Identity And Racism

Throughout the essay, Race, Culture, Identity: Misunderstood Connections, I found Kwame Anthony Appiah’s claims about social scripts to support my idea that we present ourselves differently depending on the circumstance. There are times when we try to play into the majority, as well as times where we try and fall into the minority; we choose which group we want to highlight depending on which will get us where we want to go.

Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian explores several complex and difficult topics through the viewpoint of Arthur, a Spokane fourteen year-old Native American living on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Arthur encounters countless problems when he decides to leave his school on the reservation and go to an all-white school in Reardon. Poverty, alcoholism, and the consequences of choosing a better life are only some of the challenges Arthur confronts with cartoons, language and hope. Alexie successfully achieves his purpose of informing the audience about a life filled with poverty, alcoholism, and its consequences through rhetorical

Furthermore, the whole idea of racial identity, ethnic identity, and social class shows people the inequality structure among individuals of U.S. society. Rankine believes it mainly aims to differentiate between the blacks and whites, between the rich and the poor. Based on the experience, she points out “[s]omeone else said it was the classic binary between the rich and the poor, between the haves and the have-nots, between the whites and black, in the difficulty of all that” (p. 83). Black people can’t refuse the social norm; they must accept the real world and adapt to preferentiality. Together with McBride, he strengthens the claim with “[t]his music that once made visible the inner culture of America’s greatest social problem, its legacy

Cultural messages regarding ethnic and racial identity was more implicit then explicit. Racial and ethnic messages were more implicit because Americans, especially the white majority, are uncomfortable with race discussions (Irving, 2014; Picca, & Thompson-Miller, 2016). In Pembroke the majority of the residents are white so I had little interaction with people that were racially or ethnically different then myself. I also never had any interaction with an English Language Learner. Due to the majority of Pembroke residents being white, I did not talk a lot about race. More importantly, my white privilege allowed me to never have to talk about race (Irving, 2014; Picca, & Thompson-Miller, 2016). Instead it was through the actions of my

the other children in my survey who were African-descent like me. This gave me a sense of social community and stratification with them. Also, since I was the oldest out of my childhood friends this boosted the social identity aspect I adopted from my sibling. My neighbourhood compared to others was at a lower class, there was small crimes such as vandalism, use of illegal drugs, and conflicts. This made me socially desensitised to common crimes which shaped my social identity by being calmer when experienced with crimes outside of my neighbourhood. As I progressed to elementary school, I grew up mentally more mature then my peers which changed me into being more judgemental of others. I expected a lot from others which they found annoying. My time in elementary school was plagued by my lower wealth class which became more and more of an obstacle since school becomes more expensive as your grow older. This made me adopt a tendency to take care of my belongings and eventualy become very responsible. High school was the focal point of my young life. During grade 9 I acquired my first job which helped me with my money problems and help support my family extensively. Politically, people in my neighbourhood, including my family, would not pay attention conflicts and elections unless it was a problem in our home country. This caused me to become politically ignorant to situation happening in Canada and the world. In conclusion, my life mad me develop a social identity of

As I grew up, race was always a weird concept to me. Like I said in my last Short Reflection Essay, I grew up in a small town that was predominantly white and Christian. My father and I were basically the only ones that identified as Arab or Muslim, so I grew up around the concept of being unlike the other kids in my grade. I never really understood why some kids treated me so differently because I looked and acted just like them. My father did not make me wear a hijab, and I was literally born and raised in my small town exactly like them, but because I was not of the Christian faith and had a 'weird' name, I was alienated by kids who thought it was bizarre to be different. I remember in elementary school, teachers would call roll and say everyone's first, middle, and last name. My middle name is Islam and as you can imagine, that did not really go over well with the kids that weren't exposed to anything other than their white parents, predominantly white church, and mostly white town. I got called a terrorist and was asked if my father was a terrorist. I got told I was going to hell because I did not

Race and gender are enormously important to an individual and to society. Individuales use both of these to create their identity. Society uses both to put people into categories and give them statuses. These statuses dictate people's roles. Both of these factors can impact a person from the day they are born. Although they are separate factors, they are often treated similarly in terms of discrimination. No matter what, people find ways to discriminate against categories of both of these factors. That discrimination can have huge effects on an individual and their life.

The vignette on Rashaud Kates illustrates cultural racism. Kates noted that, “There’s not really any stories [sic] or literature about African Americans in our school” (Nieto & Bode, 2008, p. 104). He became discouraged with the literature he had to study because it did not reflect his culture, heritage, or historical experiences (Nieto & Bode, 2008).

The discussions of race, identity, and social norms begins to seem almost unavoidable in a society that is subjected to disproportionate ideas of equality. We tend to only recognize racism that occurs in the United States, ignoring the fight for acceptance of those of African descent around the world. The articles, “Being African in India: ‘We are seen as demons’” & ‘Shock in India Over Mob Attack On Tanzanian Student” both effectively highlight the presence of race as the determinant of the choices you make, the way you are viewed by others, and ultimately the way in which you are treated in society.

The situation of having privilege in one dimension, but suffer from oppression in another comes from the concept of identity. In the book, the authors believe the issue of identity “... is a set of complex and contradictory and conflicting [factors]” (p.102). This combination of factors puts people into a situation where their different identities allow for both positive and negative effects of privilege to be experienced. If someone identified as a white male, then he would experience the benefits of being in the majority in a white male-dominated society. However, if he also identified as homosexual, then he would suffer the negative effects of being in the minority in a heterosexual dominated society. Another example of a combination of

Since the beginning of time, people have always judged other people. That is the case today and it will be in the future. It will never change. Race, in a way, reinforces people’s identity. Most have manifested race as their own and as a unified group. This does not need to be a bad thing. If people can acknowledge their race as an opportunity to learn, think, and grow, they will realize and understand that having a post-racial word would be, in fact, a provocation to their cultural knowledge. The world will never reach a post-racial society because of culture, religion, and the harsh human nature.

Five journalists writing for the New York Times debate, or rather discuss, the question of whether the criticism of identity politics is racist or long overdue. Identity politics is the `ideological tool used by those tired of the more traditional approaches to political sidings. Rather they form their views around a particular “identity” or trait that they share. The idea being that individuals sharing that trait are subjected to the same biases, disenfranchisement, or discrimination. A prime opportunity for adherents to this type of worldview has arisen this year in the election of Donald Trump as president. It is easy to imagine how a Mexican-American or African-American could feel distinctly ostracized by the Trump campaign. However, the concept is not new by any means. The term first gained a footing during the Civil Rights era and was used to bring attention to minority groups seeking representation.

Identity Politics means to separate problems based upon race, class, religion, gender, ethnicity, ideology, nation, sexual orientation, culture, information preference,

One of the main social and political tasks of 1830’s America was to define what it was to be a free American. Challenged by reformist ideals “purifying” the land and the Industrial Revolution cementing capitalism into the framework of the nation’s economy, Black people and Indians found themselves pushed out of the national identity. Much of this struggle can be witnessed through an analysis of American theater at the time. Stereotypical portrayals of Black Americans through Black Face Minstrelsy and of American Indians in Indian Plays highlight how White Americans invented social constructs to dehumanize or ridicule “other’ races and protect an imagined White American

“If we don’t fully understand our individual and collective roles in maintaining a system of white superiority, our relationships with people of color remains superficial, our ability to work in diverse workplaces is greatly diminished, and we fail to create a just world in which everyone has an equitable opportunity to contribute and thrive” (Kendall, 2013, p. 1). This paper discusses who I am as a cultural person and how I have come to be this way. The first section of this paper discusses my cultural background and my cultural identity. I address the factors that make up my cultural identity and the challenges that I have faced because of my cultural identity. The next section discusses my White racial identity development and the events in my life that have led me to become the person I am today in relation to my racial identity. The final section of this paper outlines the implications my own racial and cultural identity will have on my career as a clinical mental health counselor.