Representing America - American Literature AP - Blog

Young Adults are Succeptable To Becoming Baribe Dolls, Not Themselves

http://rookiemag.com/2012/02/other-girls/ (Mr. Heidkamp, for some reason it won't let me link it to a word in my post)

In an article from Rookie, a girl from New York talks about her expiriences in school and in society being an Asian girl. She talks about how people would say racist comments such as, "Are you Chinese or Korean? I’m not trying to be offensive, I just can’t tell you apart".

She goes on to talk about how because everyone in her world thought of her as different, she knew she was different. She mentions that when she got cable she watched MTV and the music videos on it. She dreamed of being beautiful like the women in the music videos because those women weren't different and seemed to be like by everyone else.

Later in her life she moves into the suburbs, where there are a lot of white kids and she is among the few Asians in her school. While she was there she kept feeling more and more left out and she began to study the white girls in class so she could act like them. She even listened in on there conversations to see what stores they shopped at so she could get the same clothes as them so she could look like them.

Racism and stereotypes in America today can be a cause to why feminists are upset. When young girls who aren't white feel left out, they do all they can to become white or become something that they believe society would like better than their real selves. They believe they have to change themseleves to be liked.

I agree with what this article is saying because its true. I went to a small-ish catholic school and when other people in my class would start to wear and do something, i would follow the trend, because it was what was socially acceptable at the time. If everyone wanted Hollister or Abercrombie clothes, i did too because that was accepted. Young adults in America are becoming less themselves because they want to follow the social norm by being the pretty Barbie doll or be one of the beautiful girls in a movie video.

Race and Politics

 I would like to qualify that yes some presidents are using racism and stereotypes to gain votes in the poles. The African Americans of the United States haven’t forgotten the civil rights movement. Most of the baby boomers have lived through it and are relaying the stories to their children and grandchildren. I believe that what President Carter said in the Article was right. The politicians have been using racism for years to appeal to whatever percentage of the population still lives within the confines of black and white. I also can’t believe both Newt Gringrich and Rick Santorum when they say that they were not making comments specifically about black people. I can understand Gringrich’s defense but that does not change the fact that he explicitly used those terms. But Santorum really has no excuse. In fact, his was the worst defense that I have seen him make so far.

 

I understand that a lot of people just term blacks as being too sensitive. But can you really blame us? I think that you would do the same thing after being discriminated against for at least 300 years (I counting years prior to the American Revolution). But I digress; this use of racial stereotypes is applied throughout politics and is open to all races. Even President Obama said during a campaign speech that we should try to get more work so that we don’t rely on the Japanese and Chinese to make everything for us. This is again buying into the stereotypes that we have laid out for everyone. While it is true that right now the most commonly used stereotype is blacks, politicians usually refer to Hispanics when they debate about illegal immigrants and we have even given the politicians certain stereotypes and criteria to meet to fit into that specific stereotype.

 

While we learn about race in class, it’s so different when it’s applied in real life. Politics is known to be a dirty business and you shouldn’t play unless if you don’t want to get a little bit of mud on you. Politics tends to adjust terms and phrases just right so that the  politician can appeal to any audience that they want. I think that the use of stereotypes are used all the time in politics. I mean Chicago is one of the most racially segregated cities in America. The reason for this: politics and the mentality of the general public. I think that politician generally just use stereotypes as a stepping stone to get what they want regardless of what happens to the examples and races that they use.

Writing an Original Argument

For the next blog post, please write an original argument on one of the following topics below.  Whichever topic you choose, support your argument with appropriate evidence from your reading, observation or experience.  Your argument does not need to be multiple paragraphs, but you should have a clear structure, where you make claims, back them up with data, and provide a warrant for how the data supports a particular claim and your overall argument.  Feel free to establish exigence and make your thesis as complex as possible.

Topic #1: Richard Corliss writes in Time magazine:

Ask any reader who has seen the movie version of a favorite novel, and the answer will usually be, 'The book was better.' That's because readers of a novel have already made their own perfect movie version. They have visualized it, fleshed out the locations and set the pace as they either zipped through the book or scrupulously savored every word. Often they have even cast it.

Many lovers of books argue that films are a lesser art form.  Even if the film is a masterpiece, it will never provide the viewer with the same rich, thoughtful experience as a reader gets when reading a book.  Write an argument which defends, challenges or qualifies this assertion.

or

Topic #2

If you have not been following the Republican presidential campaign closely, watch the following statement from Republican candidate Newt Gingrich about food stamps and the African American community.  Also, for background you might read the following news article about Republican candidates using racially-tinged rhetoric in their campaigns.

Leonard Pitts, an African American newspaper columnist, writes:

I got my first job when I was 12. The deacons at my church paid me $2 a week to keep it swept and mopped.

So I do not need Newt Gingrich to lecture me about a good work ethic. In this, I suspect I speak for the vast majority of 39 million African-Americans.

There has been a lot of talk about whether Gingrich's recent language, including his performance at last week's South Carolina debate and his earlier declaration that Barack Obama has been America's best "food stamp president," amounts to a coded appeal to racist sensitivities. The answer is simple: Yes.

Gingrich joins a line of Republicans stretching back at least to Richard Nixon. From that president's trumpeting of "law and order" (i.e., "I will get these black demonstrators off the streets") to Ronald Reagan's denunciation of "welfare queens" (i.e., "I will stop these lazy black women from living high on your tax dollars") to George H.W. Bush's use of Willie Horton (i.e., "Elect me or this scary black man will get you") the GOP long ago mastered the craft of using nonracial language to say racial things.

So Gingrich is working from a well-thumbed playbook when he hectors blacks about their work ethic and says they should demand paychecks and not be "satisfied" with food stamps. As if most blacks had ever done anything else. As if a jobless rate that for some mysterious reason runs twice the national average does not make paychecks hard to come by. As if blacks were the only, or even the majority of, food stamp recipients.

Then write an argument in which you defend, challenge or qualify Pitts' assertion that Republican candidates are using racism -- stereotyping and insulting black people, in particular -- to win votes.

Racisim on the Chappelle Show?

Many people criticize Dave chappelle for his style of comedy and skits he performs because a lot of his skits and jokes are based on racial stereotypes. For example the clip from the show that we watched in class with white people dancing to electric guitar, black people dancing to drum beats, and Latino people dancing to a mixture of beats gutar and keyboard.

Why are sterotypes like these funny? Well first of all, stereotypes would not be funny if there was absolutely no truth to them. Also, the majority of people find dave chappele's style of sterotypical comedy funny because they are so exagerated. For example in the clip when the white people where eating dinner and then all of a sudden once they hear an electric guitar, they all get up and start moshpit style dancing. Ofcourse nobody believes this would ever happen, but that is also why it is funny because it is so ridiculous.

Many people believe that even though these racial stereotypes are put out their in a comedic way, these distorted images eventually become a reality and you start to percieve other races in deifferent ways. I believe this to some extent, but mainly when it comes to racist cartoon images that distort the faces and bodies of people of different race. Like in certain old cartoons where they would show black people with big lips. This distorted image gets into peoples heads, and subconciously alters their perception.

I don't believe that Dave Chappelle does this. I dont believe that he projects sterotypes. I believe that what he did was a good thing and that is that he put all the racial sterotypes out on the table and stripped them of their power through comedy. Becuase when you can truly laugh at something like that you dont take it seriously anymore, and I believe that we shouldn't take them seriously because as dave shows, they are just over exagerated generalizations.

Comedy Central Presents: Why Racism is Funny!

Mike Birbiglia, a comedian on Comedy Central, is, in my opinion, one of the funniest comedians on television today. One of my favorite sketches by him, entitled "Goals," is all about how people of different races treat each other. 

He starts off his sketch with a jab at the different nicknames people of different races give each other. He makes fun of the way white people are constantly called "cracker" by making it into something that doesn't even register as an insult, but just as a type of food. From this, he moves on to how white people make fun of themselves for being white. A white man himself, Birbiglia only perpetuates the stereotypes that he makes fun of while he makes fun of them.

One of the best parts of this sketch is Birbiglia's rendition of the "white guy doing a black guy doing a white guy" voice. With this voice, Birbiglia explains that everyone makes fun of everyone else no matter what. Different races always find something within another race that is easy to imitate. This voice fits the Zip Coon stereotype where a white person is imitating a black person imitating a white person, but managing to sound ridiculous and silly while doing it. 

Living Colorblind

Categorizing individuals by type of race plays a huge part in the american culture. After researching how American citizens acted in the early 1900's, an individual can see how whites racially profiled blacks and segregated them only because of skin color. However, going towards the 21st century, people began to realize that racial profiling was an ignorant and an act of stupidity. In 1992, Michael Jackson released a song called "Black Or White". This song suggests that people should live colorblind when it comes to race because the main affect race has on an individual is the tone of an individual's skin and not personality. He also despises society.

Michael Jackson conveys that he wants to be racially colorblind when he says," If you're thinkin bout being my brother it dont matter if your black or white." During this time period, this quote would be frowned upon sub consciously because although people were trying to get rid of racial discrimination, its been going on for so long and their elders have planted images in other generations.

Michael Jackson hates how society categorizes people when he says, " I am tired of this devil, I am tired of this stuff, I am tired of business, So when the going gets rough". This shows his hate for society by comparing it to the devil because of the irrational decision made by them to discriminate. Although this song was well received by the public, there was still contraversy on the lyrics to the song by critics saying that the song had unrealistic ideas. This song has given me the conclusion that although racial profiling is almost unavoidable because of influence by family members, there were people who are ready to step out and fight the fact that it is immoral.

Racial Profiling in the Depths of Social Media

Racial stereotyping and profiling have become an unintentional, and normal occurrence since slavery took a turn off the road of normality and seemed to have created racism. Currently, race is something that is not only immediately judged by many just based on their outward appearance but is taken into consideration on other factors too that seem, sometimes irrelevant to a topic of concern.

For instance, on college surveys and standardized tests they always ask for your race, and although that my be taking a count on a recent study or statistic, the college one goes to or the grade one receives should not be determined by the color of a persons skin.

Modern day media has completely blow up the idea of race by emphasising racial stero types in TV shows and movies of all different generes. Believe it or not, just a few minutes ago I got home from viewing a play called Doubt. The purpose of the production was not at all to point out racial stereotypes, but in looking deeper into the play, there are many clear distinctions of the hints at racism.

In the play, the african american, eighth grade, boy is attending an all white private, Catholic school in the mid- 1960s. Although it could have been interpreted as his family attempting for him to come off as a "coon", his character, who is never directly seen in the play, remains pretty steady to his roots. His mother is called in to speak with the principal for a wrong doing and they are trying to put emphasis on treating him "like the others", just completely pointing out his differences form the other kids.

The mothers character was very strong in the play and she represented a strong black woman, but with the Principal being a white nun with extremely formal way of presenting herself, the mother does not restrain from the "soul" that she seems to behold just from what she must have been raised in. 

This play pointed out the small things in racial stereotyping that many people would not notice by deeply observing the meaning of race within the play. The difference in the way the black people and white people act in the play is most defiantly noticeably different, which gave away the continued struggles with racism in the 60's. The problem has yet to be resolved, or even reduced, but due to the different colors of skin and the reputations each race has built up, it looks like we might have to get used to people judging others based on race.

Pocahontas: The story of Romeo and Juliet or a Story of Racial Prejudice

Disney's Pocahontas was written as a love story between two star-crossed lovers.  While the intent of Disney was probably just to put a Romeo and Juliet story in a different historical context, on the way, the writers managed to depict two stereotypical visions of Whites and Native Americans.

 

The English settlers come across in the movie with the stereotype of greedy, selfish, and dim whites.  Governor Ratcliff sings multiple songs about how much he wants wealth and glory.  He also very easily tricks all of his crew that the trip is for them and that the Indians are out to get them.

On the other side of Jamestown's fence in the forest you have another stereotype.  The Native American tribe is portrayed as wise, connected to nature, and honest.  Pocahontas has a loving relationship with a willow tree and her father.  The tribe is also willing to be convinced to negotiate with the settlers.

Oddly enough, for both of these visions of the two different races there are times when they act the opposite.  There are definitely white people who love nature far more than they value money and fame.  There are also definitely Indians who have embraced capitalism in their casinos.

Race and Music

Race has always had a prevalent role in American culture. When people are separated into groups, often it is by race. It also seems that we judge people based on their race. When we do that it makes us seem ignorant because we often are only Paying attention to the stereotypes that we have always heard about.

Music seems to be a piece of media that has a lot to do with race in our minds. On the show In Living Color, Jim Carrey did a parody of the song Informer by Snow and called it Imposter. Snow is a white artist whos style was close to reggae. In Jim Carrey's parody he says "hear me on the radio think I could not be blacker, but in my video you see I'm really a cracker." This implies that all reggae artists are black and that to have a white singer doing reggae is unusual. In the video for the parody he is shown wearing the stereotypical rapper clothes like baggy pants and "bling". His clothes and the lyrics to the song show how prominent a part race still holds in our society.

Won't You Be My Neighbor

There are many stereotypes that were prevalent within periods of U.S. History, which have survived into the modern era. These racist views can be highly damaging to the population that they are directed towards. Eddie Murphy in this skit shows an exaggerated version of a stereotype for comedic effect. 

In this skit Eddie Murphy parodies Mr. Rodgers as done by a poor African American man. The setting is Mr. Robinson’s apartment in a poor neighborhood. This is gathered by the decayed state of apartment, the wallpaper is peeling and the paint is faded. He uses poor grammar and bad language in order to make a point about the stereotypes of African Americans. He is poor which is another part of the stereotype he is trying to parody.

When the white landlord comes to the door it presents a portrayal of the stereotypical white man. He is well dressed and has no compassion as he blows cigar smoke in his face and yells at him. He’s greedy as evidenced by his displays of wealth and his harsh treatment of Mr. Robinson.

When he does the puppet show he shows the African American population talking to the white president. The president puppet’s back is turned the entire time and he is completely apathetic to their needs. The questions they ask are related to government support which they receive which is another part of the stereotype.

This skit’s exaggeration of a stereotype serves as a commentary on its ridiculousness. The stereotype portrayed may be a variation of the racist views that became prevalent during the reconstruction era. 

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4189/saturday-night-live-mr-robinsons-neighborhood

The Idiocy Behind Racial Stereotypes

Last year a show called Outsourced aired on NBC. The plot of the show is that the company a man named Todd works for is being outsourced to India. He is then sent by his boss to train the new Indian employees. Todd and his employees go through many situations that involve the differences between life in America and India. Throughout Outsourced the stereotype that Indians are ignorant is highlighted and then satirized. .

One character on the show is named Gupta. Gupta depicts the stereotype that Indians are ignorant through all of his dumb actions. One example is that Gupta yells at customers while on the phone and lacks any talent for a call center. This example shows his ignorance because he does not know how to act with a customer. Another example is that he lacks self-awareness. When the employees are learning about how to fake being American Gupta sings and dances crazily and when the other employees ask him to stop he doesn't.. The way Gupta dances shows how he is ignorant to what others feel or that what he is doing is embarrassing. Although most of the situations Gupta finds himself in are very funny they all show the stereotype of the ignorant Indian.

Outsourced highlights many other stereotypes such as knowing little about America. In one episode the employees have to learn to fake American accents in order for customers not to hang up because the company is outsourced. Not only does this situation reinforce this stereotype but it also is comedic.

Outsourced shows that no stereotype can be true for everyone and how stereotypes are very wrong about the different races. When people see Gupta or the other employees on screen they realize how wrong the stereotypes are about Indians. Overall, Outsourced uses the stereotypes people think about Indians to make everyone laugh about the idiocy behind them.   

 

 

"White Like Me"

Since the time of slavery, race has been a dominant issue in our country. The idea of race has been taken over by stereotypes made throughout the years, and unfortunately have stuck. One of the most common racial interactions that have been used for comedic effects is the relationship between white and blacks.

Saturday Night Live, a late night comedy show filled with different skits, used this racial subject many times in their show. One of the more popular ones is eddie murphy's "White Like Me". This skit makes fun of whites from a black's perspective, but also makes fun of the racial prejudice still occurring today.

It begins with Eddie murphy "training" to go out into the world as a whit man. Even his acts while he is in training (reading Hallmark cards, walking with your butt tight, ect.) begin to identity the white race in almost a patronizing way. He then proceeds to cover himself with makeup and a toupée to become a "typical white man". He dresses in a business suit, walks stiff and almost shows no personality. HIs look alone contributes to falsely define white men.

Once Eddie Murphy's "experiment" begins it worsens. When he is white he is able to do things he claims no black person can do. For example, he gets free stuff and can take any amount of money from the bank with nothing to offer them. The fact that white men are seen as people who have more privileges stereotypes racial prejudice in America already, but when he interacts with other black people is when they really touch on identifying race.

In the first interaction "White" Eddie is on a bus and there is only one other black man. The moment the black man steps off the bus the remaining passengers, all white, proceed to have a party upon the bus. Almost celebrating the riddance of the black man. The second occurrence is at the bank, when "Mr.White" attempts to take $50,000 from the bank with no paperwork and a black man is helping him, it seems as if he will not receive the money. But when a white banker assists to him he is given the money without any questions. 

Finally in the end they make a parody of the old free black stereotype of a "coon". The "Coon" is a black man attempting to be a white man but fails. Eddie Murphy almost proves that that is not true and then gathers a bunch of friends to follow him in his experiment, because according to the skit is is easier to live in this country as a white than a black.

Of course this is over exaggerated for comedic effect, but they are attempting to make fun of real situations that go on in our current nation. This is the perfect example of race being a false social construction, it is not who we are but how we are treated, according to this video.

 

Micheal Scott Blatantly Racist

In this particular episode of "The Office" Micheal Scot desides to have a "Racial Diversity Day" (Link Below). In the begining his intentions are good but he actually ends up offending a coworker and making the rest of his employees uncomfertable. Though this insident is highly exadurated it does say somthing about Amerioca.

In my personal experiance people have been blatantly racist whithoout realizing it. One example is when a person I know made a comment that "all indians do is run convinence stores" when I tried to make the person aware of this they simply said, "It is not a stereotype or racist it is a fact". Though this person does not consider his or her self racist they are blind to the fact that they are encouraging negetive stereotypes.

this is how alot of America acts. They belive that certain stereo types are fact and do not consider them racist and in some instances even consider them to be evidence of diversity. The ideas I have pesonally witnessed coenside perfectly with this seemingly exadurated episode of "the Office". Proving to me that this episode really is not to far off from how some Americans actually think and act.

All in all far too many Americans think like Micheal Scott does. People belive they are encouraging diversity while really encouraging racism. Americans need to learn that there is a fine but well defined line between diversity and racism. And you might just end up smacked across the face.

SNL's Portrayal of Hispanics

 

    Race is a very important issue in America and is used to define and categorize people. In many ways, race is a social construction based on the dominant stereotypes of a culture. This is seen all the time in culture, whether in a stand up comedy routine, movie, song, or TV show like Saturday Night Live. While many people to take a humorous approach to dealing with race issues, race has more effect on people than just portraying them in a stereotypical light on TV. Race comes up in important national issues like education, crime, gang violence, immigration, and affirmative action. While we are watching and laughing about funny racial stereotypes on TV, we should take a minute and sit back to think about what message the program is sending.

   In this episode of SNL, the cast performs a skit making fun of Hispanics, specifically Dominicans. The men and women's looks alone tell a story: the slick, black hair and mustaches for men and big, curly hair with bright colored, tightly fitted clothing for the women. Of course not all Dominicans look like this, and having Dominican family I can tell you that most don't even come close. The dancing is also a reflection of common misconceptions about Dominicans; not all Dominicans know how to salsa or merengue, nor would they break into dance every few seconds. Finally, SNL portrays Dominicans in an almost soap opera-ish light. The affair and accompanying drama is typical of a Hispanic soap opera. 

    I think that SNL was ultimately making fun of Hispanic stereotypes, not Hispanics. If the actors' behaviors hadn't been so over the top, viewers might have called it racist, but the ridiculousness of it made it funny. Additionally, SNL was making fun of parts of Hispanic culture that really exist: dark hair and bright clothes, salsa dancing, and soap-opera drama are definitely exist in the culture, but they are sometimes just over-emphasized by outside races. While I don't think that SNL was necessarily sending a good message, they were only playing up stereotypes that already exist in American culture. It is also nice to see a piece of culture humorizing something other than "white" or "black". While racial profiling is never a good thing, there is some fairness in all races being subject to it. 

What is Race?

When we think of race, we generally associate it with the color of a person's skin or the etnicity of a person, but what exactly is race? Does it really matter? Or is it something we put in our own heads as a thing that should matter? When we really think about it, race is just a generalization we make when we first meet people. The first thing you notice about a person is the way they look, and one of the biggest physical features of a person is the color of their skin. The unfortunate part of all this is there are certain stereotypes we generalize with certain races, which often gives people the wrong first impression. Reputation, class status, and acedemic achievement are among the many generalizations that go hand in hand with race and first impressions.

There are different stereotypes that go with different races and ethnicities, but the only reason these stereotypes exist is because we, as a human culture, put them into practice. This isn't to say that these stereotypes are all together false, but when we say things like "Asians get the best grades", we all know it isn't completely true. Grades shouldn't have anything to do with the color of a person's skin or the ethnic background they have, it should come from a person's attitude towards acedemic achievement and determination to get good grades. An Asian person has to try just as hard as a white person or an African American person to do well in school. It all has to do with how hard a person tries. 

It shouldn't matter if you're black, white, asian, hispanic, or any other ethnicity. Race is something we, as a human race, create in our minds. Trying to imagine a world without race is close to impossible for us, who are so accustomed to seeing people as colors, rather than who they really are; but try it. Imagine a world where we were all the same colors that we are now, but without it mattering. Imagine color not making a difference in the way people treat you. 

 

Chris Rock's Kill the Messenger: The message on race

So…culturally, in America we try to avoid talking about race in some instances because well it can leave a really bad impression of people. Dr. Laura who was a radio personality said it on her show and got a lot of flack for it. Senator Doug Lamborn was highly criticized for calling President Obama a “tar baby”. I think that racism and the concept of racism is still an issue in this country because there are people's grandparents who have worked fields in the south and had to survive segregation. There are people’s parents who grew up in the Civil Rights Movement and saw the country change before their own eyes. After the civil Rights movement, Black people had a huge surge for whatever term they wanted to be associated with. Blacks were vehemently against any word that was used to refer to them when they were in slavery or segregation. The ironic part is the most offensive name that blacks were given is still in use today. Because of the civil rights movement and the constant awareness of race; there is a conception that white people should not use this word. Chris Rock addresses this issue in Chris Rock’s “Kill the Messenger”.

WARNING! : THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS A LOT OF CURSING INCLUDING THE N WORD AND THE F BOMB. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CURSING OR THESE TWO WORDS, I STRONGLY ADVISE YOU TO FIND ANOTHER VIDEO TO READ AND/OR COMMENT ON.

 

With the civil rights movement came these walls or topics that Americans, specifically white Americans, couldn't discuss without setting up a mine field of emotion: Black stereotypes, race, what certain people can and cannot do. The biggest thing of all was what to call Black people. For a while people said, we want to be called Afro-American, then it was African-American, and then it was just Black. However, Black people regarded the following terms and phrases to be derogatory: The "N" Word, coon, tar baby, mammy, jungle bunny, jiggaboo, schwarze, boy, pickaninny, darky, buckwheat, Aunt Jemima, Spook, Porchmonkey, Kaffir, Colored, Spade, and Zulu. These are only a few terms.

I would have to say that Chris Rock addresses a stereotype about white people which is that people really don't know how to act around black people because they are afraid that they will offend us. This is shown with the stereotypical white people not being able to know when he/she can use the "N" word. This also points to the stereotype that black people are constantly think that all white people are racist and that they all want to bring us down. (hinted in the extra words to the song in the video). While these stereotypes aren't true, racism has become such an easy excuse for people to be angry at one another. For instance, I know that sometimes someone(we're just going to name them  would say, "Mrs. Q gave me an F on my paper and she gave Trevor an A. Trevor's paper was terrible! Mine was way better than his. I'm telling you that lady is racist." This is an example of how quick we as Americans are to jump to conclusions of race and how extremely confortable we are with pinning someone down as being a racist.

Now to answer Chris Rock's question, the answer is No. There are too many people who are sensitive to the word and that sensitivity indicates sensitivity to race on a certain level. There remains this sense of cautiousness when we address any one. I think that the video addresses this issue of race that White People are constantly trying to not offend black people for fear that we will react in an unreasonable manner. I think that this particular situation is very prevalent in some cases because a lot of music that teens listen to by black artists do contains this word. So I understand the frustration that someone can feel when faced with a situation like this.

I know that doing this blog entry on the "N" word was a little extreme but there remains the fact that even black people use it because hey we're black. My opinion is that we, Black people, shouldn't use the "N" word because we are putting ourselves down when your won race when in fact your own race is still trying to get people to stop using it because it is degrading.

30 Rock Stereotypes

 

For those of you who have not seen this episode of 30 Rock, the context is that Tracy is having issues dealing with his father so he is brought into Jack's office to see a therapist for help. Jack is soon asked to impersonate Tracy's father and, based on a few simple clues, is able to reconstruct his character apparently very well.

With only the facts that Tracy's father was from North Philadelphia, worked in a Campbell's soup factory, and had a droopy lip, Jack somehow drew that his father also enjoys collared greens and gambles away welfare checks. How was it that Jack "knew?" Simply because society constructs the way people typically act based on their race.

This clip plays off of the idea that we find it safe to assume that black people bust up chifforobes for a nickel and white people are nasally etiquette-nazis. We formulate stereotypes everyday even without thinking about it, and 30 Rock turned it into satire.

Wait, I Thought Lenny Kravitz Was Black

Everyday we either check boxes in which we categorize our self’s to what race we belong or where we live. Does it really matter? It seems that identity no longer weighs into how we view ourselves. We either get stereotyped or discriminated against based on what color we are or where we come from. Culture, Religion, Technology, Gender and Class are categories into which we put ourselves and others into daily. These criterion are synthetic ideas that we come up with to create identity. I think by removing these titles that we link to our persona we can establish a true identity. If we merely speak of what material things make us, we'll become people who are ignorant to what truly makes us unique, our ideas.

I saw an old chappelle episode the other day where there was a skit that involved different races drafting biracial celebrities to 100% fully become a part of their own race. This totally embodied how we judge people especially celebrities based on appearance. I thought that its interesting that Chappelle used the concept that a race would what to own a person completely even though the people genetically belong to another race.

 

Sorry If the text is backwards, I think the user had problems uploading it. (it was the best one i could find)

 

Stereotyping everyday...

today we watched a clip from the Chappelle show about racial stereotypes. like everyone else in the room i found it hilarious. and i think its because we all felt that at least some of what he was saying was true. from nothing comes nothing. there are a reason we have stereotypes of people, and its because there really are people out there that fulfill our stereotypes. like how we stereotype people from jersey based on what we see on Jersey shore, we stereotype Californians because of what we see in movies, we stereotype politicians because of what we se in the media. celebrities from what we see in the magazines. it's not like we are making base less assumptions about other people. i think the problem though is when we stereotype people so much, we don't let anyone break the mold, and if they do, it's widely viewed as something radical. so yes there are racial stereotypes that are funny, and its funny because its making fun of the stereotype, not necessarily the race.to be clear, i think it is a tragedy when a person can't get passed a stereotype, when they don't allow a person to be free independent of our social constructions. but stereotypes also allow us to group easily and de-clutter our heads of every type of person, because everyone is different and honestly it's easier to group people together, and to do that we stereotype.

Color or Culture?

Today, the accepted understanding of race is that it is a synthetic idea created by humanity as yet another way to define people we don't know very well.  That makes for a pretty negative connotation.

While I won't say I disagree with that definition, I must say that I see race as more complex than a vague, bad idea.

Race, to me, is the combination of your biological family's place of origin and your family's culture.  Contrary to the original definition I gave, race does have to do with your biology.  If I, a very pale blond-haired, blue-eyed girl, grew up in a Mexican family, immersed in the culture, when placed in a room of strangers, I would still be seen as a short, white chick.

The way we talk, walk, and act--three characteristics mainly influenced by our cultural upbringing--do shape society's understanding of our race though. 

That makes things even more confusing.  If a pale guy (with a skin tone that would normally be associated with a white person) is brought up in a predominately African American community and you saw him hanging out, fooling around with his African American friends, talking, talking, and acting just like them, would you consider him Black or White?

Which is more factored in, color or culture?

The Protruding Nail Gets Hammered- A Reflection on Individuality

Throughout this semesters reading, I (and, evidently, my peers) have noticed a strong theme of individuality in each of the texts.

However, I feel like you can interpret this individuality in two ways, strange as that may seem. Each of the strong characters of our readings, prime examples being MacNolia, Hester, Douglass, and Holden, all seem to both benefit from, and be absolutely destroyed by, their individuality.

Hester, who is able to grow stronger under the weight of the blazing "A" and the scathing eyes of the village, is also worn down by the very existence of Pearl, and by Dimmesdale's untimely end. She retreats back into the edge of the forest, the most distant possible place while still being "inside" the town. Hester is able to assert her individuality, but it leaves her old, weary, and alone.

MacNolia was able to express her originality by being a highly intelligent black child, and an intelligent, strong, and capable black woman. However, by standing out, she draws the fear, disregard, and hate of her racist world. 

Douglass is much like MacNolia, a brilliant black individual with an insatiable thirst to gain a higher education, and to be free. But though he had proven himself to some Northern abolitionists, he still causes fear and anger to strike deep into the hearts of Southern slave owners. No one really knows what to do with a slave, former or otherwise, who can think for himself. He becomes an oddity.

Holden, whose brash and oftentimes irritating personality isolates him from his peers, is certainly a unique individual. His life views are so different from those of everyone around him, and he seems to simply slip through life without a set destination. But this also means that he has virtually no one and nothing he loves, and almost no one or anything to love him in return.

So I wonder- is being an individual such a good thing after all, when it often times seems to be tainted with loneliness and isolation? Should we follow the American ideal that individuality is the thing to strive for?

What about the Asian idea that interdependence is the way to go? That individuals are to be contained is the common way of thinking, and there are two sayings which translate this sentiment well: "The Protruding nail gets hammered", and "The Crying bird gets Shot".

So, which is truly better? A unique lifestyle, no matter how lonely or isolated you are? Or is it best to keep your head down and work with the group to a goal which benefits everyone?

Diving Deeper

Over break, I was lucky enough to have the time to read "The Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison. I was inspired to read this greatAmerican novel after attending an English lecture concerning this particular book when I visited Reed College in Portland, Oregon over Thanksgiving break. Coincidentally, The Invisible man and Douglas's autobiography are very reflective of one another and touch on many of the same points. The Invisible man is much more conceptual and creatively well written than Douglas's autobiography but I encourage anyone who was interested in Douglas's compelling tale of his escape to freedom should read Ralph Ellison's novel in which one will experience that racial and social issues become far more twisted and complex than Douglas could have ever imagined in his time. Douglas himself is even mentioned in The Invisible Man when Ellison's unnamed protagonist, who has an office in Harlem, is given a portrait of Douglas to hang on his wall. The protagonist not only admires, but identifies with Douglas, as believe Ellison himself must have done.

Douglass's Argument

Frederick Douglass's narrative must have convinced a great deal of people to join the anti-slavery cause.  I thinkwhat really moved the people of the time was his eloquence.  Douglass was a former slave, yet he could speak like he was educated with the top men of the time period.  Slavery was built on the idea that the slaves needed the institution, that they were happier under slavery than they would be without it.  Douglass's narrative showed the American people that not only was slavery demeaning and wrong, but that slaves were no less capable than white men.  I think ultimately, it was Douglass's highly educated way of speaking that convinced his readers of the evils of slavery.  What do you guys think? 

Slavery in the 21st Century

Slavery was abolished in 1865, with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendement to the United States Constitution. Though racial prejudice lingered for quite some time, even into present day, slavery was largely extinct.

Or so say the history books.

In truth, slavery is at an all time high. There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the approximate number being between 12 and 27 million. Most are debt slaves, largely in South Asia, who are under debt bondage incurred by lenders, sometimes even for generations. Human trafficking is primarily for prostituting women and children into sex industries. It is the fastest growing criminal industry and is predicted to eventually outgrow drug trafficking. 

Think about what this means- there are people all over the world, here in America too, who are still slaves. There are people who live as Frederick Douglass and other black slaves lived, subsisting in squalid conditions, living with despairingly low expectations. To think that people somewhere, everywhere, are living lives like those we have read of...

What do you feel?

Dave Chappelle. More than a comical genius.

One of the many reasons Dave Chappelle was as successful as he was is because he takes a huge issue such as race and recognizes that it is a bunch of bull and calls out people on it. I think one of his views on race is that once we get past our uncomfortableness about it, we are all able to get on with our lives. This is why he uses comedy to provoke these kind of issues. We all know these issues exist but no one was really able to put a finger on it and get us past the uncomfortable state. This may be a little inappropriate but it gets the point across. The only way we are going to get past stereotypes in society is just ignore them.

 

Morgan Freeman Doesn't Like Black History Month

 

 

I think that Freeman is right. If humans want racism to end, instead of identifying each other by the color of our skin, we should just indentify each other by their name. This is of course almost impossible considering everyone has a preconception of race in their minds whether they like it or not, but it's worth a try.

The Making of Muda

When Mr. Heidkamp asked us to recount our stories in which we defined ourselves by race, ethnicity, etc., a number of instances popped into my head. Vaishali had a rather funny story where she identified herself as distinctly Indian, so I thought the other brown kid needed a good one too. I was born on May 15, 1994 and grew up in Chicago. My parents migrated in 1986 from Pakistan, with my mom pursuing a tough career in medicine. She reminded me of the value of good work ethic and working hard, even until today. Aside from the typical childhood of attending a Montessori school and whatnot, I spent my Sundays at some Sunday School. I grew up in an exceptionally religious household. Though most of the world recognizes Friday as the Islamic "holy" day, most Muslims in the Western world attend religious schools on Saturday or Sunday. Over the years, my friends wondered where I spent my Sundays. Many of my friends attended some Church, C.C.D., or Temple, but many stopped where their "obligation" stopped, such as their confirmation or Bar Mitzvah. But I continued attending a masjid (mosque) and a weekend school where I took classes including Islamic Studies, Quranic Studies, and Arabic Reading and Writing. My friends bugged me about not hanging out Sunday mornings, and told me to "stop being brown like that." But I realized my parents instilled a sense of obligation that had me returning to an Islamic school Sunday mornings, despite any work load I may have. The principal and my teachers pushed me forward, to understand the importance of firm religion and to spread the knowledge and faith. For the past the three years, I have been teaching Quranic Studies, and Arabic Reading and Writing at that Sunday School, and hope to continue "being brown."  

Race, Racism, and Reason

Race is a social construct, as in humans created it. But humans naturally group things together in order to make information easier to process. For instance, this paragraph is a grouping together of reasons for the invention of races. This setup makes it easier to understand my point than if i put random sentences about race in different places, making my arguments group-less. There is nothing wrong with identifying oneself with others, it is simply a defense mechanism that is used to make the person feel more comfortable. Countries are often considered acceptable boundaries for races, and countries are usually formed on the basis that a group of people has similar ideas that were different from the ideas of people in other countries. According to this fact, race is also a way to better identify oneself with certain ideas he or she believes in.

Racism has similar roots. Naturally, people think that they are the most correct, and anyone else who thinks something different is just not as correct. This self-elevation, coupled with the idea that countries are people with similar ideas and form basic types of races, means that each country thinks it is better than the next. Another way of saying it is that each race may think that it is better than other races. The superiority associated with racism could also have been an early form of protection, used to keep one's country safe by making its citizens wary of dangerous outsiders.

A Critic's View on A Birth of a Nation

A Birth of a Nation is a silent film produced in 1915 by director D.W. Griffith. It is a film that promotes white supremacy and uses propaganda to give a positive view of the Ku Klux Klan. It is based on the novel by Thomas Dixon's The Clansmen. During parts of film is it believed that the Ku Klux Klan's actions were justifiable because they were restoring order in the South. The movie depicts African-Americans as inferior to whites and shows the Klan as almost the police force of the South.

For many people who haven't seen this movie, you should. You should see it because not only do you need to be a critic and questions, but you also need to see to realize how much propaganda can influence the masses. Think about it, if you grew up in another country and saw this movie, not knowing anything about America and its people, how would you depict the African American and white race? Many people would depict African Americans as lower than the white race just from seeing this movie. However be aware, that this movie does not reflect D.W. Griffith personal views, it portrays the views of the novel.

This movie as well as many other things in America visualize propaganda. Which is why in many ways people should become more like scholars. And you may ask, "Why like a scholar?" Because scholars look at many different sources and use that information to create their own personal views. Many people today, even though America is one of the most educated countries in the world, don't look at other information, even though it would benefit them greatly. And another question you may ask is, "Why don't people look at other sources?" Well because it takes time and people don't feel like taking that time. So they see one thing; they stick to it. Even though it is the most common cliche', Knowledge is power. The more you know, the better the person you can be.

Finally, one book that people should read is The Revolt of the Masses by Jose' Ortega. It shows how the masses can be influenced and elect people like Adolf Hitler and Mussolini into power. Although I have not read the book, I have heard many great things about from other people.

In conclusion, people need to stop getting influenced from propaganda, and start to create their own ideas. To question is to think, and that is what more people need to do.