Informal Paper Draft 1

“Race”, “race” has been an ongoing issue for years, I feel like this is the root of all of our problems as a human race. “Race” has taken over the way we work as a society, it has diminished opportunities on a societal and personal standpoint, If you pretend to say that the idea of “race” is not real and is not alive and well than this may not be your favorite piece of writing. In this essay I will be trying to explain, portray, and dissect the ideas of “race” and the negative aspects of it. I will be trying to explain how people in modern day society use words, phrases, ideas, images, beliefs and patterns of thought to talk about how race relates to reality. Finally, you will hear my standpoint on where I stand in the idea of thinking of a way where there could be an end to racism.  

Here’s a simple way to make you realize that “race” is alive and well. What is the first thing you see when you see someone in a distance whether it is at a bar, park or football game? Most of today’s society will say that they see the color of one’s skin, in which I am not surprised about. All of these consecutive years of the simple label of black and white manipulated the human mind to the point where the color of someone’s skin is the first thing you see when you lay your eyes on them. It all started with the simple label of black, white, tan, purple, pink all these labels were the start of something big. I know some people wish they didn’t see like this and I know some people wish that they didn’t have this habit. I am a product of this, no I am not racist what so ever, but I usually see the color of someone’s skin before anything. This just shows that there is a problem and it has been passed down.  

Not only did we label people by the color of their skin, but we gave a definition and stereotype to the color. Whites are usually the wealthier and proper group, compared to blacks where they are defined as the poorer and unproper and ghetto group. In one of the articles in the transcripts Suzanne states, “So, by 1691, we have a definition of white and we have constructed race in what becomes the United States. It’s important that we see this creation was for the upliftment of white people, primarily to support the white people at the top. Poor and working-class whites will get little. They will get just as much as is needed to ensure their allegiance.” – Suzanne. This quote clearly represents my point of the labels and definitions we give.  

What is even worse about this topic of conversation is that I know some people who use these labels and definitions against other people, or they use it for their own sake, instead of trying to get out of the habit of these labels and definitions. For example, while watching the videos of whiteness I stumbled upon two very clear and good examples of two men using their labels and definitions to their advantage, “When I got my job for example, I walked in there, and I just looked like a clean cut white person, and they hired me pretty much because of that reason, it’s just the small things that no one really notices, but life’s a little bit easier being white.”- Nicholas. Secondly “There have been plenty of times where I had consciously taken advantage of the fact that I am white and umm you know I always kind of knew that if I got in trouble I could just get a lawyer, suit up, show up and itll just be a slap on the wrist” for example “I’ve been arrested at least 20 times and the only thing that I have on my record is public intoxication”– Connor