Submitted by: Christina Mallory
Race and Ethnicity
Race is defined as the idea of biological classification of humans according to morphological features such as skin color or facial characteristics; according to Wikipedia. Race is divided into two categories, which is Black or White. There is an abundant amount of stereotypes for both racial categories, but the question remains What does it mean when a person says another individual is acting Black or acting White?
Over the years, Black’s and White’s have developed their own identity. Meaning a black person is “hood” with nappy hair or weave, loud, lacks the proper use of grammar, receives poor education, minority and lives in middle or lower class. There are so many features our society use to possibly identify a Black person and place someone in that category. Society tends to identify a White person as being well educated, the majority, proper use of grammar, privileged, long manageable hair and living in an upper class society. If our society sees a Black person living upper class, talking proper and lives in a house with a white picket fence, they are known as acting white. Same for a White person; if they listen to rap music, guys sag their pants, use Ebonics and get dreadlocks or breads the individual is known as acting Black. Acting this way is not a social norm and is not accepted by our society.
People who have the mind set that if an individual is acting outside of their race and acknowledges it as a problem can often lead to an act of prejudice. Prejudice is typically a negative view or assumption of someone. Prejudice is often encountered in our society in common places such as the work force, retail stores and the street (public society) just by walking past and individual. The act of prejudiced sometime is not done intentionally. Some people do it threw telling jokes or having a simple conversation or threw the way a person looks at another.
This video is comedian Steve Harvey showing an act of prejudice. He is doing it through telling jokes and comparing White people to Black people. This may be funny to some people but it also may hurt people.
Well after reading Christina Mallory's blog and watching her video clip I 'd have to say that she made some very valid points.It is absolutely true that when a black or white person is not portraying what is sterotypically known to be the attributes of their race,that they're viewed to be acting.I personally think that it is very idiotic to let sterotypes dictate what a certain ethnicity should act like or live like.But yet and still this type of prejudice occurs each day because our society makes light of it by incorporating it in comedy and media. Sadly not realizing that glamourizing prejudice intentionally or unintentionally sends out major stereotypes.Stereotypes that blacks, whites,and other ethnicities find themselves having to go through their whole life defending.Stereotypes of being poor, ghetto, fed with a silver spoon, and etc.Stereotypes that developed based on our poor government and its institutionalized inequalities.Not stereotypes that we chose or created for our individual selves.Basically what I'm saying is that stereotypes should not hold as much weight in our society when it comes to how we judge people of different ethnicities.People should be judged on solely who they are on the inside not by their outer appearance.Last but not least if I could suggest anything to Christina Mallory as far as improving her already fabulous blog, it would be to incorporate some of her personal experiences when racism ;if it ever was in flicted on her.
ReplyDeletein Christina Mallory blog it highlight the major stereotypes of black people and white people. the stereotypes are really based on the neighborhood you live in. It not a particular race that develops the identity of being black or white. A true story and a movie called skin was made a girl named sandra was born her biological parents were white but she came out black. But they lived in Africa and during that time racism was huge. She went to private school with white kids and was teased. It a very interesting film I was very surprise that white people can make a black babe and it more surprising to see that society will still show racism even if your parent are white. A very interesting thing is what if there was only one race would there be all the problem that we have today exist because racism plays a part in houses education neighborhoods.
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