reverse discrimination to say that “most white people see me as a thug or criminal.” Skin color has nothing to do with those thoughts. What does is your personality and your actions which cause people to assume you are a criminal. Im not saying that we don’t judge people because EVERYBODY does, it’s just sad that this is what you believe people assume of you. The only reason I could see why, is because maybe you consider yourself to be athletic, or maybe you like that “thug/rapper” style so that’s what you want people to perceive you as. Maybe you even want people to feel bad for you and make it seem that white people still are very racist so this is what you tell others? I personally do not know the reason why. Don’t be so hard on yourself on what other people think about you!!
I have to ask if it's fair to even put this on white people? Black people do the same thing. We constantly size each other up and make blind assumptions each other. Unless I'm wrong, what you're implying is that when Whites do it, it's because of racism. What makes it okay for Blacks to do this? Isn't anyone making an unjustified judgment of a person wrong? Why should the color of the person making the assessment matter? I don't think this is ever going to stop. It is not within most people's comfort zones to go up to someone they've never met and ask them about themselves and most people would think there was something wrong with a person if this was done to them. So instead, we assume. And I'm sure you've done it a few times yourself too.
Alright, so the question is, what is the first thing white people think of you, just judging by your appearance? Well I am Hispanic and maybe bias in my point of view, but I found this to be interesting because I as well ask the question of what do white people think and judge about me just base on first appearance and how this may skew their approach and thought process towards me. It’s nothing I stress over or sit in shame, but when you’re a minority in America it is one of those question you ask and how may it affect my life because as everyone knows racism and discrimination does exist in this country. Another question that I ask is, how this may play a role later in life, as every college student stress about a good job and as Sam showed us who holds the highest capital by race and most elite jobs in America are whites, so yes it’s a question I asked my myself. Now judging on your appearance it would all depend on the situation, time and place. Sure if I saw you here at Penn State, I would probably say he is just a student like me invested in the hip hop culture by his choice of clothing. I would guess he’s from the city, maybe Philadelphia but would not imply that he is an athlete due to his height stature, but someone who just works out and stays in shape. I would not consider him a threat because were here in Penn State, not to say that violence does not occur here; I just feel safer than oppose to if I was in a city. I can see how he is curious about white people image on him, due to the fact of his color and race betrayed by the media and statistics.
I come from the city and before coming to state college I had an inner city look, with the braids and baggie clothes. Coming here to Penn State I felt as an outsider, not fitting into the culture. I had Philadelphia Public School system education, and now know it was not the best as compared to many of my peers but try my hardest to stay on top. I seem to conform to the Penn State culture changing my dress appearance to fit in; I seem to have adapted to the environment. This was all it took to fit in and get accepted by whites and notice the different approach I received than when I had my inner city look. I found it true that many people generalize by appearance and distance themselves because they may feel a threat.
From my first look as you, I would've just though that you were a typical college student. I would have classified you as either middle or upper class, and you also looked slightly preppy. However, when you mentioned that some people may see you as a thug, it made me question my earlier assumptions. Maybe in your past, you have just been misjudged by other white people, and they thought you were just some average thug off the street. But I also have a question- why did you only direct this question to white people? Don't you feel as if you are judged the same way by people of all colors?
I agree with the posters here. When I look at you Isaac, the first question that comes to my mind is ‘Where are you from?’ and I guess that I am assuming an answer of either Philly or Pittsburgh. Just from looking at you I would not suspect anything congruent with thug or rapper. Sorry if that’s the image that you are going for. On the question of an athlete, I’d definitely say no. Again sorry if you fancy yourself an athlete but I naturally look at things very logically and your body, to me, is not conducive of colligate athletics.
One thing that has been said on this blog and also a lot in my discussion group is ‘I don’t judge people’. I think that that is a huge lie and anyone who thinks that is just lying to themselves. Maybe it is an attempt for the person to try and morally pat themselves on the back but in my opinion it is impossible not to judge. Judging is human nature. Plain and simple we all do it every day if we like to admit it or not. How many times are do you see a person in the hub and think to yourself that they are attractive? That’s a judgment. Judgments are just part of us. They are there at a subconscious level to help us decipher the environment that we find ourselves in.
Now as I tried to show above, judgments are always there. True some might be so quick or mundane that we don’t even acknowledge them as judgments. The only ones that people ever talk or care about are ones that are against people. I’ll be honest I judge people when I look at them. It is not a preconceived thing that I do I just do it. Call me a racist, call me a bigot, call me whatever you want. I do it and I’m definitely not alone. Now I do not consider myself any of the afore mentioned type of people. I think that it is definitely possible to judge and not be a racist. To me, once I act on or instill those judgments as facts then I have crossed the line and have become racist. Sorry I just had to get that off my chest so to speak.
Now back to you Isaac. I look at you and ask where are you from. Then to be honest I think that you for some reason don’t like me. I don’t know why I do but I have a feeling of tension between us for some reason. So my judgment is that black people are inherently hostile towards white people. So a question I have is “what is your first question when you see me?”
I don't know about the first question I would ask if I looked at you… but if I made an assumption about you I would say you look like a normal college student… actually in all honestly you look a middle class person who is a little preppy–which is fine–I am too. Because of the way you talk about yourself however, you spark some questions in my mind–have you been discriminated against often before because of your color? You sound like you think white people you think white people have a typically negative view about black people. Did you grow up in an area where there were an abundance of white people who made you feel this way? Or maybe the opposite? My first thoughts were not, "he's a rapper, thug, or threat to me," of course someone may assume you are an athlete because of your build, but student athlete who is hear just because of a scholarship would not be the first thing to come to my mind… I would have just though you lift or spend time in the gym a lot. Perhaps I have a different mindset than others you have come in contact with, but my first thoughts were not negative ones…
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I don't know about the first question I would ask if I looked at you… but if I made an assumption about you I would say you look like a normal college student… actually in all honesty you look a middle class person who is a little preppy–which is fine–I am too. Because of the way you talk about yourself however, you spark some questions in my mind–have you been discriminated against often before because of your color? You sound like you think white people you think white people have a typically negative view about black people. Did you grow up in an area where there were an abundance of white people who made you feel this way? Or maybe the opposite? My first thoughts were not, "he's a rapper, thug, or threat to me," of course someone may assume you are an athlete because of your build, but student athlete who is here just because of a scholarship would not be the first thing to come to my mind… I would have just though you lift or spend time in the gym a lot. Perhaps I have a different mindset than others you have come in contact with, but my first thoughts were not negative ones…
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katieladie43 Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 2:16 am
I agree with lss5052 completely. You have good style sense, but not very 'thugish' or rapper like. This question makes me think that you worry too much what others think of you. I mean yea if you wore baggy south pole jeans with huge shirt and hat, then my first thought would be he is 'gangster' not thug because I think the word thug is a bad word. When I hear thug, I automatically think bad and violence or gang member, but that is just how I grew up. I would say gangster just because it would be the look of a gangster. My thoughts about the way you dress and your build are the same as a white male with your style and build. The only difference is if a white male dressed in baggy jeans and big shirt I would not call him gangster haha I would actually call him a wangsta.
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JulietaVenegas Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 5:09 am
I would have to agree with you here. I wouldn't think "he's a gangster" or anything based on his appearance. I have black friends who are much more ghetto-like in appearance, style, and language, and yet they're some of the kindest people I know… so I think the question needs to be separated into two parts: 1) How does he appear to the eye on first glance and 2) What kind of a person do I think he is. Just because someone looks like 50 Cent doesn't mean that they're going to mug you. I have to admit that my kind-hearted and ghetto-fabulous black friends were intimidating at first simply because I didn't actually *know* them, so that's definitely testament to the fact that you need to get to know people before you can judge them.
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I agree with lss5052… I didn’t automatically think you were a rapper, gangster, drug dealer or an athlete, (but I have seen you personally and know that you have below average height so perhaps that is why I didn’t think you were an athlete despite your level of fitness). I will say, though, that if I had seen you in another setting I may have thought something different about you.
I am not a racist in the sense that I think that I am mentally or physically superior to you because I am white; but I do prejudge everyone by the way that they dress, the areas they live in, their facial expression, and their demeanor.
Had I seen you dressed that way in Philadelphia, I would have thought you were like a lot of other males in Philadelphia. I would assume that you were probably an avid Obama supporter, because over 90% of black people voted for Obama. Had I known what high school you went to, I would have prejudged a lot more. ~~ But I wouldn’t have judged you on your skin or by your clothes alone. ~~ I know that there is only so much you can tell from clothes. Knowing about someone’s schooling and home cities allow me to prejudge more appropriately. If you went to a public school in Philadelphia, like Bartram High School, I would have thought your family had a very low income and that your neighborhood, your family and your house were probably not the best in America. No one would choose to go to a subpar school if their parents had the job opportunities, the money and the ability to live somewhere else and to send their kids to go to a better environment to learn.
I’m not saying that all kids who live in bad areas are heading for prison either, or that all black people are flaming liberals. I’m saying that I, as does everyone else, prejudge people based on information as my brain receives it. The more information I get, the more I am able to figure people out until I know the truth. And I NEVER act on my prejudice because being publicly wrong about someone because of prejudice will cause anyone to look like a jackass.
Nonetheless, because you go to Penn State, I thought you probably cared about your education. Your parents or community encouraged you to do well in high school and to stay away from things which will impede you from getting an education, then consequently a job, then money for your own well being and for that of your future family. So I didn’t think you were some social deviant, as I guess you thought all white people would have thought from your clothes. I thought you dressed that way because that’s how your friends dress and that the culture which you identify with and like is the hip-hop culture.
Additionally, if YOU think people would have assumed that you were a drug dealer or something negative, then why would you choose to dress like that?
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Yeah, because you are at Penn State I believe that that takes away a certain level of "threat." Everyone, or most everyone at least, in State College treats each other with a certain level of respect, whether they are an athlete, musician, or engineer. We all love being here and I think that breeds a sense of togetherness. That being said, if you wear the clothes that the "thugs" on t.v. do, and you listen to the music they do, aren't you trying to imitate them to a certain extent? Now, when a white person does it it is almost comical because of the stereotype that goes along with people like that, but if you are black and you aren't really a "thug" isn't that the same thing as the people that get made fun of by skaters for being posers? If you are going to wear 50 cent's t shirts or Lil' Wayne's jeans, then why wouldn't someone look at you and assume at least a little bit about you? After all that's why we buy certain clothes no matter what they are, we're trying to look a certain way or live a certain way. I don't think that it is a bad thing, but at the same time I wouldn't get mad if someone assumed that I play the guitar if I wore a Blink-182 t-shirt, or that I liked their music. In fact, I have that t-shirt because to a certain extent I am trying to imitate them.
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ant5061 Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
In regards to saying that being at Penn State takes away a certain level of "threat" I must say I completely disagree with that. Although State College is far different from let’s say the Bronx, that doesn't necessarily mean that the level of threat goes down. From experience and through talking to many students I can say that there is "threat" on campus to some degree, keep in mind bad events happen anywhere at any time even in the best of neighborhoods. Also, to say that everyone in state college treats each other with a certain level of respect is also somewhat falsifiable in my opinion. There will always be those kinds of people that don't show respect for others no matter what type of surrounding they are in. Even if almost everyone that goes to Penn State loves being here, that doesn't automatically mean that we have a sense of togetherness. If that was the case then every surrounding you could possibly put yourself in would be you would have a sense of togetherness with the other people located there as well and that is by no means true. People find a sense of togetherness with things that personally relate to the type of person that they are. Thus, if a person decides to wear Lil' Wayne jeans or 50 cent's t-shirts they are most likely doing so because it is something they like and something that makes them happy. Why should anyone be judged for wearing a type of clothing that makes them happy? Unfortunately, I know that we live in a very judgmental society so that does happen somewhat frequently but just because a person wears a certain brand of clothing or dresses in a specific manner doesn't mean that they are a thug, poser, etc. I'm not trying to be unrealistic or naive though to think that NOONE out there in the world is trying to imitate another person like a celebrity or someone. We all know, or should know by now, that there are some people in society that try to imitate certain rappers, models, or other celebrities. However, it's not fair to assume that everyone or even most individuals who wear a brand of clothing, such as clothing from 50 cent's G-Unit line, are trying to imitate him and be "thug". For example, just because I may own a few items from Jessica Simpson's clothing line does not indicate in any way, shape, or form that I am imitating her and trying to be like the multi-millionaire pop-star. Overall, an individual should be able to wear whatever they want because it makes them happy and shouldn’t have to feel like someone thinks they are trying to imitate another person based on the brands they wear.
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I must admit a fault in my day to day thought processes. Here at Penn State where diversity barely exists, whenever I see a black student, I immediately think athlete and try to guess the sport they play. Many times these kids don’t play a sport and often times are actually probably more unathletic than a majority of the white students. However, it is my perception, good or bad, that whenever I see a black person on the Penn State campus I’m thinking to myself that he or she is an athlete. Maybe it’s because Penn State is overwhelmingly white or maybe because the athletes on our sports teams are overwhelming black, regardless when I see black at Penn State I’ll usually think athlete.
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the_situation Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:54 pm
I am going to have to agree with you about your first thought. I come from a high school where I graduated with maybe a dozen people of color, so naturally I am not used to diversity in a school setting. When I see a black student, the first thought that runs into my mind is sports. My first day freshman year did not help that, since I saw Derrick Williams on campus. But since then my views have changed, and now, I would assume that if I see a black student on campus, he or she is just like me, a hard-working college kid trying to live the American dream. But people from other backgrounds, especially those in the predominantly white south, would think otherwise. This inequality question reminded me of a scene from the movie Crash. Ludacris and his buddy are walking in downtown L.A. when Sandra Bullock tenses up and grabs her hubby’s arm. Luda goes on this huge rant about how it is so typical that a white woman would do this upon seeing a black man on the street. I feel to show the full effect I must include this monologue: “Look around! You couldn't find a whiter, safer or better lit part of this city. But this white woman sees two black guys, who look like UCLA students, strolling down the sidewalk and her reaction is blind fear. I mean, look at us! Are we dressed like gang-bangers? Huh? No. Do we look threatening? No. Fact, if anybody should be scared around here, it's us: We're the only two black faces surrounded by a sea of over-caffeinated white people, patrolled by the triggerhappy LAPD. So you tell me, why aren't we scared?” This can kind of relate to lss5052’s original response that preppy dress would relate to the middle-class. Ludacris says how he and his bud are dressed like college students in a predominantly white neighborhood, yet women still cringe in fear at the sight of them. Now of course this is where my tidbit from Crash ends, since Luda and his friend go on to carjack Sandra Bullock and just goes to show that looks can be deceiving, but that is a whole other story. But anyway, I also think that people’s first perceptions have to do with how you are acting. For example, when the camera zoomed back, Ozzie was standing there with his hand in his pocket, his shirt riding up because of that. Obviously if he was standing there with a hand down his pants and a crook in his stance, people’s views would be different. Looks are not everything. I am a fairly medium height white kid, but if I really tried, I could dress differently and stand differently to make people think I am dangerous or a gangbanger, something that I really am not.
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akeem10 Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 1:54 am
What you said is pretty funny. Yes, I am a black student and I probably should not be on this topic. However, I just wanted to express my idea on what others have to say. It is true that some of the black students up here are student-athletes for the school. But majority of the black students up here are actually here because of academic reasons and goals. I live in the only dorm that has more than 20 black people living there in the whole Penn State. I remember, when me and my "black" friend went to the Inter-mural Building to play basketball. We were the only blacks there at the time and wanted to play a game. We were both picked on the same team. We both noticed that the other team sort of lost hope and confidence because the only two "black guys" are on the same team. I find it funny because they think we are some sort of Lebron James. Even though we were both pretty good in basketball, color should not be a way to judge us.
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I think this question is a great one but can be expanded on a much broader level. The first question of “What do white people think when they look at me?” could be substituted for every single race. It would be real interesting to pick several different people of different races and compare their responses.
To answer the question though (being a white person myself), my first reaction when I saw you was that you look like an average African American dude. Not a rapper, sports player, etc. To tell you the truth actually, your dress and build are similar to mine, so would you say if you saw me that I am one of the above? Do you think if you put a fitted on your head that would affect their answer? The key to every single persons answer is definitely based on exposure to diversity more so than race. You are right in the fact that many white people hold stereotypes about blacks but the fact of the matter is everyone holds different stereotypes about each other. These stereotypes are formed more by the society that you live in/are accustomed to instead of the specific race that you are. For example, do you think an African American who grows up in State College is going to have a similar answer to your question than an African American who grows up in Los Angelos?
It is interesting that you have this preconception that a white person is immediately going to jump to conclusions because of the color of your skin. By the sound of your voice when you asked the question, you have a bit of a defensive tone throughout the video. You do not say where you grew up from but I think it is obvious that this may be a sensitive subject for you. Maybe white people have shown disrespect towards you? We live in a world where differences are not always accepted so it understandable that you may feel this way.
I want to pose a separate question to you to think about. Why do you think white people think of you in the ways that you stated? Do you think it is because of the hip-hop culture? If we did not see listen to these self-proclaimed “thugs” like Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Tupac, etc. do you think people would have a different opinion? I am not say whatsoever that hip hop culture is the sole reason certain people think the way they think but I am sure it a factor for some. I think that there are so many different reasons why people associate others with stereotypes but at the end of the day you know what you are so why let the haters affect you?
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mac5248 Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 2:05 am
I also think that this was a really great question to ask and be put on a blog response. I do feel that there are general stereotypes for every race that could be applied and seeing different answers to different people would be very interesting.
Some background information on me, I am a 22 year old white girl from an upper class town. I went to school with one black boy, but spent a lot of time in New York City where I was exposed to a lot of different ethnicities.
So what do I see when I look at you? To be honest, I thought you dressed very well and were comparable to most of the boys I hang out with. Nothing about you screams rapper, thug, or drug dealer. I don’t know anything about your personality to assume that you would be any of the above. Although I understand where you are coming from by asking this question, I do believe that most people who decide to take Soc 119 are already very open minded and not quick to judge. Yes, if you went to the town I grew up where you would be one of the few black men, maybe people would be a little curious as to why you were there and be fearful. Those people however, haven’t been exposed to as much as students at Penn State.
I am very curious as to why you believe that a white person would be so quick to judge you. Has something or someone in your past taken an opportunity away from you for being your skin color? I also, can totally see why you feel this way. Although I believe that world is becoming more accepting about the physically difference between people, there are those who were brought up with strict beliefs and aren’t willing to change their views. Hopefully, these racist depictions will disappear with future generations.
I would like to comment on the hip-hop culture that was noted above. These black men who become rappers and make a lot of money aren’t necessary thugs. Maybe they grew up in poor conditions, but they clearly have made a name for themselves and wanted to be something. Music, no matter what type it is, is extremely inspiring. No matter if they turn into drug dealers or are wrapping about “bitches and hoes,” they have made the decision to become famous and have worked hard to be where they are. So why should we judge them?
Now that you’ve posted this, I do want to know how you perceive yourself. What do you like to do? What was your childhood like? Where do you see yourself going in the future?
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keane Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
I too believe that there are general stereotypes for almost each and every race nowadays. And like you said, the general stereotype for a black male would be that he is either a thug, an athlete or a rapper etc. It's disappointing to see how a lot of people still look at other races in a stereotypical way and without even talking to them, let alone getting to know them, assume that they are this or that. But I think that a lot of the people who do look at other races in a stereotypical way are people who do not live in areas where there is a lot of diversity, or people who are not very highly educated, and therefore, because I'm in Penn State (or just in college, for that matter), I do not see a thug, or a rapper, or an athlete in you as soon as I see you. I have learnt to stereotype people before I get to know them, but to me, you look just like a normal college student working hard to make a future for himself. So I believe that people should be more careful about stereotyping people, because as it often turns out, once you get to know the person, you often find that they are not stereotypical, and not like how people assume them to be.
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NicoleFoley Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I like that you brought the hip-hop culture into the spectrum. And i also agree that when I look at the man in the video I don't see a thug or a rapper or a sports player. I live in intercity Philadelphia my exposure to those who dress like a thug in excess and for sheer shock value is high. For me the clothes and even the color of skin is not what causes a "threat". Living in the city is a lot of diversity whites blacks Hispanics Asians, its a melting pot in a dense area. So everyone is effecting everyone else. So even the white boys, and girls that live in my neighborhood dress like rappers or thugs. Maybe it is the hip-hop culture that affects how they dress. How people dress does not always correspond to who they are. For myself especially, I have learned to look past the clothes and the skin color and pay attention to how people carrying and present themselves. And this is strictly a survival tactic. If you present yourself with an attitude that says I feel inferior so I plan to rebel then the threat level is a lot higher. So for the man in the video when I look at you I see a well dressed black man, who obviously is doing well for himself being at Penn State and who walks with a pride but who also presents himself with respect. You don’t walk in a fashion that gives off a vibe that you’re hiding something or that you feel inferior to me, I would most likely not feel threatened by you.
At home is when I learned that clothes mean nothing in the terms of detecting a threat or not well dressed white boys who follow you or yell things out car windows as you walk down the street are threatening I have come to find. A group of black kids who were dressed in nice school uniforms khakis and polos did not seem like a threat to me at the time until I felt 3 fists hitting me in the back of the head. I was not paying attention to the way they presented themselves if I would have taken the time to notice the threat then I would have ran. But now I know. I don’t consider myself to think of black thugs as threatening. I consider everyone a threat. Walking home late on Friday nights who is to say that the white kid behind me in the Abercrombie polo wont attempt to assault me. No I have learned to weed out the hip-hop culture dressers vs. the ones that actually pose a threat the exterior never matters.
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i do not think that all white people think that especially at school. I do feel though that if they were lets say walking down a city street in front of you then maybe they would be scared but I feel like skin color would not apply that much. I mean I’d get scared walking down dark streets regardless of who was behind me. I feel like yeah maybe you were discriminated against but I don’t think that you should feel that all white people would think that because I doubt that that helps the whole color situation. Not everyone is like that and making assumptions isn’t any better either.
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My first impression of seeing you in this video was that you looked normal. You look athletic, but the clothes you where do not give off the impression of thug or criminal. Your pants aren’t any baggier than mine; you just look like anyone else walking around here. Even if we were not at Penn State, I wouldn’t think too much different of you. The way that you are portrayed in this video is like any other normal college student. I think that if I saw you maybe in a bad area around where I live, I may think differently about you, but not a PSU.
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paulh1124 Reply:
February 23rd, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I have to agree with the statement above. By looking at what yo are wearing it looks like you dress well and not like a thug. I would agree though, if I saw you in a neighborhood with a lot of crime and big unsafe neihborhood then I would think differently. I feel that if you did live in a place like that you would not be wearing those clothes. You seem like a nice regular PSU student. You do not seem to talk "thuggish" shall I say. I think you have a little humor in you because that kind of question surprised me. I guess you really think many white people think negatively about you.
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kar5349 Reply:
February 27th, 2010 at 2:54 am
I agree with this statement. You look like any other Penn State student. If I had passed you on the street, I would not take a double take, but then again those kind of thoughts do not really cross a person's mind a school like Penn State. I think the environment a person is in also has a lot to do with the opinion one forms. So if I had seen you on the streets of a run down town I may have thought otherwise. Many people automatically form impressions of a person if they see him or her in a certain location even though they have no idea what that person is like.
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I actually remember on the first day of class seeing you standing on the side stairwell handing out pencils. I walked right by you, gave you a little head nod, and you gave one back. Walking in your direction, i had no thought of putting you down in my head, although i come from a dominantly black neighborhood and have become pretty good at judging who is going to be a problem and who is going to be cool, and my first impression of you was that you were a respectable guy who was just having fun. There was nothing that stuck out to me that made you seem like a offensive black man, you were just another college kid who was happy and having a good time. Again, i did grow up in a majority black community, i am white, and i have no prejudice towards anyone and always give everyone a fair chance. But like i said, you seemed like a very respectable guy to me from the get go, didnt have a preconcieved notion of you being a bad person.
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The first question I asked myself after the camera panned up and down on you was actually not a question of race, but a question of stance. Your legs were spread really far apart and I just didn’t thank that would be comfortable. Being white I can definitely understand why you think a lot of white people would look at you and immediately assume athlete, rapper, or drug dealer, but in my opinion these are the people who have lived very sheltered lives. Perhaps they were in a predominantly white town and school and the only portrayal of black people they saw was on TV or in the movies. I grew up with black neighbors and I have had, and still have, many black friends so maybe that’s why to me you look like a clean cut guy with a hint of “prepiness.”
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keane Reply:
February 25th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
I totally agree with you BruceEtt. I believe that people who stereotype other races are definitely people who have not been exposed to a lot of racial diversity, people who have been living their whole lives in predominantly white towns, or people who are not very well educated, who have not been exposed to people of different race, people who see different races only on TV etc, and therefore, their perceptions of black males are usually that they are rappers, athletes or drug dealers etc. People who are in colleges, or who have spent time in New York City etc, know better, that many people are not as they are assumed to be, that most of them aren't stereotypical at all. I have many black friends as well, and most of them are of different personalities, and really, none of them can be classified in a stereotypical manner, except for their obvious addiction to Basketball. Haha. But really, on a more serious note, it is just wrong for people to stereotype others in such manner, because as people, a lot of us have different personalities than each other, and therefore, it just does not make sense for anyone to assume anyone to be like this or that etc.
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I only have one assumption upon seeing you. The only assumption that comes to mind is (and has to do with) about your muscular physique. I would assume, because of this, that you are an athlete, which, I should add, I do not associate with negativity. Also, I think that aggression is commonly associated with sporting and atheleticism because of the competition that is automatically involved in sporting events. Overall, I would not say that I believe you are a “thug,” but I would assume that you are involved oin athletics, whether being for appearance or sport, which I would associate with increased aggression in either case.
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I think that people that are not black may presume you are a "thug" because of the media. People are heavily influenced by the media. If you judge people based on what is shown on television you're bound to make this conclusion. Celebrities like 50 cent, T-Pain, and all the members of G-Unit dress like "thugs" and rap about "getting money and fcking bitches." I think people who do not like in a diverse area would be more likely to judge people like this. I went to a very diverse school. I saw preppy white people, preppy black people. As well as thug like white people and thug like black people. Every race has a TYPE of person in it. You don't necessarily have to be black to be a thug.
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Based solely on appearance, I would think that Isaac is a well educated person, rather than a “thug” or “criminal”. This is because in my own mind, a “thug” or “criminal” would dress in baggy and worn out clothes rather than a nice clean shirt and khaki pants. I think that Isaac feels people might initially see him as the “gangster type” solely based on the fact that he is black. However, even though Isaac is black, the way he represents himself makes me think that he is a good, honest person. I personally noticed that I judged Isaac based on what he is wearing rather than what his skin color is.
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Eh….this subject just makes me roll my eyes. I understand other races go through a lot more battles in their lives than I do…I am white by the way. But our society has come an extremely far way with equality. I do not want to come off as rude or heartless, but when a Black person says well white people automatically see me as…..fill in the blank, it makes me believe that they are racist against white people. Sure some white people may view Isaac that way, but definitely not all. Black people categorize White people…so it makes me mad when the table is always turned our way. I get offended when I hear these remarks being made, because I personally am not racist in anyway. I could care less about what color you are. If you are a genuinely nice person I will be nice to you. However, if you so happen to be Black and rude I am not going to like you. So do not try to turn that into me being racist. If you are Black and nice then yes I would have nothing against you. I feel everyone should stop worrying about what others think about them and live life for you…not for others. If you are happy in your skin then be happy. Why do you care if someone thinks you’re a ‘thug?’ If you care that much then change the way you dress. You may obviously be exploiting yourself this way. Sometimes I try to dress a little ‘punky,’ because I want people to see that I have a little ‘edge’ to myself. Now if I wanted to portray myself as a slut then I would prance around in short skirts and four inch heels, but I do not do that. Therefore, I do not get the stereotype as a slut. I would not get all bent out of shape if someone called me a punk, but if someone called me a slut while I was wearing baggy jeans and a hoodie then I would have to question that stereotype and try to figure out how that was made up. This always goes back to psychology, the Labeling Theory…
I like when Isaac mentioned people would think he is an athlete because he is black. For the most part when I see a tall, bigger, black male yes I do try to figure out in my head what sport he plays, I also do this with white males. When looking at Isaac that particular question would not cross my mind. If I asked Isaac what he thought when he looks at a seven foot white male, I bet he would assume he played basketball. I would.
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To some extent everyone is judged. Everyone is going to have a first impression of everyone else. Personally, that impression was not different or negative because you are black. Skin color made no difference. As many have mentioned, you really just look like any other college student, definitely, educated and athletic. Honestly, I didn’t think thug or rapper at all. Even if we were outside the classroom, outside of Penn State and State College, I couldn’t see myself thinking otherwise. But, as others have said, maybe first impressions are made on the basis of clothing and how you present yourself, which includes, speech (and articulation) and stance.
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I think that your question is something that everyone asks themselves at some point. I have a friend that I met a couple years ago and after getting to know her for a while we joked about what we each thought about each other when we first met. She thought I looked intimidating and like a typical rich catty girl. I thought she looked like a total bitch. The more we got to know each other the more realized that those labels we put on each other were completely wrong. She's one of my best friends now and one of the nicest people I'll ever know and she doesn't think I'm not rich, catty, or intimidating. So I think the whole "first impression" question is something that everyone does in their head, but it's something that as soon as you actually have a conversation with that person, that goes out the window. But on the other side of that, if I look at a black person who is muscular and tall, yeah, I'm going to think maybe he plays football or basketball. AND if I see a white person that is muscular and tall, I'm going to think they play football or basketball as well. If I see a person with really broad shoulders, I'm going to think maybe they do gymnastics or swimming. I don't think the whole if your black, you might be a rapper, athlete, drug dealer etc stereotype holds true. I'd never look at someone's clothes and be like, oh that person is a thug, or a hick, or rich, because I know most of the time that is not true at all. But if I see someone with a certain type of muscular build, like broad shoulders for example, there is part of me that will always think "oh she must be a swimmer," but that has nothing to do with race.
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I think this is an interesting question you bring up. First off I would say I don’t think you are a rapper. I wouldn’t even say I think you’re a thug. You are dressed decently preppy and in my experiences this is not how a thug would dress. Because of your skin color and physique, I may think you are an athlete though. You appear to be decently tall and muscular so that is my first tip off. If this sounds wrong, I’m sorry, but your skin color adds to my assumption of you being an athlete. For whatever reason, as the years have gone on it seems that black people are more athletic than people of other skin colors. I’m sure that that is not because of their skin color but for many other reasons. However that is the noticeable difference that I and other people see right away so of course they are going to immediately relate the two.
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Graduating from a very diverse high school, I did not categorize you as an “athlete, rapper, or gangster.” I honestly saw you as one of my fellow students. Attending a diverse high school, I became accustomed to seeing blacks as people with their own unique personalities, styles, and qualities. I did not see them as a part of a race and did not try to find parallels between them and their stereotypes. Like white people, blacks have different styles and interests. Some may wear Phat Farm clothing and Tims while others will wear Abercrombie and American Eagle. Some may be athletic superstars while others are musical or academic geniuses. When I saw you, my impression was that you were a student excelling at Penn State University since you are facilitating the Soc 119 class. Sounds crazy, but I did not notice your dress or physique that would stereotype you according to your race.
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Like most of the other people on this blog, I don't assume the worst when it comes to you, Isaac. The first thought that comes to mind is that you are just a regular student here at Penn State. I know that I've seen you in the gym before, but I never really assumed that you were an athlete or anything along those lines. I just think that you're a regular kid just trying to do his own thing here at Penn State, just like the rest of us. I did not automatically assume just because your skin was a different color that you were dangerous or a Penn State athlete or anything like that.
Also, like most of the people have said, most the country is not racist. That's not to say that they are no racists in America, clearly there are, but there are way more people who are not racist and do not immediately jump to conclusions when viewing people of another race. If you walked around with a bandanna on and a shirt of Tupac or 50 Cent and had a menacing look on your face at all times, yeah I would probably feel threatened. That is not because I'm afraid of black people, but it would be that you're basically giving me no choice and appear a threatening individual, so therefore, I would probably make assumptions of you based on how you look. And I would think the exact same way about a white person if they were wearing the same attire; for me, it's not skin color, it's more about appearance and how you carry yourself that makes me judge what kind of person you are. If you look normal and non-threatening, I will think that you are those things. I would say for the most part, that is how white people in general think. If you're giving me a reason to think of you other than just your normal, average person, then it's really probably more of your own fault than my own because you are making yourself come off as something besides an average guy.
Those were obviously all hypothetical examples, but getting back to you, Isaac. The first thing that runs through my mind is that you are an average kid and honestly no more than that. I don't look at the color of your skin and think, "That guy must be an athlete or a thug or something like that because he's black." I just think, "Hey, there's a regular guy right there." And do I notice that you're black, of course I do, but it's not like just because I notice your black means that I automatically assume anything crazy or out of the ordinary like any stereotypical comment involving black people.
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I do not know Isaac personally and do not want to judge him. But I feel like a problem with a lot of black people is that they expect people to think the worst of them. They meet a white person and automatically think that this person is looking down on them or for some reason thinks less of them. This doesn't make sense to me. A lot of our discussions are about equality, and this video post focuses more on black equality. Every black person wants equality, so I think that they should act like they are equal in the first place. Don't right off the bat be thinking that everyone assumes the worst of you. White people are more likely to not like you if you act this way, because you come off as arrogant or seeming like you think you are owed something. And I'm not racist. If a white person from a different city, background, etc. came up to me and acted like I thought I was better than him for no reason, I wouldn't like him either.
Of course there are racist people left in our country. But the majority of our country isn't racist. Most people judge others on character, not skin color, and I think everyone needs to realize this.
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I would have to agree with most of the posters who think at first glance you just look like another student and I would have to agree with that. You do have a muscular build and many might think you're an athlete but I just thought you worked out a lot. Even on the first day where I saw everyone in the front I didn't think of you as a thug or a rapper just another guy at the university. I for one would think of someone as a thug if their actions made me believe that, I can't just assume that at first glance. I would think many other whites would think the same unless they grew up in an area where there were only people of the same race. I grew up in State College and there was actually a lot of diversity in high school. I had friends of many different races and beliefs and before I was close with all of them I did judge them in some way or another as I expected the same in return.
I understand where Isaac is coming from though, not first hand but in high school there was a black student who moved to my school from Philly, and he didn't know anyone at all like any other new student. I clearly remember him waiting in the office to sign in and I could just see in his face how nervous he was. Anyone who would be put in the same situation would have the same emotions and wouldn't know how to meet new people right off the bat. Anyway there was some racism that took place in our school by many whites who grew up in many different areas in PA where they wouldn't have been in contact with other races. So I ended up having a few classes with this new student and he didn't say much. So after my first class, I had him in another and I introduced myself to him and at first I could see how surprised he was that a white student came up to start a conversation. State College is a pretty wealthy area and at first glance he probably thought by the look of all the students that we were all stuck up rich kids, which was nearly the case. I have been friends with him since and he has many friends who are black and white and I think just making an effort to getting to know made him see other whites differently.
Back to what Isaac said I think it really relates to the personal experience I just shared and stereotypes are always going to be there as much as people say they don't do it.
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First and foremost, I personally think that this man is a very attractive, good-looking man. I know that the stereotypes that he would assume he would be classified as are negative, such as some of the ones that he mentioned in the interview. I would not automatically assume that this man is a drug dealer or even a thug who goes around gang banging and what not. He could be an athlete because of the way his body is built. Being an athlete to me is not looked at as a negative characteristic. If he was a white male who had a large built frame I would think that he could possibly be an athlete as well. I do see where he would get the ideas of people thinking he is a drug dealer or thug. He does wear baggy jeans and all white fresh shoes; those are some stereotypes a dealer would portray. As for the rapper stereotype…there are so many white rappers now. My boyfriend is a rap artist and he is white. Some people stereotype him because of the way he dresses (baggy jeans, Nike shoes, etc.); I really admire this student for standing up and asking this question, for a couple of reasons. First, he had the bravery to ask the question what people think of him, which is a bold act in itself. I know that I would not be able to take some of the criticism from some people if I asked a wide variety of people what they thought of me when first looking at me. Secondly, I agree with him that most people or students at Penn State would think he is an athlete. Like I previously stated, he has a strong build and that is the stereotypical build in central Pennsylvania for an athlete. I think it is very common that people here at Penn State judge the way we look, regardless of color. For example, if I wear a north face, leggings, and ugg boots then people think I am in a sorority. I am the farthest thing from being in a sorority (no offense). Another example would be that everyone who wears a hemp necklace (white or black) is considered a stoner. That is not always the case. Since when does black skin color + baggy jeans+ specific name brand clothing =drug dealer? Or better even, who says that that is the case or why is that even the label? It is unfair and people of color should not feel like they are a threat to the community as a whole. It is unfair and unjust. A white person could just as well wear the same outfit he is wearing and they would probably call him a “thug.” But why? Who made these stupid cultural cues?
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I don’t know about any other white people, but I was sort of insulted when he said that he thought a white person would think that he is a thug or a rapper or an athlete or some other stereotype linked with black people. I’m sure there are white people that do, but I personally do not think that way. I like to think that I don’t judge people solely on the color of their skin. If were to judge him just by looking at him, I would not assume that he is a thug. If asked to make an assessment after a few seconds, instead of looking at skin color, I focus more on how a person is dressed and the way they speak. His clothes are not “thuggish” so to speak. If he were wearing his pants down below his knees with backwards hat and a chain, then I might assume that he is the thug type. However, he is wearing pretty nice jeans with a decent shirt. When I look at him, I would just assume he is a middle to upper middle class kid at Penn State. At the same time, I wonder what black people would have to say about me. If they looked at me what would they think? Would they think I am just another rich white girl? When in reality I’m not very wealthy. Would they look at the color of my skin or the way I am dressed and the way I speak? I’m pretty curious as to what stereotypes they would attach to me. I’m sure some would label me with stereotypes, but I know that not all black people would think that way.
This is the sort of thing that bothers me about people that assume what other people think. He assumes that all white people think that black people look like thugs, when in reality, people are not judging you on the color of your skin, they are judging you on your entire appearance. This is the type of thing that we need to take responsibility for. If you wear clothes that make you look like a thug and if you speak like a thug, then you have to assume that people are going to think that you might actually be a thug. If I wear clothes that portray me in some sort of way, I can’t really blame others for making a mere observation. But you cannot just say that people are wrongly judging you because of the color of your skin. If I saw a white person wearing thug-like clothing, I wouldn’t think that they are any less than a thug than a black person dressed the same way. I really do not think that I judge people on the color of their skin alone. In all reality, it is so much more about what you are wearing and the way you speak. I’m sure that black people judge white people just as much as white people judge black people, and it’s kind of insulting when someone thinks that I would think a certain way about them, when in reality I’m thinking something completely different. This is the root of the whole problem… no one should assume anything about a person because of the color of their skin.
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So first off let me say that although I try not to, I judge people. I feel like everyone does. If you say that you do not, then you are probably lying. Most of the time when I do it I do not notice, it is subconscious. We were brought up in a world of materialism and judgment. You might think that you do not see color or race but you do, in some way or another you judge. I do not hate any particular race but I do tend to make judgments. I wish we lived in a world where there were no judgments. No eyes that see color. No minds that think certain things about certain races and ethnicities, but we do not.
It took me a while to realize that I judge on occasion. The first time it happened was when I first got my license. I was driving through North Jersey and I accidentally got lost and ended up in Paterson, NJ. The equivalent is like Camden, Newark or the bad parts of Philly and Pittsburgh. But anyway back to the story. I was terrified. I automatically assumed that my car was in danger because a black man approached my car. I thought he was going to shoot me. My ignorant little self. He only came up to ask me if I needed help or needed directions. I felt so ashamed, but at the same time how many of you would have been scared? I’m guessing a lot of you would have driven away. I did not drive away at first but I did not role down my windows or unlock my door either. He mouthed the words.. ‘are you lost do u need help?’ and although I knew he was trying to help, I drove away out of judgment and fear.
Now pertaining to the student in the video. If I saw you at Penn State I would think you were a nice preppy young man and maybe an athlete. If I were in Paterson or Newark however, I may quickly judge and say you were a thug. I think it is situational but I would have been scared in that situation if we were in a bad area. It really does have a lot to do with situation and environment. Clearly you are not a street thug if you are at Penn State and dressed nicely. I am sure you worked just as hard as all of us to get here.
I am trying to change my ways. The Paterson experience really opened my eyes not to judge as much. It is hard let me tell you. It is hard to reverse the stereotypes that we all are prone to think.
If the tables were turned I am sure you would think some way about me as I walk around with my blackberry and UGGS. I feel that more people need to stop being so judgmental but first before I speak for others I need to start changing myself.
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I think there are stereotypes that go along with all races. Actually any external factor on a person can create a stereotype. For example if he was wearing different clothes or had a different haircut it would bring entirely different stereotypes into play. I argue having black colored skin is an external attribute that comes with stereotypes but not more or less than the clothes you wear or your hairstyle in today’s society. The key difference is being black or white is not a conscious choice. What you wear is a conscious choice. However, for most people all these stereotypes can quickly diminish once you get to know a person.
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I am Caucasian but was raised a military brat so I think that my outlook on people is quite different being that I moved around a lot and was always interacting with very diverse kids when I was little and young adults as I went through high school and now onto college. I read other’s comments on how they first thought you were an athlete at Penn State and which sport did you play. When Sam first introduced you in class, I just thought of you as any other student at Penn State. One thing I did notice though is your very strong, pronounced jaw line and that made me associate you with being a strong person, inside and out. That’s really all that made you stand out to me though.
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When looking at Isaac, I don’t personally think about anything. Everyone at this university has the right to be here and has made good decisions in their pasts in order to get accepted. Although I see some people as being a bit more thuggish than others, I don’t think that anyone here at Penn State has killed someone for initiation into a gang or anything like that. I think that they simply came from an area that required them to be a bit more tough than my area. Now, when considering the possibility of Isaac being a football player or some other athlete, I think it is fair to say that he probably gets that a lot. If I didn’t know him, I would question it. To add, I don’t think that is a bad thing at all, nor is it a stereotype of being black. Being an athlete at a D1 school is quite the privilege. The only stereotype would be in deciding which sport he plays. Too broad, too short, not fast enough, etc.
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I don’t mean for this to come off racist in any matter but this is one of the things that African Americans do that does bother me. Just like this boy, African American always believe that white people think the worst of them. He already has it programed in his mind that just by looking at him white people automatically think he’s a drug dealer, or a thug, or he has to be an athlete. I do not understand this. When he asked the question of what is the first thing you think about when you look at me, none of his answers fit what i said. I said he looks like a well dressed upper class-man college student. I didn’t say drug dealer and i didn’t say thug.
Stereotypes are never going to go away if people constantly think they are being judged and still being stereotyped. If we as diverse people want to get away from stereotypes we have to stop believing that they still exists. When one asks a question like the boy did in this video and you are already expecting an answer based on a stereotype then something is wrong. It is the people who still believe in stereotypes that keeping them around. because like this boy, they think that certain people only see them a certain why, when they are wrong. The fact that he thought people would say he was a drug dealer and a thug makes him not like the people who are judging him. Or makes the people seem racist, but in reality he’s wrong about what people have to say about it. He has it programed in his head that he thinks he knows what people think of him when they first see him. This is bad because most people don’t look at him the way he thinks people do. This causes hate and a racist attitude on his part.
People need to stop worry about other people judging them and being wrong about their judgements. If everyone would just get to know people for who they are and not what they look like then everyone would be better off. I know it is hard to move away from stereotypes but it is the only way to try and unify everyone. We need not to look at color, or clothes, or cultures. We need to start accepting everyone and getting to know people based on who they are and not where they came from, or what color they are, or how they wear their clothes. But more importantly people need to stop thinking that others are judging them based on their culture, race, and clothes. Once we can do these things no one will have to worry about how people judge them based on appearance ever again.
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This is definitely a question that makes you think. When I look at you, I don't think I automatically group you into a group. Well, at least not one of those that you mentioned. Honestly, for me it's more the way that people talk than the way you look. If you weren't speaking properly, yes, I might think you were a thug or a rapper. But you speak intelligently, so that isn't what comes to mind. More than anything, I look at you as a college student.
As I'm sitting in my room typing this, you aren't a threat to me. But I sure as hell believe that if you were walking towards me or behind me late at night that I'd be scared. I wouldn't be scared because you were black though. I'd be scared because you are a big male and I'm a small female. So for me at least, it's more about size and sex than race. Any guy- black, white, brown, yellow- could rape a girl, and that's a scary thing. Being a girl at Penn State, I've learned to fear men, not just black men as other places socialize you to do.
Although I see where Isaac is coming from, and what he's getting at, every single group is stereotyped- no race is unsubject. If you looked at a white guy wearing Ralph Lauren you'd think he was rich. If you looked at an Indian guy you'd assume he was Muslim. If you see a girl wearing sorority letters you think she's a tramp. No one is free from this stereotyping. And although stereotyping is wrong, it does have a social function. It helps us to group people to remember them and classify them.
Sure we're all our own person, but we are all also part of groups. These groups define us and help us to better understand our surroundings. Even if all groups were removed, we'd still belong to the group of human beings. You see these groups won't, and really can't, be completely erased.
I wonder if Isaac resents people thinking he belongs in these groups. Or what group he thinks that he belongs in? Many of the groups that he questioned about have negative stigmas, but then again, almost every group does. Every group has positive and negative beliefs about them by people outside of those groups. Even if he was white, people would have negative things to say about him.
I've learned to just brush off these stereotypes. Regardless of what I do or how I look someone will have something to say about it. But who are these people, and what do they mean to me? Nothing, so why let them effect me? Most times I think that stereotypes are okay, unless they cause discrimination. If Isaac wouldn't be hired post-college because he looked like a thug then it's wrong. The problem is that everyone stereotypes, and as much as we try it may never fully be erased. I think that our generation is much more accepting than those of the past, so maybe by the time that we're holding leadership positions this won't be such a prevalent occurence.
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i think this question has to do a lot with what sam talked about thursdays lecture about inequality in the workplace, etc. the first thing i see when i look at you or what i think of you is what you r wearing and how your wearing, and if people dont say they do this also, they are lying to themselves, because this is the only way other then talking to someone that we can try to guess who they are. Now if you asked me how i think of you after talking to you, then thats completely different, but thats not the question. to be quite honest i just think you are just a normal guy. you dress well, but not to flashy, and thats it for the first impression. Now i live in a really country town and if someone from my town i would hope they think they same way. But lets take a different example and say that you started talking and it was very slangy and could barely understand you and you were wearing fubu with your pants hung low, i would automatically think your a thug. but am i wrong to think that when people act just like a thug and then they deny being a thug just dressing the way they do. this might be a little bias but i think if a study was done with people dressing like a thug and men or women dressing in camo and carhart and boots, that if you asked them if they were a thug, or a redneck or hick, that the people that are dressed as rednecks or hicks would mostl likely say that they are one of those things and the person who is dressed like a thug would deny it. now i have never done a real study but i have asked people this and it seems to be this way everytime and i dont know why this is, why would you dress just like the definiton of something if you dont believe thats who you are. and im not saying this in race if a white person dressing as a thug and a black person dressing like a cowboy, it is the same result,(believe me, i have seen both many times actually. so this i guess its kind off subject and maybe it will start something new to talk about, but i just dont get it and it bothers me. when someones asks how do i judge them? well what am i suppposed to say? its how you present your self and how you dress, thats the only way i can wihout talking to you. so i guess my real question is why would people dress a certain way and then deny dreessing like them, when they know damn well they are copying their clothes and their persona.?
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My first thought when I saw you is "normal college kid". Only when you started pointing out some stereotypes that some people might think about black people is when I began to look at you through the "lenses" you described. I really feel as if when people look at other people they look at them through their own lenses. For instance, where I come from many people regardless of race, try to emulate and imitate "rap" style and culture and thus they dress and act like the rappers they see on TV or listen to. However, in no way shape or form did I think you looked like "thug" or a "threat" to anyone. To be honest, I judged you first on your appearance and what you were wearing before you even opened your mouth because people, myself included, have the awful tendency to judge people based on their clothes and outward appearance and judge them on that instead of a person’s intangible qualities such as the ones I listed previously. How can we stop judging people by their outside appearance? Our clothes and style personify and exemplify our personalities, and it is hard to ignore these outward physical signs when you first meet someone. There have been so many stereotypes associated with different kinds of dress and style that now it is almost impossible to separate stereotype from reality. For instance, many girls that dress well can almost automatically be judged as “rich, snotty, stuck-up, etc” when many times that is not the case. Judgments can be passed on many different people in a plethora of situations. I guess the ultimate lesson I am trying to stress is the age-old mantra of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. I know it is extremely hard to do, but in order to really appreciate people and understand them not a superficial level we need to look past the outward appearance to really appreciate the true person, and everyone needs to be given this chance. I hate to think that people are judging me on my outward appearance because I am so much more of a person that the clothes or I style I choose to adhere to. I wish and hope that everyone gives people the chance to prove to each other that people are so much more than the superficial physical things we place on our bodies, and in order to create true meaningful relationships and views of certain people we need to look past all these labels and stereotypes associated with style and clothes.
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Well I wouldn't think you were a thug or rapper. You do not look like the typical thug rapper (such as Plies, Gucci Mane, all those guys). You look like an educated person and dress like many students I see on a day to day basis on this campus. I would think many people would assume you play some sort of sport or that your a gym rat due to your athletic build. I would in no way look negatively toward you, I do not feel that you give off that persona of being threatening or someone who should be feared. You look like the average Penn State student, who I'd be confident in asking for a spot from in the gym.
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It's funny because I feel like you want people to think that of you. Looking at you I would not have picked any of your suggestions. I personally don't think you look like a thug. I wouldn't assume you were a rapper, that probably would never cross my mind. I don't think I would be rushing you after class trying to buy a gram. And I couldn't tell how tall you were to predict you were a football player, or any PSU athlete. Looking at you I wouldn't judge, you look like a nice guy! And if I ever see you outside I class most likely the only thing that would come to my mind is, 'hey that's the kid from the blog.'
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My question is what do you think when you look at yourself? What you consider yourself, most people will consider the same. They way you act, dress, portray yourself is what people will think of you. The way you want to be, is the way most people will see you as. My problem is I look at others and put myself down before someone is looking at me, before they get a chance to judge me. I truly am my biggest critic and I think we all are. During your question you suggest people think of you as a thug, rapper, drug dealer, or athlete instead of suggesting they think of you as a cool, laid back, smart etc. guy.
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Don't ask yourself the question 'what do others, or other race, in this case, think of you.' People will always be judging, and stereotypes are never going to die so the basic lesson to learn from all this is who cares. Don't follow your typical stereotypes, their lame anyway.
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I absolutely agree with the above posts- I do not think I would have had any preconceived judgments about you. The only thing that I would have agreed with would have been the athlete thing, but that is definitely not a bad thing. Of course people make judgments about athletes, but I think it is basically inevitable at this point for people in society to not make judgments about anyone in the first place. Therefore, although judgments may be made, I do not think they have anything to do with the concerns that you originally voiced. I mean, I am sure that there definitely are people that that may have those specific stereotypes in mind when they see you, but I am thinking that it really is not as many people as you may have thought.
What I think is really sad is the fact that people even have to be curious as to what everyone else thinks about them, like what first impressions and judgments are being made before anything is ever said. I know that I have wondered the same thing so many times, but it is just so frustrating that this even has to be a thought that crosses anybody’s mind. I feel like this is just the epitome of what makes everyone so self-conscious. Seriously though, imagine how many people’s lives would be absolutely and completely changed. I feel like this world would not even be the same place. It would be so nice if we could enter any situation with any crowd of people and not have to worry about what they thought of us. I feel like people would just be able to act so differently; maybe more like themselves? I really wonder what our world would be like if we lived in a society like this. Of course it will probably never happen, but it’s a nice thought.
Stemming from this, that is what was so interesting in lecture today- the whole concept of the differences between people that are handing in resumes and what their appearances are. It is so crazy to think that one person can be picked over another due to their appearance and skin color when everything else is EXACTLY the same, down to the price of their old house and how much they made at a previous job. I guess it really is not that crazy, because it really is not unheard of, and we all know that it happens on a day to day basis, but I never really gave much thought to all of it before, and now that I have, I feel like it is something that I just can’t stop thinking about. I guess that is definitely a good thing though, because I feel like stuff like this should be on everyone’s radar on a consistent basis.
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I am not a white person but the question interests me so I will make a response to it. My high school which was very diverse, and had many colored people in it a lot of them would dress as you would call a thug, or gangster. Also most of the athletes in the school were colored so most of the people in the school that seen a colored person at times would assume they played sometime of sport for the school, and were stereotypical in their ways of looking at them, at times I would to. Though I realized after awhile that not all colored people are athletic at times when I would see a muscular black person the first thought that would come to my mind was he played a sport. It was a very stereotypical thought, but in my school it was mostly how it was, many of my friends that were colored at times would be mistaken for drug dealers, or some type of thugs. And many people assumed this because in Philadelphia colored people are usually the ones doing all this, but that didn’t mean that every black person smoked, or sold. One of my closest friends in school with whom I went to kindergarten all the way to graduating high school was at times misunderstood because he was really good at basketball and always had the latest basketball shoes, that he sold some type of drugs as many people asked him. Though he never sold, he never till this day has smoked, but as the stereotype goes all black people smoke and sell. But to be honest I think till people don’t really meet colored people and get to know them they will always have stereotypes about them.
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As a white person, I would look at you as another human being. I know that stereotypes about people continue to exist and falsely accuse blacks of being hip-hop dancers, rappers, thugs, threats to society, or drug dealers. However, I truly believe that if you portray yourself in a certain light, that is how people will judge you. You, for instance, are well dressed with jeans that are not hanging below your waistline, you do not have ten-pound tacky necklaces of dollar signs around your neck, and you look like a person who would respect people. When black people demand respect when they walk around cities smoking weed, drinking, wearing huge clothes, and playing with guns, I believe they are just asking to be called a potential threat to society. When white people wear too much bling, oversized clothing, and the “gangsta get-up,” they look ridiculous and I treat those white people differently than I treat a white person who dresses respectfully. In my opinion, they are not showing any respect to themselves, so why encourage this behavior? Also, if they want to portray themselves as high school dropout rejects or juvenile delinquents, red flags instantly spring up in my mind to warn me to stay away from them because they appear to be “bad news.” Hip-hop and R&B style artists often speak of four main themes in their songs: sex, money, violence, and drugs or alcohol. These idols seem to glamorize these ills in society, objectify women, and demoralize ethics as a whole. Because many blacks are involved in the hip-hop and R&B scene, I believe that by association with these genres of music, they often get dubbed as thugs or aggressive people.
I believe that by dressing respectfully, black people will face less discrimination and be viewed as intellectual, tenacious human beings. This is not to say that by changing their dress code they are conforming to white society standards. In my opinion, there is no such thing as “white society.” Just because people do not dress like thugs, does not mean that they form a society. There are plenty of white people who dress horribly. For example, white girls that wear miniskirts up their butt or high cleavage shirts are only setting a low standard for the respect they want to receive. Because they do not respect their own bodies enough to cover their parts, why should people walking by them treat them with high levels of respect?
Obama is a great example of a black man who dresses respectfully, conducts himself with well manners, and speaks intelligently in full sentences. He is not becoming “whiter;” rather, he is simply respecting himself and those around him. He does not have to put on an act, a rap, or be different from other politicians just for the sake of being different. He knows he is different culturally, and he embraces that part of him with intellect and pride. If all black people conducted themselves in this manner, white people would be more open to listen to them and be less afraid to see them in the street at night.
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Personally, when I first looked at you, I thought you looked like a human being. After hearing your question, I tried to put my mind in a place to judge your appearance. From the looks of your clothing, I thought you looked just like most of the other college students here at Penn State. I do not find you threatening what so ever and you look like you come from a middle class family. You do not come off as thuggish to me at all. I did not judge you to be an athlete, only that you are fit and probably like to work out and take care of yourself.
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Growing up in the suburbs of Central New Jersey and attending the high school I did I honestly did not come across that many black individuals. The black people I did know were just like the rest of my friends. It really wasn't a question of the color of your skin that would make me have judgments about you it would really be about where you were from and the setting where I first meet you. The town just south of me has some areas you don't really want to walk around in at nights so if I saw you coming up to me on the street in the middle of the night I would have thought something else. Last year I had a roommate that was from Newark, New Jersey, which is seen as a rough place to grown up just as Trenton and Camden are. Had I met him in Newark I would have been out of my comfort zone and may be a little more on the edge of my seat than when I met him on move in day. Moving in I had no idea where he was from until I took time to talk to him and get to know more about him. By the time it came up in conversation I could already tell that he was a real chill guy and we were going to be pretty good friends.
So I suppose to wrap it up and give you some closure on your question I will say that I did not see you as a thug or a rapper, I thought you were an everyday college student working hard to get that piece of paper that says this man is willing to put in the long hours and do work. Could you have been an athlete? Yea sure I suppose you could have been an athlete, but walking into Rec Hall, White Building and East Area Gym I see a lot of people who are by no means athletes they just spend a great deal of time working on their fitness. I feel like it is part of the social pressure put upon each and every person in the world we live in today. If you look good you will do better in life, its sad to say that but people put so much emphasis on first impressions and appearance that it really does help. Had I seen you standing on the street corner in Philly I may have thought something else, but that's just how it goes I suppose. People are sometimes more afraid of the town or area than who or what is actually in it because of its wrap for being a rough place.
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My first impression of your physical appearance? You dress well. I would guess you are somewhere in the middle class based on that. The style of dress would make me think you live in or near a city. You have an athletic build so I would guess you played a power-oriented sport like football, wrestling or track. I really don't see the thug or drug dealer look that you were talking about. I hope you don't honestly assume most white people would automatically think that about you just because you're a black male. The thug look is more doo-rag with extra baggy jeans and white t-shirt. Though, I feel like most people who actually dress like that are middle schoolers who listen to too much 50 cent, where I grew up anyways.
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The first thing that I see is a normal college student. However, I know many people who would think athlete. Being here at Penn State, there are mostly white students and there is such a high population of athletes here who are black. Basically, people go with the percentages when they see a black person they assume athlete. People assume a lot of things about people, but when it comes to color, I think the type of clothes that person wears plays a big role in their assumption. If you were wearing baggy clothes they or I might think something differently. I saw a guy with normal everyday clothes that I wear and I see myself as a normal college student.
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Nothing in particular really comes to mind when I look at you. I guess I would ask how you got to work the presentations for Sam in class. I think that is pretty cool and you do a great job with it. I wouldn't associate you with being a thug, or football player, or rapper. You just look like an average Penn State student, and since you are in this class you are obviously open minded and curious about other backgrounds. Most people in this sociology class are of very accepting nature, and I doubt anyone would jump to any conclusions just based on appearance. People at penn state are very well educated and often stereotypes and discriminatory behavior comes from a lack of intelligence and education on the matter.
When I look at you I do see someone athletic because of the way your body is built, but that is definitely not a bad thing. Being athletic is good and you have a great muscular body! It has nothing to do with the color of your skin in my opinion and I definitely don't stereotype you as a football player right off the bat. If some people are intimidated by you, its probably because you are outspoken and get to the point. Many people these days are scared of honest and straightforward individuals.
Maybe I feel this way because I come from a very diverse school in New York. I know people of various backgrounds and appearances. I am used to seeing different styles and all kinds of personalities. It ultimately comes down to the point, of how open minded an individual is. If someone is not exposed to different backgrounds they are less likely to be accepting of people different than them and would ask some questions that are very different from mine. These people may assume that you are a thug, or rapper, or anything else. I think people should feel free to ask other people questions about what they like to do and such instead of assuming things right off the bat. You seem to have a preppy style and have a very well mannered speech. all characteristics indicating that you are an average, intelligent penn state student. People just need to get out of the bubble, and open their minds to others, maybe we will ultimately learn something. If people want to judge each other, tan everyone should be judged on the same basis. No one should be judged and stereotyped on the basis of the skin color. So to answer your question of what I would ask you, I would ask you the same question I would ask a white guy in the same clothes standing in front of me. Until the rest of society gets to this same state of mind the deep rooted racism in our nation will never go away.
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Ok I can understand where he is coming from me being black and muscular myself. Sometimes I get moments as if I don’t belong here or even looked as what you are doing at Penn State. With me being an athlete up at this school many white people do come off when they first meet me oh you play football here don’t you and then they ask where I’m from. That put me in a place as if I don’t belong here other than sports or like I can get into this school with just my academics or I’m just not good enough if I just had these talents, In their eyes they feel as if things where just giving to me to come here to play ball and you can call me crazy I can feel that deep inside me when certain people ask me that question. As from what you stated I know tons of black males that tell me the same thing you just said most of them get ask all the time do you play sports and where they are they from like they can’t be at this school just for academics . I didn’t look at this before I got to this school but it’s still some stuff that lingers in the air with black males at this school and it sucks to say that. Don’t get me wrong being a male athlete up here is great but why mostly by the public you be questioned to the point you really sit back and ask yourself is this the reason why black people from the places I come from are scared to set foot on a white based campus and as most black people do they choose to go to a school that tend to have more black ethnicity than others. When I go home I get asked by the old black generation all the time how penn state treating me which in some cases they are really saying am I going through problems. It crazy because the mind frame that the older generations stress on us it’s a different world up here and some cases that is true. Me not being racist in any matter kind of know how to block all that stuff out and keep a smile on my face because it’s a new time in day and I believe things will get better. It sad to say but I know of some black people on this campus that is tired of being looked as if they don’t belong and I always stress to myself it’s how I react to that type of pressure and that why I am at a type of school like this to show different races and the world that we also can be smart and be the best athlete at the same time. Making a change is what counts to me.
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I completely agree with many of these posts. I absolutely did not think Issac was a thug, gangster, drug dealer ect. when I first saw him. First of all we are all students at penn state, in order for us to get here we have to obviously be intelligent and placed somewhere in the middle to upper social class. Another reason is that even if I saw you walkin in my hometown or the streets of new York I would not assume these thoughts. I personally think you look just like any other college student. I have several black friends who do like to make their own raps and post them on facebook so yeah maybe you could be a rapper. I also have many white friends who rap. . Issac also mentioned that people may think he is an athlete. Personally yes he may have the same statue as maybe a wrestler or soccer player, but even if I saw a white, Indian, Hispanic, or asian with the exact same built I would assume that also. Furthermore who even have the same exact shoes, shirt, jeans, and even the same style hair as you who you; the point is that when I first met them I did not put them in such specific categories how you think people are so judgmental about yourself. You can be the wealthiest man and still wear sweatpants and nobody would ever know it. I think our society has come a very long way from racism thoughts. Not all but many intelligent people first judge you by the way you speak or carry yourself; not with your dress. I completely agree with the fact that some black people automatically have this guard up and assume that white people are scared of them or something. We are all students further more we are all human beings. The situation may be reverse discrimination to say that “most white people see me as a thug or criminal.” Skin color has nothing to do with those thoughts. What does is your personality and your actions which cause people to assume you are a criminal. Im not saying that we don’t judge people because EVERYBODY does, it’s just sad that this is what you believe people assume of you. The only reason I could see why, is because maybe you consider yourself to be athletic, or maybe you like that “thug/rapper” style so that’s what you want people to perceive you as. Maybe you even want people to feel bad for you and make it seem that white people still are very racist so this is what you tell others? I personally do not know the reason why. Don’t be so hard on yourself on what other people think about you!!
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Ohh and I forgot… you give one hell of a handshake
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I have to ask if it's fair to even put this on white people? Black people do the same thing. We constantly size each other up and make blind assumptions each other. Unless I'm wrong, what you're implying is that when Whites do it, it's because of racism. What makes it okay for Blacks to do this? Isn't anyone making an unjustified judgment of a person wrong? Why should the color of the person making the assessment matter? I don't think this is ever going to stop. It is not within most people's comfort zones to go up to someone they've never met and ask them about themselves and most people would think there was something wrong with a person if this was done to them. So instead, we assume. And I'm sure you've done it a few times yourself too.
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Alright, so the question is, what is the first thing white people think of you, just judging by your appearance? Well I am Hispanic and maybe bias in my point of view, but I found this to be interesting because I as well ask the question of what do white people think and judge about me just base on first appearance and how this may skew their approach and thought process towards me. It’s nothing I stress over or sit in shame, but when you’re a minority in America it is one of those question you ask and how may it affect my life because as everyone knows racism and discrimination does exist in this country. Another question that I ask is, how this may play a role later in life, as every college student stress about a good job and as Sam showed us who holds the highest capital by race and most elite jobs in America are whites, so yes it’s a question I asked my myself. Now judging on your appearance it would all depend on the situation, time and place. Sure if I saw you here at Penn State, I would probably say he is just a student like me invested in the hip hop culture by his choice of clothing. I would guess he’s from the city, maybe Philadelphia but would not imply that he is an athlete due to his height stature, but someone who just works out and stays in shape. I would not consider him a threat because were here in Penn State, not to say that violence does not occur here; I just feel safer than oppose to if I was in a city. I can see how he is curious about white people image on him, due to the fact of his color and race betrayed by the media and statistics.
I come from the city and before coming to state college I had an inner city look, with the braids and baggie clothes. Coming here to Penn State I felt as an outsider, not fitting into the culture. I had Philadelphia Public School system education, and now know it was not the best as compared to many of my peers but try my hardest to stay on top. I seem to conform to the Penn State culture changing my dress appearance to fit in; I seem to have adapted to the environment. This was all it took to fit in and get accepted by whites and notice the different approach I received than when I had my inner city look. I found it true that many people generalize by appearance and distance themselves because they may feel a threat.
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From my first look as you, I would've just though that you were a typical college student. I would have classified you as either middle or upper class, and you also looked slightly preppy. However, when you mentioned that some people may see you as a thug, it made me question my earlier assumptions. Maybe in your past, you have just been misjudged by other white people, and they thought you were just some average thug off the street. But I also have a question- why did you only direct this question to white people? Don't you feel as if you are judged the same way by people of all colors?
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I agree with the posters here. When I look at you Isaac, the first question that comes to my mind is ‘Where are you from?’ and I guess that I am assuming an answer of either Philly or Pittsburgh. Just from looking at you I would not suspect anything congruent with thug or rapper. Sorry if that’s the image that you are going for. On the question of an athlete, I’d definitely say no. Again sorry if you fancy yourself an athlete but I naturally look at things very logically and your body, to me, is not conducive of colligate athletics.
One thing that has been said on this blog and also a lot in my discussion group is ‘I don’t judge people’. I think that that is a huge lie and anyone who thinks that is just lying to themselves. Maybe it is an attempt for the person to try and morally pat themselves on the back but in my opinion it is impossible not to judge. Judging is human nature. Plain and simple we all do it every day if we like to admit it or not. How many times are do you see a person in the hub and think to yourself that they are attractive? That’s a judgment. Judgments are just part of us. They are there at a subconscious level to help us decipher the environment that we find ourselves in.
Now as I tried to show above, judgments are always there. True some might be so quick or mundane that we don’t even acknowledge them as judgments. The only ones that people ever talk or care about are ones that are against people. I’ll be honest I judge people when I look at them. It is not a preconceived thing that I do I just do it. Call me a racist, call me a bigot, call me whatever you want. I do it and I’m definitely not alone. Now I do not consider myself any of the afore mentioned type of people. I think that it is definitely possible to judge and not be a racist. To me, once I act on or instill those judgments as facts then I have crossed the line and have become racist. Sorry I just had to get that off my chest so to speak.
Now back to you Isaac. I look at you and ask where are you from. Then to be honest I think that you for some reason don’t like me. I don’t know why I do but I have a feeling of tension between us for some reason. So my judgment is that black people are inherently hostile towards white people. So a question I have is “what is your first question when you see me?”
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