Summary Of ' The Autobiography Of Malcolm X ' Haley And Handler State

The article “The Great White Way” by Debra J. Dickerson attempts to show her readers that “Race is an arbitrary system for establishing hierarchy and privilege” (68) in America. In her article, Dickerson questions how “whiteness” leads America in our culture and society and how all the other races are defined in America. She also explains how history has divided whites from non-whites in America. The intended audience that Dickerson’s essay gravitated towards are political or liberal Americans. In her article “The Great White Way”. Debra J. Dickerson powerfully argues that race is an overall way to establish social classes and who and what get special privileges because of their certain race or skin color. Dickerson argues that “Race is

Wise’s examination of the inconspicuous character of racism 2.0 dovetails fittingly with our course’s recurring theme of institutionalized racism. In class lectures we have defined institutionalized racism as the discriminatory practices that have become regularized and routinized by state agencies, organizations, industries, or anywhere else in society. Although such practices might not be intentionally racist, they end up being racist nevertheless as consequence of the systematized and unspoken biases that have become increasingly convoluted and entrenched within society over time. It also doesn’t help white people to recognize these discriminatory practices considering they have been unconsciously tailored to be consistent with white perspective and mentality. In her article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh examines not only how white folks often consider themselves to be a normative figure within society, but also how they are carefully taught not to recognize the advantages they gain from the disadvantages that impair people of color. In the article, McIntosh acknowledges the reality of her own white privilege and expresses, “In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth” (McIntosh 4). In fact, even if white folks do not believe themselves to

In The Racial Contract, it is argued that contemporary structures of white domination in the United States operate by means of an epistemology of ignorance for white people. White people inadvertently suffer from cognitive dysfunctions such that they cannot understand the racially (and racistly) structured world in which they live and, indeed, helped create. For Mills, while no person of any race is self-transparent, becoming a white person entails a particularly extreme form of self-opacity regarding issues of race that corresponds with a conspicuously bad or offensive misunderstanding of the world. Recently with the invasion of Iraq, the president has proven that white people believe that they are correct when that in any given conflict

As a result of this individualistic ideology and confirmed by media, whites enjoy the comfort of not dealing with the “social burden of race.” Until whites can face the reality and openly discuss the imbalance between opportunities that whites and black have in American society, the injustice of segregated privileges will continue without any prevail.

The white population of the United States is 62.6% of the nation’s total population, therefore we are part of a nation that is controlled by white people. Because they make up a big percentage of this nation, they control the system and institutions, and set it up in a way that only they get to benefit from. People of color, make up part of what is called the minority or the “problem” of America. In comparison to a white person, people of color are not granted the same opportunities or advantages, even when they meet the qualifications to certain things. In the film Dear White People, directed by Justin Simien, Dean Fairbanks in a conversation with his son Troy said “Fletcher and I graduated a year apart. He barely made it through. I graduated Summa Cum Laude. Now look who’s President and who’s Dean.” Dean Fairbanks was much more qualified and had a better

The social construction of race allows “whiteness” to be regarded as the default race or the normal race. This normalization is apparent when white people ask people of color the quintessential question of “where are you from”. An attitude of alienation and “otherness” is placed on minority groups because, quite frankly, being American means being white. Throughout Peggy McIntosh’s essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, she discusses the unscathed and unacknowledged effects of white privilege that are rampant in America’s society today. A hierarchical structure revolving around meritocracy is practically entrenched into our society, and those who are at the apex of this structure are able to do a myriad of things at the

The study of whiteness as a problem has been an African-American tradition going back to Frederick Douglass (Roediger, 2001). W.E.B. Dubois (1935) first used the term “whiteness” as an academic term, noting it had substantive material value in terms of public deference, which he labeled a type of psychological wage. Giroux (1997) points to the work of Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin, often found in Black magazines throughout the 1960-1980’s, continuing to explore the concept of “whiteness” in the public forum. The CWS approach to understanding racism, not as the fault of the oppressed, but instead directing the focus toward the racially dominant, was continued by non-white scholars including Toni Morrison and bell hooks in the early 1990’s (Howard, 2004).

One of the main themes of the readings that we have discussed recently is race and how different people view what race means in relation to power. It is a concept that has been examined from every angle imaginable. Defining race and how it relates to people’s lives is an important part of our culture today. It is not something that anyone can pretend doesn’t exist in our lives. Race and power are closely associated within society. The readings that I will be discussing describe race from different perspectives. Beyond Black and White : Transforming African American Politics by Manning Marable discusses racial categories from a learned perspective. The second reading will be a selection from The Making and Unmaking of Whiteness called “The

In “An Open Letter to the White Right, On the Occasion of Your Recent, Successful Temper Tantrum” the letter is written by a man named Timothy Jacob Wise and he discusses his views on the white right. The white right focuses on discussing privileges, people who are superior to other races, and those believe they should dominate society. Timothy demonstrates examples and his anti-view on the white right. The article does not focus on white people, but on people who believe a culture on the white right should be continued to this day.

This book has emboldened and inspired us to think about racial discrimination and classism in the twenty-first century. Foley proves with a lot of evidence that racial power is neither obtained through racial identity alone nor is it maintained through a form of class or gender oppression. It perseveres through endless racism, as those in power accommodate themselves to remain in power. People of color are also able to fine-tune themselves to become white through changes in their economic class and embracement of white values. In this process, the so-called colored whites will be use to reinforce white power and deny hope and freedom to other people of color, the poor and

Borstelmann provides insight on the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Regan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. The author provides an overview of how each administration viewed the racial inequality in the United States as well as internationally. Each administration faced racial challenges at a government level; however each administration also had their own personal views, dilemmas, and thoughts on human rights. He shows how the thinking of some American leaders was discriminatory and how that type of thinking was powerful when they fought for equality and decolonization. The author also shows how some leaders were sympathetic to the troubles of non-whites and were instrumental in the push for change and equality. Borstelmann was instrumental in his claim that the region in which each president grew up in had a bigger impact on their stance then the political party they belonged

“I’m sick and tired of hearing about ‘White” privilege being tossed around, as if Whites are the only group of people who have the capability to succeed. A fool in his heart says I can’t to do it, but a wise man says anything is limitless and does it without repercussion.”

In The Racial Contract, it is argued that contemporary structures of white domination in the United States operate by means of an epistemology of ignorance for white people. White people inadvertently suffer from cognitive dysfunctions such that they cannot understand the racially (and racistly) structured world in which they live and, indeed, helped create. For Mills, while no person of any race is self-transparent, becoming a white person entails a particularly extreme form of self-opacity regarding issues of race that corresponds with a conspicuously bad or offensive misunderstanding of the world. Recently with the invasion of Iraq, the president has proven that white people believe that they are correct when that in any given conflict

This quote proves that white men were indeed believed to be superior, while the black men were of inferior race. This belief causes black people like Cholly to be powerless. This relates to Obama’s comment on race relation as the problem black people had still occurs, but in a different situation. In the recent few years, there were multiple cases in which a white police handicapped a black person that is innocent, they caught them because they were suspicious, and skin color is believed to be one of the factors that made them look suspicious after having several cases. And during those moments, the black people are evidently powerless.

David Staines rightly says, “Laurence’s… may not be expressed in the explicit language of feminist theory, it is indeed an intentionally female-centered stance, and feminist in its implicit instinct that to gain a female narrative” (Laurence 51). Morag is feminine and she is denied to conceive and give birth to children. Brooke, Morag’s husband doesn’t let her to give birth. He sees the daughter in Morag. But, Morag seeks in him the father who she feels has been denied to her, but eventually raises against his positioning of her as a ‘child’ she says, “ I am not you child.