In the Adams textbook, the reading on "Defining Racism" was interesting and enlightening, yet somewhat disturbing. I guess I never really thought about the concept of the lack of information about a person/subject matter being just as strong as (if not stronger than) the misinformation of the same. There was the example of how a young white woman who was preparing to be an English teacher hadn't been exposed to any black authors in her previous educational experience. So, she was ill-equipped to teach this portion of English lit. to her future students. On the other hand, a white male in the same class felt that he didn't know of any black authors because there weren't any out there. (pause) Okay, we all know that just because you don't know about a thing does not mean that it doesn't exist. I think he should've just kept that part of his ignorance to himself and asked his teacher for a list of black authors, instead of just assuming that they didn't exist. Even if this was an example of a class discussion which took place prior to the internet access we have today, the "card catalog" in the school/public libraries has existed for quite some time. All he had to do was ask somebody. (enough of that)
While prejudice is defined as "... a preconceived judgment or opinion, usually based on limited information." (p. 67), racism is defined as "... prejudice plus power". (p. 68) When I think about these definitions, they really make sense. Over the years, these two terms have been used interchangeably in conversations that I've heard as well as some in which I've engaged. This was more so due to my own ignorance about the subject matter, and not really wanting to know about the deeper meaning of either term, than what I've been taught by my parents, other family members, or people in the community. I guess I'm somewhat naive about the whole thing. I still like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and not just assume that everything that happens to me (or, around me) is because of my skin color, SES, or any other labels which others may try to attach to me based solely on my outer appearance. This whole racial thing has come up in many class discussions since I transferred to U.T. in the Fall 2009 semester. It's been said that racism has not gone away, but just taken on different forms over the years. When I applied to U.T., the first response that I received in the letter from the Admissions Office staff was NO. Immediately, I contacted the person who was named at the end of the letter, and played phone tag for a couple of days until I was told what I could do to appeal the decision. Once I did what I was advised, I got a second response of YES, and within a week of the first letter, I had been accepted for admission. On the other hand, I have a nephew who's been trying to get into U.T., and based on the influence of his dad (and, maybe others), he's expressed that he hasn't gotten in just because he's black. I put in my two cents worth about it, but it didn't do any good. So, I don't know what else to tell him. I got in as a transfer student (with many college hours under my belt, and a g.p.a. which shows that I take my grades seriously), and he was initially trying to get in as a high school graduate, wanting to play football for U.T., but other areas may have been lacking something. Oh well, I try to give him moral support, and let him know that there are other avenues to consider to reach his goals. Every time something doesn't go the way a person would like doesn't always have to do with gender, race/ethnicity, SES, religious beliefs (or, not), or sexual orientation. Sometimes, we get a NO response because the thing that we're pursuing is not for us at that particular time (if at all). Get over it, and move on! I know that it's not always easy to do that, but the bottom line is that life does go on, even when individuals are disappointed about certain outcomes in their personal lives. We all have to go through this at times.
About white privilege: The article by Peggy McIntosh, entitled "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" is mentioned on p. 68 of the reading. I'd read this in a couple of previous classes. In case you haven't read it before, she includes a list of 26 items to which whites have access in their daily lives that many people of color don't have. The list includes: (2) "... I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area, which I can afford and in which I would want to live." (4) "I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed." (13) "I can speak in public to a powerful male group without putting my race on trial." (14) "I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race." (18) "I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to "the person in charge," I will be facing a person of my race." (19) "If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race." As I'd mentioned earlier, I'm just naive when it comes to many of these situations, and hope that I am never put in a position in which I am totally disrespected, disregarded, or deeply scarred because I'm a black-working class-female. I try to treat others with respect, and expect nothing less from them in return.
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