History
Q1: What does Lopez mean when he states that "race is plastic". How does this correlate with his idea of racial fabrication?
The term "race is plastic" to me means that race is man-made. Race is an opinion that's forced on an individual by the larger population. In other words, this phrase describes the concept of race as a man-made creation. For example, when a child is born he/she wasn't born a certain race, they're told they are a certain race. It's a comparison between an idea or concept and a physical creation. Like any other man-made creation, race is fashioned after the ideal of its creators. But, unlike plastic, race does not require materials for its creation. People categorize race as a way to "define" someone based by the color of their skin, but in fact, it's brought upon their environment; created by society or in other words constructed socially. Race also constitutes an integral part of a whole social fabric including gender and class. For example, Men have more power than Women. Men are told that they can do what they want as for Women, are disadvantaged to being able to do things socially. Women are told that they can't walk alone, be with certain people of color, or even wear certain type of clothing. When it comes to jobs, men get paid more than women do, why, because it just happens to be that society made it become that way. When we were born, we didn't get to choose which gender we wanted to become so thats how gender is plastic. When it comes to the class relations, many society's have a class system where the rich are at the top of the hierarchy and the poor stay at the bottom. For example, India; If one is born in a high class they are to stay in that class system. As for a low class citizen, they also stay in that class but as servants or slaves. There's no such thing as escalating into another class (unless you move to another country). I very much agree to Lopez's ideas that society labeled people so its "easier" to know what people
The term "race is plastic" to me means that race is man-made. Race is an opinion that's forced on an individual by the larger population. In other words, this phrase describes the concept of race as a man-made creation. For example, when a child is born he/she wasn't born a certain race, they're told they are a certain race. It's a comparison between an idea or concept and a physical creation. Like any other man-made creation, race is fashioned after the ideal of its creators. But, unlike plastic, race does not require materials for its creation. People categorize race as a way to "define" someone based by the color of their skin, but in fact, it's brought upon their environment; created by society or in other words constructed socially. Race also constitutes an integral part of a whole social fabric including gender and class. For example, Men have more power than Women. Men are told that they can do what they want as for Women, are disadvantaged to being able to do things socially. Women are told that they can't walk alone, be with certain people of color, or even wear certain type of clothing. When it comes to jobs, men get paid more than women do, why, because it just happens to be that society made it become that way. When we were born, we didn't get to choose which gender we wanted to become so thats how gender is plastic. When it comes to the class relations, many society's have a class system where the rich are at the top of the hierarchy and the poor stay at the bottom. For example, India; If one is born in a high class they are to stay in that class system. As for a low class citizen, they also stay in that class but as servants or slaves. There's no such thing as escalating into another class (unless you move to another country). I very much agree to Lopez's ideas that society labeled people so its "easier" to know what people