Saturday, September 22, 2012

Pre-Reading for Weeks 4

The definition of privilege to me is a certain right that some people have that others may not as appointed to them because certain physical features or certain abilities. Some examples of privileges that people in society can possess would be getting picked for a sports team because you look more athletic and having a higher opportunity of getting a job versus another because of what race you may look like.

I think white privilege means that people who may look as if they are white physically may get certain advantages given to them just because of how they look. I think we would be studying this because it shows that all races and ethnicities aren't equal and some get treated better than others. I think structural inequality means that the way the government treats people are not the same. I think we are studying this is because it may be linked to race. I think advantage means when someone has a better chance at something over someone else because of a physical characteristic or some ability they may have. A disadvantage is when someone has less of chance at something  over someone else because of a physical characteristic or lack of an ability. I think we are studying advantage/disadvantage in this class because it could be linked to race and ethnicity showing that one of those may have better chances at something than another one.

Racism is when someone is discriminated against because of what race or ethnicity are. Racism can be linked to my definition because racism is like someone having a privilege of doing something or going somewhere because of their race.

People of color can be racist. They can be racist because they can discriminate against other people because of the race or ethnicity they may be. It is used by any race or ethnicity and directed at anyone. It does not have precedent over any one race and it doesn't matter who it is against.

It is generally acknowledged that people who are White have some advantages in the U.S. society because in the past they used to have all the privilege. People of other races or ethnicities were discriminated against just because they were different than people who were White. People who were White were seen as superior to everyone else who weren't and that general idea has not left U.S. society no matter how much it has changed over the years.

In this quote, I think that Lipsitz is trying to say that racism may not be the same that it was a hundred years ago as it is today. Racism may also not be used in the same way today as it was used in the past. In Colonial America, people who were White were racist against people who were not like themselves in physical characteristics or what they believed in. They used racism to keep the other racism as inferior to them. Racism now is felt anyone, regardless of how they look. Racism is no longer used to the extreme of keeping other people of different races or ethnicities beneath them.

Word Count: 520

1 comment:

  1. Hi Alex,
    I agree- racism is linked to privilege because it allows White folks to do things or get things because of their race. You say that White people had all the privilege in the past- I would urge you to pay close attention to the examples that Peggy McIntosh gives and see whether those occured only the in past, or if they still occur today.
    --eas

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