Pre-Reading Questions Week Five

"There is a strange kind of enigma associated with the problem of racism. No one, or almost no one, wishes to see themselves as racist; still racism persists, real and tenacious"--Albert Memmi (quoted in Bonilla-Silva, 1) Racism is not the same as how it was back in the early 1900’s, it changes as society does. In today’s society you can make fun of other people’s race to be funny and would not be considered a racist because to be a racist, you must have systematic power and be prejudice. For example, the comedian Russell Peters is Indian and all he does for his standups is make fun of other races and mocks the way they talk and would have people laughing. When Kraimer, a white actor from Seinfeld did his standup, he was booed off the stage and called a racist because of the inappropriate language that he used. The way I see it, is that he was called a racist because he is white, which is supposed to be the superior race; while Russell Peters being Indian received laughs and claps from the audience when he uses inappropriate humor. My group of friends and I are very diverse from each other. Within my group of friends there are Whites, Indians, African Americans, and Filipino. We always make fun of each other’s race, but do not consider ourselves to be racist because we do not really mean the things we say to each other and it is all for laughs.

If I were to ask one of my friends about white privilege and they said “Oh I don’t see color, I just see people individually” I would tell them that you do not have to see color to be able to see white privilege because whiteness is seen as “the standard”. Everyone is supposed to be treated fair and have equal opportunity, but whites have an advantage, meaning they have more open doors and are treated differently from people of color. For example, in the movie “Don’t Be a Menace To South Central”, there is a scene where two black people walk into a liquor store and is harassed by the owners, who went to the full extent to make sure that they do not steal anything, while a white guy that they were not paying attention to steals their money and food. I find that racism and white privilege is still around us every day, but there is nothing we can do about it because it is seen as the norm and we are blinded by the façade of society.

Words: 432

Post-Reading Questions for Week Three

Race and ethnicity are not the same thing; race is based on physical appearance and cannot be changed, while ethnicity is based on culture and is changeable. "I think we should remove the formal distinction between race and ethnicity from the federal classification system, but we must also remain alert to, and seek to change, the complex ways in which ethnic privilege has long been secured by defining ethnicity against race" (Hattam, 81). I believe that Hattam is trying to say that the federal classification system’s distinction between race and ethnicity causes us to see that we are equal in a way, but in reality there is a divided line between ethnic and racial groups. I agree with Hattam because not everyone is treated equally. For example after 9/11, a lot of Indian Americans were treated differently because of what someone from their same race had done. Although their race might be Indian, they can claim to be American as their ethnicity because they have assimilated themselves into that culture.

According to the Census worksheet handed out in class, in 1790 there was no distinction between race and ethnicity; it was either you were a slave or you were white. In 1930, the Census switched to a more self evaluation rather than checking the box that is closest to what you think your race is. In 2000, the Census broke down the race categories and added sub categories, making it easier to distinguish the different races. Out through the years the Census has changed because they are recognizing that there more than just one race due to immigration and mixed marriages. Even with the sub categories to help distinguish our race, it is still confusing because race and ethnicity are compared as the same. For example, on questions 8 and 9 in the Census, there are about 6 different categories for Asians and 1 box for other Asian; while Hispanic is its own group with its own sub categories of different types of Hispanic. If one of my Hispanic/Latino friends were to ask me to help them fill out the Census, I would ask them some under the surface questions trying to find out where their parents or grandparents are from, and whether they see themselves as American or not. It makes it easier to examine what race you are if you break down the facts.

The Census confuses us by including race and ethnicity into the same categories, but clearly there is a big difference. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese can all fall into one category, and that is Asian. The difference between the Asian races would be their ethnicity, which is Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese. With some many different and mixed races in today’s society it makes it hard to distinguish one from another. The Census helps us to do that, but in order for it to be more effective the Census Bureau should make some adjustment.

Words: 490

Pre-Reading Questions for Week 3

We live in one of the most diverse countries in the world. Because of this we tend to confuse ethnicity and race when it comes to defining a specific group. Defining some groups as an ethnicity and some as a race would not be completely correct, causing them to be frustrated and annoyed. Some people identify themselves by their ethnicity and others by their race. People of the Hispanic or Asian race often have their ethnicity mistaken. For example, I have a friend that is Argentinean and when someone says that he is Mexican, he argues back and says that he is Argentinean and not Mexican because he is proud of his culture.

            I feel that the Census questions that ask about race and ethnicity are not completely on point. For question 9, you are asked to check the boxes that you think your race is, but they have race and ethnicity mixed together. Race should only be White, Asian, or African American. Ethnicity should describe what type of race you are, such as: Puerto Rican, Vietnamese, or Japanese. Filling out the Census for myself was really easy because it has my ethnicity in there. If I were a mixed race, then I think that I would have a much harder time checking the boxes because not all ethnicity are on the Census and you would have to fill in the blanks. I believe that the racial and ethnic categories that the Census puts out do not have an influence on the racial and ethnic categories that we use on the everyday basis. To me it does not matter how others see you as or whether if your race/ethnicity is not on the Census, what matters is how you see yourself. For example, according to the Buzfeed.com article on the 34 celebrities that we would never know that was of mixed raced; we would never know that Ne-Yo is a quarter Chinese, although he might identify himself as black.

            Ethnicity and race are commonly mistaken as the same, but if you look at the technical difference race is based on our physical appearance and ethnicity is based more on our culture and religion. The Census questions are not precise because it confuses ethnicity with race. No matter what you have to check off on the Census or how others see you as, only you will be able to identify yourself as what race or ethnicity you are. 

Words: 410

Post-Reading Questions for Week 2

After doing the readings, my understanding on race and ethnicity was what I thought it would be. Race is a biological term that we use to categorize one another, while ethnicity is what sets us apart. According to the Cornell and Hartmann reading, “Racial categories are not natural categories that human beings discover; on the contrary, they are “created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed” by human action and are, therefore, preeminently social products (p.78)” I do agree with this because from what I have learned, race is created by the humankind to distinguish the more dominant race, the “whites”, from the other races. If it was not for racial categorization everyone in this world would be considered the same, but with different physical appearance. I believe that everyone has a right to self-identify their own race and ethnicity and that no one can tell you that you are not what you are. For example, at this Vietnamese restaurant that I normally eat at there is a waiter that looks African American, but besides his outer appearance he is more “Vietnamese” than I am. When first looking at him I did not think that he was Vietnamese, but after hearing him fluently speaking in my language I was shocked. He told me that his parents are African American, but he was taken in and raised by a Vietnamese family. From his physical appearance you can say that he is African American, but when asked he identifies himself as Vietnamese because of the culture and language he was raised with.

Because of stereotypes, a lot of racial complexities have arisen. For example, if you are Asian then you do not know how to drive or if you are Arab then you must be a terrorist. According to the reading by Abdulrahim, “One of the most prevailing themes in Arab American writings is that they are a group who “became white” but who currently do not reap the benefits of “whiteness” (p.37)” In the reading he interviews two Arab American that share many background characteristics. The first person identifies himself as “other race” and not Arab American because he believes that “America” is for the white race and because he does not identify himself as white, therefore he cannot identify himself as Arab American. The second person identifies himself as “white” because “America belongs to whites and one has to become white in order to become American (p.44).” Although both people came to the country at the same age, I feel that the second person has assimilated more into the American culture.  I feel that even by assimilating into the American culture does not mean that you will be treated as a white person; there will always be racism and stereotypes. 

Words: 456

Race and Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity is often mistaken as the same. I believe that our race is defined by our biological classification such as:  Asian, American, or African American; and our ethnicity is defined by our religious views, language, and culture. I characterize my race as Asian and my ethnicity as Vietnamese. By saying that my race is Asian would be too broad because there are many different groups that can also claim to be Asian by their skin tone, hair color, and eyes such as: Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. My ethnicity is what helps me differentiate myself from other Asian groups; it is what makes us who we are. I characterize my ethnicity as Vietnamese because of the way I was raised up, my culture, and my language. I was raised with the traditional Vietnamese values and culture, while my little brothers were raised differently. Being born in Vietnam my parents had raised me with strict and traditional discipline to make sure that I would not repeat my wrong doings. For my brothers, who were born in the U.S., they were raised with more of the American culture; which means that they had it a lot easier. Instead of getting hit or slapped, they would be grounded and have their games taken away.

By being Asian, I have been mistaken for being Filipino many times. When I asked the person why? They tell me it is because of my skin tone. I am generally a little darker than most Vietnamese people because I like to be outside and be active instead of being a hermit crab. I believe the only time people identify my ethnicity correctly is when I have my name tag on at work because I have a Vietnamese name, or when I am back home to San Jose where the majority of the population are Vietnamese.  

I believe that racial categorization is universal. Where ever you travel to, you will always be categorized by your skin tone, how you look, and by the language you speak. For example, when I visited Vietnam for the first time after moving to the U.S. for 15 years, the people saw me as American because how I dressed and also by how I spoke the language. Growing up in the U.S. I mostly spoke English and would only speak Vietnamese at home, but even so I would not fully speak Vietnamese; it would be combination of both languages. By assimilating into the American culture, I slowly started to let my Vietnamese language slip. No matter how Americanized I seem, I still follow my Vietnamese roots and would always classify myself as a Vietnamese person. 

Words: 442