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. 

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