Race is defined so simply as the grouping of individuals based on their physical traits. However, when most people think of the word “race” they think of racial oppression in society. I definitely agree with the statement that racism is taught. Whether one is aware of it or not, everyone has an implicit bias. Institutions surround and control us, and many big American institutions were initially formed with racist ideals. I have noticed that kids tend to have the same ideals as their parents, especially when they are not knowledgeable about a certain topic. Unlike the nonexistent representation of colored people in American media that was present decades ago, today, the media not only shows positive representations of minorities, but also exposes the struggles that minorities face through films, shows, news, books, etc. My favorite movie of all time, “Get Out”, touches on this subject in a very interesting way. This thriller movie portrays a young man who is visiting his white girlfriend’s family. When he arrives he immediately feels out of place, considering he is a black man in a majority white southern neighborhood. The movie shows how racial issues are still present today and brings up the topics of police brutality, racial norms, interracial relationships, and many more important themes. Although, I would hope, most southern families do not perform such acts on black individuals, I think this movie is a great depiction of racism due to the effect of historical norms. Focusing around one particular wealthy white family, people can see how inhumane traditions were passed down through their family tree, proving how racism is most definitely taught.
I agree that children are easy to have the same idea as their parents on racial problems. Education plays an important role to form a kid’s value. When they form the value, parents can use new media to tell their kids about race in a correct way. I also agree that everyone has implicit bias because of the surrounding institutions. There is no mature system for us to learn about this problem. History, geographic position, and diversity cause the racial problem for many years, which cannot be solved in a short time. But we are also on the way to solving the problem: like you mentioned that many movies like “get out” show positive representations of minorities and how racial problems are presented today. New media allows us a chance to speed up the problem-solving process.
I completely agree with the fact that racism is taught. It is immensely important that parents begin to surround their children with inclusive and educational media from the time they are very young. This allows for them to develop a positive system of beliefs that they will hopefully carry with them throughout their lives into adulthood. I also agree with your statements about Get Out. That movie is the perfect example of racist ideas being passed down through generations.
I too agree with the fact that racism is not taught but instead learned. I think that education is a big part of why racism is passed down. Not only does family pass down racist perspectives, but also the environment in which we are in influenced our inherent biases. There are many uneducated parts of our country that have yet to learn and understand the truths of our society’s history and this is preventing progress. The movie get out can almost be seen as “educational” in the sense that it shows young adults/ adults how ridiculously racist people can be. Even the over exaggerated parts of the movie have underlying meaning and truths that represent the racism that historically and currently resides in our country.