Bunje's 204 Langers: Does Anyone Ever Win This Race?

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Does Anyone Ever Win This Race?

Langers: Be mindful of what I told you about your blog posts, please. I have never had to take off points for an unsubstantial blog posting. I'd not like this year to be the first time.

I want you to really think about this question before you answer it. It requires you to closely examine yourself, your surroundings and your experiences.

From your own perspective, what is your definition of racism?
Does ignorance of racism promote or prevent it from becoming an ideology? By ignorance I simply mean the lack of knowledge that it exists. Because, if you were raised in an area that is predominantly white and you're white, odds are, you don't see much evidence that it does exist--right? Or wrong?
If you were never exposed to a multicultural environment, would you be more or less attuned to the cultural differences that exist in society? And for that matter...Do you believe that there ARE cultural differences? If so, what are they?
Do you think people hide behind the definition of cultural differences to excuse rude, inappropriate or obnoxious behavior? This question applies to ALL races, incidentally.
And finally, do you think that the division of class "levels" within schools (AP, Honors, CP, Non-CP) promotes or prevents a racial divide?

135 comments:

UnknownSeptember 17, 2013 at 4:03 PM
Racism is something that I personally find hard to describe. Racism can be defined as a particular race feeling in powered by bringing down another race based on someone's complexion. Most people in America think racism is only black and white, when it can be any race against another. There is even racism within a race. Such as light skinned black people against dark skinned black people. If people didn't worry about complexion, life would be easier. What makes any race different from another's? People, we made racism and it's up to us to stop it. I myself have gone through racist torment. When I was at the young age of ten, I went to a National Young Scholars Program. I was surrounded by many people of different races. I had my room and I shared it with another black girl and three white girls. They would say remarks like, "How did black people get here, I thought only smart kids could come here." It made me feel as if I wasn't good enough to be there. I felt as if I was an outsider. It hurt me, and made be see just how evil some people can be. I think people should not think of someone's complexion as a standard for who they are. This also is true when it comes to cultural differences. If people weren't used to seeing other's way of life, it could be difficult for them to adjust to all the differences. I believe that there are cultural differences such as different food, religion, clothing, and even complexion but, I feel that we all as people can put that aside and overcome our differences. I feel that people within a certain culture shouldn't hide behind it. People act certain ways to seem like they fit the criteria of their culture. In my example I use race, black boys will act a certain way or dress a certain way to fit in with other's who look like him. They will act ignorant to impress their friends. It is foolish for people to really act that way just to hide behind what people think of them. This brings me to how are school is divided into four levels of learning. Most African-American and Hispanic American children will take Non-CP or CP because they feel that is all they are good enough for. They feel that I'm this race, I have to act a certain way to fit in with people who are like me. The higher you go up in levels the least you see of African Americans and Hispanic American, and the more you see Asian Americans and Caucasians. This causes a bit of a racial divide. Overall, race is a difficult subject to talk about. Race in my opinion is just a skin color and shouldn't be put with standards. Racism is something that has been in this world for centuries and I feel it should go away, but it still exists. Like I said before, it's up to the people of this world to change thoughts on races.
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UnknownSeptember 17, 2013 at 4:23 PM
When a white person discriminates against a Black person based on the color of their skin, it is called racism. Conversely, when a Black person discriminates against a White person based on the color of their skin, it is often called “reverse racism”. Why should it be called anything different? This supposed doctrine of reverse racism does not exist. This is not being said to discourage the idea of Blacks discriminating against Whites. This is being said to clarify what racism truly is. Racism is race-based discrimination. Whether or not you are the one doling out the derogatory remarks or receiving them, the pigmentation of your skin does not matter. Race-based discrimination is racism and that’s final.
In today’s day and age it is going to be quite the task to find someone who is over the age of 14 and ignorant to racism. On the news, we hear about crimes borne of racism. In our textbooks, we have read about the civil rights movements and the crimes that have taken place throughout its duration. From our parents, we have heard about the Ku Klux Klan as well as the Black Panther Party. Racially degrading terms may have even left our lips during the heat of an argument. It does not matter which corner of the Earth you come from, you have more than likely heard of and/or experienced racism in some way, shape, or form. If I had never been introduced to a multicultural environment, I feel as though I would be somewhat curious about what other cultures are doing. For instance, I may turn on the television and see a Caucasian woman wearing her hair down past her shoulders. I may begin to wonder why my hair can’t be like hers, but then I’ll realize that my hair could look like hers with the help of the “almighty” weave. I’d probably wonder why Hispanics eat some foods that Asians may not eat on a regular basis. I would just have to learn that it is a part of their respective cultures.
Seeing as my father is from St. Vincent and the Grenadines and my mother is from America, cultural differences tend to be quite apparent. Through my father’s eyes, babies wear pampers, they are pushed around in a pram, burned rice is good rice, and girls are not permitted to wear Cutex to school. Through my mother’s eyes, babies wear diapers, they are pushed around in a stroller, burned rice is inedible, and girls can wear nail polish to school. The pronunciations of some words are different, for instance, intestines, tomato, and violence. Since I am growing up in America, I consequently speak like an American, or as my dad calls it, a “Big-Time Yankee”.
Personally, I don’t feel as though people hide behind the definition of cultural differences to excuse rude, inappropriate, or obnoxious behavior. Yes, I have encountered people who live up to their racial stereotype quite well, but they do not reinforce some of their outlandish behaviors by stating that there is cultural difference. On the other hand, people of other races may perceive these behaviors to be cultural differences.
Lastly, the division of classes does promote a racial divide however, this divide is unintentional. School officials didn’t put the Blacks one way and the Whites the other. Children were divided according to their test scores. If we were divided by color, I would be in a predominately Black classroom. Instead, I am in a somewhat multicultural learning environment. I am more than elated to look around my classrooms and see people who are different than I am. Even though some of us may speak different languages and eat different foods, we are able to come together and achieve our goals as an academic family.

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UnknownSeptember 17, 2013 at 5:10 PM
Talking about racism is hard for me because I don't really feel like I'm all that qualified to say anything on the subject, considering I am white. It's not the same as me talking about say, sexism, which would be a topic I am qualified to talk about after having seen it and experienced it as a female. Me talking about racism is sort of like a cisgender person trying to act like they know what it's like to be transgender, or a heterosexual person trying to claim that they know what it's like to homosexual in a very homophobic society. What I'm saying is that I simply don't have the personal experience to fully grasp what racism is, and just how racist out society can be. And here's the thing: I don't think I will ever experience true racism as a white person. Oh sure, there are hordes of people out there who love to shout 'reverse racism!' when anyone of a different race says some hurtful generalization about white people. But racism is an institution, so to speak. A very traditional American institution. Racism is not just a thing that popped up one day out of the blue; it has been cultivated in this society for centuries, it is a festering open wound upon our society that may never be cured. Racism has a background; what people love to claim as 'reverse racism' cannot truly be called racism in my mind because it doesn't have that background. Someone may say a hurtful comment to that relates to how you're white, but at the end of the day that person can still walk back into a society that does view them as superior because they are white. They will never have to experience what it is to live in a society that has traditionally viewed other races as inferior. They will never have to live in a society that was founded on the enslavement of their ancestors.
To think that ignoring racism is even considered a viable way to 'stop it' is a preposterous idea. To think that there are people out there who claim that racism is no longer an issue is even more laughable. No matter how many people spout the words 'post-racial society', it doesn't make it true. It doesn't change the fact that there are little African American boys being killed out on the street because they looked suspicious, and then their killer is allowed to walk free. It doesn't change the fact that states are still trying to pass voter ID laws that would ultimately prevent the poor minorities from voting. It doesn't change the fact that there are people out there who have to fear the law enforcement officers simply because of the color of their skin. To ignore racism would simply be looking away from a very real problem because you don't want to face the truth. If you don't teach your child about what racism is, and why it's awful they will only go out into a society that displays racism everywhere you turn and have to come to their own conclusions from that. And they might come to the wrong conclusion, they might think that it's natural to discriminate against people and that the reasons behind it must be valid. And if nobody knows of the problem, how can it be treated? Or is everyone supposed to be ok with the discrimination that happens in our society. If we don't teach people about racism it would be all too easy for the white children to fall into the mindset that as long as it doesn't affect them, it doesn't matter.

(Part 1)
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UnknownSeptember 17, 2013 at 5:10 PM
(Part 2)
Of course there are cultural differences in the United States; the great mixture of cultures is one of the supposed appeals of our country. But with different cultures comes the natural human hatred of things that are alien to them, and that is a very important building block of racism. The United States has a traditionally white majority, and that means the 'white culture' dominates; anything else is seen as the minority and is therefore subject to hatred and distrust from the majority. And there is a distinction to be made between African American culture and white American culture, just as there is a difference between African American culture and African culture. There was an interesting interview I listened to about a student from an African country (my memory is a bit fuzzy on which country specifically, unfortunately) was attending college in America and she was amazed at how bad the racism really is in the US and how different it was than anything she experienced in her home country. She also noted how there was a distinction between how people treated her, as an African and how they treated African Americans. Even as a foreigner she was treated with more respect that the people from our own country. The racism towards the minorities in this country, especially African Americans, is so ingrained into our own culture that we are taught it without even fully realizing it. And yes, we often practice that racism without realizing it; even groups that are usually targeted in this end up thinking badly of their own culture because that is how our society teaches them to think.
Class divides are just a thing that continues to perpetuate this racism; when one faces so much discrimination and hatred in their life it can be hard to better themselves within that society. I think the division of class levels with the school displays that just as much as economic or social classes in the real world do. Kids who don't come from a family that educated them very well in childhood, or encourages their hard work are already behind when they arrive at school, and then they are often overlooked because it is already believed those kinds of students will never do well. And these are the students that come from minority groups, often poor families, and it's a shame how that throughout their life they will be told they aren't good enough and that they will never be good enough because of their background. I may have written too much here, but I think racism is a very relevant and important topic that should be discussed, and no matter how unqualified I may be to actually talk about it I still had to write down some of my thoughts.
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Kassidy BaumSeptember 17, 2013 at 5:11 PM
I believe that racism is when someone judges others based on their race or beliefs. This could be anything from a white person making fun of a black person, a catholic person making fun of a Jewish person, or even a boy making fun of a girl. I see racism take place almost every day in Oakcrest. When I see racism occur it is usually in the form of a joke about someone’s skin color. This to me is still racism whether they are joking or not. A lot of people think that racism is just when a white person makes fun of an African American person because of the color of their skin. This is completely false though because racism could also be an African American person making fun of a white person or an Asian person or a Muslim person. Even sometimes when I say I’m a dancer someone will say “you can’t dance you’re too white.” As ridiculous as that sounds it is still a form of racism. I do realize that other people around the world are being bullied a lot worse than this because of their race, this was just an example.
But many people do not understand that this is racism; therefore they think that racism doesn’t exist. So ultimately the fact that many think racism does not exist is preventing it from becoming an ideology. I think if I were never exposed to people of different cultures I would be less aware of culture differences in society. I would still know about the culture differences in society from the TV and news because racism is still a problem around the world, but I wouldn’t be able to actually experience it in person. The most prominent cultural differences are race, gender, and religion. Yes I do believe that people use “culture differences” to excuse inappropriate behavior all the time. I don’t think that the division of class levels within schools promotes racial divide. Our AP Lang class is a great example of this because there many different races in our class, so in a way the division of class levels promotes diversity not racial divide.
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UnknownSeptember 17, 2013 at 6:28 PM
My definition of racism is to discriminate against a specific group. I do believe ignorance of racism promotes racism to become an ignorant ideology. If people don’t know about racism, racism will eventually flourish. I believe that if someone was to be grown up in a neighborhood that was predominately white, odds are that the white people are going to notice the differences between any outlier that was to come to the white neighborhood. I think that if I was never exposed to a multicultural environment I would be less attuned to the differences various cultures show. Like the example I gave before, when anybody is put into a group that is culturally the same and there comes an outlier, more than likely the majority group will see all the things that the outlier doesn’t do the same. When I was younger I looked Chinese and I went to school in Hammonton. I remember being in a class with half Mexicans and half white Americans. I noticed the differences immediately; the Mexican kids talked, acted, and dressed differently while the white kids talked, acted, and dressed differently too. Since I knew a few of the Mexicans in my class from parties, I would try to talk to them, but they always laughed at me because I looked Asian —which I didn’t care. So, I started to talk to the white and American kids and ever since then I have a better tendency to talk to Americans rather than Mexicans. I don’t think people hide from the definition of cultural differences to excuse rude remarks because, I’m pretty sure not everyone knows the cultural differences of every culture. I don’t know a lot about the Native American tribes or the Germans or the Mongolians. If everyone were to hide behind the definition of cultural differences, then everyone must know the cultures of every single nation or culture. I do believe that the education system promotes a racial divide between a CP student and an AP student. I remember when I moved schools; I was always put in bilingual classes because of my last name and ethnicity. I was always upset because they assumed I didn’t know English and I didn’t know anything that and needed to be in a class full of people who to, them, were their first year in America. Every AP class you look through, you’ll see a majority of the students listed white, while a very low minority listed which is sad. Even though Hispanics or Blacks aren’t seen as the smartest kids or people in the world, it seems to me that they just don’t care and don’t take advantage of the education their given.
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Thomas $mithSeptember 17, 2013 at 8:24 PM
In my mind, racism is anything that happens to somebody at least partially due to the race they possess. Ignorance is a very large factor. Not educating yourself on different cultures is a very bad idea, and causes more misunderstandings than regular hatred of a race. You can never be too educated on different cultures. Conversely, once you educate yourself, you need to find the median between being equal and giving away parts of your own rights and privileges to appease others. I, as well as all of you, are very lucky in that we grew up in a place that is rather integrated. Not the biggest melting pot, but there are people representing more or less every race and culture in Mays Landing. Because of this, I try to look at people not by how much melanin they possess, but by the content of their character. (please forgive me for mercilessly ripping off of MLK.) But I understand that that is not the case in all areas. People are discriminated against everywhere, and it really causes a lot of problems all across the country and world. But as I stated earlier, saying that this only goes one way is just not true. Some people think that just because others are different, that means that they can treat them worse. Conversely, some individuals think that just because they are different than others, be it by skin tone, culture, gender, sexual preference, and/or creed, they think that they aren't, or shouldn't be liable to the same rules as everyone else. People should be treated equally. In a perfect world, a persons race or culture or any of that stuff should not define where you should be in life. It should simply be what you can do, your will to succeed, your personality, things that actually do define you as a person. If a black person wants to be an astrophysicist, good for them. If a Hispanic person wants to run a veterinary clinic, I'm all for it. If a white person wants to become a successful rapper, I wish them the best, and hope that they wind up with more than twenty dollars in their pocket. It shouldn't matter what race you are, it should matter about how much of a credit you will be to the world. But one of your other questions was good, the one where it asked of the way our academic pyramid is set up, with classical at the bottom, and AP at the top, whether or not that encourages a racial barrier. Well, I thought about that quite a bit, and the more I think about it, the more I feel like it doesn't. It just divides classes by who cares the most about their education. That counts more toward your character than your race. There are black and Hispanic people in AP classes (quite a few, might I add.) Just as there are white people and Asian people in classical classes (not saying anything other than those are the two races that people would mostly think make up a vast majority of AP classes.) The racial balance in my classes is very good in my mind at least. Now, as a bit of an addendum if you will, I don't know how much you payed attention to my definition all the way at the top, but I said, racism is when ANYTHING happens to a person at least partially because of their race. While there are still bigots out there, there are bigots on all sides of the racial spectrum. There are whites against blacks, blacks against whites, blacks against Hispanics, Hispanics against whites, whites against whites who aren't ashamed of being white, and the list goes on. There are hate organizations spanning all races and cultures. No one should hate anybody because of their race. Before anything, we should learn to love and tolerate each other for what we are, different, but just as good as one another. America is supposed to be a melting pot, so how about we stop trying to burn one another.
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AnonymousSeptember 17, 2013 at 8:54 PM
Racism is something we have all been surrounded by whether it’s in schools, on the streets or in the media. From a very young age you learn about the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr., and mainly about how the African Americans were treated not just differently but unfairly in many circumstances. When we think of Racism we think about how blacks were treated in the 1960s because that was one of the main things we learned as kids. However, Racism is when ANY ethnic group is treated unfairly, discriminated based on their gender or even persecuted. People ignore racism here at Oakcrest, in their own homes, while hanging out with their friends and don’t even realize it. I am not going to lie, I have been made fun of for being Spanish. I’ve been called a spic, told to go back to Mexico by climbing the boarder but then I realize people are irrelevant because I am Puerto Rican and I guess I would have to swim here in shark infested waters which if you ask me is pretty awesome. Honestly, my opinion is that if you are raised in an area that is predominately white you don’t see much evidence that it does exist. This is because when you live in a town that is multicultural you get more conflicts whether it is getting certain jobs based on your ethnicity or making racial slurs to somebody across the street. Sure, there are cultural differences in other ethnicities when it comes to traditions, foods and even how people are dressed. I feel as though we use these cultural differences as excuses to discriminate others. It is still inferred as being racist. Changing the phrase doesn’t make it anymore right. When it comes to the divisions of class levels within the school I feel as though it can 100% stir up racism if certain students from different ethnicities aren’t placed in these classes. Personally I think that people accuse the school system to be racist if they aren’t put in a higher class when in fact they forget that it takes hard work and dedications to get in these classes just like it would to be successful in anything else you put your mind to.
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PaulaCSeptember 17, 2013 at 9:43 PM
My definition of racism is quite simple really; racism is when someone thinks they are above someone else just because of their personal culture/ heritage. Racism is not necessarily just based on one’s skin color, although that is the most prominent form of racism. While most people associate racism between Caucasians and African Americans, racism is very much evident between all nationalities. Everywhere you go; there is always a form of racism. Whether you are enclosed in a society predominately full of a select heritage or, more accurately, surrounded by groups of different cultures, racism is still present. In today’s society, everyone is very much fully aware of racism and its outcomes. We have the media, our peers and even ourselves who provide a day to day example of racism. Whether you meant it or not, everyone has committed an act of racism. We had disputes back to the age of the pilgrims and yet, a thousand years later, here we are, still committing the same race-based discrimination.
In my opinion, I fully believe that there will always be cultural differences. People are raised differently, taught differently, and act differently. No one person is the same. We are who we are and just because one person does not particularly omit the same physical or cultural similarities as you, does not give you the justification to feel as if you are of more validity/importance. Where we live, the United States, is known as the “cultural melting pot.” Day in and day out, we are surrounded by people of different ethnicities. Our skin colors might be different, our choice of foods might be different, and even our opinion on certain situations might be different, but those differences don’t make us any less human. Cultural differences shouldn’t be seen as a burden. If everyone looked the same, acted the same, and thought the same, we might as well just call ourselves robots. Do I think people use cultural differences to excuse inappropriate or obnoxious behavior? Yes, I do. We dislike what we feel indifferent to, and that is ultimately the reason for racism.
Lastly, as for the division of class levels within schools, I don’t believe this is a form of racial divide. Race, in my opinion, does not justify intelligence. Everyone is born with the same ability to learn and excel. Those who want to succeed and put effort into their education will be in the AP classes, and those who could care less will be in the CP classes. For example, if there are more Asians students in a certain class compared to the number of Spanish students in that class, race isn’t the reason for the uneven ratio. Simply, there are more Asian students who make effort in their studies compared to Spanish students. It’s as simple as that.
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AnonymousSeptember 17, 2013 at 10:17 PM
Racism is when people, who can be from any background, judge or discriminates someone based on their culture or skin color. Everyone can be judgmental. People judge others on their outfits, on their way of talking, how good one is in a sport, or how well of a writer one is; clearly I could go on and on of things that everyone judges others on. Breaking it down more, people sadly judge others based on their way of life, or if their skin is a different shade than theirs. Racism is a rude, yet common thing throughout the entire world and has been going on for centuries. Of course many peoples wishes is that the world can live as one, everyone peaceful to one another, and no such thing as racism even exist. Personally I am one that wishes that to be true. Luckily I have grown up in a multicultural environment within school and my gymnastics. I have grown to learn that people come from different backgrounds, different cultures, or simply different ways of life. Which I find interesting, I like the idea that not everyone is exactly the same, we all have our different ways of going about things, our different stories. Now if one grew up in an all white community and then stepped outside of the circle I would think the act of racism would be higher due to the fact that their knowledge wouldn’t be so strong. It’s best to intertwine everyone together, sure we are all different, but in reality that only makes us all the same. As I stated before, I was lucky to grow up in a multicultural environment, but if I were never exposed to such a thing, people would believe that you would be less familiar with the cultural differences that exist in society, which is true, but I would take the opportunity to meet new people and learn new ways of doing things. With that being said, sure I do believe that there are cultural differences, but that is within everyone. There are Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics, there are Italians, Germans, and Native Americans, and really this list is endless. So we all have cultural differences or stereotypes, such that Italians love to fist pump (not really), but how we are tan and eat pasta and pizza all the time, at least that’s what people tell me I do. When it comes to the division of class levels within schools, I don’t see it as a racial divide. People tend to think whites are the only ones in the “smart people classes”, yes I have heard that before. But stop and take a look at just our AP Lang class, I see a multicultural group, everyone with the same equal opportunities. Taking AP classes or honors classes, and even CP classes, comes out of choice, it’s not based on the color of your skin. Anyone who wishes to be a part of such classes has every opportunity to be in those classes.
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UnknownSeptember 17, 2013 at 11:00 PM
Racism has been a rampant problem, not only in our society, but in our world as a whole since the beginning of our existence. Though racism is flexible and has been targeted toward specific races at times, it has one constant that is the very basis from which racism is rooted. Prejudice towards other races or cultures is the basis of racism. Unfortunately, prejudice is written off as our individual beliefs and the ignorance of our world today involving racism is a major cause of why that remains a fact. Due to our ignorance towards racism, we are slowly desensitized to its existence. It becomes a part of the everyday world around us and therefore goes unseen by our eyes. This is truly dangerous because our ideology is molded from what we depict our morals to be. If we are ignorant toward such an upward battle we are blinded by its effects and it becomes a natural portion of our day.
Exposure to a multicultural environment is one of the most helpful experiences that we can attain. In doing so, we are able to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We are able to grow together and thrive off of one another. If the exposure to multicultural environment did not exist in society, we would be more attuned to the cultural differences that exist. As we grow together, we learn how to get along. We have fewer altercations because we share many of the same experiences. However, if we were never exposed to a multicultural environment, the shock value would be in its complete form because we would not have been exposed to each other. We would not know what to expect and therefore our differences, including culture and traditions, would lead to a violent racism. This is why it is so emanate to practice our family’s cultures. It keeps us unique and separate in that we can still share the same experiences with other people, however, the food we eat or the way we dress are our own unique perspectives. I believe that people most definitely hide behind the definition of cultural differences for being rude, inappropriate and obnoxious. Many individuals feel that the “rules” of cultural difference don’t apply to them and they flaunt their propriety to everyone. All of this being said, the one area in which I do not see racism as a problem, is that of class “levels.” Class “levels” are measured based on intellectual ability, not by a racial stand point. If kids are willing to work hard enough then they enter a more rigorous academic environment. Whereas, those that are willing to work to the bare minimum and under will fall on the other side of the spectrum. Race plays a trivial part in the academic “levels” however it is detrimental in other cases. Racism is not something to be taken lightly.
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UnknownSeptember 17, 2013 at 11:13 PM
In my opinion racism is the judgment of another through their skin color, race, or religion. My definition of racism is very generalized because I have never experience racism when I was little. Now days I am surrounded by racism through school, peers, and social media, but I was sheltered from a young age. When I was little my parents raised me to accept all different kinds of peoples regardless of skin colors. People aren’t racist from the start; they have learned it from many other individuals. Ignorance is bliss and I believe that if people aren’t exposed to racism it will prevent it from being an ideology. Racism happens everywhere but that doesn’t mean people have to let it help. They should just stop it from happening. Growing up I did learn about segregation and decimation but I learn from a young age to just ignore it. People don’t necessarily get along with someone of the same race. People get along because of their behaviors so if someone is taught at a young age to not discriminate there will be no racism. If I was exposed to multicultural environment then I will be less attuned to cultural difference. But I will eventually have to grow up and learn about these differences because the whole world is full of different cultures. But as long as people are raised well then I know that racism won’t be a problem. There are cultural differences in the world from their language, religion, and their cooking, etc. Many people may not like it and it is okay as long as they don’t make fun of it. People still do hide behind the definition of cultural differences like in stereotypes of race for example of how black people are good at basketball. The school class level doesn’t promote racial divide. Really race has nothing to do with education. People who work hard take higher classes compare to people who take easier class because they don’t work hard. Each class level has many people from different races. It not like all black people and Hispanic take cp and non-cp and all Asian and white people take AP. No these class level is determined by the amount of work put into each class. In school people can’t change who they are race skin, color, and personality wise but they can change the class level by the amount of hard work they put into each class. Racism is a problem but people can stop it as long as people are raised well and just ignore it.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 5:49 AM
Racism the hallmark of failure in life, I believe that being nice to people comes with blessings from above. Racism is an action performed by a majority class of people to make the minority feel less important. In the other part of the World i grew racism is not common because we are always surrounded by same black people. Ignorance is the major source of death in Africa. Over the years ignorance and racism has gained an anormous weight in the society we live in. Ignorance is like the coefficient of racism or the look similar like twins. people use ignorance to be rude to people. World organisations ( United Nations,FIFA , World Health Organisation) have made conscious efforts to avoid racism through sports, commercials and many others. However, I think ignorance is just a cover up people use. language, food,morals,songs and religion are cultural differences which divides a certain group of people and the World at large. As i was growing up i had an opportunity to learn different cultures therefore i ask, what about people who were not exposed to different cultures, should cultural differences prevent them from being nice white/ black people. Furthermore, why can't we treat ourselves nice just because we are all Human( for the love of humanity) In my classes racism has never being a problem because my classmates are nice people, teachers on the other hand have made remarkable efforts to prevent racism. For me being the only black Boy in Ap chemistry or Englsh or History does not affect me in negatively, I think is a pleasure on my perspective. I believe that good work deserves good credit however is time people stood up to racism and send It back to its parents. life is not a race so why compete, together we stand, divided we fall.
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Wilimina KSeptember 18, 2013 at 10:56 AM
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Wilimina KSeptember 18, 2013 at 11:24 AM
From my own perspective, my definition of racism is just an idea of someone else judging someone because of the color of their skin. Racism is a very controversy topic and we tend to ignore the topic. Our generation doesn’t put any attention towards it and in my opinion I feel like racism doesn’t get teach a lot so we know little about it and do nothing to try to help to stop it from spreading. Racism is all around us but we don’t know that because of the lack of knowledge we have on racism. In part of the world people aren’t very aware of racism. For example, when I was living in Africa, I didn’t have any knowledge of what racism was. This was because I was always surrounded by people who skin color was no distinguished from mines. But when I came to the United States I somehow started to get some kind of knowledge about racism. For the first time I started to see diversity around me and started to understand that racism does exist. The group I started to hang with were very diverse compare to the friends I had back in Africa. Luckily for me they try to understand my culture and accepted me for who I am which is a great thing. At the beginning of my life I was never exposed to a multicultural environment, but as time passed I began to get much attuned to cultural differences that exist in society, therefore I started to believe that there ARE cultural differences. For instance, the United States is one of many countries that accept different cultures like different languages, food, and holidays. I also do believe that people hide behind the definition of cultural differences to excuse rude inappropriate or obnoxious behavior. If they really wanted to get to know that culture I think they can take an opportunity to do so. Lastly the division of class “levels” within schools promotes a racial divide. For example no matter what class level you’re in you’ll always see some kind of diversity around you.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 5:01 PM
Since I was first introduced to the word racism, I always believed it only had to do with disliking someone because of skin color. Now I see racism as not only that, but as the discrimination of individuals of a race or entire race because of characteristic traits, culture, beliefs, abilities and personality. It’s a long, but truthful definition that includes everyone. And it happens in many ways, like when someone feels jealousy or dominance in the chaotic mixture of feeling intellectually superior and even culturally. There is more than a hand full of ways to discriminate against someone and everyday someone uses one, and either directly or indirectly hurt them.
If you’re someone who has no knowledge of racism you definitely live under a rock. Even if you live in a predominately white neighborhood, society is still outside. Running from racism would be futile attempt because it’s tied in so closely to our society. The deep division of classes at school promotes such a ridiculous racial divide. Like a higher “level” class isn’t dominated by African American students. Such a divide has gone on for a long time and has been noticed, but never addressed strongly. A healthier environment is the multicultural one where you get see and explore almost everything. Growing up in such an environment really helped me be more understanding and respectful of other races and their differences that come with them. I am Greek and Puerto Rican. My parents gave me the best of both worlds that many of us need to be a part of. The multicultural environment opens your mind to so much more. There are so many cultural differences from the religions, foods, clothing, and complexions. Unfortunately though, cultural differences are being utilized as an excuse to act certain ways too. Some young African Americans find that it’s alright to call one another “nigga” or something along those lines. That word is a foul way to insult a colored person. To use it as a friendly gesture between colored people is unreal. Since they are already black it won’t hurt anyone to say it themselves. Whatever race you are a part of does not justify you to excuse such ugly behavior. Having differences is great, but it’s going to take a lot of effort to embrace our differences entirely and to not advantage of it either.
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Daniel AvilaSeptember 18, 2013 at 6:21 PM
Racism is the hatred of someone because you believe that your genetics make you better than them. Simply put, racism is stupid. Pretending that racism does not exist does not make it go away, I always believed that if you are not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Racism is everywhere, even in rural white neighborhoods. It as small of a thing as saying a Hispanic person should be mowing your lawn or that Africans are all dangerous. Both of these statements are completely false yet many people actually believe in that. If you were to put someone who had never lived in a multicultural society into a society like that, they would be in for a culture shock. The different dialects, accents and diction would surprise them. The different ways of showing of affection or how people greet each other could be outstanding to them. I do believe all cultures have their differences, one difference is the music. Many cultures have their own form of music with their own form of dance to compliment it, is that a bad thing? No. Diversity is what makes us human. It's what keeps life interesting. Although some people do use culture to their advantage, sometimes they blame the way they were raised or what their family was like as to why they act a certain way. While I believe that the way you were raised has an impact on who you are, I feel it is a minimal impact and you choose who you want to be. People from so many different cultures have become so many great things. Every culture has had an outstanding idea or something that has benefited the world in general. Your culture is your background, but you make who you are. While on that topic, classes that separate students do seem to divide racially on some levels. In Costal's class last year i remember being one of very few non-Caucasian students. Now I look around my classes I see more diversity in these smaller classes. To a certain extent, I feel different classes promote a racial divide but not fully. What I mean is that it looks like it does promote a racial divide but it really does not. Kids choose how hard they work in school and what classes they are willing to take on. No one forces you to take cp or ap, it's a choice. So if there is a racial divide, it's not intentionally put into place.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 6:36 PM
Racism is a tricky word because some think it’s merely the type of discrimination that existed in the 1950s and 60s but frankly I think that was just one form of racism preventing itself to us. In my opinion racism is the use of derogatory statements or discriminatory actions to demean a race of people. People may not notice it but it’s all in how you treat people or what you say to people. In some cases are very people are very careful of this by tiptoeing around a race to be careful to not offend which I think is being a bit overly cautious. I believe that growing up in a multicultural society you learn that not all stereotypes about races are true and sometimes they hit the nail on the head but if you didn’t grow up in a multicultural society you would automatically assume the stereotypes were true because you never learned from experience from other races. I believe there are cultural differences because the family dynamic is different just from tradition and how what people of each race have come to expect from one another. In my experience I have come to see that obnoxious or rude behavior is not tolerated by any race because people of every race a capable of such. The division of classes does prevent a racial divide because in some on Honors or AP classes I’m the only black girl and it’s been happening every year since fifth grade which I guess makes me used to it. But, a friend of mine who usually goes the CP route and this year decided to take Honors has encountered the same situation for the first time and feels uncomfortable because she is used there being an equal amount of all races and there not being in such a situation. After years of being in the minority of my classes I don’t feel that way because I make sure I find people that make me feel comfortable and people I can really talk to and they don’t necessarily have to black. This divide says that as you get into AP classes you don’t see a great difference of races and you get a totally different experience than if you were in a CP class.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 6:46 PM
hi David Ramírez, I really like the example you have in the passage. It draws a nice Picture of racism in a major aspect which I think should be addressed.thank for the wonderful conclusion I think It was splendid.Good Job.
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Tommi SchiederSeptember 18, 2013 at 6:52 PM
Racism, it seems, only holds the meaning of making actions against a race with a negative intention. But for me, racism goes deeper. Racism by my definition is about an entire mindset that another race is in some way inferior. If you think about it, whether it is consciously is or not, your actions are the direct result of your thinking or at least your ideology. People don’t take actions they don’t genuinely believe in on the inside (meaning regardless of what they say they believe).When I say thinking about a race as inferior I mean it in more ways than the other race being “stupid” or “worthless.” I think someone has made a racist remark when they say someone is incapable of doing, comprehending, or reacting to something because of the race with which they are affiliated. For example, when African Americans think black people can call each other the N word but white people can’t, those same people are making an act of racism themselves. As to the question of whether or not ignorance has an effect on making racism an ideology, I think that mainly depends on the specific situation and culture. There are so many forms of racism out there that what one person perceives as racism could in fact just be an observation to another. Racism has a blurry definition, no matter what Webster says. It’s why this blog topic is probably going to make more than one student uncomfortable or even offended. You could live in a white area that is very racist and that hostile environment is why there are mostly white people living there. Or you could live in a white area and have very little racism. With that said, I do believe being exposed to a multicultural environment really helps with making one aware of the other cultures that exist. Additionally, it creates a greater likelihood for having an appreciation for cultural differences. At the same, time never being exposed to such an environment would also allow a person to pick out the differences of other cultures but perhaps in a different way. In saying that, I clearly show that I do in fact believe in cultural differences. But again, this is a term that can have as many meanings as people interpreting it. From my perspective, cultural differences are the actions, tendencies of dress and language, values and standpoints that vary from one group of people to another. I also think that not only can cultures be related to nationality but also the type of society in which you have a place. I make this distinction because I hardly believe the opposing class extremes of one country would say they have the same culture.
While, identifying with you culture and sharing in its characteristics can be a good thing, I also think people use it as a crutch to hide their own racism. Like in the example I used earlier, some people use their culture as a way to exclude others from being able to do the same thing which is a form of racism. Allow me to make myself clear that I have seen instances of this kind of racism coming from all races. I am certainly not just picking on African Americans.
Finally, when it comes to the division of students’ intellectual cultures in school, I find this more a “necessary evil” or at least the result of multiple factors, not just race. I say “necessary evil” because you can’t put students of different learning abilities into the same learning experience, someone would be bound to be left behind. However it also has an evil side that it does create another division between people that could be used to promote racism. Unfortunately, this is an issue for which I can’t think of a solution. It is beginning to seem to me that racism is becoming more of a natural aspect of society than just a social problem. The people, if there ever are any, who solve this problem will not just have to change people’s opinions but the very structure of society itself.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 6:52 PM
Part 1
My definition of racism is the notion that a certain race or set of races is inferior to another race or set of races. Whenever I am asked to evaluate a situation that has racial implications, I tend to distinguish from racial prejudice and racism. Now obviously racism grows out of racial prejudice. However, I feel that not all preconceived notions imply inferiority or superiority of a certain race, and those implications should be placed into the context of the speaker’s intention. In an effort to not offend anyone, I will pick on my own ethnicity. My grandmother’s side of the family is Russian. Now I am aware that “Russian” is not a race but it evokes the image of a special kind of West-of-the-Urals white person that, let’s be honest, most of Europe would like to disassociate from anyway. The notion that a thirty five year old Russian male must live in the middle of a snowy wonderland in a log cabin and has some kind of pet bear is, to me, more of a prejudice sentiment because what I described does not directly imply inferiority of the Russian people. However, it does include some stereotypes and common preconceived notions. On the other hand, there is a notion that a thirty five year old Russian male is an abusive father with a chronic vodka addiction, and he also likes to ride his pet bear into the wilderness while shooting hat walruses with an AK-47 for pleasure. This statement, instead, implies that Russians are sub-civil, barbaric, and violent idiots. To me, this sentiment is one that is racist (or anti-Slovak or whatever you must fill in here to satisfy the intent of being politically correct). I make the distinction because many people try to trivialize racism into something that is not a problem, and some try to hyperbolize meaningless ideas into something that is not as serious as most racial problems The latter I feel is perpetrated more so by overly paranoid white people. There is a special kind of white person who thinks the singular term “black” is in itself racist, which just simply is not true. I believe ignorance to racism does promote it into becoming ideology. Look no farther than today’s political landscape and you will see a bunch of “color blind” libertarians who try to take race out of the equation when forming their political agenda. People like Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, and Ron Paul actually believe that Brown vs. Board is a disgrace because anti-discrimination laws are big government, the fourteenth amendment should be repealed because it is an infringement of States’ Rights, and the Civil Rights Act somehow violates the doctrine of equal protection… which is the whole (expletive) point of the first section of the fourteenth amendment! Some bigoted jerk butts actually want to repeal these statues because they violate the “original principles” of the Constitution. But looking at this all in context, it’s hard to deny that they are just really working backwards from their racist ideology, and are trying to spread it to college kids in need of a self-satisfying purpose. These people take such pride in just pretending racism has never existed, but in all reality, it’s just a detrimental, and it’s no more than a purposeful suspension of crucial knowledge. As for existing in a unicultural (white, as the prompt specifies) environment, I believe that would trivialize the problem of race to a harmful degree. However, there are a few exceptions. There are some liberal elitists, like myself, who know how to read. (Ironically, Bunje is probably picking out my grammar errors at this very second) A wise teacher of Oakcrest once said “Reading is good stuff. You learn about other good stuff and sometimes bad stuff.”And one should never question the wisdom of Mr. Adkisson. Conversely, if you were never exposed to a multicultural environment, you would definitely be less attuned to cultural differences because some things are just learned through experiences. I believe that, yes, there are cultural differences.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 6:53 PM
Part 2
To enumerate all of the separate cultural differences is to count every star in the night sky; it’s just ambiguous and complicated. If they did not exist, than racism would not be a problem. Regardless, culture is at the core of society. Culture can be reflected in your behavior, your clothing, your ideologies, your favorite music, your willingness to communicate with others, and so on. There are many cultures in the world and there are thousands of divergent subcultures that do not need to exist along the lines of heredity. I definitely believe that people hide behind the excuses of cultural differences to excuse unruly behavior. I do this all of the time! I do this, however, to people who share a similar love of irony and satire that I do. I’ll usually use the term “white man tax” to justify taking a pencil or piece of food off of a friend’s plate. I do this not to be a jerk, but to provide comic relief in a stressful situation. Remember, this is also used in the context of the super liberal AP students who know I do not endorse such behavior in a literal situation. Or you could just call me racist. I don’t particularly have a problem with that because one sentence you will never hear me say is “I’m offended.” But at least I have the integrity to admit that I am guilty of doing this at the risk of embarrassing myself just so I could contribute to a conversation about the ambiguity of racism. This references my first point, to a certain degree, that hardcore prejudice and soft-core racism can be ambiguous. As a result, racial ambiguity makes us laugh, and if the intention is to make other laugh, is it really a malicious act? Finally, I agree with the idea that the division of levels in the educational system promotes a racial divide. I do not, however, blame the educational system for that. I blame wealth inequality and the fact that education is not prioritized at the same exact level between any two people let alone cultures. The division itself does not necessarily force the polarization of cultures, but it does help in reinforcing certain preconceived notions that may dictate what classes some people of certain cultures take. Unless some major social and economic changes occur soon, I believe I will see college the habitual demographics with about 50% Whites, 20 to 25% Asians, and the rest of existence blended in between for a while. I hope this is not the case though. Is this divide a reason to do away with Honor’s or AP? Definitely not. Everyone should have the chance to work hard for a good education, and I believe our apathy problems are just as harmful to us as our racial problems.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 7:02 PM
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Gabbie CruzSeptember 18, 2013 at 7:14 PM
When I don’t clean my room, I can’t just ignore it and expect the mess to go away. Things just don’t work like that (unless my mom would be kind enough to clean it for me). Like my messy room, racism won’t just disappear. It will continue to grow and grow and grow until everyone is aware of racism, the act of being prejudice against minorities-African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and basically anyone who isn’t white. When I went to St. Vincent de Paul, there weren’t many minorities in my class of 22, give or take a few. There were three Filipinos, one Hispanic, one African American, and the rest were white. Because I grew up in such a closed environment (the majority of which was white) that was not tolerant to racism whatsoever, I thought that I didn’t see much evidence that it existed. On Martin Luther King Day, my school would have an all-day event where we would learn about the common hobbies, foods, and dances of different cultures. All of this was presented to us by the parents of schoolmates of that race. I was somewhat exposed to the cultural differences in society, but not nearly as much as I was when I came to Oakcrest. People acted very different. They weren’t as well groomed as my classmates. Some people talked extremely informally, inappropriately and obnoxiously. Others seemed to be casual yet polite and only a little bit obnoxious.
Once I got to high school, I realized that I have witnessed racism. As I was more and more exposed to open minded thinking in high school and through social media, I realized that people are still racist. People make racist comments all the time, and some people don’t even realize it. Last year, I frequently heard people saying something along the lines of, “Ain’t nobody got time for that” which is a reference to a video of an African American who is a member of the lower class who dressed extremely casually and talked improperly. That video went viral because that person fit the stereotype of African Americans and people found funny. People were more focused on the person’s physical attributes and language rather than the actual news he/she was sharing about being robbed (I don’t recall whether or not that is what actually happened).
Racism is not something that can easily be fixed. It was cultivated into this country since Christopher Columbus and the other explorers sailed here. They brought Africans to America as slaves. Their race was not allowed to be educated whatsoever. African Americans weren’t even seen as equal until the 20th century. If you think about it, that wasn’t too long ago. It is reflected in the way people treat minorities. As a minority, I sometimes receive racist comments. Over the summer at work, an African American boy ordered his meal in a terrible representation of a Chinese accent. Under peer pressure, the kid probably thought that a racist comment towards an Asian would be alright since he too is a minority-a minority that is sometimes stereotyped to be dangerous, untrustworthy and maybe even rude.
Racial divides aren’t very much affected by the class levels in school. It depends on how hard a person works and how he/she was brought up. If the person comes from a good home with motivational guardians, the person often ends up in the higher level classes. However, sometimes people have good homes, but they are spoiled and end up not trying in school. The majority of the United States is made up of white middle class. A good amount of minority families struggle to be financially stable. So that could affect the children of the family. Parents might be too busy working to raise their children to want to work hard and do well in school so they can break the vicious cycle of the lower class and end the stereotypes.
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Neil Philip 651September 18, 2013 at 7:19 PM
Part I:
If there were ever a theme more central to American society and American history, it would have to be race, along with its inevitable evil twin, racism. The issue of racism has been debated by authors, poets, and Nobel laureates alike for centuries, yet when it comes to defining racism, a consensus can rarely be found. One’s definition of racism is a product of one’s character and thus can be distinct from another’s definition. My definition of racism, motivated by my life experience, is prejudice based on the ethnicity or culture of a group. Harming another based on this racial prejudice is what is aptly called a hate crime: it is a crime based on racism, not racism in and of itself.
While we all have our different definitions of racism, we must at least have some realistic one, lest we become ignorant to the problem. Ignorance of racism promotes the ideology. People must be aware of racism so they do not to fall victim to its logical fallacy. This is because humans, as a collective, are intrinsically intolerant; it is our life experiences and our education that teach us to be more tolerant and open-minded. Humans are not innately racist, but without knowledge of the ideology and its consequences, we leave ourselves susceptible to accepting it. As history has proven time and time again, society is prone to shunning and mischaracterizing that which is different and that which we do not understand. So if we understand that intolerance and conservatism are basic human nature and we largely agree that gross intolerance, like racism, is a despicable ideology, then the only remedy to the problem is the knowledge that the problem exists and that it is an incessant evil in our world. If we are aware of our own susceptibility to racism, it is only through education and experience that we may inoculate ourselves against it. Thus, ignoring the problem is not the way to solve it, because ignoring it leaves us vulnerable to the ideological scourge that has caused such large scale turmoil throughout the history of our country.
It is true that if you live in an area that is dominated by one ethnicity and you are in this ethnic majority, you do not see much racism in person, because everyone is the same race. However, if some more people of ethnic variety were to move into this area (or you were to move), the chances that racism and discrimination would occur would be very high, as evinced previously in this passage. Also, because we live in such an interconnected world, while we may not see much racism in person, we would still experience it on the internet in social media or in nationwide politics or any venue where different ethnic groups could come into contact. Predominantly white areas with few, if any, blacks would certainly be tempted with an opportunity to judge and form opinions on blacks when Barack Obama came into office.
If I were to completely isolate myself into a single-culture environment such as a more extreme version of the aforementioned predominant white areas and then suddenly expose myself to our wonderfully diverse American society, I would probably be in culture shock. It’s such a hard concept to contemplate because I have spent my entire life as a minority in the most diverse society in the world. I imagine if I were to see another ethnically-dissimilar person for the first time in my life, I’d think they were another species. This is of course assuming I was completely ignorant to all outside culture. Thus, I would probably be very acute to cultural differences in society, namely because of the adaptive engine inside the human psyche. Humans have the natural tendency to lump together, prejudge, and stereotype that which we do not understand. It’s a defense mechanism; it’s how we adapt to rapidly changing environmental stimuli. This is a great skill -- vital in fact for our very survival, but as mankind has learned, there are times when we should not just blindly follow instinct for the very flaw that instinct predicates itself on – instinct can be disastrously wrong.
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Neil Philip 651September 18, 2013 at 7:20 PM
Part II:
Of course, this begs the question of whether or not there are discernible cultural differences to begin with. We are all human, so couldn’t we theoretically have a unified culture? Unequivocally yes! That’s actually the trend we are moving towards – as globalization continues to unfold and make the world a smaller place, a phenomenon anthropologists are calling “cultural diffusion” is taking place. This phenomenon does exactly what its name suggests: it is slowly integrating and hybridizing culture into this grand, unified, “human” culture. However, this cultural unifying force is far off from reaching equilibrium, so as we stand, there are numerous cultural differences. These cultural differences branch off from the ideological tree of life – values. Each human has his or her own unique set of values, yet many specific values we share in both presence and intensity. The values we develop are hugely impacted by our upbringing, which is impacted by the heritage and shared values of ethnically and geographically close people. Society, in its most primitive form, is built around the collaboration of like-minded people who share the same values and who will raise their kids with the same values. Thus cultural differences are both present and promoted by the inheritance of these shared values from diverse ancestors.
Sometimes, people will take advantage of these cultural differences and use it as an alibi to do inappropriate or obnoxious behavior. I can see this in lunch, when Dave takes part of my lunch and declares it “White Man Tax” -- as if that justifies the action. Obviously, this is done facetiously, and when I would have no objections to the action. In return, I perpetuate my own stereotype as a minority by demanding “welfare” when I need to borrow (take) money from him. While these actions satirize the stereotypes and cultural differences, this post made me consider the fact that what we are satirizing is just a hyperbolic form of reality. The reason our country is so large is because we somehow believed that our being White gave us claim to all the lands west of the Mississippi and that by giving it a term – manifest destiny – that it was somehow justified. If killing people and annexing their ancestral land is not obnoxious, I don’t know what is.
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Neil Philip 651September 18, 2013 at 7:21 PM
Part III:
While Dave and I perpetuate racial stereotypes with the intention of discrediting them through satire, there are still significant -- some may even say segregative -- forces still at work in our society that work inimically towards this goal. One of them, inevitably, is our academic class divisions. I first came to this conclusion last year after a particularly long round of introspection. I simply wondered: Why don’t I have more Black friends? Logically I reasoned it was not because I somehow favored White or Asian friends more; I know myself well enough to make that conclusion rather swiftly. I arrived at the point that my friends are largely a product of my school environment. My friends are largely AP’ers. I considered the fact that in my Calculus class of 25, there was not a SINGLE black student. While this is admittedly an anomaly, it epitomizes the fact that there are just not many blacks in our “AP” class division. Thus, I am simply not in nearly as much contact with black students as I am with students of other ethnicities. I foresee this problem compounding in college (One can only conjecture as to how acute the issue would be without affirmative action). Thus, I make the final leap that these class divisions do promote a racial divide unintentionally. The solution to this problem cannot be quick and cannot be easy. We tried that with affirmative action and while it has been effective in lessening the damage, it is just a Band-aid on the problem. Likely, fixing the issue will require large scale cultural and educational reform. I wish I could claim to have the solution, but if I did, I would be busy challenging Arne Duncan for his job. But I digress; we all must first accept that the issue exists. The first step to solving a problem is knowing that there is one.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 7:23 PM
Racism. In my opinion racism is when a person doesn’t like another person based on their race or culture. Many people ignore racism for their own reasons like not acknowledging it because they don’t believe in it. Ignorance of racism only prevents this from becoming an ideology. This is true because the situation needs to be addressed, nothing will ever be fixed or terminated if it is unaddressed because no problem could be fixed like this. The truth is that racism will always be around because you cannot control people’s minds. That is meant by this is even if society looks down upon something doesn’t mean that a person will follow what everyone else thinks this person has his own mind and if he/she doesn’t like someone based on their culture or color then there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Most people don’t notice racism very much anymore because it is not that prominent. One thing that will contribute to racism being more prominent in someone’s life is to experience whether it’s witnessing something being done to someone else or to themselves. Many people live in neighborhoods where there is a lot of the same types of people and it is not until an outcast comes and you see the way someone might treat another person in not the most respectful of ways. For example the Vineland area is mainly populated with Spanish people, and although it’s possible, most people of the same race do not criticize or hate among each other, but if that Spanish person would move to an all-white community and someone were to hate on that person it would be much more noticeable. People who are only exposed to their own cultural environment would be much less attuned to the many cultural differences in society. Those people would miss so many cultural differences, for example different arts like dancing or singing, the different manners cultures possess, and different expectations. If someone doesn’t know anything but their culture they will miss out on others because they will have no diversity to pick out the other cultures. Do people hide behind the definition of cultural differences to excuse behavior? Well the answer is yes because people always do immature things and blame on their beliefs of what they should and should not do. Finally the division between the AP, Honors, and CP classes prevents the racial divide. This is true because the higher achievements and the harder they will work is what decides what classes they would be put into, not their race or culture. In the end the only people who really win the race is the ones who realize we are all equal.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 8:10 PM
Part One:

Everyone has their own unique perspective when it comes to racism. We all interpret it differently, and while that is okay sometimes, I believe that many people are far too close-minded in their views of racism. It is very popular amongst Americans to involuntarily associate racism with the Civil Rights Movement, and the segregation between whites and blacks. But to me, racism has roots reaching much deeper than Martin Luther King Jr. and slavery. Racism can be between any people of any race or heritage, and often time’s entails one race or group imagining themselves somehow superior over another race. And more often than I think we realize, we promote racism within people of our own skin color or culture. Walking through the halls of Oakcrest every day I am bombarded by the N word, from students of every race and skin color one could possibly think of. And yet we allow this, and we seem to think nothing of it. As far as I am concerned, that is a horribly demeaning word that should never be said, but we seem to have no problem throwing it around with one another as if it were a joke. That brings me to the question, does ignorance of racism have an effect on it becoming an ideology? And to that I would have to say yes. I don’t think that it applies in every situation, but our lack of concern or our ignorance towards racism undoubtedly promotes it.
It does not take a genius to look around even in our tiny town of Mays Landing and see the division of races. I am not afraid to say that the neighborhood I have grown up in is composed of a majority of white families, and I absolutely believe that plays a factor in my sensitivity towards racism. If I did not attend a public school, I would most likely be numb to the severity of racism that exists here because I would not have been exposed to it. But my neighborhood is not a bubble that shields me from the rest of the world, you don’t have to go very far beyond the walls of your own home to witness acts of racism. We would all be liars if we said we have never made a racist comment or committed a racist act, whether it was done with the intention to hurt someone else or not. Thankfully, I have been exposed to a multicultural environment, and that has allowed me to become much attuned to the differences amongst us. I say thankfully because I think exposure to cultural differences is important. And cultural differences most definitely do exist, we eat different food, we use different language, we wear different clothes, we have different values, and all of these differences account for the division and racism that we face. I think that people not only hide behind the definition of cultural differences to excuse rude, inappropriate or obnoxious behavior, but they also use it as a mechanism for shielding their own racism. Racism has been used as a crutch for far too long, it’s like the boy who cried wolf. But yet, every time someone cries racism we all come running. Please don’t take that in any way to mean that I don’t think that racism can be blamed for many of the problems in our society, because it absolutely can, but I think it is used as an excuse more often than it should be, simply because it is an easy diagnosis. But this only feeds the prospering problem that we are faced with.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 8:10 PM
Part Two:
When it comes to the division of class levels within schools promoting a racial divide, I think that argument could go in many directions. We all have the potential and the tools at our disposal to challenge ourselves academically and enroll in higher level classes. Hard work and determination are not a matter of race, but the support from families and diverse expectations absolutely play a role. Your background and how you are raised definitely affect your views of yourself and the abilities you have. Different cultures raise their children dissimilarly when it comes to education, if you come from a culture of extremely grade-strict parents who push you constantly to do well in school and take honors classes, then you absolutely have a greater chance of being an AP level student. Conversely, if you come from a culture that does not value education so highly, then you may be content with being in CP classes. But race is in no way a valid excuse for intellectual capability, any student can defy the barriers of social racism and excel to the degree of any AP or honors student.
Racism has grown to be much more than a social issue, it has become a major part of our society. And as sad as that is, nothing will ever change as long as people choose to keep their indifferent attitudes and ignore the problem that seems to be growing rather than fading away.
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VincentLSeptember 18, 2013 at 8:32 PM
For me there are two versions and thus two definitions of Racism. There is REAL racism which is the discrimination and or mistreatment of another person or a group of people solely because of their race. The second kind of racism is harder to explain and I will touch on that a bit later. Racism is caused by many things but one of the larger factors that cause racism is people’s fear of things they do not understand. Nowadays we are fully aware of why there are different races so it isn’t unknown to us but racism is deeply rooted in the history of humanity and when race discrimination started we didn’t have the knowledge that we have now. So let’s assume that this white kid (let’s call him Jimmy.) is raised in a town that is predominantly white. Jimmy’s parents still have opinions on other races, Jimmy also has access to the internet and other forms of media, so it is going to be very hard for Jimmy not to hear something about racial differences and the things that people do because of those differences. Even if it was 50 years ago Jimmy would still hear his parents talk about race and he would see news on the TV about hate crimes and other things involving race. The only true way to be raised with no knowledge of racial discrimination would be for Jimmy to grow up in a society that is completely unaware that other races exist. But if that were the case it is so in our nature to fear and want to destroy things we don’t understand that if Jimmy’s town came in contact with a completely different race, they would most likely discover racism and at least so of the townsfolk would want to get rid of the new race. So Ignorance and I mean complete ignorance does promote racism.
If I had never been exposed to a multicultural environment and then I was suddenly introduced into a multicultural society I would most definitely less attuned to the cultural differences than someone who had grown up in that environment. I would but confused and have no understanding as to why there are so many different looking people suddenly. So obviously I believe that there are cultural differences and there are many of them. There are the visible cultural differences like the way different people wear their hair, they clothes they wear, the way they carry themselves, the way they interact with each other, the foods they enjoy and the way they decorate their houses. Cultural differences are all over the frickin place!
Remember that other definition of racism I was talking about? It comes into play here, I call this racism, Modern Racism, it is just people using the guise of racial differences to disarm anyone saying just about anything to them. Today it isn’t uncommon for someone to be labeled a racist just because they get annoyed with another person’s obnoxious behavior. This is largely what racism has become in the eyes of society, just an excuse for people to act out. Not to belittle real racism, I am aware that it is out there and I hate that it is still around for people, it is really sad that the victims of real racism are sort of just being ignored because of the influx of people who cry “YOU”RE A RACIST” at every obstacle they face or objection to their behavior. This is regardless of racial background.
Different leveled classes neither promote nor prevent racism. They really have no connection to race. The thing that gets a kid into a higher level class is their academic ability and academic ability is something that is affected by a kids motivation levels and their families’ support of that kid’s academic success. These things may have been able to been connected to race before but nowadays those connections just aren’t prevalent.
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Neil Philip 651September 18, 2013 at 9:53 PM
I too dislike how complacent people can be when declaring someone a racist. In all reality, that is a serious accusation; one that shouldn't be made lightly or with disregard for the consequences. I think calling it Modern Racism is giving it too much credit though -- it's more aptly called fake racism or maybe BS racism. I think as far as your leveled classes comment, I think you need to consider the racial composition of the different levels. The premise is correct -- there shouldn't be a connection between race and academic performance, but nonetheless, there is serious statistical evidence to prove otherwise.
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UnknownSeptember 18, 2013 at 10:45 PM
Racism is the intolerance for one another solely based on the color of skin. The ignorance of this shameful element of society in my opinion promotes the idea. If one is not aware of the hardships that others have to go through simply because they were born into a culture that is not approved by others, how can they possibly know whether or not the actions they do is considered to be offensively racist to another? To say that I’ve first handedly experienced discrimination because of my race as a significant obstacle in my life would be a total lie. For one thing, I’m white. Not only am I white, but I grew up in an almost cliché “white-picket-fence” neighborhood. Not to mention, that all of my neighbors were white and seemingly well off. There are lots of different cultures of the white population. I’m aware that white is not an ethnicity but whether you’re Italian, Greek, Irish, or French, you’re most likely going to have similar milky complexions. This complexion has for centuries been deemed as the characteristic of the superior race. Being a member of this race has honestly saved me from the brute of the blow. So to some degree, I feel as if I almost have no place to judge whether or not racism in a huge problem still. However, I believe that no matter what race one identifies himself with or what their surroundings are, simply acknowledging that racism is evident in the daily lives of society’s members is almost like common sense. As I got older and started going to school with kids that came from all types of ethnic backgrounds, I was right away introduced to the idea of racism. However, in my opinion, one’s tolerance for others at a young age comes from how one is raised. In reality, underneath the skin pigment, mannerisms, accents, tradition and ways of life, people are simply…people. We all appeared on this Earth in the same fashion and after an undetermined amount of time; we’ll all leave in the same way too. I truly believe that there is no legitimate cultural difference. In the same token, what frustrates me the most is that people hide behind their “culture” to excuse themselves from receiving consequences due to rude behavior. Putting one another down and believing the notion that it’s okay to feel like one is above the social standards of empathy and acceptance has in no way, shape, or form, a place in any culture. Culture, according to Webster’s dictionary, is “the total range of activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the group", not a “get out of jail free” card.
On the other hand, the issue concerning class divides questions whether or not racism and separation is nearly promoted in school comes to my attention. Though it is true that for the most part, just from what I see, minorities are generally the most common pupils in CP classes, and it is the opposite for honors and AP classes, I don’t believe academics and intelligence has to do with where your family roots trace back to. While it’s safe to say that a student's good grades can be primarily linked to a motivating at home environment, I think that class separation shouldn’t be considered as a threat to the integration and mixture of different cultures in the classroom. As I look around my classes and on this blog, I see faces of every color. To be an AP or honors student does not mean that you have to be a certain race. To be at this social stature, all that is needed is the will to work and succeed.
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Danielle SalvatierraSeptember 18, 2013 at 11:53 PM
Finding what racism truly means is hard, each and every person has a different view of racism and this depends on his or her own race. However, I believe that racism is when someone is discriminated due to his or her race. Growing up from another side of the world, in which I got a different view of racism. Back in the Philippines, everyone seemed to praise Caucasians, but seem to look down on African Americans. They always seemed to point them out in a bad way. There’s also the fact that a majority of Filipinos always seem to want to be white and did not want to get dark. It’s sad to say, but I never really quite understood racism until I moved to the United States. Racism exists all over the world, but not everyone necessarily knows how badly it could affect people. This leads me to say that the lack of knowledge on racism promotes it to becoming an ideology and that there will always be cultural differences in this world. Every single person is raised differently and is their own person. No one acts the exact same way as another person, but this does not mean that we should treat each other differently due to the way we were raised or our skin color. We are all people that come from our mothers and we should treat each other equally. Sadly, people use these cultural differences to cover up their rude, inappropriate or obnoxious behavior. When we see someone that’s a different race and we don’t like something about them, we tend to use their race as an excuse as to why we don’t like them. Using someone’s race seems to be a common excuse for everyone. This is why racism is such a widespread problem.
I don’t think that the division of class level within schools promote racial divide. It doesn’t matter if you’re African American, Hispanic, Asian or Caucasian, we all have the same opportunity to climb through the education system and take the highest class level that is offered. I don’t believe that anyone is automatically born as a genius, what makes us get to where we are in school is our own motivation and our perseverance to excel. Being an Asian does not automatically make anyone smart, we all work hard to get to where we’re at, if you don’t try you won’t succeed. Race is not the reason for a divide in classes; it is simply the amount of effort that you display towards your work.
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UnknownSeptember 19, 2013 at 12:14 AM
Hii Danielle S.,that is a cool passage. I think that the part of the World you grew up has a similar connection just that some perhaps most Africans want to be white. I think we should all appreciate our colors.the conclusion drew my attention to the fact that a good job deserves to be praised therefore Good job.
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Aubree TomaselloSeptember 19, 2013 at 12:15 AM
Racism. A discrimination between races, cultural background, and heritage. The word still makes me sick to my stomach even being sixteen years old and being around it daily. Its 2013, we’re a new generation where there are so many different cultures surrounding us. Ignorance of racism in fact promotes the ideology of it. If nobody said anything about any remark or racist comment, everything would be worse. We address the problem of racism frequently- but it’s still a problem. It’s like addressing the problem of drugs or alcohol or stealing. We address it and lecture about it- but it still happens. People have their own opinions and thoughts on things. Nobody can make anybody think the “right” way. Or, think the way they want them to. Therefore, there will never be the day where there is zero racism. It’s impossible. It’s pathetic. It’s unfortunate to the extreme. I live in a multicultural neighborhood- blacks, whites, Indians, Asian, etc. I always have been exposed in a multi-cultural environment- I like it that way. But, one thing I hate- my neighbor. Instead of wanna-be cop, he is a wanna-be George Zimmerman. I live in a development where there are single-family homes, and twin houses. Houses are not special- nothing big and beautiful. This wanna-be Zimmerman has cameras on every corner of his house on the outside. It records and takes pictures of whoever is near walking by. My stepdad found all this out while having a casual conversation with him one day. The man said to my stepdad, “Those little n****** keep getting the ball stuck in my fence.” I was dumb founded and jaw dropped. The word sends shivers up my spine and makes me cringe. I’m not too sure myself how it feels to be acted at this way. The only time the good ole “reverse racism” hit me are when people talk about how I’m too short and too white to play basketball and run track. However, I live by the ever-so-famous kindergarten taught quote, “Treat others the way you would like to be treated.” Everyone is equal. Over 100%. Everybody should be treated equal and feel equal to their peers around them. The division of class “levels” within schools neither promotes nor prevents a racial divide. The AP, honors, CP, Non-CP classes all has to do with your intellectuality. The factors that play into that is your home life, your study assets, how you’ve been your whole life in school, your educational career, etc. Skin color does not affect intelligence. Everybody works their hardest to get where they want to be in the classroom. Whether you’re black white or Spanish.
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Taty RodriguezSeptember 19, 2013 at 12:19 AM
For the first 10 or so years of my life, I was incredibly ignorant of any kind of cultural difference anywhere. All I knew was that according to my parents, I was half Filipino and half Puerto- Rican. My parents were just one each, and my older brother was black. Needless to say, everything at home was pretty mixed but I still didn’t know what any of it meant. Actually now that I think back to it, when I was in 3rd grade I think I lied to my Spanish teacher and told her I was from Puerto Rico, because in my young mind I honestly thought that was how it worked. Being older now a lot more has been explained to me, and while I’m no longer completely clueless and know that to some level I should be embarrassed of how I was then, there’s still a large grey area in my understanding. Therefore, the only concrete thought I have is that to me, racism is just any predetermined thought or opinion one might have of someone else due to their ethnicity.
Obviously, there are still tons of issues with racism going on all the time. The new Miss America has just been dealing with some pretty unkind comments about her being Indian, and that’s truly just a shame. The only good thing about it is that at this point, America being how it is and being so overly sensitive about everything, at least by most that kind of treatment is frowned upon. I’m not exactly inexperienced with it myself. As the mutt I am I’ve had personal experience with just about all stereotypes that exist. I’ve been told all sorts of things- these include being a gifted thief and having some kind of stabbing/shanking ability, and only getting good grades because I’m Asian (or conversely, not always being able to keep them because I’m not Asian enough) . Though I’m pretty good about letting things roll off my shoulders, if I really sat down to think about it, these are kind of the most frustrating statements ever. However, I’ve learned to live with all those kinds of things because it’s all just a huge joke. More than that, these sort of things are okay because they’re something that a weird pride is taken in, at least by my family. Sometime last month in the middle of a busy restaurant my father made an obnoxious and loud declaration that you could tell we were Spanish because my grandpa wanted to steal the salt and pepper shakers. I laughed of course, but I really do believe that my dear father thought that being Spanish made that an okay thing to do, or that it was even expected of him. I feel like to most an intrinsic part of human nature is to act how you are expected to, at least at some point. That’s certainly not a good thing but to people like me that are constantly working to keep up with the pressures caused by my family, my friends, and myself it explains quite a bit.
To make it clear, I enjoy being mixed. Though I’d like to think that I don’t use either of my halves as an excuse to be taken advantage of, I will say it gives me a sense of freedom I’m not sure other people have. The automatic sort of ‘credit’ I get for being a member of a certain group, or just acting in a certain way, means I’m able to act pretty much however I want, without having to keep it up all the time. As a result I’m able to assimilate to others pretty easily, and I keep a pretty diverse, close-knit group of friends regardless of how my classes are split up. Sadly for most people that is not the case. While it’s not something these class divisions meant to do they definitely set up a barrier simply because of what I stated earlier about the importance of expectation. Once a precedent is set up it’s pretty hard to break away from in anything. It’s not as if school systems don’t try to even out such imbalances that may be caused by race, but the systems in place are all imperfect at best.
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Logan D.September 19, 2013 at 12:24 AM
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Logan D.September 19, 2013 at 12:24 AM
All everyone talks about in this day in age is racism. Growing up in an all white community I never really witnessed it much around my home or neighborhood. Once I got to high school, my surroundings changed drastically. I was no longer in the “enrichment pull out classes,” I was with a variety of different people, all different races. Things started to come into perspective as I walked through the hallways of Oak and witnessed some of the many crazy examples of racism. In my opinion people make racism out to be so much more then it really is. White people think that black people are racist while black people think that white people are the racist ones. Ignoring racism would honestly be the smartest idea. If the people in this world could all come together and be happy as a whole we wouldn’t have to sweat the small stuff such as racism. I believe this country as a whole has many problems with racism. I believe that one race is always blaming the other, and there is never a happy medium for anything. One person always has to win; therefore the world will never become equal. I think that there are definitely differences in cultures. I think that people use “racist comments” all of the time. They do in fact hide behind the definition of cultural differences to excuse obnoxious behavior. You always have to watch what you say because people are always after you and will flip-flop your words to make you look like the bad guy.
Finally I think that the division of classes in high school isn’t meant to promote or prevent racial divide. In my opinion, everyone is equal. Everyone has an equal opportunity to live up to his or her fullest potential. If you take it, then go you! But the others who aren’t up for the challenge and just slide through high school place themselves in class. Therefore I do not believe that school is meant to racially divide students but rather it’s the students who divide themselves.
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UnknownSeptember 19, 2013 at 1:09 AM
I see racism as simply the negative judgement and discrimination specifically aimed at a certain racial group. It’s ridiculous to think that it even exists. Who knew that so much hate towards a specific group could be manifested simply because of their skin tone. This is not typically the preferred topic to discuss at the dinner table but it is also a topic that should not be avoided. We tend to stray away from questioning whether certain remarks are racist because they usually seem minor. This is because our society has glorified racism by hiding it within humorous forms of entertainment. Some of the most popular forms of comedic entertainment include racial discrimination as part of the punchline but we tend to not bring attention to the severity of the joke. Instead, we choose to laugh it off because we view it as something meant to be light hearted. However, the longer we glorify these discriminatory remarks, the worse racism will get. Ignorance may be bliss but in reality it’s the cause of a huge social problem. Racism has become part of our daily lives that we sometimes don’t even recognize it. This may be because we have decreased the severity of racism compared to what it was back before the Civil Rights Movement. Although we no longer publicly segregate racial groups, we still have ways to go. It’s important that we teach younger children to become more accepting and aware of other ethnicities because that is what will help make racism less and less present. There is and always will be a variety of different groups of people with different ways of life and different skin tones. That’s pretty neat to think that we are all different in one way or another. It shouldn’t be seen as a negative thing to be surrounded with such a diverse community. It’s good to be exposed to a multicultural environment because it helps us adapt to a variety of different cultures. There are definitely cultural differences and we should all take pride in the fact that that’s what makes us unique. Instead of being disgusted at the fact that we are surrounded with people who look or were raised differently than us, we should be taking interest in the different lifestyles. If we all learned to stay open-minded to the racial diversity then racism would most likely be nonexistent. We have the ability to acquire knowledge on so many types of interesting and unique cultures yet we choose to be stubborn when we immediately resort to hating a group of people for being different. Cultural differences have unfortunately been used as an excuse for many people to excuse their rude behavior. Not only is it bad enough that someone could ever be so crude to anyone, now they are trying to use race as a legitimate reason behind the purpose of an insult. Different levels of classes has nothing to do with ones race. Everyone is human and we all have different levels of intelligence and determination. Race is irrelevant to whether or not someone has the ability to do more advanced level work. There tends to be an association of a majority of a certain race with a certain class level but in reality race plays an unimportant role in the deciding factor of how intelligent one is.
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DanielleTheLionKingScarSeptember 19, 2013 at 7:37 PM
Over the summer I read the book “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell. That book is all about your intuition, how and who you naturally are and what society has made you to be. I wanted to put that out there because one; it’s an amazing book that everyone should read. And two; there was a section of the book that talked about how we subconsciously are racists. Not naturally (thankfully) but from what we’ve learned from society’s stereotypes and judgments. In that section there were statistics given from different tests conducted on oblivious patients. One statistic showed that when people of a certain race who are usually labeled as stupid are told to state their race before an entrance exam to a course, failed. When asked why they failed they replied with “I don’t know, I guess I’m just not smart enough.” However when taking the test without a questionnaire they passed. I don’t know about you guys but that gets me fired up. Do you realize that we are limiting opportunity with our words and judgments?! We are pushing them down without anyone even realizing it! Before I go onto a rant about society I’m going to give you the literal definition of racism. Racism is racial prejudice and/ or discrimination. Today racism is any stereotypical judgment, but it has really been limited to white versus blacks. So going off Gladwell’s theory, I believe the only way to stop with this silent oppression is by forgiving and forgetting. We are a product of what we see. Until you realize that you don’t have to be. I say we stop teaching such a bias history curriculum. We just leave behind slavery. Our generation is ready for it. You can tell by the way we use the n-word today. Our elders say “You have no clue as to the true meaning of that word. It’s a word conceived from hate.” We no longer have that hate; we only have subconscious judgments that have been etched into our brains. People will say “Well how do we prevent slavery from happening again?” Slavery wasn’t something someone made up to discriminate; it was originally for all races. The only reason it became mainly Africans is because of triangle trading. Africans had no defenses and could easily be abducted. Also, we have laws now to protect people and their rights. Cultural differences are culture. Culture should have nothing to do with your skin tone but rather how you want to live your life. We are all humans and we all have feelings. It’s time to stop making exclusive groups and let everyone in such as classes. I guarantee more people would take higher level classes if their friends were in it. Its time to be understanding and respectful to human beings everywhere, anyone you meet and the only one who can make a difference is you. We need to have the innocence of a child and embrace everything because this is life and your happiness is a priority, and unless you’re Hitler, no one should feel any joy in the oppression of people.
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