EDUC 2120-Lesson 8:
Race, The Power of an Illusion
Overview Viewpoint:
Lesson eight of EDUC 2120 focuses on race and stereotypes. For this lesson we had to watch three different videos. These videos talk about the inequalities that people and students face. We then had to do activites on a website while answer the questions with our results. The main focus of the lesson is that you can't judge a book by its cover. The website shows many examples of how you can't tell a persons race just by looking at them.
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How would you define race? What does “race” mean to you?
Race is a method of categorizing people. I would define race by someones ancestral background. You can defines someones race by their skin color sometimes. A group of people thought to share certain distinctive physical characteristics, such as facial structure or skin color.
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How many races do you think there are? What are they? How do you decide which race someone belongs to?
I would think that there would be many different races. According to studies there are 5 different races. Monogoloid (Asian and American Indian), Caucasoid (European), Australoid (Australian and oceanic), Negroid (east African black), and Capoid (south African black). Deciding which one may belong too isnt as easy. I dont think you can just look at them and tell. Ithink that you would have to know there family history. You would have to know where there ancestors came from. I think that is how you can tell or decide, through history.
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Would you trade your skin color? How do you think your life would be different if you looked like someone of a different race?
I would not want to trade my skin color. Being an african american can sometimes be hard. Sometimes we dont have the same equality sometimes. However, i wouldnt change. I love hearing stories about my ancestors and my old family history. I think my life would be very different if i looked like someone from a different race. For example, if i was a Mongoloid (Asian and American Indian) I know that my culture would be different.
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What stereotypes have you heard or seen about different racial groups?
I've heard mean stereotypes and i heard not so nice stereotypes. For mexicans that live in the US a stereotype would be that they all have green cards. Which isnt true because some are born in the US. Another stereotype that i've heard about another race is the "dumb blonde" thing. Meaning all female blonde hair girls act dumb. Which isnt true either, I stereotype that i hear about asians are that they are all smart. Is it true? I dont know but many that i know are. These are just SOME of there stereotypes that i have heard about other races.
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Do you think people today should be held accountable for past discrimination? Why or why not?
I do not think people should be held accountable for that past. This is example of what some might do today. Some blacks sometimes feel that whites owe them for what happened in the past during slavery times. I feel that we should move on for it. Yes, rasicism still exist but our goal is for everyone to be equal. We can't do that when someone brings the race card into every situation even when its not a race issue.
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Forty years ago, the Civil Rights Act declared that forced racial segregation was illegal. In light of this, why do you think some neighborhoods, schools and workplaces are still segregated?
I think just like in the videos. People would associate with someone who looks like them first and who they think have the most similarities with. The first thing many people look at is race. They feel like they can relate more to their own race. I personally used to hang out with many different races but all my best friends were all black. Why? im guess because we related more. But of course sometimes that is not true. I've also seen many different groups of friends who are completely different in race and i've seem a white person and a black person who were best friends.
There are six (6) activities (listed below) you will need to do in the web resource. Answer these questions concerning the activities:
Activity 1 - Is Race for Real? - This activity requires you to explore 10 different factoids associated with race. And, you have the option of “going deeper” as well.
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Describe what you learned by completing this activity?
I learned a little bit more on why people are still so segregated. I learned its mostly because people latch on to people who looks like them more. This activity also gives you a little more insight on discrimination. Why some still hold white accountable for what happened years and years ago.
Activity 2 - Sorting People - How easy is it to group people into “races” based on appearance? What about using individual traits? There are two parts to this activity.
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Describe your results when you tried to sort people based on their appearance?
On the How Well Did You Do? part For American Idian i got 2 out 4 correct. For Asian I got 2 out of 4 correct. For Black i got 3 out of 4, Hispanic/Latino i got 3 out of 4, and for White i got all three correct. This activity was slightly hard. It makes you realize even though someone might look like a certain race they may not be.
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Describe your results when you tried to sort people based on physical traits?
When looking at the Skin color trait you realize blacks do not always have the darkest skin color. In fact sometimes they can be lighter then other races. On the results it showed that one black and one asain had the dark skin color. When i think of medium skin color i think of hispanics but on the chart it showed that atleast one person out of each race had medium skin color.
Activity 3 - The Race Timeline - Learn more about the history and evolution of the race concept.
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Describe what you learned by exploring this timeline?
I learned a lot of history. Espically the changes in definitions of race. Its interesting to know that in 1934 indians were only allowed to have membership depending on their blood level. Depending on how indian they were. Looking at the different Rules for White its interesting to know that U.S. housing programs only benefited whites. This makes you think if blacks were allowed, would their be less black minorities in today's time period. It also sad to here about how the indians had their land taken away from them and given to whites. That caused many of them to die.
Activity 4 - Human Diversity - Take the diversity quiz or explore the ways we're similar to one another. Learn about ancestry, the geographic distribution of traits, and the history of human migration.
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How did you do on the quiz? Describe the results.
I think i did ok. There were some answers that i did get incorrect. Out of the 10 i got 4 correct. I really didn't know that much and how genetics really work. At first i thought i would do good on it but i realized there was a lot that i didnt know. The #1 thing i found interesting was about the fruit flies. Its crazy to think they are more genetically diverse then un human beings.
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Regarding the “exploring diversity” activity, describe what you learned.
I learned a lot actually. For question 7 it asked what countryis most likely to carry the sickle cell trait. I put South Africa because in the U.S. we are taught that blacks carry it the most. The quiz taught me that actually people from greece carry it the most. Its also interesting to know that we can all be related to each other in some way because of our ancestry. Our DNA in our cells consist of bits and pieces of DNA from thousands of people's cells. I find that really interesting.
Activity 5 - Me, My Race, and I - View four slideshows examining different perspectives on race.
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Describe what you learned after viewing the four slideshows?
The first and even the other three slides taught me how people make assumptions from appearances of people. When they talked about how in 1998, which was only 17 years ago, 2/3 of body searchs were just dont on black and latino. That is a lot! 97% didnt even have any contraband. They made stereotypes about these races and considered them worse then whites. The slideshow shows how different minorities are sometimes treated and the differently they have to live compared to whites. It was also interesting to look at the slide about Interstate 95 in Maryland. 21% of drivers are racial minorities. 80% are pulled over and searched yet they find the drugs evenly throughout whites and minorities. It showed that they targeted blacks more.
Activity 6 - Where Race Lives - No measure of racial inequality in the U.S. is more striking than a comparison of housing and wealth. See how this happened, compare the story of two families, and understand why inequality persists 40 years after the civil rights movement. View the “Tail of Two Families”.
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Explain what happened to Max and Byron?
Max and Byron basically had lived from what their parents could do for them. Max lived a lot better financial because of his parents. They were able to build a nice life for him with the many oppurtunities that was given to them. However, Byron's family struggled and lived paycheck to paycheck. They lived in a majority black neighborhood and during this time not many whites would move to that area which resulted in low property value. This causes them to not make as much compared to Max's parents when they moved. They lived in a mostly white neighborhood and it was easier for them to sell. Back them whites where more finacially stable then blacks. This caused Byron to have more finanial issues and he wasnt able to have the life like Max and be able to be financial secure. Long story short because of the hardships are parents and grandparents went through because of their race it made it makes it also hard for their children.
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After completing all of these activities, do you believe the information on this web site is factual? Explain.
I know. This website helps a lot in educating us on how race effects us all. It even effects whites not just minorities. The information provided shows how discrimination effects generations and how it can keep going down the line. This website teaches you more then just race. It teaches you that people are judged by appearances and other things. One thing i learned that race is a modern idea. Before ancient societies divided people by religion, status, class and languege but it seems like today we divide people for their physical differences and race also. Which is why segregation still exist. Because people divide themselves.
Summary
This was a very long lesson but it was very informational. It allowed me to understand more about our race issues that are happening. It makes you understand why it is still happening today. I learned that things my grandparents went through does effect me. This might be the reason why some might hold white accountable still till this day. We shouldnt judge by stereotypes and we should judge from appearances. Never judge a book by its cover.
Research Question
.How Does Stereotyping Affect Relationships?
http://www8.gsb.columbia.edu/newsroom/newsn/2214/gender-and-race-how-overlapping-stereotypes-affect-interracial-dating-leadership-selection-and-athletic-participation
Research Anaylsis
Stereotyping based on personal characteristics including gender, race and age is common. Some have misguided ideas about the submissiveness of women, the dominance of men and the relative intelligence and aptitude of different races. These stereotypes can affect your relationships with romantic partners, friends and family.
Academic studies show that racial stereotyping can also impact relationships. In a 2013 study published in Psychological Science, researchers found that Americans tend to view black people as more masculine and Asian people as more feminine than white people. These stereotypes affect romantic attraction and the composition of interracial marriages. The study's authors reviewed 2000 census data and found that 73 % of marriages between black and white people include a black man and white woman, 75 % of those between white and Asian people include a white man and Asian woman, and 86 % of marriages between black and Asian people include a black man and Asian woman.
Research Summary
Interracial relationships are rising. As crazy as it hasnt even been 50 years yet since blacks and whites were legally able to marry. Interracial relationship wont end racism but it can help make the U.S. more diverse. Its a start of people being more accepting. However, even in 2015 their are many people who dont believe in interracial relationships. Some even call in not traditional. I personally noticed that the U.S is becoming less and less traditional compared to 50 or 60 years ago. I think people should be more accepting of the changes and embrace the diversity.