Ethics 101 Final
Ethnic Studies Final
1. When discussing stereotypes and race, it is important to recognize how insignificant skin color is. Racism itself if focused mainly on cultural states, and more times than not, whites are considered culturally superior to people of color. The treatment of African Americans and Native Americans in American culture perfectly demonstrate how oppositional dichotomies of race define racial stereotypes. Cultural dominance was set since the first settlers began to participate in the slave trade. While the black slaves looked very different than their white counterparts, it was the culture of these Africans that subjected them to discrimination. Slave owners believed their culture was superior, meaning they could rape, enslave, and hold their workers prisoner without punishment. Blacks continue to be mistreated by the whites in power till this day, whether it be profiling by authorities leading to massive incarceration rates or poor representation by the federal government. Whites also believed they were culturally superior to Native Americans. Many Native Americans showed hospitality to the white settlers, but the major cultural differenced ended up destroying rel3ations and the majority of Native peoples. Only the naïve can believe that racism and stereotypes are caused by the color of one’s skin, it is cultural differences that cause the oppositional dichotomies that define race.
2. Communities of color have shaped their own sense of racial identity in response to oppression throughout history. A more recent example is the beginning of the music genre known as “gansta rap”. In the impoverished South Central Los Angeles, black residents were very used to mistreatment by the mostly white police force. In the article, “Kickin’ Reality, Kickin’ Ballistics: “Gansta Rap” and Postindustrial Los Angeles”, the author claims, “The L.A. rebellion merely underscores the fact that a good deal of gansta rap is (aside from often very funky music
1. When discussing stereotypes and race, it is important to recognize how insignificant skin color is. Racism itself if focused mainly on cultural states, and more times than not, whites are considered culturally superior to people of color. The treatment of African Americans and Native Americans in American culture perfectly demonstrate how oppositional dichotomies of race define racial stereotypes. Cultural dominance was set since the first settlers began to participate in the slave trade. While the black slaves looked very different than their white counterparts, it was the culture of these Africans that subjected them to discrimination. Slave owners believed their culture was superior, meaning they could rape, enslave, and hold their workers prisoner without punishment. Blacks continue to be mistreated by the whites in power till this day, whether it be profiling by authorities leading to massive incarceration rates or poor representation by the federal government. Whites also believed they were culturally superior to Native Americans. Many Native Americans showed hospitality to the white settlers, but the major cultural differenced ended up destroying rel3ations and the majority of Native peoples. Only the naïve can believe that racism and stereotypes are caused by the color of one’s skin, it is cultural differences that cause the oppositional dichotomies that define race.
2. Communities of color have shaped their own sense of racial identity in response to oppression throughout history. A more recent example is the beginning of the music genre known as “gansta rap”. In the impoverished South Central Los Angeles, black residents were very used to mistreatment by the mostly white police force. In the article, “Kickin’ Reality, Kickin’ Ballistics: “Gansta Rap” and Postindustrial Los Angeles”, the author claims, “The L.A. rebellion merely underscores the fact that a good deal of gansta rap is (aside from often very funky music
Cited: 1. Kelley, R. (1996). Kickin ' reality, kickin ' ballistics: Gansta rap and postindustrial Los Angeles. In W.E. Perkins (Ed). Droppi" science: Critical essays on rap music and hip hop culture (117-158) Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 2. McIntosh, Peggy. "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." Independent School, 49.2 (1990): 31-35. 3. Pamela, H. (1989). Asian American lesbians: An emerging voice in the Asian American community. In Asian Women United of California, eds., Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings by and about Asian American Women, pp. 282-90. Boston: Beacon Press.