The concept of race is that it’s a construct made to oppress people with a darker complexion. For years and years, people who aren’t white have been seen as inferior. Racism has always seemed to be a problem in society & it’s mainly because it’s been passed down through generations. I’m a firm believer that no one is born racist, they’re taught it. For example, my parents taught me I could be friends with anyone I wanted, it didn’t matter what they looked like. Therefore, I didn’t see a problem with it when I became friends with a black girl in 2nd grade. I didn’t care because I honestly didn’t know the difference. All I knew was that she was a girl like me and that’s all that was important to me. As I grew older, I realized that there were different races and that they were getting treated differently than I was purely because of what they look like. I think it’s very important for people to be educated on these matters, especially white people. They’re so blinded by their own privilege that they don’t see what’s going on in the real world.
3 thoughts on “Race- Lana Vjestica”
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I definitely agree that racism is passed down generationally. I think that your story is one that many can relate to. Media, in particular, is important in our early development and understanding of race itself. This is certainly represented in the changes from our childhood TV shows to the ones presented today. The same can be argued for Millennials and their childhood TV compared to ours. An optimistic view is that we are becoming more culturally aware and are beginning to produce content that provides representation for all viewers. A cynic and arguable view is that we have not come far enough.
I agree that racism is passed down through the generations, depending on where you are from depends on your parents views on others. I agree that no one is born as a racist because there are plenty of people who have parents that are racist and they have been taught by teachers and peers that those views are not moral nor correct. People who have lens where only white people matter and no Black, Asian, Chinese, African American person matters or can have worth in society is very disturbing. I have plenty of friends who are not white, it doesn’t matter the color of their skin only their kindness and morals that should be what matters to people.
Racism is certainly not inherent – I agree that is taught, passed down through generations and absorbed from surroundings. However in attempts to avoid racism, I think some people avoid the idea of race altogether and therefore, the disparities that some races face in America today. Being “color blind” is harmful because it ignores the systematic issues that face people of color. It also causes people to be ignorant of cultural differences and unaware of the diversity that makes our country so special. It is important to acknowledge culture and the issues of race just as much as it is to acknowledge race as a social construct.