ktmeng/mec huggingface dataset:
Topic: racism

White guilt has been described as one of several psychosocial costs of racism for white individuals along with the ability to have empathic reasons towards racism, and fear of non-whites. Between 1950s to 1960s, as far as the white guilt was concerned, the whites underwent an archetypal Fall. Because of the great turmoil of the civil rights movement, and later Black Power Movement, whites were confronted for more than a decade whether they should comply with or acknowledge the blacks, and their growing existence and importance.
Topic: racism

They had to face their previous bad attitudes towards blacks, in detail; it’s their indifference to human suffering and denigration, their capacity to abide evil for their own benefit and in the distance of their own sacred principles. And with the 1964 Civil Rights passed through the legislation, in a certain sense, the official admission of white guilt finally came to this world. In the 1960s most whites know it was useless t o take a denial attitude towards the blacks.
Topic: racism

With this defense lost and with more and more prominent white guilt in white people’s mind, it seemed the only way to solve this problem is the road back to innocence —- through actions and policies that bring redemption. White guilt sometimes truly can be the right motive for doing good works or showing concern, like achieving the parity with whites and finally eliminate the prejudice between these two. But it’s still dangerous because of its tendency to lead us into self-preoccupation and escapism.
Topic: racism

It ultimately makes us neglect a lot of things and push society in the wrong direction in terms of racial issues. Besides, to be more specific, the redemption which was bombarded with the white guilt has merely contributed to this tragic situation by shaping our policies regarding blacks in ways that may deliver the innocence to society and its institutions do very little actually to uplift the blacks. This hidden need led to a sort of reparation for the blacks instead of developing them, making the relationship better.
Topic: racism

These policies and actions were in the nature of some comfort or compensation for both the blacks and the whites. These special entitlements bestowed to the black are of no use but make the black take advantage of them, like the writer mentioned, to get noblesse oblige from the whites. The writer thought the white guilt is much more than just a race problem. He believed that the lack of time between transitioning from white supremacy to white guilt, eventually led to the destruction of the civil rights era.
Topic: racism

According to Steele, since the presented society with no cool-off period, the American people were not able to feel a sense of new idea towards racism, and this is when bargainers came about: black in the political spot light appealing to whites to take hold of white guilt and use it as their advantage. In the passage he also gave a ‘race experiment’ example to illustrate this. He talks about hoe being black can be an advantage due to how heavy the white guilt is.
Topic: racism

In my opinion, just like the author’s experience in the story, the waitress was irritated to have to carry me out of the restaurant. And soon I found a sense of guilty as I made an imposition of myself, as I bothered her and annoyed the white in the restaurant for arousing them the white guilt. But what can I do then, to say sorry to them? to tell them you don’t need to feel guilty about yourself because you are innocent? I am just a customer.
Topic: racism

I was not supposed to show off my current equal status or like the god who is so sacred that every one should acknowledge their guilt and mistake regretfully when facing him. I just wanna get my hamburger! I just wanna find a corner to finish that! Isn’t it strange? Under the social circumstance at that time, the one who should feel sorry about causing the predicament is the black but not the white! I do think it demonstrated the white people they held a classic characteristic not guilty, but cowardice. They dare not admit the historical mistake.
Topic: racism

Their psychologically vulnerability made them want to escape from the fact, also from the black, of course. But finally and fortunately they are in the juxtaposition. The white now won’t feel their former ill-gotten advantages are that prominent. They even have a black president, whom they are really proud of. And now it’s so dramatic to have Obama reappointed consecutively. Although now we still cannot say they are definitely or absolutely equal. As time goes by, some thing should take place, would finally take place.
Topic: racism

At first glance, it’s easy to discredit White Chicks as another gimmicky comedy from the Wayans, filled raunchy humor, and “infantile flatulence jokes and fairly obvious gags”1. Coarse, raunchy language is spread throughout the film, intertwined with racial humor. Farts account for many of the plot turns, yet the Wayans utilize humor to they’re advantage. The Wayans’s film utilizes humor to gloss over harsher topics, and realistically comment on society and race roles. With the use of makeup the Wayans prove anyone can be anything.
Topic: racism

White Chicks, released in 2004, was directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Marlon Wayans, with the latter two starring as the main characters. The film begins with Kevin Copeland and Marcus Copeland (Shawn and Marlon Wayans) disguised as old Caribbean men attempting to take down a drug organization that sells drugs inside ice cream containers.
Topic: racism

“Slight Chicks” later, 2the drug d3ealer arrives to see the store in shambles, and soon escapes. Kevin and Marcus are given a final chance to remain in the FBI, with a new task of protecting the rich heiresses Brittany and Tiffany Wilson from a kidnapping scheme. On the way to the Hamptons, the group is involved in a minor accident, with the sisters receiving minor cuts on their faces.
Topic: racism

At the hotel, Kevin and Marcus get acclimated to the Hamptons, as well as Brittany and Tiffany’s best friends, Karen, Tori, and Lisa. They also become acquainted with their enemies Megan and Heather Vandegeld. While pretending to be the Wilson sisters, Kevin and Marcus endure a difficult process of trying to be men, Marcus for his wife, and Marcus for his new love interest, Denis Porter. While attending the “white” party, they stop and capture mastermind behind the kidnapping schemes. The Wayan brothers became the Wilson sister’s through he use of body paint, makeup and layers of prosthetic masks, a process that took five hours 2.
Topic: racism

This process is a modern take on whiteface, in which a person wears theatrical makeup in order to appear like a white person. White face is different than black face in which white face is done while white people are in power, and the power holders loose nothing. White face has been employed since 19655, and has been used most notably by Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Lenny Henry, and others. Instead of limiting themselves with only theatrical makeup, the Wayans employed rubber prosthetics. However, the rubber prosthetics 2 32. Wayans Transform for ‘White Chicks'” Fox News.
Topic: racism

Render their faces all but immobile, and the blue contact lenses give them a vacant zombie look, o4ne which is “scarier than anything in ‘Scary Movie’ and ‘Scary Movie 2. ” 3 After physically appearing like white women, they had to act like white women in order to completely transform into the Wilson sisters. In order to prepare, they watched movies such as “Clueless” and “Miss Congeniality”, and studied the mannerisms. Once Shawn and Marlon “white up” they are able present their critique on “White America”, by over exaggerating their newfound quirks and abusing their new privileges.
Topic: racism

Kevin and Marcus perform whiteness with a sense of entitlement, evident by their new form of language, behavior, gestures, and judgment. Towards the middle of the film, once Kevin and Marcus have deceived everyone and are embraced by the Wilson sister’s rich friends, they are all headed to the mall in a BMW convertible. On the way to the mall Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” comes on the radio to the delight of all the rich friends. Reiterating, “this is our jam”, and giddy with joy, Brittany and Tiffany are seen confused and somewhat scared in the backseat.
Topic: racism

Each girl has her own distinctive choreography to the song, but they all sing along, with the exception of the Wilson sisters. When it’s Brittany and Tiffany’s turn to sing the next verse, they butcher the lyrics, forgetting the majority of the words, and earn a “C-“ from the group. The radio station is then changed, and the Notorious B. I. G ‘s Realest Niggaz Feat. 50 Cent & Eminem is heard playing, much to the delight of Kevin and Marcus, who begin to sing along, and act that their white friends find offensive; Karen: “Guys I cant believe you said that. ” Tiffany: “Said what? ” 43. Kehr, Dave. “White Chicks (2004). ” The New York Times. Karen: “The N-word” Brittany: “So…
Topic: racism

Nobody’s around” All the white friends look at each other; there is a tense moment of silence, serving to determine the racism or anti-racism of the women, but soon the women smile and begin to rap in unison “Don’t try and act like you don’t feel a nigga”. No one argued the use of the term “nigga”, each complicit with their racism as long as it’s out of earshot of black people. In this scenario each person is acting. Kevin and Marcus are acting as white females, and what their perception of white women is.
Topic: racism

The three friends, Karen, Tori, Lisa, are “acting” as if they’re not racist, evident by their surprised reaction when Brittany and Tiffany said the N-word. Ironically, they all knew the lyrics to the song, discrediting the original disbelief and false moral shock. However, only Kevin and Marcus are truly acting, and performing race. According to Andrew Kelvan, the idea of a performance is always being “mindful”. Kevin and Marcus are truly performing, they are mindful of the way they talk, their mannerism, they’re voices, all have to be “white” and “feminine”.
Topic: racism

There is clearly a language difference between Kevin and Marcus, and their white friends. By exaggerating the differences between black and white languages, such as with the repetition of Brittany’s catchphrases (“I’m so frickin’ pissed” and the term “bitch fit”, to name a few) leave the black speakers at a crossroad; either they give up their colloquialisms, and risk alienating from their peers, or they risk remaining “ghetto”5. In a similar way, by reinforcing the differences between races leaves blacks in the position of attempting to be white enough or prove they’re black enough. 55. Young, Vershawn Ashanti. “Chapter 1. ” Your Average Nigga Performing Race, Literacy, and Masculinity.
Topic: racism

Through their performances as white females, the Wayans are able to produce a “shock of being seen” 6. The Wayans’s are portraying white chicks to the best of their knowledge, but also leave room for critique. The over exaggeration helps the person seeing; it triggers a process of self-awareness. The witness can passively subject him or herself into it or can process it as food for thought. In this case, the witness is White America. The Wayans’s utilize the shock of being seen as an imitation as revenge.
Topic: racism

Audiences enjoy seeing whiteness portrayed as nothing more than a performance, seeing as how they are still in power and lose nothing. White Chicks serves as the Wayans brother’s perspective on white society, serving as their take on white culture. Instead of re inscribing white normality, or white power, Wayans challenged anti-black racist stereotypes while confronting white privilege. White Chicks over exaggerates white culture, and society, by putting a spin on black face; in this case the Wayans brothers performed what they understood to be whiteness. The audience is able to see the privilege Kevin and Marcus receive once they are perceived to be white chicks.
Topic: racism

In the modern world history, Western countries have mastered a vast part of the world. And this kind of control, based on domination and subordination, aroused mainly from colonialism and imperialism like the power of the British Empire over many colonized countries in the world. Thus, this imperial power had intensively engaged writers’ attention. Among those major writers is Rudyard Kipling. He is a British novelist and poet who was born in British India in 1865 and died in 1963. Though he lived over thirteen years there, the reader finds that his works espouse the imperial ideology and he came to be recognized as a “prophet of the
Topic: racism

The term representation has a range of interpretations. According to the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, representation, etymologically, can be seen as constructing and representing the object in a new form of picture rather than by depicting it as it is in its reality (172). And no one of these representations is objective because it’s impossible to disconnect them from the society and culture that produces them, and wants to control and change these represented objects to promote a certain set of values and ideologies (172). Thus, the term representation can’t have an exact definitive interpretation because there’s always a gap between the intention or what is original, and the realization or what is a copy.
Topic: racism

Within these representations, it is usually dissimilarity that signifies by creating binary oppositions within which one part is always dominating. And this act of representing the other is a long-standing practice of domination within the context of colonization. The most influential scholar examining the process of representing or constructing the other is Edward Said (1935-2003). Said’s book Orientalism explains how the West, through a discourse executed by Western intellectuals, produced the Orient politically, militarily, ideologically, and imaginatively.
Topic: racism

He unveils the Western intellectuals’ biased way of thought, since the Orient that appears in their texts is but a system of representation framed by essential ideas, assumptions, and stereotypes. This construction of the Orient as the other, in an uninterrupted way over many centuries, became the rationale that legitimates colonial oppression and served to reinforce the identity of the Western culture. Although Said’s argument has been challenged, his work is still the leading voice that drives scholars to critically analyze the stereotypical representations established between the colonizer and the colonized. 2.2- Analyzing Kipling’s Representation of the Colonized People in the Poem and his Notion of The White Man’s Burden.
Topic: racism

As an imperialist writer, Rudyard Kipling in his poem ‘The White Man’s Burden’ makes the representation of the imperial supremacy. He stresses the Eurocentric view of the world in which non-European nations are seen as uncivilized and in a strong need of the White Man to save them from their backwardness and bring them from their undisciplined childhood to a civilized maturity. This is what Hannah Arendt means in her book when she says, “The author of the imperial legend is Rudyard Kipling, its topic the British Empire, its result the imperialist character… and chivalry, nobility, bravery answered the legend’s call…” (208-9).
Topic: racism

Imperialism here is maintaining unequal political, economic and cultural relationships between nations based on the superiority/inferiority dichotomy and, “promotes the spread of civilization to allegedly ‘backward’ societies to elevate living standards and culture in conquered territories” (Feuer 4). Thus, Kipling insists throughout the poem on the colonial authority to take up this responsibility and to be virtuous by bringing civilization to the developing world which is seen by Kipling as a “burden” (1). We can see this in the first line of each stanza, “Take up the White Man’s Burden”. Besides, he explains the difficulty of this duty while saying:
Topic: racism

Take up the White Man’s Burden,Send forth the best ye breedGo bind your sons to exileTo serve your captives’ need (1-4). This suggests that it is not just the colonized people who are bearing the negative effects of this process of civilization and held in captivity, but also the Westerners may expose their fellows to death which is seen as great sacrifice from the part of the colonial power for the benefits of the natives. Kipling then, represents the White Man as a hero or a God. He held the belief that the White Man has “A Divine Burden to reign God’s Empire on Earth” (Wikipedia).
Topic: racism

As God gives them wealth, civilization and advancement, it’s then a duty for them to educate the non-white people and help them by spreading their civilization and better way of living to, “Fill full the mouth of famine/ And bid the sickness cease;” (19-20) and create from the savages who are “Half-devil and half-child” (8), advanced, effective and active members in their societies. That’s why Kipling represented the imperial mission of the superior White Man as sacrificial and virtuous towards the colonized people who do not know where their welfare is. They are “Your new-caught, sullen peoples,” (7) who want to live with their ignorance rather than improve their way of living and be educated. Kipling here says:
Topic: racism

The ports ye shall not enter,The roads ye shall not tread, Go mark them with your living,And mark them with your dead (29-32). For that reason the colonizer must resort to violence in order to fulfill his duty towards the crazy, stupid devil-like people even if this will sacrifice members of their white race. He sees violence as means to treat the savagery of the natives which is a justification for taking over all the natives’ lives for not accepting the process of enlightenment brought from the West. However, despite all these efforts and sacrifices made by the Europeans to sophisticate a backward community, these non-white people seem to be ungrateful. It is here when Kipling says:
Topic: racism

And reap this old reward:The blame of those ye better, The hate of those ye guard– The cry of hosts ye humour(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:–‘Why brought he us from bondage, Our loved Egyptian night?’ (34-40) Kipling warns the Europeans that the process of colonization is ungrateful. Instead of thanking the Europeans for bringing them into the light of civilization, the natives will blame them for doing that and will be nostalgic to their dark past. Then, they will hate the colonizer more and more. The summary of Kipling’s brand of imperialism by his biographer Charles Carrington is worth quoting at length here: No man had done more than Kipling to stimulate interest in the opening-up of new worlds in the East and South.
Topic: racism

He never doubted the validity of Western civilization, never lapsed into sentiment over the supposed virtues of savages; but it was the spread of law, literacy, communications, useful arts that he applauded, not the enlargement of frontiers… civilizing the world was a worthwhile task, and though likely to be thankless, a task in which all might join if they would accept the law (Carrington 332). Thus, all these details show Kipling’s representation of the colonized people and justify his perception that the
Topic: racism

However, Kipling is strongly criticized for his concept by many anti-imperialist writers who held opposing ideologies mainly Edward Said. He sees that the notion of The White Man’s Burden, just like Orientalism, has one goal to justify the supremacy of the Western colonizer over the colonized people through depicting stereotypical images of them known as a discourse. This discourse relegates the non-white people to a lower position in the hierarchical divisions of the races which by virtue of their ontological inferiority, Kipling asserts, should be ruled and subjugated.
Topic: racism

And the ruling race, on the other hand, burdened by its enlightening mission, has the right to expand beyond its geographical boundaries, and rule the first category. In the analysis of the Orientalist discourse, thus, Said shows how the colonized nations that appear in that discourse is not an objective fact of nature, but it is rather a phenomenon constructed by the maintenance of a whole set of racial and cultural assumptions. Said maintains here: Orientalism can be discussed and analyzed as the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient – dealing with it by making statements, about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western style for dominating, reconstructing, and having authority over the Orient (Said 3). In short, Said explains that The White Man’s Burden is but a system of representation that has little in common with the real image of the natives.
Topic: racism

For Said then, The White Man’s Burden is created to legitimize Western colonialism in the eyes of Western agents. And it works to convince the natives that Western civilization represents the universal culture that should be accepted to reach flourishing and be elevated from the backward conditions in which they live. Therefore, according to Said, this misrepresentation plays a crucial rule in registering, sustaining, and camouflaging the imperial vision which is an illustration of cultural displacement, military domination, and economic exploitation for which Kipling is blamed. 2.3.2- Kipling’s accusation of racism
Topic: racism

Said and many other critics have seen that Kipling’s ideology is nothing more than a manifestation of racism when they said, “Whatever the avowed justification, there can be no doubt that the poem is profoundly racist in sentiment” (Keating 172), and, “[C]ertainly a great number of them [the White Men] must have been puzzled as to how the color of their skins gave them superior ontological status plus great power over much of the inhabited world” (Said 226-7). It is strongly insisted then that the idea of European supremacy introduced in Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden” is nothing but an allusion of racism, as opposed to the imperialists who held a philanthropic view of the empire. From the late Victorian era, Social Darwinism has been sturdily linked to imperialism (Wikipedia Social Darwinism).
Topic: racism

Social Darwinism is the belief which claims that the strongest and richest is better suited to thrive in his community and rule the weak who is fitted to die and it considers this as a natural process (Wikipedia). For Social Darwinists therefore, strong nations are only formed by white people representing power and sophistication and are successful in enlarging their empires (Wikipedia). And only people of those nations are fitted to survive among those weak and less powerful non-white people (Wikipedia). And this natural distinction is their justification for their acts which is, according to many anti-imperialist writers, based on racism. In undermining non-white people and regarding them as inferior to oneself just for the simple reason of being white, one can feel a deep racism.
Topic: racism

Besides, one of the indictments Kipling is often blamed for is brutality. In this poem Kipling writes, “Freedom for ourselves and freedom for our sons/ And, failing freedom, war” (19-20). This, according to Said, unveils the real Orientalist’s (White Man’s) intention and shows that beyond his angelic-like mission “there is always the express willingness to use force, to kill and be killed” (Said 226). Orwell, in his first paragraph of his essay about Kipling, argues that no one should agree with Kipling’s ideology toward imperialism or even exonerate him as he is “morally insensitive and aesthetically disgusting”.
Topic: racism

He argues that he is not just reporting violent acts by the White Man, but actually enjoying them as one cannot remark any sign of disapproval against brutality in his work. Equally, Robert Buchanan, in his book, was bitterly charging Kipling with violence as he describes him as “the voice of the hooligan”. Max Beerbohm as well, “in his famous parody of Kipling in A Christmas Garland, mimicked the pathological reveling in cruelty which, to Beerbohm, seemed a chief distinguishing feature of Kipling’s work” (Gilbert 207). This accusation takes a very negative view of imperialism which is depicted as a morally and materially destructive move whose real purpose is subjugation which is a total contradiction to civilization. 2.3.4- Kipling’s accusation of exploitation
Topic: racism

It is widely argued too that Westerners use the concept of the White Man’s Burden as a camouflage for their exploitation of the non-white people and their lands. One of the significant reasons for the hostile policy of the imperial expansion is economic exploitation. By acquiring new territories, the colonial nation testifies an economic growth. It takes benefits from their resources; makes use of their raw materials with receiving their cheap labor, brings the raw materials to their homeland to be turned into manufactured goods and then gets it back to the colonized lands to be sold in their markets with larger profits.
Topic: racism

That’s how economy works under imperialism. As important as the first reason, imperialism is spurred by the political need. With the territorial expansion, the colonial nation acquires more power which puts it in a more prestigious level in the world. And for maintaining this authority, the White Man kills or imprisons all those who form an opposition to the colonial policy like the originally ruling class or social and religious leaders just to implement his policy in the new acquired territories which resulted in the disruption of the social structure and total chaos. Therefore, the colonized nations are terribly exploited and their loss is far more enormous than their benefits.
Topic: racism

So far, after depicting the unrealistic aspect of the representation of the colonized people, it’s clear that The White Man’s Burden is a political policy of the colonial authority to glorify Western nations. Said explains here, “I myself believe that Orientalism is more particularly valuable as a sign of European-Atlantic power over the Orient that it is as a veridic discourse about the Orient” (6). The colonizer uses thus, derogatory representation of the colonized people to reinforce their stupidity in their own minds and in the minds of people all over the world, and excuse for themselves and for the world their inexcusable crime.
Topic: racism

But more deeply, one comes to conclude that the reality of The White Man’s Burden is only an empowering of the cultural hegemony of the colonizer who, through this misrepresentation, makes himself seem powerful and superior to all other nations, and gives durability to himself. Said here says, “Orientalism depends for its strategy on this flexible positional superiority, which puts the Westerners in a whole series of possible relationships with the Orient without ever losing him the relative upper hand” (7-8).
Topic: racism

One example for this is that the policy of the British government that retires any British servant in India in his 45th birthday is for the reason, according to Said, that no native could see the British master when he would be old and powerless (Dalarna 9). Thus, the colonial authority is not only locked to the colonized nations in its economy, but it has also used the representation of the colonized to constitute its own identity reinforcing its ideologies and superiority as it is not completely self-defining but rather built in contrast to the colonized.
Topic: racism

When analyzing Kipling’s poem “The White Man’s Burden”, one can have a clear picture about both the colonial authority and colonized nations. Kipling depicts a picture that shows that native people are backward and uncivilized. And since they can’t stand by themselves and can’t rule a whole nation, it’s the colonizer’s duty to help them by educating them and showing them the right path. Kipling shows throughout the poem the maturity, civilization, and wisdom of the White Man that give him the duty to rule the natives. However, many critics mainly Edward Said have shown that this representation is just an illusion. It is an imaginary picture constructed by the White Man to justify the process of colonialism.
Topic: racism

They see Kipling as a racist who represents natives as inferior, a violent who encourages brutality against natives, and a profiteer for the natives’ land. Thus, The White Man’s Burden is just a camouflage for this atrocity toward the natives. And the White Man creates this binary opposition between white and non-white people that puts him in a superior position just to strengthen his hegemonic power and to reinforce his authority over the world. This opposition gives the colonial authority its durability as it can’t exist without the presence of its colonies having an upper hand on them.
Topic: racism

Totalitarianism. Cleveland: Meridian Books, 1958. Print. Brantlinger, Patrick. “Kipling’s ‘The White Man’s Burden’ and Its Alternatives”. English Literature in Transition 50. 2 (2007): 172. Print. Buchanan, Robert. “The Voice of the ‘Hooligan’”. Contemporary Review LXXVI (1899): 776-89. Print. Carrington, C. Rudyard Kipling: His Life and Work. London: Macmillan, 1955. Print. Feuer, L.S. Imperialism and the Anti-Imperialist Mind. N.p. : Transaction Publisher, 1989. Print. Foster, Bellamy and McChesney, Robert. “Kipling, the White Man’s Burden and U.S. Imperialism”. Monthly Review. N.p. Nov, 2003. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. Gibert, Eliot L. “The Aesthetics of Violence”. English Literature in Transition 7. 4 (2002): 207-217. Print. Hoganson, Kristin L. Fighting for American Manhood: How Gender Politics Provoked the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War. New Haven, CT: Yale University, 1998. Print. Orwell, George. “Rudyard Kipling”. A Collection of Essays. New York: N.p. 1970. Print. “Representation, Mirror.” International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 2nd edition. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. Samee, Sabir Abdus. “White Man’s Burden in Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Limitations of Pambe’Serang’, ‘At the End of the Passage’ and ‘Only a Sublaltern’”. ISOR Journals (2005): 42. Print. “The White Man’s Burden”. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Dec. 2012. Woodroffe, J. Is India Civilized? Essays on Indian Culture. Madras (Chennai) : Ganesh & Co. Publishers, 1919. Print
Topic: racism

For generations African Americans have been disadvantaged in America and effects of these injustices have made a lasting impression. Education is one of the leading problems in the black community. Though there have many reforms in education over the years, racial injustices still exist because no attention in placed on how legislature affects people of color. I was raised in a middle-class family of educators. My entire life I’ve been told to “stay in school, get an education, and work hard so that you can beat the system.
Topic: racism

The successful legal challenges mounted by the school resulted in the de-segregation of the high school athletics in the state of Louisiana. The famed Marching 100 was the first African-American high school band to march in the Rex parade on Mardi Gras Day. My grandfather and father attended St. Augustine High School and through the education they received along with athletic scholarships and financial aide they both went on to attend Loyola University. My position in society was shaped by my economic position, which was an effect of my grandfather and father’s educations.
Topic: racism

My grandfather was able to attend college but this was not true for his parents. Depending upon a persons situation social welfare programs can either enforce progression or plateau disadvantages. I was able to attend Isidore Newman School and I lived in an integrated neighborhood where resources such as schools, hospitals, parks and grocery stores were better than those in other parts of New Orleans. My integrated neighborhood provided me with a good education. Blacks in poor neighborhoods are inhibited from achieving the same education as whites because of zoning legislation, transportation and lack of funds.
Topic: racism

My family was able to establish themselves financially because of social welfare programs such as war bonds, Pell grants, and the integration of schools. My grandfather was able to own their own home and provide for our family. He had a career as a school administrator they paid well. He provided opportunities for his children to attend college and for his wife. Desmond and Emirbayer argue that , “If we hope to drive racial domination from the gates of our schools we must continue the work of confronting whiteness in the curriculum” (346).
Topic: racism

I understand that as finding ways to end institutional racism and raising awareness of ideologies that will end prejudices. Until I attended Loyola I had a naive impression of racial awareness. Personally, I believe education is the key to combating racism. We must education our peers on our cultures. We must explain that “colorblindness” in society is not what’s best. Only by embracing and recognizing each other differences we will be able to break the social bubbles we live in. I’ve gained a stronger sense of racial awareness through this course.
Topic: racism

I have the ability to challenge and change other people’s ideologies and understand my own. I know because of my social position have scholarships, financial aide and the values of hard work and education instilled in me by my parents and grandparents. I’m also aware that many people are not able to gain that same access. Because of my racial awareness there is so much more I want to find out about the contributing factors that led to my family’s social position in New Orleans. It is through my racial awareness I plan to beat the system.
Topic: racism

Stereotypes are generally developed by a series of isolated behaviors by a member of a group that was unfairly generalized to be viewed as a character of all members of that group which in turn formed prejudice and racism. “When we judge people and groups based on our own prejudices and stereotypes and treat them differently, we are engaging in discrimination” (Thomas, 2013). Conclusion All of us face peer pressure when confronted with a joke which puts down a certain minority. It takes courage to raise objections to these jokes and belittling names and to actively fight the prejudice and bigotry which they foster.
Topic: racism

Can prejudice ever be eliminated? What exactly is prejudice? Contrary to popular belief, prejudice is not the same as discrimination, even though both terms are usually tossed into the fray together. Prejudice refers to the prejudgment; where people make assumptions or decisions even before being aware of the relevant facts. On the other hand, discrimination refers to the treatment or distinction in favour or against a particular person, group or class. That being said, prejudice would certainly be much more widespread in societies all over the world as compared to discrimination.
Topic: racism

After all, prejudice can manifest in a society in various different ways, such as racism, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) violence, hate crimes and gender bias just to name a few. In Singapore, we are fortunate to not have to witness heinous crimes based on peoples’ prejudice against others with the government’s tough stance against such acts. This and other examples may just provide the slim chance of which the abolishment of prejudice in society may become a reality, as further discussions would attempt to show that prejudice may possibly be eradicated.
Topic: racism

For example, the idea of white superiority and racism may have been implied in the American comedy “Friends”, where the entire cast are white people. Secondly, true to the Herd Mentality, societal pressures cause individuals to succumb other people’s prejudices. Media and other people in our lives shape the way we think. In order to conform to society and thus ‘fit in’, individuals would begin to formulate personal opinions based on the information obtained from social circles, family and of course, the media.
Topic: racism

Should these factors be subject to change, it would be possible to alter the mindset of the individual with respect to his or her prejudices. Thirdly, the lack of personal interaction with the group in question would undoubtledly lead to prejudgements. For example, the Israel and Palestinian hostilities are fuelled by the underlying prejudices among Israelis against Muslims and Palestinians against Jews. The closed border between Israel and Palestine just adds fuel to the fire, as the younger generations grow up with the predetermined mindset that people across the border were savage monsters, even if that was not the case.
Topic: racism

If people actually sat down around a table and got to know each other before they had the chance to judge each other, then there would be much less prejudice in the world today. When it comes to actually attempting to abolish prejudice thinking, there are certain aspects worth considering, namely the society, the individual, the government and the family. One way in which prejudice can be eliminated is through the education of young minds in schools. As previously mentioned, young children are not prejudiced against anyone and would thereafter pick up such prejudices from society.
Topic: racism

By teaching these children be open to multiple points of view and not be biased against certain people and viewpoints, we would then be able to prevent prejudicial thinking. This was demonstrated by Jane Elliot and her books “A Class Divided” as well as the documentary “The Eye Of The Storm” illustrates her famous “brown-eyed/blue-eyed” exercise. When utilised properly, education would have a powerful effect on young children. Another way in which prejudice can be eliminated would be through the family.
Topic: racism

Traditionally, individuals would spend the most amount of time with their parents. In these changing times, however, more and more parents are unable to spend time with their children and teach them the right moral values due to long working hours and school hours. Recently, the State Of The Family Report for 2011 found that the average number of hours that parents spend with their children was 29 hours per week. With less time to spend with their children, how would parents cultivate moral values and in their children?
Topic: racism

Furthermore, the conservative nature of Singapore households prevents seemingly sensitive topics from being brought up. Topics such as the LGBT community and feminism are seldom brought up, due to the reluctance of parents to fully explain the situation to their children. All these factors limit the role of parents when it comes to the teaching of moral values and mindsts. After all, not everything in life can be taught in a classroom. The government can also play a vital role in ensuring the abolishment of prejudice in society.
Topic: racism

The Singaporean government is playing a vital role in ensuring racial stability in Singapore. By ensuring that racist and insensitive comments are dealt with appropriately, it sends a message to the younger generation that being prejudiced is against the country’s morals and values. Furthermore, policies implemented by the government can help the financially troubled and close the income gap. This is just one of the ways that the government can step in to reduce prejudice from an economics point of view. Lastly, the thinking of the individual plays a very important part in the abolishment of prejudice.
Topic: racism

Prejudice may or may not be eliminated from the face of the Earth, we cannot tell presently. As prejudiced as the world may be as of now, with gay marriage legalisation being strongly protested and religious conflicts all over the world today, it is very difficult to believe that prejudice can be eliminated in our lifetime. However, as previously mentioned, should we take a collective approach in teaching the younger generation to live without prejudice, then the elimination of prejudiced thinking may just become a reality in the future.
Topic: racism

Is it right to say a man with wealth and power can do whatever he wants? From the viewpoint of the novel “Montana 1948”, the answer is absolutely no. The novel has drawn a picture of Hayden family, the most respectful and dominating family in town, being thrown to chaos just because of the crime a family member committed. Even though two main characters in this novel, Frank and Wesley, share some similarities from their childhood environment, the three main contrasts between them lead them to different endings.
Topic: racism

Frank and Wesley grew up together and shared the same education background, therefore they are alike in their appearance, credentials, spouses choices, and prejudice attitudes. They are both tall, broad-shouldered and pleasant-looking. They are all intellectual people as Frank is a doctor and Wesley is a law school graduate. They both marry to two beautiful and highly-educated women from another town. We can see how alike they are from David’s observation: “From that height I noticed something I had never noticed before.
Topic: racism

David has this feeling towards his father because as being compared to Wesley with his severely injured leg, Frank looks more well-built with an athletic grace that Wesley lacks. Moreover, Wesley doesn’t fit neither David’s ideal of what a sheriff should be nor his mother’s ideal at all. On the other hand, Frank is a genuine war hero, a dedicated doctor, his father’s favorite son, and a proud of Hayden family. Another difference between Wesley and Frank is the degree of their racism towards Indian people. Wesley doesn’t like Indian people because he thinks they are ignorant, lazy, and irresponsible.
Topic: racism

His racist reaction stops at the level that he forbid David to wear the moccasins that he received in his birthday. Regardless of that attitude, he treats Indians like human beings with generosity, kindness, and respect. Unlike Wesley, Frank doesn’t express any discrimination on the surface; he accepts treatments for all white and Indian patients. However, his racist attitude is expressed at a higher degree; he took advantage of his occupation to sexually molest many Indian women and even committed murder. The most important difference between them is that Wesley is brave and courageous to execute justice while Frank is too coward to take his responsibility. Facing Frank’s horrific crime, Wesley chooses to go after the truth by investigating the accusation. Although he is placed in a complicated situation that compromises his position as a sheriff and his position as a son and brother, his final decision is to stand up to his father to execute justice.
Topic: racism

Wesley states clearly his opinion: “David, I believe that in this world people must pay for their crimes. It doesn’t matter who you are or who your relations are; if you do wrong, you pay. I believe that. I have to (page 150)”. This quote explains how Wesley is thinking about the whole situation and why his final decision is to choose justice over family. Furthermore, it also indicates his opinion towards the rights and wrongs that Wesley wants David to understand. Contrary to Wesley, Frank doesn’t take any responsibility for what he did at all. When he molested those Indian women, he doesn’t think about the impact to his family at all.
Topic: racism

When his crime is revealed, he doesn’t even try to confess to either his parents or his wife. On top of that, he shows his cowardice by choosing suicide instead of being punished. He has never concerned about the shame and pain he might have brought to his family. Although Frank and Wesley grew up under the same childhood environment and had some similarities in characteristics, the contrasts between them set them apart. Frank committed crime and ended up with his death, while Wesley chose justice and ended up losing his family. Obviously, a man has to pay for what he did, no matter how powerful, influential, or wealthy he is.
Topic: racism

Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination are a part of everyday lives. A set of generalized beliefs and expectations about a specific group and its members is known as stereotyping. Stereotyping can often times lead to prejudice, a negative, or positive, evaluation of a group and its members. Common stereotypes and forms of prejudice involve racial, religious, and ethnic groups. Acting on these negative stereotypes results in discrimination which is a behavior directed towards individuals on the basis of their membership in a particular group.
Topic: racism

(Feldman, 2010) Throughout this paper I will discuss why prejudice and discrimination exist, some examples throughout history and how to reduce it. Where does prejudice and discrimination come from? According to Robert S Feldman “No one has ever been born disliking a specific racial, religious, or ethnic group. ” (Feldman, 2010) People learn to hate. Stereotyping and prejudice behaviors come from parents, other adults, and peers. At a young age children are taught to have negative feelings about members of various groups.
Topic: racism

This learning starts as early as the age of three. The mass media also teaches about stereotyping, not just for children but for adults as well. When inaccurate portrayals are a primary source of information about a minority group, they can lead to unfavorable stereotypes. (Feldman, 2010) Throughout history we have seen many examples of prejudice and discrimination. A well known example would be the Holocaust. During 1939 through 1945 Adolf Hitler was obsessed with clearing Germany of all foreign races including the Jewish population.
Topic: racism

The September 11th terrorist attacks have caused stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination to occur towards the Muslim religion. The Muslim religion follows the 6 Pillars of Islam, the last pillar is Jihad. Many Americans have the idea that Jihad means “Holy War” and that it is part of the Muslim religion to attack and terrorize other religions, when in fact Jihad means “The obligation to strive to spread the religion over the world”. Many religions also believe it is there duty to teach their religion, just how Christians have missionaries.
Topic: racism

Just reminding people about the values they already hold regarding equality and fair treatment of others. Similarly, people who hear others making strong, anti-racism statements are subsequently more likely to strongly condemn racism. The third and most direct means of changing stereotypical and discriminatory values is providing information about the targets of stereotyping. Educate people to be more aware of positive characteristics of targets of stereotyping. (Feldman, 2010) Prejudice and discrimination is all around us.
Topic: racism

No one is born to discriminate. Parents, peers and even mass media are teaching children as young as three to discriminate towards various groups of people. History has shown us just how far one person’s prejudice can go. It starts out as a basic stereotype towards one group of people and evolves into hate and discrimination that takes years to stop. Fortunately psychologists have seen the damage of prejudice and discrimination and have found that increase contact, demonstrating positive values against prejudice, and education are ways to reduce it.
Topic: racism

Historically, political satire has been a popular genre used to address pressing social and legislative issues through a comedic artistic lens. From cartoons to short stories, political satire has addressed events ranging from the American Revolution in the 1700’s to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s. A prime example of political satire is the play ‘Los Vendidos’ by Luis Valdez. ‘Los Vendidos’ sarcastically addresses racism in the 1960’s by portraying the most common stereotypes of Mexican Americans in California. Luis Valdez, a migrant California farm worker in the 1950’s and 1960’s, playfully approaches political agendas and cultural ailments in the play.