The Consequences of Race in the United States

2006-08-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Interracial Marriage as a way of Bonding Races

What is the meaning of love? Can one fall in love at first sight? Does everyone have a soul-mate or is love based on physical attraction alone? Should one’s family have the power to decide who one should marry? How does interracial marriage affect American society? These are all extremely difficult questions to answer that require a great deal of consideration. Love is the magical connection between two people that intertwines the souls in a miraculous way. Although many people claim to fall in love at first sight, their opinions of compatibility are based strictly on physical appearance rather than the soul which lies deep within the individual. There is someone meant for everyone in life, making love an extremely difficult decision that one must make on his or her own. In order to find true love, one must follow the heart and not be influenced by the biased decisions of others who often lack an understanding of the special connection that a couple may share. People tend to create a list of credentials, based on social construction, which one must meet in order to be accepted as a part of the family, as well as a part of society.

A major credential in determining the acceptance of an individual in a family and in a society is race. Quite often, family members feel that a person of a different race only taints the image of their family and should not be accepted. This notion is directly connected to the prevailing concepts of segregation and race-based social order in American society. One should not allow something as superficial as race hold them back from the person they truly love, nor should race restrain someone from equal opportunities within a society. According to the article “Ten Truths of Interracial Marriage,” interracial couples often share the same feelings for one another and are as compatible as same-race couples (Root 572). Interracial couples also marry for the same reasons that same-race couples do and are united in the same way (Root 572). Since the elements and motivation of interracial marriage are so closely related to those of same-race marriage, interracial marriage is an excellent way of bonding races. Since the success of interracial marriages proves that, beyond skin color, blacks and whites are essentially the same, interracial marriages should be unanimously accepted and encouraged in American society as a way of ceasing segregation and race-based social order in the United States.

The United States has been plagued by segregation and race-based social order since its creation. These issues of separation have hindered interaction and ultimately prevented relationships between men and women of different races (Root 572). However, as these issues have become less of a concern over recent years due to numerous desegregation acts such as the Civil Rights movement, interracial dating and marriage have steadily increased in the United States (Root 572). In other words, since proximity is a significant factor in determining interpersonal relationships, the amount of interracial relationships is growing as a result of the increasing proximity or closeness of each race.

Although race relations have come a long way, there is still vast room for improvement. One of the current problems in the United States is that people are grouped within a society according to race. The article “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position” explains that race has only been devised to provide the dominant race with an unfair advantage over the subordinate race in society (Blumer 111). The article states that race prejudice exists in a sense of group position rather than in a set of feelings which members of one racial group have toward the members of another racial group (Blumer 111). In other words, people do not act prejudiced because they dislike the opposite race, but instead, prejudice exists in a sense of group position within a society. If society were capable of viewing and treating everyone equally with no regard to skin color, then this issue would be non-existent in American society. Interracial marriage helps American society realize that everyone is equal, and therefore, should be granted equal rights and opportunities. Instead of viewing a particular race as a threat to society, all people should be viewed as equals. The United States will not be united until it realizes that there are not separate groups of people living in this country, but instead, there is ‘one people’.

Although the world’s population consists of various skin colors, merely one species of mankind exists on Earth. Marvin Harris’s article “How Our Skins Got Their Color” explains that skin color is strictly dependent on the environment and has no relevance to one’s character, intellect, or abilities. The article depicts a person’s skin color as a result of varying amounts of sunlight that people are vulnerable to in different parts of the world and the amount of melanin needed for the body to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful ultra-violet rays (Harris 8). This explains one of the main reasons behind the success of interracial marriages. Interracial marriages are as successful as same-race marriages because beneath the color of our skin, we are all the same. Interracial marriages demonstrate the fact that race reveals nothing genetic about character and shows that people of different races are capable of sharing similar beliefs, loving one another, and contentedly coexisting. Although characteristics vary between individuals, specific characteristics do not differ between races. Each individual, regardless of skin color, possesses their own unique set of abilities, interests, and beliefs; therefore, people should not be grouped or prejudged according to race.

Each individual possesses their own unique qualities and interests which people often attempt to presume through racial identity. The movie A Day in Black and White demonstrates that many Americans’ impression formations result in race prejudice and the assumption of one’s characteristics, interests, intellect, and athletic ability according to racial identity. For example, Michael, one of the main characters from the movie, states that the quarterback position in the N.F.L is dominated by white people. He then explains that this is because scouts feel that whites are better leaders and more intellectually inclined to handle the responsibility of the quarterback position. Contrary to this belief, blacks are equally as likely as whites to be successful quarterbacks because skin color has no relevance to a characteristic such as leadership or the intellect of a human being. The fact that people presume one’s traits based on physical appearance is completely ridiculous. Likewise, the fact that many people assume compatibility through skin color is equally outlandish. As depicted in the movie Something New, it is quite possible for a person to fall in love with someone of a different race because race has no relevance to the character of an individual. In the movie, Kendra immediately rejects Brian for the simple reason that he is white. Since Brian is white, he does not meet one of the major credentials on Kendra’s socially constructed list. Once Kendra becomes more acquainted with Brian, she begins to fall in love with his personality as well as his physical appearance proving that people of opposite races can share similarities and physical attraction for one another which are two of the essential components of compatibility.

Kendra’s immediate refusal of Brian is an excellent example of the inaccurate prejudgment people often make based strictly on race. It is impossible to speculate the inner-person of an individual based on exterior appearance. Although some may argue that their attraction toward their own race is a preference rather than a prejudice, others argue that this preference is a prejudiced belief. For example, during a scene from Something New, Brian says, “You prefer to be prejudice.” However, in some cases, the preference to date one’s own race is legitimate because it is only natural for a person to find their own race more sexually appealing than the opposite race. A person who refuses to date the opposite race may not necessarily hold negative, prejudice beliefs; but instead, he or she may simply lack a sexual desire for the opposite race. This lack of attraction is not a prejudiced belief; however, the process of presuming whether or not someone shares similar interests and beliefs based the race of an individual is a prejudiced notion.

It is not necessary for everyone to marry a person of the opposite race. This would be impossible because, many times, people are attracted to members of their own race. However, everyone must make a cohesive effort to support interracial marriage in the United States. Such an endeavor may help the United States population to finally realize that blacks and whites are the same. As a result, American society will finally come to the conclusion that race prejudice, racial discrimination, racial identity, segregation and race-based social order are all unnecessary aspects of American culture.

Works Cited

Blumer, Herbert. “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position.” The Pacific Sociological Review volume 1 (1958): p.3-7.

Harris, Marvin. “How Our Skins Got Their Color.” Our Kind: Who We Are, Where We Came from and Where We Are Going (1989): p.112-114.

Root, Maria. “Ten Truths of Interracial Marriage.” Love’s Revolution: Interracial Marriage (2001).

A Day in Black and White. Dir. Desmond Hall. Perf. Harold Perrineau, Antony DeSando,

Carolyn Nerff. DVD. USA, 1999.

Something New. Dr. Sanaa Hamri. Perf. Sanaa Lathan, K.C. Clyde, Simon Baker. DVD.

USA, 2006.

2006-08-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

The Education of Racial Discrimination in the United States

Though many American citizens view racial discrimination as merely an aspect of American history, racial discrimination continues to play a major role in American society. The idea that racial discrimination ended soon after the era of Martin Luther King, Jr. is clearly inaccurate. Although African Americans obtained many civil rights through the valiant efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960’s not all issues were addressed and some concerns remain unattended to in present-day American society. Racial discrimination remains evident in American society and continues to affect the lives of countless American citizens. In order to grasp a full understanding of the causes and effects of racial discrimination in American society, rather than simply an opinion on the matter, one must view the subject of race from the third person perspective. The topic of racial discrimination in America can be observed within numerous productions of educational entertainment. Two movies, in particular, that depict the causes and effects of racial discrimination in the United States are Crash and A Day in Black and White. The Oscar Award winning movie Crash does an excellent job of demonstrating the effect that each ethnic group has on American society; however, the movie covers an extensive amount of ethnicities and does not elaborate on the issue of black and white to the extent that the movie A Day in Black and White does. The movie A Day in Black and White deals strictly with blacks and whites in an educational, yet humorous manner which suggests that race relations can be improved upon. Furthermore, A Day in Black and White explains the incentives and consequences of racial discrimination in extreme detail. Therefore, A Day in Black and White is much more effective at conveying the need to recognize and improve race relations in American society than the movie Crash, which covers a much broader subject area in a graver and more serious manner, suggesting that race relations are permanent and cannot be improved upon in the United States.

One way in which A Day in Black and White recognizes race relations in the United States is through racial identity. A Day in Black and White demonstrates the fact that many American citizens are stereotypical and often prejudge one’s characteristics, interests, intellect, and athletic ability according to skin color. For example, during the movie, Michael explains the fact that basketball is a ‘black sport’, and then begs the question, “How many white players do you see in the N.B.A?” As a result of this concept, some people tend to prejudge a black person as being an exceptional basketball player based strictly on the color of their skin. During the movie, Richard describes another stereotypical situation in which a white person who walks into a store is not suspected to be a thief, whereas a black person is automatically considered to be a suspect. Many people have developed a racial ideology that black people are more prone to commit crimes than white people. The article “Racial Formations” supports this concept of racial ideology by describing that one of the first things a person realizes in another is their race. The article then explains that people often utilize race to provide clues about one’s character, interests, intelligence, and athletic ability (Omi, Winant 12). In other words, by merely glancing at the color of a person’s skin, one often grasps an instant concept of the various traits and abilities of this individual.

Racial discrimination along with racial ideology does not pertain only to the individual, but rather relates to the African American population as a whole. A Day in Black and White illustrates the fact that race prejudice is the result of group position in society rather than the feelings which members of one racial group have toward the members of another racial group (Blumer 11). For example, a white person is unlikely to act prejudiced towards a black person for the reason of dislike; however, a white person would very likely become prejudiced if a group of black people suddenly replaced several white coworkers in the work environment for no apparent reason. In this case, race prejudice is not a result of the white person’s hatred towards blacks, but instead, race prejudice is caused by the struggle for group position within society. This struggle for group position within a society is evident throughout much of A Day in Black and White. One scene, in particular, that depicts this topic is when Michael stresses the fact that he feels his position in society is sometimes threatened by black people. Michael’s situation is an excellent example of how most whites feel intimidated by the presence of blacks in society. For this reason, many laws are created to enable whites to obtain an upper-hand in society over the subordinate race.

A Day in Black and White explains that the concept of race has only been devised as a method of providing the dominant race with unjust benefits over the subordinate race in the social, economic, and political aspects of life. Together, the movie and the article “The Color of Punishment” prove that the root of racial discrimination in the United States is the need for white supremacy within society. Both the movie and the article proceed in proving this statement through the presentation of overwhelming statistics and factual information. The article explains that the use and distribution of crack cocaine is a more serious offense than powder cocaine because it is cheaper and more accessible to black people (Cole 237). For example, the article states that a person who is caught selling five grams of crack cocaine receives the same prison sentence as someone who is caught selling five-hundred grams of powder cocaine (Cole 235). Why should the crack form of cocaine be considered more offensive than the powder form of the drug when it is less expensive? The intentions behind these enforcements are none other than to benefit white people in American society. The fact that whites are less likely than blacks to be caught with possession of crack cocaine is the only incentive behind the consequences for each offense. If the situation was to change, and many whites began to use the crack form of the drug, the United States government would certainly become more lenient toward crack cocaine offenders for the simple reason that the law would then pertain to a large population of white people who are the majority and dominant race in American society (Cole 240). This concept of favoring the white population can be seen through the history of enforcements on marijuana usage and distribution in the United States. At first, when marijuana users were mainly non-white, the penalties on marijuana were extremely cruel and unforgiving; infact, a person’s third offense often resulted in ten to twenty years of imprisonment (Cole 241). During the 1960’s, the usage and sale of marijuana quickly spread to the white upper and middle classes (Cole 241). Since the enforcements on marijuana now affected whites, laws were modified to appease the white population. Likewise, strict enforcements on crack cocaine offenders will not be amended until the use of crack cocaine expands to a larger percentage of the white population. The United States government simply ignores issues that are of great concern to African Americans because they are merely the subordinate race, and therefore, have no authoritative power in American society. Although many African Americans have refuted the enforcements on the use and distribution of crack cocaine, a small percentage of the white population has shown any concern for an amendment; therefore, since white is the dominant race in the United States, there is no pressure on the United States government to revise its ways of political and judicial inequality. A Day in Black and White also portrays the issues of political and judicial inequality in the United States. For example, Michael states that blacks exaggerate discrimination and only want to make whites feel guilty about the issues of the past. His black friend, Richard, then argues that blacks are unfairly treated in all aspects of life. He then states that blacks are unjustly punished for crimes and that blacks receive longer prison sentences than whites. Richard’s statements reflect the judicial inequalities prevalent in American society as a result of racial discrimination towards African Americans.

Racial discrimination towards blacks in the social, economic, political, and judicial aspects of life in the United States is the main cause for many African Americans to change their racial identity. A Day in Black and White depicts the numerous disadvantages of being considered ‘black’ in American society which force a large number of African Americans to attempt to change their racial identity. However, in the United States, the revision of one’s racial identity is an extremely difficult task. According to the article “Racial Formations,” in order to be considered ‘white’ in the United States, one must be of pure white descent. Any other variations of descent are considered non-white, and therefore, inferior. For example, the rule of hypo-descent states that one’s ancestry must consist of less than 1/32 ‘non-white’ blood (Omi, Winant 13). Although many non-white citizens attempt to change their racial identity, white citizens rarely attempt to modify their identity as a result of the numerous inequalities in American society that make it unnecessary for whites to revise their superior identity in the United States. As depicted in A Day in Black and White, some white people may act black, but no white person wants to be black due to the social, economic, political, and judicial disadvantages that come hand in hand with being considered ‘black’ in the United States. Although many issues remain unseen, race prejudice in the United States has gradually become much less of a concern in American society over time and there is some hope in a bright future for African Americans in American society.

A Day in Black and White explains some ways in which the issue of race prejudice in the United States can be cured. First of all, it states that, “Race is a serious thing, only if you let it be.” This message is presented throughout the entire movie by the way that most of the information is demonstrated to the viewer in a humorous way. These forms of comic relief send an influential message to the viewer that race prejudice has greatly recovered over time in American society and that this issue is no longer as serious as it had once been. This statement also shows that race relations can be improved upon if everyone can make a conscious effort not to allow race to be a serious issue. The movie also states that, “We cannot get back at the dead through the living.” In other words, we must move on and forget about the events of the past, and instead, focus on present-day life. A Day in Black and White depicts the fact that although racial discrimination and race prejudice have been and continue to be prevailing elements in American culture, the United States has come further than anyone had once anticipated and can reach its final destination, which is equality for all. America may not be the home of the free and the brave quite yet, but it soon will be if the right steps are taken.

While A Day in Black and White shows several ways in which race prejudice and discrimination can be corrected and does so in a humorous, light-hearted way; the movie Crash portrays the subject of race in a much graver, more serious manner. Granted, Crash is an Oscar Award winning movie that is constructed with far more drama and emotion than A Day in Black and White, which did not even premier in many theatres. However, the movie Crash does not deliver the message of black against white to the extent that it could have because it covers far too many ethnicities to allow the viewer to grasp a full understanding of race relations in the United States. My point is not that A Day in Black and White is a better movie than Crash. If this were the case, then A Day in Black and White would have received an Oscar Award and Crash would have barely made its way into a handful of theatres across the country. Instead, my point is that A Day in Black and White delivers a much more educational message than Crash in terms of race relations between blacks and whites throughout American history and how we, as American citizens, must go about correcting this problem.

A Day in Black and White is not the greatest movie in the world; however, if one is interested in learning a great deal about race relations in the United States while, at the same time, enjoying a taste of humor, it is definitely a movie worth watching. The movie, A Day in Black and White, is much more educational and humorous than the movie Crash. A Day in Black and White utilizes humor to portray the fact that race relations are no longer a serious problem in American society and can be further corrected if the right procedures are followed. Crash, on the other hand, deals with race relations in a much more serious manner that depicts racial discrimination as a subject of permanence which cannot be amended in American society. A Day in Black and White also discusses several extremely important race-related concepts such as racial ideology, racial identity, and racial discrimination in social, economic, political, and judicial aspects of life. A Day in Black and White illustrates race relations in far more detail and also presents the issue of race relations in a much more positive way than does the movie Crash. Therefore, A Day in Black and White is a far more useful movie than Crash in terms of recognizing race relations in the United States.

Works Cited

Blumer, Herbert. “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position.” The Pacific Sociological Review volume 1 (1958): p.3-7.

Cole, David. “The Color of Punishment.” No Equal Justice: Race and Class in the

American Criminal Justice System (1998): p.234-243.

Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. “Racial Formations.” Racial Formation in the United States volume 2 (1994).

A Day in Black and White. Dir. Desmond Hall. Perf. Harold Perrineau, Antony DeSando,

Carolyn Nerff. DVD. USA, 1999.

Crash. Dir. Paul Haggis. Perf. Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dilon, Jennifer Esposito, Keith David. DVD. USA, 2004.

2006-08-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Racial Discrimination as a Result of

Group Position in the United States

Racial discrimination is an enduring aspect of American culture that has been prevalent since long before the United States gained its independence from Great Britain in 1776. The article “Racial Formations” describes that when early European explorers first confronted people of a different race, they questioned whether or not they were human based on the theory of monogenesis or the belief that only one human species existed on Earth (Omi and Winant 10). As a result of this concept, many explorers contemplated the idea of using them in slavery, which they felt would be an excellent resource that would serve for the good of mankind (Omi and Winant 10). The explorers were justified in their belief for monogenesis because there is one species of mankind; however, the fact that early explorers viewed people of a different race as being an entirely different species was incorrect and frankly absurd. African Americans make up a significant portion of the human species. Marvin Harris’s article, “How Our Skins Got Their Color,” explains that the world’s population was once neither white nor dark, but instead, it was universally brown (Harris 7). The article depicts the origin of a person’s skin color as the result of the varying amounts of sunlight that people are subject to in all parts of the world and the amount of melanin needed for the body to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful ultra-violet rays (Harris 8). Human skin color is strictly dependent on the environment and has no relevance to the intellect or athletic ability of a particular race; therefore race should not be a determining factor of one’s rights and opportunities in the United States. Although different racial groups are existent in the world, there is no difference between the creations of each race, and there is only one species of mankind; therefore, racial discrimination and prejudice in social, economic, and political life should be nonexistent in the United States.

The article “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position” explains that race is only something which has been formulated to give the dominant race an unfair advantage over the subordinate race in the social, economic, and political aspects of life (Blumer 111). The article states that race prejudice exists basically in a sense of group position rather than in a set of feelings which members of one racial group have toward the members of another racial group (Blumer 111). In other words, people do not act prejudiced towards another racial group because they dislike that particular race; but instead, they act this way because they feel intimidated and do not want the subordinate race to overtake them as the dominant racial group in society. For example, if a society, in which the dominant racial group is white suddenly gets inundated with blacks, the whites are likely to feel that their job opportunities are being threatened by the subordinate racial group. This tension between races in many different diverse American societies is the main cause of race prejudice in the United States. According to Blumer, American societies perceive race as a way of grouping people within a society. Once the subordinate racial group begins to threaten the opportunities of the dominant racial group in society, the dominant group becomes discriminative towards the subordinate group. As a result of group position, one’s race determines one’s social, economic, and political opportunities according to the society in which one lives. This ongoing struggle for rights and opportunities based on group position throughout different diverse societies across the nation is often the cause for people to change their racial identity in an attempt to overcome the social, economic, and political inequalities that create a barrier to their future in society.

The article “Racial Formations” by Michael Omi and Howard Winant demonstrates that the United States is very unique from many other countries in that it uses the rule of ‘hypo-descent’ to determine one’s race (Omi and Winant 13). According to the rule of ‘hypo-descent’, to be considered white, one’s ancestry must consist of less than 1/32 non-white blood, thus making it quite difficult to be considered ‘white’ in the United States (Omi and Winant 13). Those that are ‘non-white’ are likely to make an attempt to change their racial identity, however, whites are very unlikely to revise their superior, white status by altering their racial identity. As depicted in the movie, A Day in Black and White, some white people may act black, but no white person wants to be black due to the social, economic, and political inequalities which come hand in hand with being considered ‘non-white’ in the United States. The movie also portrays the fact that segregation, as a result of racial groups, remains an evident problem in American society. For example, the movie states that football is a ‘white’ sport, and then begs the question, “How many black quarterbacks do you see in the N.F.L?” On the other hand, basketball is predominantly a ‘black’ sport. “How many white players do you see in the N.B.A?” In this case, black is the dominant racial group and white is the subordinate racial group. As a result, some people tend to prejudge a black person as being an exceptional basketball player. However, contrary to common belief, one’s skin color is strictly the result of one’s environment and has no relevance to the intellect or athletic ability of a human being. Given the same educational and recreational opportunities as white people, black people would be equally likely to succeed because although some people tend to view race as a much more complicated subject, race is only skin-deep. Therefore, race should have no relevance to one’s social, economic, and political opportunities throughout societies in the United States and should not be used as a method of categorizing or characterizing people in the world.

In the United States, the media, which bases its ideas off of ‘pre-existing conceptual elements’ along with the concept of racial groups rather than the individual, has a major impact on the way in which people perceive different racial groups (Omi and Winant 14). Although each individual living in the United States has their own unique perception of the meaning behind each race based on what the media has demonstrated as well as the historical concepts that are passed down from generation to generation, many people do not realize exactly where the media gets its information from. The media’s portrayal of each racial group is highly inaccurate and should not be taken into consideration. Each individual should construct the meaning of race based on personal experiences and avoid the influence that the media has on its viewers.

Racial discrimination and prejudice has been and continues to be a prevalent aspect of American culture that we must finally correct. Since there is only one species of mankind, why should anyone be treated any differently? Racial discrimination is not the result of individual beliefs, but instead, is the result of group position within a society. The concept of race is simply a tactic used by the dominant race to take advantage of the subordinate race in society. Race is also used as a way of prejudging one’s physical abilities, interests, and intellect, as well as, determining one’s opportunities in the social, economic, and political aspects of life. Many people, as a result of inequality, attempt to change their racial identity. Nobody in the United States should be forced to concern themselves with racial identity because, beyond skin color, we are all the same and should be treated that way!

Works Cited

Blumer, Herbert. “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position.” The Pacific Sociological Review volume 1 (1958): p.3-7.

Harris, Marvin. “How Our Skins Got Their Color.” Our Kind: Who We Are, Where We Came from and Where We Are Going (1989): p.112-114.

Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. “Racial Formations.” Racial Formation in the United States volume 2 (1994).

A Day in Black and White. Dir. Desmond Hall. Perf. Harold Perrineau, Antony DeSando,

Carolyn Nerff. DVD.

USA

, 1999

2006-08-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Meaning of Language and Race in

American Society

The United States Constitution states that “All Men are Created Equal.” This statement, however, is merely the ideal practice of the United States government, and is not an actuality. Everyone is not born with the same mental and physical capabilities, nor is everyone created with equal rights and opportunities. Segregation as well as social order according to language and race have been enduring aspects of American culture that have forced many citizens to change their dialect along with their racial identity in an attempt to improve their social class. In the United States, one’s characteristics, as well as opportunities in social, economic, and political life are predetermined by others according to race and language. This way of culture is a serious problem that must be corrected to insure equal rights and opportunities to people of all races and languages in the United States.

The article “Racial Formations” by Michael Omi and Howard Winant demonstrates the continuing dilemma of defining race and establishing its meaning in social, economic, and political life. The article explains that although people prefer to view the meaning of race as being factual, the meaning of race is constantly changing throughout different parts of the world over time. Racial formation is the “process by which racial categories are formed, transformed, destroyed, and reformed” as a result of the social, economic, and political forces prevalent in the world (Omi and Winant 13). As a result of racial formation, the meaning of race is constantly changing throughout the world; therefore, there is no universal, concrete definition for race. For example, in order to be considered “white” in the United States, one must be of pure white descent. Any other variations of descent are considered “non-white” and, therefore, inferior. A person that is considered white in Latin America is considered to be black in the United States due to the rule of “hypo-descent,” in which to be considered white, one’s ancestry must consist of less than 1/32 non-white blood (Omi and Winant 13). Therefore, one’s race is entirely dependent on where one is located on Earth and should not be used as a method of categorizing or characterizing people in the world.

A person’s identity as well as one’s characteristics and traits are often prejudged by others according to race. For example, one’s athletic ability, intelligence, and even interests are prejudged by others through racial identity. In the United States, the media, which bases its ideas off of “pre-existing conceptual elements,” has a major impact on racial identity (Omi and Winant 14). The way in which people perceive each race is greatly influenced by the media’s portrayal of racial identity. Each individual who has lived in the United States has had a unique perception of race based on historical concepts and what the media has demonstrated. Many people do not realize exactly where the media is getting their information from. The media’s portrayal of racial identity is highly inaccurate and should not be taken into consideration. It is completely absurd for a person to be judged by the color of his or her skin based on the media’s depiction of racial identity! After all, we were once the same color; therefore, we are really all the same.

Marvin Harris’s article, “How Our Skins Got Their Color,” explains that human skin color was once universally brown; infact, “Brown skinned ancestors may have been shared by modern-day blacks and whites as recently as 10,000 years ago” (Harris 7). The article depicts the origin of a person’s skin color as a result of the varying amounts of sunlight that people are subject to in all parts of the world (Harris 8). The article then explains how the amount of melanin needed for the body to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful ultra-violet rays is the main cause of human skin color (Harris 8). Human skin color is strictly the result of one’s environment and has no relevance to the intellect or athletic ability of a human being. Therefore, human skin color should have no relevance to social order in the United States. Likewise, just as it is unfair to relate one’s rights with race, it is also extremely biased to determine a person’s intellect as well as one’s social class by the way in which one communicates.

The social class of an individual living in the United States is largely dependent on one’s communication skills. The language or dialect in which one uses to communicate should definitely not be a factor in determining one’s opportunities in America. The article “Talkin and Testifyin,” written by Geneva Smitherman, shows that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way of speaking and writing, but instead, there are only variations (Smitherman 11). The United States contains a ‘correct’ or proper form of communication known as “Standard Written American English,” which must be abided by in order for one to obtain social acceptance (Smitherman 12). Granted, “Standard Written American English” helps in terms of understanding national communication, and in addition, acts as a guideline or basis to how we should speak and write. At the same time, however, “Standard Written American English” forces immigrants to adjust to the American way of writing, thus causing them to abandon their previous writing styles as depicted in, Writing Across Boarders. The style of writing in the United States is very different from the writing styles present in many other countries across the globe; therefore, it may be extremely difficult for people from most other countries to adjust to the style of writing in the United States. For this reason, a person who is foreign to this country should not be judged as strictly in the areas of vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure, but instead, teachers and professors should look more closely at meaning, or what the student is trying to say. “Standard Written American English” is necessary for communication; however, it should not be used to judge an individual’s social class.

Social order and segregation according to language and race has always been a part of American culture that needs to finally change. This way of culture has forced citizens to change their dialect along with their racial identity in order to obtain social acceptance and receive equal opportunities. It has also caused people to prejudge a person’s abilities, interests, and intellect based on one’s race and language. This current aspect of American culture is in direct contrast to the United States Constitution which states that, “All Men are Created Equal.” The United States must change its ways in social order and segregation according to language and race, or else it must revise the Constitution to state the reality that: “All Men are Not Created Equal.”

Works Cited

Harris, Marvin. “How Our Skins Got Their Color.” Our Kind: Who We Are, Where We Came from and Where We Are Going (1989): p.112-114.

Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. “Racial Formations.” Racial Formation in the United States volume 2 (1994).

Smitherman, Geneva. “Talkin and Testifyin.” From Africa to the New World (1977): p.1-15.

2006-08-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

An Ever-Changing Life

A person’s writing often reflects one’s lifestyle as well as one’s attitude towards life. For example, one who is depressed with their life is likely to portray the negative aspects of the world through his or her writing. On the other hand, a person who treasures every moment of their life will almost always show the positive side of the world in their work and through all forms of communication. One’s lifestyle is certain to change throughout life. This ever-changing lifestyle often results in a transformation of one’s writing style. A person’s writing style is very likely to change from the time one is born to the time one eventually grows up.

Since the very day I was born, I have been a happy person who is constantly smiling. People say that babies are not capable of smiling until they are approximately two weeks old; however, several members of my family claim that I have had an ever-present smile on my face since the moment I was born that has simply refused to disappear. Growing up as a child, I possessed a care-free attitude and was concerned with nothing more than having fun. I spent countless hours playing with my toys and running around outside with my friends. I loved to play tag, go swimming, ride my bike, eat ice cream, and just live my life with no worries. This care-free, happy-go-lucky attitude was definitely prevalent in my writing. As a child, I loved to write fun stories, some of which were entitled, “The Hero: Run Boy,” “Frogs,” and “The Woods.” The majority of my stories dealt with nature and heroes, as well as imaginative subjects.

The years seemingly flew by, and before I knew it, I was maturing into a young adult. At this point in my life, I began to realize that there was more to life than fun and games. In order to find enjoyment in life, one must first complete the various tasks in which one is confronted with each and every day of their life.

As a young adult, I faced many new responsibilities that would forever change my lifestyle as well as my way of thinking and writing. I was now expected to take care of my younger brother and be someone that he could look up to in every possible way. I also had the responsibility of maintaining high grades in school, while playing sports at the same time. Although there was considerably less time for me to partake in the activities that I truly enjoyed, I still found the time to go bowling, fishing, or see a movie occasionally. These activities never failed to put a smile on my face! For the moment, I was content; however, with each and every day, the list of responsibilities grew like a blazing forest fire on a hot, dry summer day! As my lifestyle continued to change, my style of writing began to transform as well. Instead of writing fictional stories about heroes and nature as I did as a child, I was now writing persuasive papers as well as compare and contrast essays that were more suitable for my age. I no longer had the free time to play, nor did I have the freedom to write the fictional stories that I had once written. A person’s writing is a mirror image of a person’s lifestyle. I failed to realize it at the time, but I was rapidly making the transition from a young man to an adult.

Now that I am an adult, my responsibilities as well as the amount of papers that I am required to write are endless! I am now responsible of taking care of myself and living on my own. In addition, I am responsible for going to work in order to pay my living and college expenses. Unfortunately, it is difficult at times for me to multi-task since I participate in extracurricular activities such as cross country, baseball, and choir. As a result, I have little time to do the activities that I had once lived for, or write the stories I had once loved to write. Most people would be devastated by this, feeling deprived of previous enjoyments which once enriched life. I however, have learned to convert my responsibilities as well as the papers that I must write into my pleasures. I have learned to adjust to my ever-changing lifestyle by discovering an interest in my busy schedule as well as in academic writing. I now look forward to writing papers, running, singing, going to school, and even going to work everyday! They are no longer my obligations, but instead, they are now my new hobbies.

2006-07-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

The dilemma of defining race and establishing its meaning in economic and political life remains a phenomenon. Although people prefer to view the meaning of race as being factual, the meaning of race is constantly changing throughout different parts of the world over time. According to authors Michael Omi and Howard Winant, racial formation is the process by which racial categories are formed, transformed, destroyed, and reformed as a result of the social, economic, and political forces of the world. As a result of racial formation, the meaning of race is constantly changing throughout the world; therefore, there is no universal, concrete definition of race.