Equality Versus Equity in Dear White People In the film, Dear White People (Simien & Serrano, 2014), there were many conflicts among different social groups, but the most conflicts that took place were among the racial groups of whites and blacks. The black group of students throughout the film called attention to the lack of fairness they received compared to the white group of students who were treated better than them. This represents the concept of equity defined by Baumeister and Bushman (2014) as the idea that each person receives benefits in proportion to what he or she contributes. Equity is a contrast to Baumeister and Bushman’s (2014) definition of equality, which is where each person gets the same amount, regardless of what he or …show more content…
In the show, Sam drew attention to how black people are treated unfairly by white people. She made remarks such as “Dear white people, this just in: Dating a black person to piss your parents off is a form of racism” (Simien & Serrano, 2014) or “Dear white people, the minimum requirement of black friends needed to not seem racist has been raised to two” (Simien & Serrano, 2014). These statements were made because she interpreted that there was racism in the student body and consequently, made group dynamics between white and black students more hostile. An implied message in these statements was that black people have been treated unfairly because of an equity based system, not an equality based system. Black students did not have more money, resources or student numbers as much as white students, which made them contribute less to the student body. Also, the messages subtly made the point that black people have been seen as lower status and that trying to make things equal and fair among races was a failed attempt and more of an insult to blacks. This furthers the interpretation that there is an unspoken difference between the races, when really there should not
Fair does not always mean equal. Fair and equal are not the same this can be illustrated in the similarities and differences between Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have a Dream speech.”
Equality involves the perceived idea that everyone is created equal. Although this is a concept that is all over America, it is more ideal rather than a reality. Equality is the idea that individuals are treated the same, regardless of their race, gender, or religion. Since the founding of
Peddy McIntosh highlighted various unearned white privileges in her autobiographical article “White Privilege, Color and Crime: A Personal Account.” She illustrated the white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that one white person could count on cashing in each day. White people have these privileges given to them by the society in which they live in. The same society taught them to be ignorant and unawareness of these privileges. This system of unearned privileges established by white individuals made people of color feel oppressed. In this system being white is a norm and dominant power. Caucasians, who benefit most from the white privilege system in the United States, are more likely to
The stereotypes in the story, makes it difficult for the readers to conclude the race of each character. People assume that the African American character would be illiterate and uneducated and the white character to be well-educated. During the time period of the story African Americans did not have access to a decent education; making it harder for them to learn just the basics. Whites had access to good education, making it easy to believe the white character is more educated. It is also believed that a person that is well educated will have a better lifestyle when they are older. A well-educated person will have a better job, paying more, and have a better opportunity to afford the means of a luxurious lifestyle. An under educated person will most likely live in poverty, struggle for their basic needs, or live in a declining neighborhood. Behavior is a harder stereo type to use to distinguish a race. Many assume that whites have an entitled attitude toward life. Whites had access to a good education and jobs, they had a “I’m better than you” attitude. On the other hand, many think African Americans were upset because of how easy it was for whites to have better access to the basic necessities such as education and housing.
Equality means to treat everyone the same. Everyone should have equal opportunities and access to resources and services regardless of their individual needs or differences. For example equal access to a building for wheelchair users.
“White privilege refers to the fact that in many societies, “white” people have access to greater power, authority, and privileges, than non-white people” (Robbins et al. 2013:81). It goes beyond letting white people get away with more than other races; it also discriminates against them. This is well illustrated by the history of white privilege in America and how it changed over time (Nkomo & Ariss 2013) and how white privilege is used to benefit white people (Blum n.d). Without white privilege, people would be equal and perhaps live in a more peaceful society. Therefore, if white privilege has been around for years and continues to be an issue in America and all around the world, than without educating the population and making them aware of the issue it will continue to happen.
equality – It means that regardless of our race, gender, or sexuality, everyone should be treated as equal and given the same opportunities to achieve their best.
Many white Americans are living with the fear that they didn't really deserve their success, and that maybe luck and privilege had more to do with it, than brains and hard work. There are numerous reasons for the widespread discrimination at all levels, but the main reason for the existence of discrimination is a privilege to certain groups of people, and widespread social prejudice towards certain groups of people. Differences between people have always existed, but they gain in importance only when are different importance given to certain differences, so it creates privileges. People who are privileged in one society are often not aware of their privilege. It is very easy to be oblivious to the privilege. The problem of discrimination
The United States of America was founded upon five founding ideals: liberty, opportunity, rights, democracy, and equality. All five of these ideals have shaped what kind of country the United States has become and what it stands for. By definition, equality is “the state of being of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.” The United States has always been changing the availability of equality, depending on the time period. Compared to the founding period, every American has the same rights and same opportunities. This was not always so, however, and some groups of Americans had less rights and opportunities than others. One group in particular that had different levels of equality throughout history was African Americans. While African Americans do have equality nowadays, this was not always the case. It had taken centuries before African Americans could have the same rights and opportunities as other groups of Americans. Fortunately, this has led to equality amongst all Americans.
What is privilege? What does it mean? Is privilege inherited or is it earned? As an American resident of color I’ve learned that privilege in this country is something that is innate and inherited. The privilege that I speak of is that of White privilege.
During the 2016 Olympics, athletes have received plenty of spotlight in the media. But was every media coverage the same for every athlete? In Valkenburg “Dear Fellow White People” op-ed article, the author employs juxtaposition, ethos, and rhetorical questions claiming that the idea of “white privilege” is existent and people should no longer fail to acknowledge this.
In Season 1, Episode 5 of the The Netflix Original Series: Dear White People released on April 28, 2017, Reggie, a black college student and the leader of Winchester University’s Black Student Union is seen at a fraternity party surrounded by mostly white students. All is well until Reggie’s white friend, Addison, repeatedly utters the N-word while singing along to a hip-hop song. Reggie asks him not to say it anymore however, Addison questions him and attempts to justify his use of the word which leads to a debate. The creator of Dear White People uses characterization and setting to convey how non-Black people-especially white people- who use the N-word regardless of whether or not they understand its historical context, reinforce the notion that Black people are inferior which helps to maintain white supremacy.
A Netflix TV show, Dear White People produced by Justin Simien, is about the students of Winchester University. This show tends to target not only the Netflix customers, but the black and white audience as well; the entire first season generally focuses on the media, racial, and gender roles within the community as well as the mainstream problem of the unrecognized white privilege by white skinned people. Looking up who the producer is, it turns out that Simien is a black-skinned man. Therefore, he fully understands the politics and the human behavior towards the black race from the white race (considering racism towards people with his skin color has been around for so long). Being black-skinned is already clear for many people to assume that he probably has dealt with the racism majority of his life, considering the repeating themes throughout the show. Even with the title, the producer is purposefully calling out to the specific audiences in a straightforward way. According to some reviews, many have concluded that Dear White People is extremely offensive to them. While watching the show, there were a few significant and periodic themes that showed throughout the first season and the major themes I chose were important how the roles of media played throughout the show. As a result, the roles of the media within the show reveals that people tend to communicate to the public of who they they really are as a person by showing what they want the public to see them as: in a
"Dear White People" is a satirical film by Justin Simian. The film Takes on Quite a few serious subjects under the veil of comedy. I will be telling of my thoughts, and feeling throughout the movie. As we go along I will also bring up the most impressionable characters, and how they impacted my feelings throughout the movie. The movie takes place in the fall semester at a prestigious university called Winchester University. In the fall spirits I would like to ask, do you believe in racists?
Certainly, Alexie’s illustration of his childhood struggles are an enlightening experience. While he does not directly address the question, it does shed some light on the ongoing debate. Equity vs Equality, which is more beneficial. Equality has been used since Jim Crow when southern schools installed the mentality of 'separate but equal'. This mentality exhibited that even though they were separate, nothing was ever truly equal. This mentality failed. Looking at our system now, one cannot help but point out the similarities to the old Jim Crow system. As Albert Einstein would say, Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Equity is the opposite. Equity would ensure that those who needed extra or additional help would receive because that would be fair.