After completing the content and your reading for the week, write a reflection (at least 500 words) on the course material covered this week addressing the following three questions:
What did you find surprising or interesting in the material this week?
What parts of the material were challenging for you?
What questions do you have about the material covered this week?
Include the answer to the question and your feelings, thoughts, or ideas about why the particular information or concept was included in your reflection.
For example: I was challenged by the concept of privilege. I guess it’s something I had never given much thought to. Now that I understand privilege, I feel challenged because I am unsure how to work with this information and help me act with more awareness in society).
Do not simply answer the questions with “I was surprised by the concept of intersectionality. I was challenged by the concept of privilege. I still have questions about why these matter.” These types of answers will result in a deduction of points. What is stereotyping?
A stereotype is “a fixed over-generalized belief about a particular group or class of people.” (Cardwell, 1996). Stereotyping is assuming that a person in a stereotyped group has the same characteristics as others in the group. Our ability to stereotype was helpful for our ancestors because of the ability to quickly categorize and react, but now it leads to us ignoring differences in individuals and groups.
Yahoo! (2018, January 18). Artist reverses gender roles in ’50s ads to “give men a taste of their own sexist poison.â€Yahoo! Finance. For example, the advertisement above enforces the stereotype that women aren’t strong (or possibly smart) enough to open a ketchup container. How many of the women in this class take offense to this stereotype? How many men?
What is prejudice?
Prejudice is an unjustified belief or attitude about an individual solely based on their social group. Mostly these beliefs are negative. Because prejudice is about beliefs and attitudes it is possible to keep prejudiced views to yourself. You may notice prejudices slipping out in speech or subtle reaction to groups.
For instance, look at the following news clippings from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The top image shows a Black man wading through the flood water with an accompanying Associated Press clip that reads, “A young man walks through chest deep flood water looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, August 30, 2005.” The image on the bottom shows a White man and a White female also wading through flood water. The accompanying Associate Press article reads, “Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came through the area in New Orleans, Louisiana.”
Associated Press, 2005. So tell me how “finding” and “looting” are different? Other than the color of the subject’s skin. It’s insidious and subtle, and we might not even notice it unless we knew what to look for.
We all have prejudices because our brains are just built that way. (This does not mean we have to accept our prejudices and act on them. Hopefully in this class you’ll be learning to question your prejudices.)
What is discrimination?
Think governmental discrimination is a thing of the past? Hah! (No offense to you personally, but seriously, the stuff they come up with is like fifteen steps back from equality.)
Let’s talk about HB2 in North Carolina. On the surface, this bill looks like a simple bathroom law excluding people who don’t identify with their gender of birth from using the bathroom that is most comfortable for them. This, in and of itself, was a huge discrimination against transgender individuals but was even more sinister and discriminatory when you look under the surface. Watch the following video that goes more in depth on the true effects of this bill:
Hip Hughes. (2016, May 1). HB2 Explained: Bathroom Rules for Transgender Citizens. [YouTube].
And finally, what is racism? Racism is like hardcore stereotyping and discrimination solely based on the color of someone’s skin. Someone who is racist holds beliefs that people with certain skin colors are lesser than people with White skin. But these two sentences are too simplistic and limited to fully define racism, so let’s piggyback on the following comic to understand a little bit more.
**WARNING: Some strong language in the following comic.**
Robot Hugs. (n.d.). Why Using the Dictionary Definition of Racism Just Doesn’t Work. Retrieved from https://www.robot-hugs.com/comic/definition/. Despite some progress toward equality, racism is not over. Here’s a strong example of stereotyping; check out the following video:
ABC News. (2016, September 21). Donald Trump: African-American Communities in Worst Shape ‘Ever.’ [YouTube].
In this clip, Donald Trump says that African American communities are in the worst shape ever and goes on to overgeneralize crime and poverty to the entire community. While these may have been words written by a speechwriter, they are still powerful examples of stereotyping and covert, unintentional racism using untrue information. Read this “Trump Says African-American Communities In ‘Worst Shape’ Ever; Data Disagree” NPR article addressing the controversial statement.
Despite racism being unintentional, statements like these can perpetuate structural and institutional prejudices and lead to discrimination.
This is not the only example of unintentional racism in the media, though, and the problem is worldwide. Let’s look at another video clip. As you watch this one, think about the differences between the ads. Would you consider the ad to be discriminatory? The Young Turks. (2016, May 27). Most Racist Ad Ever? [YouTube]. We have talked about what racism and the prejudices fueling it in the previous content page, but let’s break down “racism” even further into some of the different ways it is expressed.
Before talking about the different forms of racism, it is important to understand that racism can manifest on various levels, each with its own implications.
Individual racism is communicated individually, like one person calling another person a racial slur.
Institutional racism encompasses established laws, customs, and practices in society that are discriminatory of groups from minority racial groups but are still “culturally acceptable.” Unlike some other forms of racism, institutional racism may be more difficult to identify. Here we are not just referring to institutions in terms of organizations or companies but large-scale practices that may have governmental support that disproportionately affect non-White persons. From a historical perspective, institutional racism can be most readily seen in the enactment and support of Jim Crow laws, whereas current manifestations of institutional racism include differential sentencing for crack-related crimes versus cocaine-related crimes and requiring some groups to negotiate additional hurdles for the right to vote.
Structural racism refers to the dynamics in our society that legitimize and normalize racism. (For an example of structural oppression, think back to HB2 and the oppression of transgender individuals.) Check out the following video describing structural racism related to Black people and crime status.
This video is an example of structural racism as it relates to Black people and crime status. Brave New Films. (2014, April 16). What are the odds you’ll go to prison? [YouTube].
Faces of Racism
These next definitions cover the faces of racism. Each of them can be incredibly damaging and promote inequality. Overt racismCovert intentional racismCovert unintentional racismColor-Blind Racial Ideology (CBRI)Internalized oppression.