posted by Sam and Michelle
Post your 450 word (minimum) comment and 100 word (minimum) response to a classmate. You should be responding to the lecture about Stages of Racial Identity – White People: Stages 1 & 2. You can write anything you want about whatever you hear in the lecture.
This lecture has made me want to jump ahead and see the continuation of Dr. Richards lecture on this topic. I felt like this one was the most interesting one by far. He starts off with something I feel is very moving and interesting. He simply asks colored people if they have ever dealt with disability. He then relates that to if you aren’t white, if you aren’t colored, if you aren’t disabled, then you can’t judge the people that are actually white, colored or disabled. Unless you have been in their shoes, seen and felt what they have done, then you can’t make assumptions about the group. During this lecture especially though, I felt a sort of connection to the lecture. Not because I am white myself, but because he was describing how I felt about everything he was saying. I knew exactly what he was saying with the disabilities question toward colored people as well.
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I had my mother nearly die in a car accident. She was in the hospital for a month after the accident, and didn’t walk until six months after the accident. She stayed in my basement, in a hospital bed for four months and did everything from push her around in a wheelchair to drive her to her rehab during that time. That is when I had my moment when I was truly grateful for being able to walk. I recently had that moment for being white as well. Not being exposed to many different cultures before college, I was used to being white, but when my first year of college rolled around, I realized that being white is quite honestly the best thing that could happen to a person, like that video stated, being white is awesome. There are so many advantages to being white that until you are out and walk with people of different cultures, you never get to know what advantages your skin color truly presents you with. I am friends with an Asian and a Muslim. These two get so many stare downs and so many assumptions against them that it is overwhelming. The Asian always gets asked if he is good at math and the Muslim is always asked if he is a terrorist.
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Mycouchpullsout Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 2:16 am
Lesson 8 Blog Response 6/14/10
Wow. Sorry to hear about your mother. I too had a realization about how lucky I was able to walk/run but it does not come close to what you went through. I use to run cross country for PSU and on 7am Saturday morning we always had practice. I use to hate these practices until one day we were out in the woods doing mile repeat and at one point my coach stopped us and said isn't this great. We all thought he was crazy because it was 7 in the morning but then he went on to say: Just think of all the people who wake up every morning and would give anything to be running this early in the morning. You guys are privileged to be able to walk and run when you do not even realize how lucky you are. For some reason, that really hit home for me and now every time I complain of an ache or something in my legs I just think how many people would be happy just to feel some type of sensation, good or bad, in their legs.
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lmbrown2006 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 1:14 am
we lived about 5 miles away from each other so I had to drive to her house every day cook her food, take to therapy, clean, the whole nine, and she would get very upset that this even happened to her she would kick me and my children out her house so I would drive back and forth @ least 10 times a day until she would tell me she was in the bed for the night. There was times she wanted to go different places and get there and couldn’t remember why she wanted to go there in the first place, I was so glad when she was able to go back to work and drive again. But thinks like this make you set back and wonder, “what if” I was in their shoes?
Response 6/14
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DrCandle Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 2:09 am
6/16/10
I had a very similar version of my realization of being able bodied. I trained in Jiu-jitsu for many years starting when I was very young up until leaving for college and very early one saturday morning when I was still a child many of the kids were complaining to my instructor about doing drills, and training so early in the morning. He became very angry and said something about appreciating having the opportunity but many of us didn't understand at the time. We were asked to wait after class for half an hour because he wanted to show us something, he also taught self defense techniques to disabled people and wanted us to meet some of them and talk to them. All of them who were in wheelchairs all had the same dream one day, a dream that in all likelihood would never happen, be able to walk with their wife or husband to the altar at their wedding. It was a very powerful thing to do and it is something we all are very grateful of as it really opened our eyes.
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lmbrown2006 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 1:13 am
I am sorry to hear about your mom, I hope she is doing much better now. I can relate to this story and it is true that you never know until you have to walk in “their” shoes or be their “support”. My mother had a ruptured brain anyurism and nearly died. She was able to have brain surgery but the only thing they could do was an experimental procedure, it has worked this far, but in the six months after the surgery she refused to stay with me, she refused to even believe this happened to her,
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sioux2010 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 2:43 am
I am very sorry to hear about your mothers accident. I wrote my blog on sort of the same idea you did, My cousin is paralyzed from his neck down from some kid who shot him in the neck. This lecture hit home for me like it did for you for that reason. I know that when times are tough i step back and realize, Im healthy, I can walk and have so many opportunities that so many others do not. I too agree with the comedian sayin that It is nice to be white and not have to worry about the things that people of color need to worry about. Its a shame that they need to worry about such things but I am happy that I do not. I know of many people who have to deal with those sort of things like your muslim friend, and I cannot even imagine having to deal with it.
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ktb5071 Reply:
June 17th, 2010 at 3:00 am
First of all, I'm incredibly sorry about you mom. It's really horrific how quickly life can change. Both yours and your moms. I honestly have thought before, wow I'm an incredibly lucky person. I don't even know how my life turned out this well and others have turned out so poorly. But now, I am appreciative that i'm white. I honestly used to envy black girls cause of their awesome bodies/strong personalities but now, I will start to appreciate what my whiteness has given me. It sounds so dumb typing it out but the struggles I go through every day are so minimal compared to what I have learned of other persons both white and black.
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psurevelry Reply:
June 17th, 2010 at 4:00 am
I am also very sorry to hear about your mother. I have had similiar situation in the fact that when I am with some of my middle eastern friends people tend to look at them with suspicious eyes. I think that skin color definatly has the advantages and disadvantages that comes along with being white or being a person of color. I definately have seen the advantages white people have had becacse of the color of there skin and I have seen the many looks others have gotten because of their skin. Sometimes I feel really bad when I am with my friends and people do not know them and can treat them so cruelly.
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Highway308 Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
I totally get what you are saying about the situation with your mother. I am sure that it was one of the most difficult situations in your life. Through my work, I have seen a large variety of individuals who are injured, physically disabled, mentally handicapped, etc. It isn’t until you see and/or interact with these individuals that one realizes how good they have it. We all take so much for granted, like being able to walk, talk, see, hear, to name a few. The old saying “We don’t know what we have until it is gone” could easily be just “We don’t know what we have.”
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The last thing he talked about, with the political correctness, I know it has been stated before but honestly one can never state it too much. White people are always being put in the situation where we must be politically correct or else we are screwed. We don’t want to be put into that category of being racist. That is why being politically correct is so important to the american culture to living as a white person overall.
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SaraMae22 Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 2:48 am
I think that you are right as humans we don't understand what it is like to be someone else until we experience it. Like with your mother how she dealt with that point in her life where she knew what it like to be a disabled person and yourself you know what it is like also. I think it is something how people sit and make fun of someone who is disabled but you know that person didn't choose to be that way. When you were talking about political correctness I think that whites struggle with this because we’re always being scrutinized for what we say. I think we are looked upon different and our words are looked into more because of this whole race issue.
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macwpsu429 Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
I agree that we don’t know what its like to be someone else unless we are that someone else. There is a show on television that turns Vanessa Manillo (I think that’s who it is) into an over weight white girl, rather than the skinny girl that she is. It is amazing to see how people treat her as the larger woman, than that of her smaller self. Many episodes she has cried over the way she is treated.
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macwpsu429 Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Until Vanessa made the show, she had no idea how (another generalization) of the “other kind,” meaning heavier people, are treated and how they live their day to day lives. It is an old saying, walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before you judge them, and I don’t think that could be anywhere closer to the truth. We are so quick to judge people on their skin color or their background that we don’t stop to think what it is like to be them. I can only imagine what it is like to be a Muslim or a person of Middle Eastern descent. Yikes. I couldn’t imagine constantly being treated as though I was a terrorist or Osama Bin Laden’s cousin or something crazy like that. I guess I am lucky I am white, but, that’s not to say people don’t discriminate against white people.
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jjlayton Reply:
June 14th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Due 6/16
I guess being half White and half Hispanic I don’t really have to worry about being politically correct. I never really thought about it before or worry about it much when I talk about race and cultures. I think we need to start talking about it more often and we defiantly need to break down the stereotypes. I’m the type of person to speak up when I hear people in my family, friends or strangers become racist, discriminatory or stereotypical against another person or group while in my presence. I do laugh when comics use race and stereotypes as the butt of their jokes but I think laughter is a good way to show how ridiculous some stereotypes are. Smart comics are usually correct in some of their jokes if you really think about them.
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nrd5040 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
6/16
As for being politically correct, it is basically for people to side step the issue. As a white person it is difficult to have a race conversation because you do not want to have your intentions misinterpreted or your words misconstrued. Nobody wants to accidentally offend somebody by using the wrong term or racial identifier and then have themselves labeled a racist. Once somebody labels you as a racist it is nearly impossible to get that stigma off you. It just seems like a sticky situation for white people especially when you have little to no knowledge about an issue.
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6/14/2010
This week was very interesting because not many people put themselves out there to talk about white people. The most interesting part of the entire lecture was about the six steps to racial identity. It really makes you think about where you stand and how you think. When the idea of how your sense of self is shaped by others around you is to. The saying birds of a feather flock together couldn’t be so true to this. As someone who grew up in a family that was pretty much normal is an understatement but we have never experienced living with mentally challenged people, having multicultural people, or even having a handicapped person, so we don’t know what it is like. It is so true to say that you don’t know what someone is going through unless you are around them. I think it is something that people need to do is to spend time around a mentally challenged person. We have been around them, seen them in a store, or possibly made fun of one for their disability. Most of these people did not choose to be that way; they did not wake up in the morning and say that I want to be mentally retarded. So why do people feel the need to mock and make fun of these people? Why do we need to stereotype against a group too? Like Dr. Richard said you need to live in their shoes to see what they go through. This country is about difference, the US was created by people of difference who wanted to escape being conformed to something they were not. Today it seems that people are trying to make others conform to how they are. People don’t understand what it is to be like a mentally challenged person, they have never put themselves out there to live the life of something they are not use to and this coincided with race. The second thing that I found interesting was about the political correctness. When they were talking about the California sign about what type of person this depicts really makes you think. California is stereotyped as where Hispanics move to for their opportunity in the United States. I found it offensive about the sign why would someone pick that out knowing that it would offend a majority of their population? When Carlos interviewed the man about this sign you could tell that he was uncomfortable and didn’t want to answer the question but once the camera was supposedly turned off he said that the sign was for wet backs. Fist off that is rude and being a political figure he should be ashamed of himself. We all knew looking at that sign who it was intended for and that it should be removed. I don’t understand what makes a person think the way that they do but that person really needs a reality check and people should really evaluate if he is the best man in a politically appointed job.
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aks5248 Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 6:46 am
It really is sad that most people never realize that the way to learn about different people is to see it from their point of view. If everyone just tried it once, it would make tremendous strides to reduce racism and racial misunderstanding today. This lecture about seeing the world with the understanding of others is similar to the Christian invaders lecture that Sam did very well a few weeks ago. We never really understand what it's like until someone like Sam who takes the time to teach a class about racism and ethical inequality. We should just spread the word around about this class and make everyone take it. At least it provides a start for us.
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samsmith119 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
I think the real issue can be (or I would like to think of it as such) an innocent one as a generalization. An issue of out of sight out of mind so to speak. I would like to think that once people are exposed to this concept that they would want to move forward and embrace a new view point to expand their horizons. I know that the biggest part for me was just looking at myself. Some friends and I have in the past made fun of white people in a variety of ways, but we never stopped to examine ourselves from the possible point of view of people of color. Seeing it from that direction will be an interesting trip.
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charlan10 Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
June 15, 2010 Lecture 8
It is very difficult to understand were someone is coming from, no matter how much time is spent on learning a culture or a disability. As most things in life the experience of actually participating comes to be much more valuable than anything that can be acquired of literature. I personally, as I am sure many people do, try to be well rounded and try not to make predictions without at least obtaining some knowledge of the subject. As. Dr. Richards explained with the exposure to people with a disability, only through experience did he start to understand the tribulations they must go through on a daily basis. This is something that everybody of every culture or ethnicity can use to help them become a more understanding and acceptable person.
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Lesson 8 Blog 6/14/10
I definitely do not even talk about being white rather do I even know what being white actually means. Wow. I think that looking at the majority and minority rather than just I am an American like everybody else in the country is very powerful. I think that if we label ourselves as majority vs. minority it becomes a powerful subject to think about. I never really thought about being a male but I have thought about height. I wish I was tall like being 6’5” or something just because I am shorter but then again my height definitely dos not affect the way I walk through the world.
I know that there are all kinds of changes when interacting with people of color and even white people. I feel that when white people are talking to other white people then they are less censored and can let issues off their minds that they would never discuss if a colored person was in the vicinity. In regards to this, if a white person is talking to a color person then they are more likely to censor themselves because of their color but they are not doing it on purpose they are doing it because they are white and they just do not think about censoring themselves.
I would have to say that the pre-awakening stage is hard for most people. I mean to give little thought about race in the United States just does not seem like it would make sense in our culture. I think that we as whites are a little ignorant in this stage because we just do not think about our race. I think that we also take advantage of our race because we are the dominant group and consider other whites normal while anyone of color cannot normal.
On the other hand, I can see most people in the awakening stage. I am thinking this because of the whole us and them situation. We as whites use our political correctness to censor ourselves around people of color but not around our own race. Once again I feel that we take advantage of our own race by never talking about what is really on our mind because we do not step out at look at what it means to be white. Another issue is most of the white will deny inequality and obstruct minority empowerment. Why? Well because we are at the top of the mountain and we want to keep these other people down. We deny the inequality to shield our ignorance of what the minority lacks and in a sick way I believe we actually like to keep the minority down. I think that white people just take advantage of their own race.
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Blueskies21 Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
6/15/10
I totally agree with your comment about whites talking in a group versus whites talking in a group with black or brown people present. I know when I talk with my white friends we can say whatever we want, and we never have to worry about offending each other or such. Its almost as if there is no filter when a group of white people are talking to each other, but when you throw a black or brown person into the mix, things change, and people certainly censor what they say. I’m sure some may due it to avoid conflict, but I’m sure majority of us due to unconsciously.
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crr171 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
June 16, 2010
I also never talk about. And I really don’t even know white being white means either. I also agree that labeling our selves as majority vs. minority is very powerful. I too never thought about being a female, but I often think about my height. I am 5’2 and on most days I wish I were a little bit taller. But I do love wearing heals! And they always make me taller so if I were any taller and wore heals I would feel too tall. And then I wouldn’t be happy. So I have learned to accept my shortness by calling myself “fun sized” and wearing heals whenever I get the chance.
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Due 6/16
I can relate to the professor’s story about the paralyzed person. My mom works in the High School in my town that I graduated from and a girl who’s paralyzed from the waist down started going to school there. This girl needs her diaper changed and catheter bag emptied every day in school by the nurse and by an aide. My mother had to do this for a few months and she didn’t know how to do it at first because she had never dealt with a paralyzed person before. After the first few times she got the hang of it and is now very close with the girl. I went in one day to visit my mother in school and the nurse was absent and my mom needed someone to help her out so she asked me to help. I was nervous at first because I never did anything like that before and it pretty awkward to do especially when you just met the person. So I helped my mom and it was weird at first but then I felt good about myself because I helped the girl and that’s all that really matters.
Since I’m half White and half Hispanic, for me personally, I have always realized that I was part White because of how I was treated, my family differences and the realization that I was different than my friends. I have always, for as long as I could remember, identified myself as White and Hispanic just because that was what I was told. My Hispanic side told me I had White blood and my White side never said anything but they did treat me differently. Some of my White cousins would actually speak slower when they spoke to me and would ask me if I understood certain words that they had said. This confused me since I was in Honor English classes all my life and they would struggle with normal sentence structure. For some reason I was never taken seriously by my White side as an intelligent individual even though I don’t have much to compete with when it comes to my White cousins. I don’t know, my White and Hispanic families are opposites in my opinion, in the way they treat me and the way they act around me. My White family doesn’t think they could understand me or my culture and they don’t really try either. They are oblivious to cultures around them and ignore that they are there. They are very closed minded about race relations and never speak about race ever, that I have heard of anyways. They might speak about when I’m not around since I’m half brown and I might make them uncomfortable to talk about it. However, in my Hispanic family we talk about our race/ethnicity and culture a lot and also about other cultures and races/ethnicities. I guess you can categorize my White family into the pre-awakening identity stage.
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kac5293 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 2:55 am
I forgot to mention this in my own response, but you reminded me of it when you mentioned that your mom works in a high school in your that with a girl who is paralyzed from the waist down. I went to a high school that had at least 100 students who were disabled. I also went to a junior high school that had a few of them as well, and became friends with them. I remember having to push their wheel chair sometimes or help them with other tasks that I knew they were not able to do. However, I know that not all of them liked the idea of being helped, because they did not want to appear as "different," even though they kind of are, compared to those who are able bodied. My grandmother had alxheimer's disease for about 17 years (died a few years ago) and she could not feed herself, use the bathroom alone, shower, get dressed; nothing. it was as though she was an infant baby. The only thing she could do was walk very slowly, but she did not know what she was doing. I thought it was cool that Sam brought that up in this class' lecture.
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jjlayton Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
Due 6/16
My grandmother also has Alzheimer's disease. She is just like your grandmother was before she passed away. She can't do anything for herself and can only walk slowly. she refuses to take showers and my aunt, her daughter, must force her to take a shower once in a while. She has fits of anger and will get aggressive with people. She doesn't remember me until someone says who I am and she pretends to know me and makes up an excuse to why she didn't recognize me. It's extremely sad and it's hard to watch someone going through this.
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Lesson eight did a good job at pointing out one of the main differences between white people and everyone else in the world. I didn’t really think about how the way white people do or don’t think about being white is different than being brown or black. As a white boy myself, I especially never thought about being white because I was always surrounded by other white people. I went to school where one could count all the black people on two hands. Being white never affected my daily life. I have definitely always been in the pre-awakening stage for all of my life. There was absolutely no reason for me to constantly look at the fact that I was white. Of course I went downtown to go see a baseball game and then I would be in a little bit of a different environment racially. This was probably the only time that I realized that I was white. Denver is still a pretty white city, but there is a lot more diversity than the western part of Denver. It is noting compared to Philadelphia or New York. This makes me even more in the pre-awakening stages. I did have a couple of questions about the other stages. I know that we only covered the pre-awakening and the awakening stages, but of the six possible stages, which one is the best to be in? I’m going to assume that being in the sixth stage is the better of the six. But if the majority of white people are in the first or second stage, then do the white people in the fifth or sixth stage act different to the white people who are in the first or second stage?
Also, when white people are in a pre-awakening stage, how do they view other races? Do they only focus on the races that are not included in with them? Are white people who are in the pre-awakening stage more likely to lean towards racist tendencies as white people in the upper levels of own racial realization? If I had to take an educated stab, I world say that most people would be more racist if they didn’t really understand their own race in the world that they live in. I feel like more people who have a better understanding of their own race will be less likely to have racist tendencies because they took the time to understand their own, so then I bet that previous experience provides a template for learning about different races.
The last question that I had, was how do white people move upwards or downwards on this list of separation? Is it based solely on experience of the white culture? Do we just have to go to stuffwhitepeoplelike.com to find out more about the race as well as personal experience of white people around us?
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jav5188 Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
I dealt with the same situation you did. I went to a school where you could count all the colored people on two hands. It is pretty sad that in a world where there are so many diverse areas, and so many different cultures, we still see that there are people living with no idea about how the different people of the world live and have no experience with people of a different color. I too feel I am in the pre-awakening stage because I have just noticed the various cultures that surround me in this diverse nation. A trip to NYC was all I needed.
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dancediva2191 Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Posted: 6/15/10
Due: 6/16/10
I had a similar situation as you in high school because my high school was predominately white as well. Being white never affected my daily life. Even the times when I would go to the “downtown” areas, I don’t know if I actually made the realization that I was white. I probably said to myself, these people look different from me, but never actually said something like I’m white and they aren’t. I like how you defined who is racists as someone who doesn’t really understand their own race in the world they live in. It is almost like, if you can’t understand yourself, then you certainly can’t understand other people, and therefore they are different.
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Posted: 6/15/10
Due: 6/16/10
I think it was really interesting to see how many different ways we could describe ourselves when asked the question, “Who am I?” It is interesting to see how you would describe your identity and how different everyone’s answers would be and why we characterize ourselves in this way. Everything about us shapes who we are and the way we act. This creates our identity. I think the things that shape us the most are the things that make us different from everyone else. We are each unique in some ways because we do not follow the norm. We are all different and this creates our personal identity that is unique and beautiful.
I never actually realized that there are racial identity stages that everyone goes through. We all start out in a similar place, but most people will never reach beyond the second stage of their racial identity development. Why is that? Why aren’t we able to move forward and through these stages? Are we just not aware and are our eyes not open? But then how can we be in more than one stage at the same time? It is our interactions with different people that allow us to grow and move forward, but these interactions can also hinder us and make us move backwards because outside forces shape our ideas. In the pre-awakening state, very little thought is given to race and we identify with our ethnicity or culture, not our race. It is the experiences that we have growing up, our culture, that shapes our being. This culture is important, and something that we identify with during the pre-awakening stage and race does not come into play. There is very little thought given to race and it was interesting that he used the examples of right-handedness and being straight to prove that the majority experience is the normal experience. When you are on the other side of the norm, it is a way in which one probably identifies him or her self.
The media portrays white people in the pre-awakening stage, unknowing about race issues. White people are portrayed as ignorant of their whiteness and white culture, that none of their problems come from being white, and that we are “uncool” in relation to people of color. Because in this stage, you don’t carry the burden of race because you have not had an experience, especially a negative experience that has dealt with being white. This is the stereotype of white people, that everything is good and this is how white people are portrayed very often in the media. And honestly, I think most people are in this stage and even if they move to the awakening stage, they still have tendencies of the pre-awakening stage. In the awakening stage, if one sees whiteness and tends to avoid racial issues, it is almost like they are still in the pre-awakening stage because in my opinion, running away from the issue is like pretending not to see it. Maybe they are trying to be politically correct, but really they just don’t know how to handle the issue of race.
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soitgoes00 Reply:
June 15th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
June 15, 2010
I also thought the “Who am I?” question was interesting. I think that we may list our “titles” first when describing ourselves instead of listing the most basic and obvious parts of us. I think it is interesting too how the “majority” are probably less often to list things like the color of their skin or their sexuality, while these would be things “minorities” would list almost immediately. I too did not know about the identity stages – I think you bring up some excellent questions regarding these stages. Perhaps we are unable to move forward because we are afraid to look at ourselves. It is easier to judge others than judge yourself, after all. It is funny because when Dr. Richards was talking about white people being “uncool” and having no worries, I was thinking about white people right by my house who are EXTREMELY less fortunate than some of the colored people in my town. Last, you definitely bring up an interesting point saying that people are often stuck at the pre-awakening stage in the awakening stage. Maybe this is why Dr. Richards said we can be in more than one stage at once…
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ChelAmelia Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 5:54 am
6-16-10
I totally agree with you about the racial identity stages. I never even thought that there could actually be stages that people have to go through when it comes to racial identity. I also agree and don’t understand why people are stuck in the first two stages. I would think with the world having changed and with the progress we have made, that people would be past the awakening stage. I understand that some people live sheltered lives and aren’t really open to other cultures, but the world is so diverse now I find that very hard to come across. Like you said, interactions help and also hurt us. I guess this is why there is really no way to complete all six stages of racial identity. I think, even in the future, it will always be an ongoing circle.
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cym5201 Reply:
June 17th, 2010 at 4:28 am
I also never thought there were stages. I agree, i think we will never get through any of these stages if the media doesn't stop potraying white is right and black is wrong. Not saying they should not report the facts, but you don't have to emphasize the color of the person commintting the crime, etc. I really feel if people approach things with an open mind these types of discussions would not have to take place so frequently.
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June 15th
I have to say dealing with this lecture and the reading assignment in the book, I am not really sure what to say, a lot is flowing through my mind. I think what has me most worked up is the fact that white people are grouped together that we are so "unaware," of our race. I don't like that. I feel like that because I am white, I am grouped with every other white person who is a racist. And, I don't believe I should be punished because I am white. I didn't ask to be born white just like "they" didn’t ask to be black.
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lovinglife1126 Reply:
June 20th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
I absolutely agree with you. I think there are many individuals that categorize white people as racist, and assume that each on, or many of them are racist. It’s a ridiculous way to think, and I honestly don’t think of white people in that way, but there are those that do. You should not feel punished or guilty because you are a white person, and a person of any other race should not feel guilty for who they are as well. White people are not the only ones that are racist, and people forget that. They forget that racism is found everywhere and every race is faced with it.
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People hate each other for something that is out of peoples control. Personally, I have a ton of black friends, as well as white friends. I moved around a lot as a child and young adult, and ironically, black people were always the friendliest to me. White people are always so gossippy and "grouped," the "preppies" the "snobs" the "jocks," etc. I remember my first day at Penn State Harrisburg, my first friend was a black girl from New York. I think that white people give us fellow white people a bad name when they are racist.
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It is funny though because in a social environment, I have never had a black person be rude to me. HOWEVER, that is a big HOWEVER, I have been in parts of town or areas where I as a white girl was the minority, and that is a scary feeling. I don't believe white people are the only ones who discriminate and who are racist. I wasn't aware I should consider myself "lucky," to be white. Heck, now a days, me being white, I am the minority! This country is so overflowed with a mixture of races and ethnicities, its hard to come by just a regular white person! I know if I go through the wrong part of town where I live, every black person within a 20 mile radius is going to stare me down and make me scared and make me feel uncomfortable. Isn't that what black people accuse us "white" people of.
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kam5154 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
I don't know If i agree with what you think. In my opinion honestly like Sam said white people are at the top of the mountain. Where you are the minority or majority being white is always an advantage. I think you should consider yourself very lucky. The law and society we live in honestly if favor towards white people. I understand this country is a very diverse place but it doesn't mean it a fair and equal nation. Also I understand you have may feel funny in a black neighborhood but that is just one neighborhood when white people own the whole country as well as the world. I think honestly we all go through discriminations or being stared down however I believe it happens way more for blacks as well as other minorities.
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I don't think any of this has anything to do with skin color, that’s what I don’t understand. Why is it, this person doesn't like me because I am black? Did you ever stop to think, maybe that person doesn't like you because your personality? Maybe I don't like that white girl because she is a snob, not because she is white. Really, I think there is more to it than "white" and "black." That is just an easy exscuse not to like each other. If people took the time to know each other rather than just seeing their skin color maybe their wouldn’t be so much racial hatred.
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mommaof507 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 2:23 am
I agree. Even being raised in a racist family, I didn't dislike someone because of their skin color. I still don't do that. Actions speak louder than words and if you are a mean person, I don't care what color you are, I won't like you. I really don't understand all the hype over skin color. Being white is not any better than being brown, black, yellow, red, whatever color. Do other cultures sit in classes and talk about how much better their culture is compared to ours? Do they decide that their skin color is better than all others?
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kdh151 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
I find this to ring true even outside of race. When I was at PSU in the late 90s and would be out at bars or wherever there were lots of people who didn't know you but wanted to start something. They didn't know you but for some reason they didn't like you. I have noticed in my life that many people that I have judged negatively before knowing them have turned out to be more like me and end up being good friends. Why the preconceived notion that just because someone is different they are an enemy? I agree with the "get to know someone" without judging tactic. We are all different but when we group people together before knowing them we judge negatively.
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People are so easy to judge each other and assume things that no one takes the time to step back and think. That person may be black but guess what, they are a lot friendlier than your white neighbor. That person may be white, but they are a lot less educated than your black neighbor. Skin color has nothing to do with it, just take the time to get to know someone!
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6/15/10
This lesson reminded me of all the little details I do and do not think about that effect my life. I always think about my height and how I wish I were taller, I know it ultimately doesn’t effect anything, except possibly my self esteem, but it is something I think about daily. However, other things such as being right handed or being white are things that I never really think about. Being right handed might not make a big difference in my life, but being white, certainly effects my life. Being white, I never feel out of place when I’m out in public. When I am out with my black and Middle Eastern friends, people stare them down, and I feel invisible next to them. It also makes me feel bad because I can tell people are judging them based on their skin color and making false accusations about them. At the same time I feel like since I am white I am automatically labeled as a racist or ignorant, and nothing could be further from the truth. I have a plethora of friends who are not white. There are also times when I feel like other races clump whites together and assume we are all the same. If people took the time to get to know an individual instead of assuming everyone within that race are all the same, I think there would be less hatred in this world. If you hate my personality that is one thing, if you hate me because you think I’m a racist, or because my skin is white, then that is unacceptable. Another thing that got me thinking was the clip about the California street sign. I’m sure there are people who look at those signs everyday and don’t notice anything wrong with them. At first glance I didn’t notice anything wrong with the sign either, but then the pieces of the puzzle began to fit, and I realized how demeaning that sign actually is. It became evident that the sign is basically depicting Hispanics. Majority of Hispanics move to California or Arizona after crossing the border, so we know that the sign is intended for them. It makes me wonder how not a single person questioned the sign before they were dispersed throughout the state. I thought it was crazy how the man Carlos was interviewing flat out said the signs were directed for wetbacks after the cameras were off. This man repeatedly said the sign was used to depict any normal family, but then managed to say in a matter-of-fact tone, that they are indeed used to express wetbacks, or a Hispanic family. How could someone, especially a political figure, know full well what these signs are displaying and not take them down?
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Jevit335 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
6/16/10
This lesson also made me think about myself and which characteristics I am aware of and think about often. For example, I am the opposite as you in height, I am tall and always wished I were shorter. I agree that being white does affect our lives, whether we have ever really thought about it before or not. This lesson definitely made me think about it and how it does positively affect my life. Also, the road sign also caught my attention when watching the lesson. At first, I did not realize what it truly meant, nor would ever think twice about it. After watching the video and seeing its underlying meaning definitely showed how demeaning it is.
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brisnug Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Like you I am shorter than average, white, and right handed. And like you I never think about being white or right handed, but I am always thinking about the fact that I am short even though being white definitely affects my life just as much as does being short. I also agree with what you said about generalizations. If people do not stop thinking that everyone is the same if they are of the same race, then racism may always exist. Not until people begin seeing the intricate differences between people of other races will generalized racial feelings be eliminated.
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When Sam started talking about how white people do not think about being white I did not quite understand what he was talking about. I know that I am white and I thought that was enough. It was not until he used the example about height that I started to catch on. I am a guy who is twenty years old and five foot two. Being short is a major part of my identity. I think about being short more days than not. It affects me in various ways, both good and bad. I always knew that people of average height were not affected by their height as much or in the same ways as I was. However, I never realized that they might never think about the fact that they are of average height because this is something I am so used to. Since their height is normal, they are not likely to think about it as I do. Now I understand this as well as how it is that white people like me never really think about what it means to be white.
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We rarely admit to ourselves neither how privileged we are to be white nor that we are simply lucky to be in this spot. Why would anyone willingly lessen the meaning of their own achievements in their mind? If white people admit to themselves that they are simply lucky to have all the privileges that come with being white, then this is exactly what they are doing. Yet, it is the truth. In regards to the different stages of whiteness, I believe that I was in stage one until I began taking this course. I saw the difference between races, but I never really thought about white as being just another one of those races. Now I believe I am in stage two.
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Now I see that being white gives me certain privileges that are mainly unearned by me. I understand the confusion surrounding political correctness. Freshman year, one of my roommates was half black and half white. At first I was worried about saying the word black around him, thinking he would be offended if I did not use the term African American. To this day I have never heard him say the words African American. He always refers to himself as being black and expects me to do the same, though I know that other black people would prefer to be called African American. This is why political correctness is so confusing. Also, I do not believe that the senator who said the words “white niggers” has anything to apologize for. He was using that term to represent bad people; he did not intend for it to have any racial correlation. That is just my impression.
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I loved this lecture. It was definitely the most interesting thing that we have talked about so far. I never really thought about there being different stages of racial identity. But I think that it is really interesting to learn about. I noticed myself trying to think of people that I know, including myself, who fit into which stage. I do not really know any one who is in the pre-awakening stage, but obviously there are people in it or else it wouldn’t exist.
I really liked Sam’s example of knowing someone who was disabled and what it would be like to be disabled. Until about a year ago I never personally knew any one who had a disability. I volunteer in a local elementary school in a kindergarten teacher. And last year there was a disabled boy in that class. He was born with stubs for arms and legs, so his arms only go to about the elbow area and his legs about he knee area. And immediately when I saw him I felt so bad for him. I didn’t think he could do anything by himself. I was beyond wrong about this remarkable little boy. He did not let his lack of normal arms and legs, feet, and hands keep him from doing all the things that his classmates were doing. I soon learned that he had adapted to be able to write, color, cut, and glue just like all of his classmates. He was even able to participate in gym class, which he loves! It was his favorite day of the week. He loved running around. He even wanted to shake hands with people. And while he didn’t have “hands” he considered the end of his arms to be his hands. He was always energetic and friendly. He was great to work with and I have learned so much from him. I have learned to never tell someone that they cannot do something because of a disability. They can still do whatever they want as long as they try.
Sam also talked about political correctness, which never goes away. It seams like I talk about it in many classes. I’ve heard it in English classes, Government classes, and now Race Relations. And I believe that we will continue to hear it for a very long time. And I do think that white people are constantly being “watched” by other people (white and colored) to say things in a politically correct manner. And if you don’t say something politically correctly you can easily be thought of as racist. I know that my brother and dad always joke about different races and I often make remarks to them about being nicer and more politically correct. It is a topic that many people are passionate about and it will be around us for a long time to come.
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June 15, 2010
This lecture was interesting in so many ways. As a white person, I honestly never took the time (until this class) to realize “Wow, I am white!” I know I am skipping around here, but in the pre-awakening stage Dr. Richards said that while we may be shaped and affected by our ancestry and think about that, we still do not think about being white. I have definitely done this for the past twenty years of my life. My family comes from Italian, Hungarian, German, and English roots; I have most identified and “thought about” my Italian roots, especially now since Italians have been essentially degraded due to Jersey Shore (not that I am saying anything bad about this show, one of the people actually lives in my town and I grew up here my whole life). I have honestly always taken a step back to think of how people see me as an Italian. Never have I once really stepped back and said to myself, “I wonder how people see me as a white person.”
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June 15, 2010
During lecture Dr. Richards talked about how we do not think of ourselves in a certain way if we fit into the average or the majority. I am white, heterosexual, and right-handed. Besides not thinking about my whiteness, I have never thought about why I am straight or made an outright statement like “Wow, how interesting is it that I like boys?!” I never thought about my average height of five-foot-seven and how this has shaped me. On the contrary, I HAVE actually thought about being right-handed, and about being left-handed. I played softball for many years and as a pitcher, I was always thrown off by left-handed batters. When I was not pitching, I loved playing first base and was always disappointed when a lefty would get picked over me because her gloved hand was on her right side so she could reach farther. Moreover, my friends and I always tried writing with our left hands to see what our letters looked like.
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June 15, 2010
My brother is also a lefty and I have seen how difficult things were for him growing up. My parents always tried to get him to write and eat with his right hand, but he would not have it. My mom took him to the Lefty Store in the Poconos, and still does to this day, so that he can have lefty scissors, notebooks, rulers, etc. I have tried using some of these items and it is a lot harder for me to use. I imagine this must be what it is like for my brother to use righty objects. On a side note, I also wanted to mention how I thought it was interesting that my parents would try so very hard to make my brother switch to be righty. I feel like a lot of parents do this, try to convince their gay son he is really straight by setting him up on dates with girls, or parents of dwarfs giving their children growth hormones and surgeries to correct their “disability.”
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June 15, 2010
Now that I have thought about my “whiteness” and how it has affected me and my interactions, I must say I was slightly offended by the caricatures made about ignorant white people. At the same time, I must say that the comedian talking about smoking weed with white people was hysterical. As I was listening to him talk, I found myself laughing harder because this is EXACTLY what my pothead friends do when they all get together and smoke! The other comedian speaking about how awesome it is to be right was also head-on in my opinion. I, too, must say that I realized how lucky I am to be white. It is so true that if whites travel back in time, they will not find any true oppression of their people and will more often than not be received well.
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June 15, 2010
I enjoyed the talk about coolness and how being cool comes with being “at one” with your identity. I think this is really true because a person who is cool is able to understand him- or herself and who they truly are. If we white people have never thought about being white, then how are we truly supposed to grasp our true identities? Luckily, this class has opened my eyes, and I can say that I am now at the awakening stage. I believe I am at the point where I can “dive in and deal with it,” but I must say in the past I have been more politically correct than not. Only until recent years have I just said what I truly believe, even if it may offend some people. In my eyes, it is better to be honest and work out differences than to be polite and mask underlying problems.
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cosuji Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 2:54 am
I also enjoyed the talk about coolness. Your confidence often sticks out like a sore thumb, that’s why it is so obvious to see when someone has self esteem issues. No one is going to think that you are cool if you do not think that you are, so your confidence is the key thing in being cool. I think style of dress is a great way to see that it is actually your confidence that makes you cool, because half of the styles and things that we think are in today are usually not, it’s not the way that the person who is wearing it carries themselves that make it so cool. If you think about it that is why they use models and actors to advertise products, it is not the fact that they have the item; it is the way that they wear the item that makes it so marketable. I think the same applies to the cool factor.
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Buddyruse21 Reply:
June 21st, 2010 at 3:17 am
I loved what he said about coolness too. I’ve noticed before that coolness is something that deals with how they act rather than how they look or what they wear, etc. Coolness is something that transcends race, and I think that being able to get past the first step of “knowing your race” is a big step for becoming “cool”. When you’re so comfortable with yourself that you know where you stand and what you are, then you’ve come to terms with the differences between yourself and others and you’ve at least starting to develop a list of what it means to be “white” or “black”. I think it was a great point in the lecture.
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During this lecture, while Sam was talking about people with paralysis, all I could think about was my cousin and his problem. I have a close cousin of mine who lives a few minutes away from me and works in my town. At the age of 19 during his freshman year of college, he was shot in the neck and is now paralyzed from the neck down. He is now in his upper 30's and has been dealing with his problem for quite some time. He needs to be driven around everywhere, needs changed, bathed, and fed. Imagine not being able to scratch your arm if it itches, hug your mother, and going through life needing the help of others, and not being able to do so many things on your own.
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It has made me realize that even though my life has been filled with some hard times and I may think that my life is aweful when nothing works like it should, I just step back and think to myself, at least I have my health, I can walk, I can do anything. Now im not saying that my cousins life sucks at all, he still lives a great life, its just a little harder than it should be. It takes some getting used to, being around him and feeding him and everything of that sort, like Sam said in the lecture, but you eventually almost dont notice it and think about it all the time. Relating to the lecture, I dont think about being white all the time and dont really think about hardships that I face. Kind of like in the video of the comedian talking about how white people over the years have had a great life and we have had nothing to worry about.
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I never really thought of it that way, that at any point in the history of mankind, whitre people have not really suffered as much as people of color have. And people of color cannot go back and really find a time where their people have lived as whites have. Now I also know that white people have had some hard times as well too, maily peoples of Jewish decent, so do not think that Im excluding all white people from hardship, that is not what i am trying to imply. It is very strange to think that throught the history of mankind it has always been "dominated" by the white race, and peoples of color have generally had to put up with white people for that entire time. I am lucky enough to look at my life and not say that I have dissabilities and so many hardships that other people have to face in today world.
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Yea this weeks lecture was very interesting to me and I still have a lot of thoughts going on in my minebut first I would like to say the “white and dirty” video was terrible and I wrote that very big across the top of my note paper! And I know there are many different races and cultures in this world but when I wake up I thank GOD for being alive, for being an American, for being a human being not for being black. I mean do people really wake up and say thank GOD for being white? Or say being white is the best thing since sliced bread? I know there is racist in this world, I deal with it everyday with the family next door, they are black and are racists against whites but their daughter dates a boy who is mixed white/black but when she wanted to date the all white boy they nearly beat her to death.
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All my life 75% of my friends was white we played together, had sleepovers together went to school together we listened to the same music, they liked mine I liked theirs and I never had a problem. Even when I went into the ARMY I never had any problems. Now I work at the local hospital an in my department there is about 156 employees and only 10 are black but everyone seems to get along the only real problems I see are among the white employees towards each other. Everyday there is something else going on whether it be what someone need or didn’t do, or arguments over their personal business. But the real problem is with the management, we have 6 managers and one director, one you can tell he has a problem with blacks he only picks with the blacks and rides to you make you want to quit but if you deal with it he only messes with you once a year. There’s another she is black but acts like she’s a member of the KKK, treats the black employees like dirt
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. there is another she is white that plays your friend but outside the job won’t even speak to you and then the director she just looks down on the black employees like dirt and some of us have been there over ten years. When have two that are nice, and don’t judge my the color of our skin, one even gave me a ride home and the other even came to my home for my 40th birthday party and the are both white. You know this whole color/race thing scares me I guess cause I was raised not to see color but its right there in our face.
Comment wk 5 6/14/10
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mcbell317 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
16Jun10
I work in large urban hospital and I can tell you, the same thing happens there. Our interim nurse manager and director of nursing are white guys and they are the easiest guys to talk to and get problems solved. But I see how bad white people treat each both to each other's face and behind their back. I know I work with a majority of women (which is like being in high school all over again). People talk about their personal lives in patient care areas that are completely inappropriate and embarrassing to be sitting near. Their personal business is out in the air for everyone to hear and then it turns into gossip. It absolutely crazy. And in the current Army unit I am with, the same thing goes on. I don't understand why it goes on. It kind of reminds me of voting. When I went to vote, every white friend asked me who I was voting for. I told them it was none of their business. But when my friends that weren't white, never asked. I personally could careless what a person's skin colour or sexual orientation is (though I am hoping Don't Ask, Don't Tell gets repealed asap). I was never taught to look at either. Just the person as a whole.
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Lesson 8
I never thought about what it may be like to be white because white is generally never seen as different, it is “normal”. The professor started that your sense of “self” is shaped by others around you, so it makes sense that white people may not be aware of their “whiteness” because people generally don’t make white people feel different or out of place. When you are in a different environment where white people become the minority then they became aware of the fact that they are actually white not just a person. Something interesting that I thought about while watching the lectures was how people often do not categorize themselves based on just their actual color, they often category themselves based on cultural background like Italian or Jewish or Czech. To the average non-white person they are white people, but they are not all white. I believe in race relations the first step is to really understand our differences not just to notice them or be afraid to question or explore our differences. Using the wheelchair example was a great way of showing how we are not able to understand things that we do not know about. If you have not been exposed to different people it is going to be hard to understand them. As stated in the lecture after the civil rights movement people were curious to know what they could do to make situations better and they were continuously receiving different answers. This is a problem that occurs when we make generalizations of people from a few people who may be run as a representation for a type of people. Situation like this make it appreciate getting to know people on many different types of levels is more effective in helping us understand different people. Getting the experience helps us better understand. I am a black woman and I was not offended by Senator Byrd choice of words. I believe the point he was trying to get across by using the term “white nigger” is that we need to get over the color barrier that is out there, one we are able to do that we will be able ro understand the true meaning of things like “nigger” which to me means an ignorant person, not just black people. We all need to get over the color barrier that is out there, and when we are able to do that we can associate words and their meanings to individual people based on their personal set of characteristics, instead of grouping people based on physical characteristics such as skin color and assuming that they will explain personal attributes. Race is such a difficult topic to discuss, there are way too many factors that play a part in every aspect of race relations.
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MDD1982 Reply:
June 16th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Blog Response for Grade. Lesson 8, White People Stages 1 & 2. June 16th, 0953.
I'm glad you touched on Senator Byrd's word usage. I meant to post about that in my comment. I, too, was not put off by his choice of words and frankly I saw it the exact same way you did. I think history has put such a nasty connotation (though it should have that) on that word and that people tend to forget that the word has an actual meaning and is in the dictionary; it was just the white people of that time that said it is applicable to Black Americans. I could see where he was going with the race issues; I do think it is talked about to death – I think the horse is dead really. I understand why it must be discussed but geez only to a certain degree if we can clearly see we are making no progress in the race relation arena. Sometimes I feel like people talk about it the amount they do and in the manner they do to keep distance between the races. I think there are some issues that come up in the public and become a big deal only because certainly active people in the communities say it should be a big deal and not because there was any real harm behind it. Though I guess that could somewhat touch on being overly PC?!?! Anyway, I agree with you. I mean, why can't there be a "white nigger?" I, too, see a "nigger" as an ignorant person (and I believe that is what the dictionary says it is) BUT I also would have NEVER chosen that word. There are so many other ones to use, I just can't fathom using that as an acceptable word in a topic such a race relations. That almost seems like an oxymoron – how do you have a topic about the positive movement of race relations and then use the ONE word that makes some people feel set back…IDK – I guess I can see both sides now that I've wrote all this.
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I am a Christian, I am a female, I am young, I am short, I am a student, I am a daughter and I am a daughter of an immigrant, I am straight, I am a sister, I am a friend, I am a girlfriend, I am a New Yorker, I am an American. Sam was discussing what it meant to be "white" there were a lot of things that I did not realize. Just as he said, most people starts off as the pre-awakening stage, that is that our identity with any group is with their ethnicity (but not as white). I thought the comedian video was hilarious to watch. I thought it was cleaver that he thought of going back to the past and being "safe" but not for any other race. After hearing the second stage, the awakening stage, I agree with Sam, most people probably in this stage, and do not move on after this. These people sit and acknowledge that there is a difference between "us" and "them," but nothing more than that. I have mentioned this several times throughout my internal dialogues and other blog posts in the past, but I grew up in New York City, so I feel that this applies to me, but at the same time it does not. For example, in high school, especially, I acknowledged that I am white and there were maybe only two other people in my classes that are white and the rest were mainly spanish and then the rest were black and asian (or other). I realized this three years into high school. Why it took me this long? I do not know. I think it was because this is how I grew up my whole life, but because I had a friend that mentioned the small amount of people that were in my high school are white. I guess I then looked around and saw only about three people in my English class that were white.
I thought it was pretty funny when Sam retold his three stories about the paralyzed people he knew. I thought it was a good point that he knew the person was paralyzed (in the lazy river) but did not realize why his posture was bent over and his head was in the water. There are things in life that people know, but it does not sink it.
I love watching Dave Chappelle with my best friend, who is also African. We often say jokes that are about whites and blacks and laugh about it all of the time, including the episode Sam showed in class today. There are a few things that I've noticed blacks "characterize" white people as, such as they do not have problems. I know a black kid from Queens (New York) that thinks that I am rich and problem free just about because I am white. it gets annoying at times because, yes he is probably kidding, but after a while it does get annoying. I wonder where this perception came from? Looking back to the comedian about how being white is so great, I wonder what the future will look like. I wonder if people that are white will have a disadvantage in the future, or if we will be seen as different.
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brumgmt Reply:
June 17th, 2010 at 3:52 am
I think the question you pose regarding the origins of perceptions is an interesting one. In my opinion, I don’t think that people form perceptions from any one source. While I would agree that many people’s first perceptions about other races or cultures may originate from their homes, I also believe that people may take what they were taught in the home and compare those perceptions to personal encounter and/or what they see on television or in the media. Unfortunately, many of these stereotypes are constantly portrayed in the media, and it is very difficult to avoid hearing about them. Comedians routinely use stereotypes in their stand-up acts, and many people use stereotypes to label a particular race, ethnic group, or culture of people. Stereotypes play a significant role in the many race relation problems that exist in this country and preventing the spread of stereotypes could do a lot in getting the process of improving race relations started.
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June 16th, 2010
This lecture addressed something many people don’t seem to ever think about: white people. It was very interesting to see the six racial identity stages. I am very eager to know what the other stages are about. I went to a very small high school which was predominantly white so I never really experienced the pre-awakening stage or the awakening stage until I got to college.
I totally agree that ancestry shapes everything you do. I found myself trying to answer the question Dr. Richards asked at the beginning of lecture “Who are you?” I never really thought about it but everything I thought of had something to do with where I came from and how I was raised. I am a woman, a daughter, a sister, and so on. I was born a woman, a daughter and a sister; I had nothing to do with those outcomes.
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When Dr. Richards started talking about how you really don’t know how the other person lives until you are close to them, I understood what he was talking about. I have known several people with disabilities and this makes me understand. My aunt had a heart attack when I was about 12 and got very sick after that. Her kidneys started to fail and she couldn’t move around as easy as she once could. She had to do dialysis every day, no matter what. This didn’t stop her. I remember going to the mall and I would have to push her in a wheel chair because she was too weak. Sometimes in stores, it wasn’t that easy getting around; there wasn’t enough room to get a wheel chair around a small store.
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Last year I had a job in a small retail store in our local mall. It wasn’t that big and the racks of clothes were very close together. A woman came in with her daughter to go school shopping and she was in a wheel chair. She couldn’t get around the store easily because the wheel chair would not fit between some of the clothes racks. She became very frustrated and I tried to help but other customers were just ignoring her and trying to get around her so they could continue on their way. Those other customers didn’t understand what it was to be like in that situation.
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The videos throughout the lecture were very funny and very on point. I understand the Carlos Mencia clip was aimed to be funny but that is a serious problem. I live in Western Pennsylvania and on no roads is there a sign to caution people about ‘families’ running across the road. I understand that California is much more populated and has much more traffic but that sign was just unbelievable. Everyone interviewed understood what was trying to be ‘said’ by that sign and the man being interviewed about it did a horrible job of trying to make it sound politically correct. His body language gave away that he knew what the sign was for and he really didn’t care that it was out there. I’m glad the camera was still rolling when he said what the sign was really for. I hope everyone saw that clip and it showed the people what kind of person is in that position.
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Blog Comment for Grade. Lesson 8 – Stages of Racial Identity, White People Stages 1 & 2. 16 June 2010 @ 0923.
I was fairly disappointed in how brief this lecture was but it was interesting nonetheless (as all are). I was really interested in the first part where he brings up the Racial Identity Stages and I am looking forward to learning what lies within the stages after 2. When Dr. Richards asked the question "who am I?" it made me try and think of how I would answer that. I honestly don't know. I am slightly about the average height for women, but I don't think about it – it doesn't preoccupy my thoughts…really the only time it did was when it mattered for something (e.g. getting your semi annual weigh-in in the Marine Corps). I am right-handed. Now, I don't think about me being a right handed person but I do think about those who are left handed and how they deal with certain things and if they are obstacles for that person or if they see it as normal because it is all they know. I know this stuff wasn't the meat and potatoes of Dr. Richards' lecture – but I thought it was interesting.
I am not sure what my thoughts are on Dr. Richards saying that being white affects white people even if they don't know it. I suppose I could agree with that but I don't know how to elaborate on it…I don't consciously think about being white – it's advantages or disadvantages. I can't really say much on the fact that most white people never get out of Stage 2 – mostly because I don't know what the other stages are yet but I was pretty shocked to see that out of 6 stages most stay put at such a low one. I don't really know what it means to be white. I don't, honestly, know why it has to MEAN something; why can't it be like the other things Dr. Richards listed as "it is what it is?" That's how I see it. I do agree that society or perhaps other races see ALL white people as being in the first "blissfully ignorant" stage. I was unsure about one part…are those white people in Stage 1 the ones who view themselves as having "no problems" or is that how the other races view white people in this stage? I mean, does a white person in stage one think they have no problems? Or no problems because of their whiteness? Or they have problems but they are unrelated to being white?
I can see myself at Stage 2 (don't know what the other stages are yet), but I am def in option C. I don't avoid racial issues, I honestly can't given the fact the man I fell in love with is of a different race than I. But even if that wasn't the case, I wouldn't avoid it; I am too vocal and too opinionated to be silenced because society says I should be. I have never understood the benefits, to society, when being politically correct. I can see how the politicians or the news broadcasters or the supervisors may benefit; saying what the public wants to hear and not what they need to hear has become such a standard practice…it's hard to decipher what is actual news (factual) and what isn't. I also think people are mostly PC in regards to people of color – somewhere along the way society has deemed it okay to make a mockery of the white race or talk bad about white people (and white people accept it) but it is racist if you do it to those of color. Take the "Nerdy" video we watched. Why is it okay to stereotype and box white people into one category but if a white person did that to someone of color there would be a public outrage. I think a lot of white people may fun of or pick at the fact that they are white in order to make themselves feel less bad about that. It almost seems like it became unacceptable to be proud to be white. If you are proud and black then you are a strong black person, if you are proud and latino then you are a strong latino, if you are proud and white then you are racist; like the ONLY form of being proud is being a white supremacist. Where is the logic in that? I agreed with Dr. Richards too when he said that when white people (or any race perhaps) tries to relate to another race (e.g. learning Spanish and then speaking it at a restaurant) you are seen as being hurtful or rude because they think you automatically assume they cannot speak the American language…what is that about? It's like they can't win for losing. It's a double edged sword if you ask me; you lose no matter what you try and do.
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Lesson 8- 6/16/10
This lecture was very interesting because it made me think long and hard about being a white person. The doctor brought up a lot of things especially the pre-awakening stage which I had not thought much about until now. I must admit that I am part of that stage. And talking about that stage had made me start to realize my “Awakening”. I previously never thought about the issues about being white because I lived a very sheltered life growing up. I suppose my background, education and upbringing had a lot to do with it. I lived in a remotely affluent area, and attended a very strict catholic school for many years. Although surrounded by different races I was so sheltered I never thought to realize my difference of being white. As I grew older and lived in other parts of the United States where cast assumptions are made about all different races specifically blacks thought of whites, I started to get a little taste of what it meant to be white. Yet, because of my past I was still clinging to Pre-Awakening. As I think back to when I lived in Florida for instance, I can recall significant instances where black individuals I knew would make comments about how easy life was for me and I had no problems because no one gave me a hard time, and my favorite, cops never pulled me over just because I was black. Also the comedian stereotypes where the white person is uncool and whenever imitating a white voice comedians tend to do a geeky voice as if all whites are in fact geeks. The simple fact was I liked and acted the same things most of them did, I also had problems just like they did. I may not truly know what it is like to be black, but now I do know what it means to be discriminated against. I know the Doctor how that my whole life I have been getting affirmative action, yet I still have suffered from it personally. It is my dream to become a police officer and I am at this point vastly overqualified for pretty much all of the departments I have applied to and have been told personally, by administrators that the reason they cannot hire me is because they need to reserve spots for individuals without caucasian backgrounds. So, I too have suffered for being white in a significant circumstance, and when I think about instances such as that, I do begin to truly become part of the awakening. Yes, as Louis C.K. states, it is frigging great to be white! but, I still have problems and have faced issues because of it. As far as the PC goes, I think Robert Byrd was right, it becomes worse because it is talked about and over emphasized way too much to the point where it's beating a dead horse in some cases. He shouldn't even have had to apologize for his comment. It is obvious he wasn't trying to hurt anyone and it wasn't off-color at all. The fact that he had to truly shows how the effects of PC are very negative. No one can simply speak their mind for fear of “harming” someone.
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Lesson 8-6/16/10
Reply to Kac 5293
I am right there with you, as I stated in my blog post, In Florida I had quite a few black friends who thought I had no problems because I was a “white boy” from New York. I remember the word that they always used to use to refer to things white people liked or the way white people act as “Corny”. You are right about the Awakening, most people just end up stuck there. They do not go forward or back they just recognize the fact that it is “Us and Them”.
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I have to say I could really see all the white people jokes and I could relate in many ways (mainly from my own observations). I have not laughed so hard in some time, but it was a laugh of knowing, more than anything else. Knowing that some white people walk around each day thinking "Damn Im cool" while doing some of these things.
Walking a mile in another persons shoes. It doesnt sound so hard but to really Know what it is they feel and experience, in order to get a clearer view of How they see things, thats the trick isnt it. I think just the attempt to do so is of course a step in the right direction, but is it the right step? Like Sam said you have so much input as to what is the right response/reaction/wording to a given scenario often times its easier to bury your head in the sand and move on.At this moment I am seeing the issue of race relations in new ways. It looks on the outside to be an easy journey to start, but it is far from simple. The variability alone would seem daunting until you realize everyone just wants the same things we white folks have already had for a long time. So how do we make that step of saying to ourselves (since we are on top of the mountain) ok whitey, whats next? Are we still going to be able to keep this sense going when we have children who are competing for a scolorship? What about when we get passed over for someone of color for a job or promotion, will the resolve of reminding ourselves what the world is still be there or will that bitterness we see in so many other white people begin to work its way in through those tiny little cracks? Can we be steadfast and ever vigilant to maintain our "vision" as clear and not allow it to cloud over time? Hmm. I guess for that answer we will need to revisit this in 5,10,20 40 years. Im pretty sure my grandparents did not wake up one morning and say "Damn its good to be white, and Im going to make sure I keep it that way". They allowed those little cracks in the armor to let in doubts, fears, bias. Fear is a very powerful thing and when confronted with a seemingly rational argument it makes it even harder.
I have had the shit beat out of me for being white, I have been nearly killed (a couple times) for being white and in the "wrong area" until they realized I lived in the same craphole they did LOL. At that point I had the opportunity to look at life from another view. These were now my people and I was one of them, my neighborhood, my school, my church etc, side by side. After a while the color things blended into nothing and we each learned a new perspective. Of course this is the short version of events and it was a much harder, dangerous, and painful journey that I care to go into. Suffice it to say I got a good look at the worst of it, but I still was able to walk away. Before I thought that it was because of MY resolve, that MY tenacity saw me through the darkest hours and I came out on top. Now though, Im not so sure about that. Being white helped me in ways I did not understand until recently. Even in the environment I was in, being white still meant more to a cop than being a black doctor, or even another cop that was black. I make no apologize for what has happened, but I will do better in the future to temper my concepts of others through a more awakened eye than before. Rambling over. Ding-fries are done.
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6/16/10 part one
I very much enjoyed Dr. Richards’s use of a couple of my favorite comedian’s routines, Dave Chappelle and Louis CK. The mark of a truly great comedian is one who makes you laugh but not for stupid slapstick or some current events but for a great social satire on things that we share that are very obvious but not until someone points them out to us the correct way. We laugh and think it’s funny but then we think about it and realize it’s painfully true. I’ve been familiar with both of these clips previously and have put some thought into what it means to be white, as a matter of fact it was seeing the Louis CK clip a while back that actually first made me start to identify with being white, realizing the benefits (haha at the time machine bit) as well as what made me different, what made me unique. It really is good being white although this is an issue, it shouldn’t be so good to be white. It should be good to be alive and one group of people should not be treated better than others.
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6/16/10 part two
That was the way of the past, we as a society need to change. More people need to become enlightened to these issues in order for race relations to progress. For one, political correctness needs to be thrown out the window; it’s outdated and only causes problems. Having a race relations discussion while using political correctness is like trying to talk with a rag in your mouth, it accomplishes nothing. We really can’t say anything meaningful if we constantly have to s stop and use these extraneous terms for the emotions we are trying to convey. The apologizing has gotten out of hand. I think that some of those late night talk show hosts like David Letterman issue out apologizes a few times a month at least for things they say which people complain about being non-politically correct.
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6/16/10 part three
There is hope, I look around the classroom and I know this is a new generation; it’s our generation that is becoming more free when it comes to what we can and cannot say. More people are becoming enlightened to these issues and I believe the next few decades will provide us with enormous social change in terms of race relations. If there’s one thing that shows this is the statistics Dr. Richards has showed us in class. A few lectures ago he had up how different surveys were take about how students felt about prejudice towards blacks and the numbers have been dropping drastically, this is a good sign. The more the stand-up comedians joke about these things, the more comfortable we become with the past generations taboos the better off we are. I feel the more we take the time to “awaken” ourselves from these stages of unawareness, the more opportunities we take to put ourselves into “their” shoes, the more we learn about ourselves when we put our own shoes back on. Be it Air Jordan’s or Sperry Topsiders (would those be on the list of stuff white people like?).
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Wow, my answer for who I am would have been normal. I don't know if that is a cop out or what but that was seriously my answer. Joe Schmoe everyday guy I would say. Throughout the lecture then I opened up to the fact that normal is different for everyone. Normal for a person of color is a way different definition for them than it is for me. And to make matters even worse I couldn't really give you a straight definition for normal for me. Is that out of touch with who I am? Maybe I haven't thought it through all the way or maybe my experiences haven't molded me into something more specific. I guess also that I really don't look at other people and think of what it is like to be them. Listening to Sam each and every lecture is opening up my mind and views on our world and how I think and view people and myself. I had spinal meningitis when I was 15 years old and that was the closest to death and major disability that I have experienced. For a week I couldn't walk and was almost totally blind. All of the sudden I had obstacles in my way and people having to do things for me. I felt helpless. I felt people feeling pity for me. I felt held back. That immediately popped into my head when he mentioned knowing someone who was paralyzed. We don't really think about their issues. This was now my favorite lecture, looking forward to the next one. Cheers.
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itsthatguy10 Reply:
June 17th, 2010 at 1:58 am
6/16/10
You say that you think answering “normal” is not a copout but your next couple of sentences say otherwise. You got it right when you say normal is different for every race. But it goes further than that. If you look at just one race there is no such thing as normal for all of them. There is no “normal” for white people, black people, or anyone. Then the only logic thing to take from this is that there is no such thing as “normal” for all human beings. It doesn’t matter what your race, culture or the country you come from there is no standard human being.
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6/16/10
“Who am I?” is such a simple question but it has such a complex answer. Everyone’s answer to that question varies. It is interesting because these different answers shape who we are. Many of us would characterize ourselves as being tall or short whereas some would not even think about that when describing themselves. It depends on how important these characteristics are to you as a person and how often you notice them throughout your lives. The videos that Dr. Richards played during the lecture revealed comics mentioning things that I laughed at and agreed with, but would not think of on my own. They were things that I would not necessarily use to describe myself but they were definitely true about the white race. I did not know the extent of the affect of ancestry on race until hearing Dr. Richards emphasize it in the lecture. I also did not know the stages that each goes through. It is interesting that there are six stages, yet one barely passes the second stage. What does that say about race, and race relations? I feel that we should all get to the final stage, or almost. I feel that it means that we do not fully understand other race(s). However, I also think back to how Dr. Richards said that you could not fully understand another until you walk in their shoes, or see what it is like to be that other person (or race). At first, I thought it was somewhat demeaning that whites are caricatured as all being in the first stage. After hearing Dr. Richards explanation of the pre-awakening stage and why people feel this way, it somewhat makes sense. I definitely feel that many whites, in a way, are uneducated about race and rarely even think about it. Even though this is true, I still feel everyone should get through more stages, in order to better understand each other and the world. One image that caught my attention while watching the lecture was the California road sign. At first glance, I kind of laughed, thinking it was simply just a family crossing the street. I thought the video was going to be short, with no real explanation. After the video progressed and revealed the underlying message behind the sign, I was taken aback. I do not understand why that sign is really even necessary and who allowed it because I feel that it is rather degrading. “Political Correctness” is a term that I have heard many times but used in many different contexts. I think in order to avoid racist acts everyone complies with political correctness in one way or another. Sometimes we may engage in political correctness and not even know it. In a way, it can become part of ones subconscious self.
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6/16
I find it strange to think about my whiteness. It is not something I have ever thought about before. I guess growing up in a predominantly white community has shaped that, being that my skin color always kept me in the majority and has never set me apart. As a kid I feel as though I was definitely in the Pre-awakening stage because I never even thought about being white. I do remember that my friends and I would more often identify with our ethnic backgrounds. I thought that the video of the comedian Louis C.K. discussing whiteness to be both funny and interesting to think about. He made some pretty good points about being white. I never think about the advantages that I was given right off the get go from the day I was born being both white and a man. Being white has probably helped me in a lot of ways that I do not even think about on a day to day basis. White privilege is certainly real and prevalent is today’s society. He makes a fair point that white people need to acknowledge it. That’s not to say that all successful white people are only successful because they are white, but their whiteness certainly plays a part of it. Growing up I never identified with my skin color but more often than not identified with my ethnicity. Race has never been an important issue to me because I was taught like many white kids are not to see color. But what really happened is that I learned to avoid talking about race. I mean it seems impossible to be colorblind, I think you have to acknowledge race or else you’re living in some kind of fantasy land. By not acknowledging race you cannot make any progress towards understanding because you will disengage yourself from any sort of meaningful conversation about race. It is difficult for any of us to truly understand what it would be like to walk in someone else's shoes. Dr. Richards brought up some interesting examples like how someone who is tall has a different experience in life as opposed to someone who is of a shorter stature. Someone of average height, like myself, I am only 5 foot 8 just cannot really understand how someone else's height effects their life. This is exactly true for race or any sort of difference really. It is impossible for me to understand what it is like to be black or brown. Dr. Richards also discussed his experience with the disabled and how he did not have any experience prior to the becoming adviser of the group which left him not knowing exactly what to expect. This is the same thing that many people experience when getting involved in racial discussions that have had very little experience dealing with race relations. It is important to step out of our boundaries and comfort zone in order to gain greater understand of those who are different than us.
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I never thought about what it may be like to be white because I can not since I am black. However I can see how white is not considered as different, it is normal in my opinion. The professor started by talking about your sense of “self” is shaped by other people around you. I also think it makes no sense that white people may not be aware of their themselves because people generally do make white people feel more comfortable or feel normal. When you are in a different environment where white people become the minority which happens very rarely then they became aware of the fact that they are actually white but I think they still understand that they will be just fine with no major worries. Something entertaining that I thought about while watching the lectures was how people often do not put themselves in sections based on just their actual color. However in New York I do believe that happens but up here not really. I believe they base themselves on cultural background like Latino or being international student. I find that to be so funny because in a major city they are put into a box and up here they try to find themselves and fit where they want to be. To the people who are not white they are white people, however not all are really all white which to me is extremely interesting. I honestly think race relations are the first step to really understand our differences. Also not just to notice them or be afraid to question or explore our differences in culture and simple things like food. Using the wheelchair example was a great way of showing how we are not able to understand things that we do not know about. In most cases people are not exposed to different people, and it is going to be hard to understand them or try to relate. It is hard because people by nature make generalizations of people from their own experiences and just what they think. Also a few people who may be a representation in their eyes for a type of people or culture. These types of situation makes me appreciate getting to know people on many different types of levels. Which I believe is more effective in helping us understand different people as well as try to relate to one another. I am a young black man and I was not offended by Senator Byrd words. I believe the point he was trying to get across by using the term “white nigger” is that nigger means ignorance and you do not need to be black to be called a nigger.
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Easygoing96 Reply:
June 17th, 2010 at 2:51 am
6/16 I agree with you that this class was different, and it is interesting, because I too haven't really ever thought about this idea of "being white" and what it really means. I think the point that Sam was trying to make, was that as "people of color" we tend to think about race a little more and even explore the differences in race. We express ourselves a little more liberally than a white person would. You said that you think white is "normal" which is interesting, because you aren't white, so does that make you not normal? I think as "people of color" its hard to understand white as a race also, and sometimes we generalize white people as having no opinion on race and as being just perfectly content with their skin color. It is harder for them to see their "whiteness" because most of the time, they are surrounded by it, and until they are the only ones, they never really come that realization of "I am white", as opposed to us, who deal with it every day. But reading Laurie's book, and the reaction she gets from those "people of color" who are so quick to judge her because of her white skin, is really interesting and has really made me think about what it really means to be white in today's world of political correctness.
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6/16/10
This lecture was pretty interesting because the idea of the six stages is an idea I have never heard before. I know I am at least at stage 2. I am not sure if I am at stage three, four, five or six because well I do not really know what each of those stages entail. I assume they will be defined in the next lecture along with the six stages for colored people. I am curious why for white people stage five is pseudo-communitarian and for colored people stage five is just communitarian.
I feel like a lot of people I know are still in stage one. They are not hateful racist but they cannot see white culture and how it affects their lives. For example many people I know will talk about how they do not believe in affirmative action because it is reverse racism against white people and that it is just as unfair as racism by white people. There is a complete lack of realization of how being white has benefitted them. It can be frustrating trying to make them see the situation from a different point of view. Sometimes I try to talk it out and when I do the conversation usually goes nowhere and I give up. I think that sometimes that it does not matter how good of an argument I present because they are just not interested in looking at the situation from a different point of view or ever changing their views. So I guess that would fit them into stage two but they took the path of ignoring racial issues. They may recognize the issues of race but they do not want to think about it because of how it will make them look at themselves. In my opinion it is worse to be in stage two and ignore the issues then to be in stage one and simply being ignorant of the issues. It is better to be ignorant than a hypocrite. I am not saying being ignorant is good, but if you are aware of a problem and choose to ignore it or even perpetuate it then that is much worse than simply being ignorant.
Robert Byrd is always good for a laugh. A politician will always accidentally say what they really think and then apologize for it once it makes people angry. But that is just him being politically correct which is necessary if he wants to continue being a senator. But the funny part is that his comment shows exactly why his comment is wrong. It takes real comedic genius to pull that off. Things are better but they are so far from ideal. Racism still exists, it still affects how people think and it is still a part of the people who are in power in America.
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xforeveryoung Reply:
June 17th, 2010 at 3:02 am
I have to agree with you about Robert Byrd. He only put out that statement to save his but so he could continue to be a senator. I think he really didn't think anything of it when he said "white nigger" but he meant to say it. It's clear that it wasn't a slip up. I do have to say that while racism does still exist today I think the point he was trying to make was how much relations between races have changed over the years not necessarily that it was all gone. But I do agree that racism still affects how people think and who people are in America.
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6/16 I really enjoyed this lesson. It was definitely something new and thought provoking. It took me a couple of pages in the book to understand how to read it in way that makes since. But it was pretty interesting, when I put myself as “the person of color” she was speaking too, getting an inside view of her thoughts. I completely agree with her idea of white people having to “qualify” themselves every time they begin discussions on race and culture. It’s like they have to justify themselves and make sure that the people they are talking too, understand that they are not racist. I like the story she told about Sam in the discussion groups they went to together. People only saw his white skin and thought they knew everything about him. They knew the way he thought, the morals he had, and they didn’t need to hear anymore from him. He said one thing, that in wasn’t even offensive, but because it was misconstrued, he was labeled the racist white man in the group. For the rest of the time he was in the circle, his opinion didn’t matter. I actually found myself getting upset at the people in the circle with Laurie and Sam. I’ve seen this happen so many times in my life between my white friends and my “friends of color”. The white people always have to tip-toe around issues of race and can you really blame them for going down the avoidance path when they get to the awakening stage? It would be so much easier to just be politically correct and avoid the topic altogether, then to delve into this issue of race in our society. My favorite quote in this book so far is: “You said that you are afraid too – afraid of being misunderstood (like I am), afraid of having your words twisted and your true intentions wrung out of them (like I am), and afraid of having one of your too-honest comments misused by “the other side” to excuse them from dealing with their own prejudices (just like I am!). How odd….of all the ways in which we are different, we are actually united in our fears of breaking the silence with one another.” (Mulvey 31) The last part of this quote, is just really good. White people may be a little more afraid, just because of historical events to say anything that might mark them as racist, but “people of color” are also afraid of being misunderstood as angry all the time at all white people. Laurie also talks about what making peace means to her and the way she thinks this could be accomplished. I like what she said about making peace between individuals. It’s true that our governments can try to make peace with one another, but one “car bomb” (as she put it) can undo the whole process and there we are right back to a war. But if we focus on the individuals, of making peace with one another, of turning an “enemy” into a “friend” and understanding that they aren’t the representative of their group, but an individual with thoughts and feelings and a personality all their own, we can make progress towards peace. People need to change, and if people change, then so can our governments.
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sillyjuice Reply:
June 17th, 2010 at 2:54 am
6-16-2010
I do agree with you on some points but I feel that at the end of the day, people are people. I feel that in this day and age, with political correctness, all people will just be afraid to offend each other. It will always be difficult for some people to get along. It is like wishing for world peace. People will always have disagreements and in a world today, especially with terrorism, it makes it harder for people to trust other people. If we individually try making peace with one another, it is one step closer but as a whole I feel that it is impossible. People will always make judgments about other people and it will be difficult for everyone to compromise.
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6-16-2010
This class, like all classes, is very interesting because I have never thought these issues especially about how white people felt. It is very true that race, skin color, and ancestry, the sense of your self, the way you interact with others and the way others interact with you really do affect each individual everyday even if you are not conscious of it. He also makes a good point about height as well. If you are average height, you are unaware of how height can affect other people. If you are in the majority, if is very hard to understand the impact of your height. I know that being short really does affect me and I do that think about it from time to time. It does make sense that people who are average height are not really aware of how it can affect other people.
Another point that is interesting is that certain groups of white people that all act in similar ways but most people who are not white do think that white people all look or act the same. The six stages of whiteness is something I have never heard or thought about before. For the first stage, when he gives examples of being in situations with disabled people, if you don’t have the experience, you would not know what to do in that situation. I would feel too awkward or out of place to do some of the things Sam has done just because I have never been in that situation and would not know what to do or what is the right way to handle the situation.
The videos were funny but did make me see some things I have not noticed before. I have never really thought about how many stereotypes there are of white people and how it can offend them. I guess the pre-awakening stage can affect white people because of how very little they think of their race. I feel as thought white people can also have the advantage that many other races do not have and that is why they give very little thought to themselves as a race. In the awakening stage, it does make sense that many white people try to avoid taking racial risks especially in conversation. I can see a struggle with political correctness because it helps to avoid any risks to offend people of color.
Another issue that was pointed out to me, even if it was talked about briefly, is the comment Sam made on humor after the Dave Chappelle Show. I have never really thought about how much cursing and swearing can make a clip or show funnier. If you take away all the cursing and swearing, the jokes just seem too boring.
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I really enjoyed this lecture because from the outside, white middle class or even upper class seem like they have these amazing lives but in reality everyone has their problems. I have these family friends, amazing people, and I’m sure anyone who isn’t very close to them would envy their life. But I am lucky enough to be close to them, I grew up next door to them in Vienna, Virginia and when I moved our families vacationed together once a year and we visit each other all the time. So I’m going to give them a fake name to make it easier. To give you a little background, The Smiths live in Georgetown, they just moved into the Ritz apartments, specifically the Ritz pent house (it probably seems like I’m lying cause it’s so extreme but no lies), the father, John, is an investment banker and shockingly he came from nothing but got lucky at this company in his 30s, the daughter, Rachel, now lives in L.A. with her boyfriend, and their son, Mike, goes to UVA. On paper, this family seems like the DREAM family. Right? Also, of course they are white. Rachel looks like Scarlette Johanson and Mike looks like the oldest son from Weeds.
But no. Their lives are far far far from what one would expect it to be. John doesn’t talk to own his brother anymore because his brother’s son raped Rachel when she was young. Rachel didn’t remember this until she was 12 year’s old and she started having dreams about it. Her parent’s then told her what happened, and Rachel developed turrets syndrome. I don’t know if the turrets was a result of the realization she had been raped or just coincidental timing. Mike, was born with one foot an entirely size larger than his other one, he is blind in one eye, so this made it very difficult for him to play sports and “fit in with the guys”. Turns out it didn’t matter if he “fit in with the guys” because Mike is gay, living in a household of very non-gay friendly parents.
I hope that wasn’t too confusing but if it was basically that is just one example of the hardships in everyones lives. And something I have found in my 19 years of living, the people who have it “best” from the outside have it the worst behind closed doors. Everyone has their struggles, whether your black white purple whatever—its how people handle them, and cope with the “hand they’ve been dealt”.
In fact, using The Smiths again as an example, when someone has a shitty life more often then not it makes them a better person. Both Rachel and Mike are loved, ADORED by so many people; they are just the type of people you never want to leave. On the other hand, they are able to fight their battles and win. As I have seen from the lectures and reading both black and brown people can do all they can do to succeed yet their determination to thrive in society isn’t enough to become “equal” and have a far shot at happiness.
I’m not black, so I don’t know what the result of that is and I have never gotten the chance to sit down with a black person and say “how do you feel?” But, I hope that even though they don’t have the full chance to be successful like whites and live in the pent house at The Ritz, they are still able to be happy. Because money makes life easier, not happier. Perhaps I’m being a little presumptuous but I feel like blacks may have a happier life than most upper class whites, they have endured so much that they haven’t lost touch of reality and know what is most important.
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