Essay On Race And Ethnicity
We live in frightening times as violence continues to ensue over dogmas surrounding race and ethnicity. As a young millennial, I’ve witnessed the tragedies surrounding the deaths of Eric Gardner, Trayvon Martin, and Michael brown, create tensions tragically felt by communities because of race. According to Webster, Race is “A category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits”. It is a difficult social dilemma, due to the genetic diversity we experience in the United States. For example, one can insinuate that Barack Obama is the first African American President, but to what degree does his Afro- descendant oversee his Caucasian roots? While race is an essential adjective used to describe people, one must also be informed
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about- ethnicity. An ethnic group can be defined as, “A group of people who are set off to some degree from other groups by displaying a unique set of cultural traits, such as their language, religion, or diet.” In my eyes there is one race, the human race, and if there ever be an ethnicity I hope it is one that unifies us as a species.
Sadly, unity is not a reality we experience in our everyday lives. Objectively, race ties towards your genetic make-up while an ethnicity ties to the cultural elements that describe who you are. The media treats these two elements synonymously, and at many times insensitively. For example, it is an often trend to see the people in the media, treat the religion of Islam like a race or an ethnicity, when it is but a religion, that not every person in the middle east partakes in. It is these large gaps that make the media a great source towards division, as propaganda continues to masquerade behind old shadows of racism, like that of Jim Crow. We are able to vividly witness this illusion in “Dog whistle politics”, as news outlets find strategic ways to empower oppression over social groups (like minorities). The commentaries of such programming affects these minorities in a vital sense, because its sets false impressions that stereotype people of their true
self-value. We are all but people who cry, laugh, bleed, and smile, yet we are constantly institutionalized to treat each other as though a color on a skin can change the character of one’s heart. I encourage that whoever read my discussion post, could also enjoy the link I provide under this paragraph (That it may set a new awareness towards equality). I believe in an America, where all people are but treated with respect and dignity .
Link:
--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0qD2K2RWkc
Cite:
Merriam-Webster.com-dictionary: Race
Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action by Anna Leon-Guerrero
about- ethnicity. An ethnic group can be defined as, “A group of people who are set off to some degree from other groups by displaying a unique set of cultural traits, such as their language, religion, or diet.” In my eyes there is one race, the human race, and if there ever be an ethnicity I hope it is one that unifies us as a species.
Sadly, unity is not a reality we experience in our everyday lives. Objectively, race ties towards your genetic make-up while an ethnicity ties to the cultural elements that describe who you are. The media treats these two elements synonymously, and at many times insensitively. For example, it is an often trend to see the people in the media, treat the religion of Islam like a race or an ethnicity, when it is but a religion, that not every person in the middle east partakes in. It is these large gaps that make the media a great source towards division, as propaganda continues to masquerade behind old shadows of racism, like that of Jim Crow. We are able to vividly witness this illusion in “Dog whistle politics”, as news outlets find strategic ways to empower oppression over social groups (like minorities). The commentaries of such programming affects these minorities in a vital sense, because its sets false impressions that stereotype people of their true
self-value. We are all but people who cry, laugh, bleed, and smile, yet we are constantly institutionalized to treat each other as though a color on a skin can change the character of one’s heart. I encourage that whoever read my discussion post, could also enjoy the link I provide under this paragraph (That it may set a new awareness towards equality). I believe in an America, where all people are but treated with respect and dignity .
Link:
--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0qD2K2RWkc
Cite:
Merriam-Webster.com-dictionary: Race
Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action by Anna Leon-Guerrero