Race Paper
Rocco Mango
POP 1600
Soc. Geog. Of Race I have been alive for 19 years and was exposed to race at a very young age. I don’t remember much about being a toddler but have seen pictures and videos of neighbors and friends that my family spent time with. The family that lived next door to us was black and their son was the same age, so we played together often. I was in the 5th grade when my dad started a football league with a close friend that was also black and they coached us for two years. I didn’t think much about the color of his skin at the time. I simply respected him as a coach and thought of his son as a good friend and amazing player. I wasn’t aware of all the stereotypes that people face due to race because my family treated them the same as everyone else. As I got older, my parents began to educate me about the different forms of discrimination that people deal with due to race, ethnicity, religion and culture. I have been lucky enough to not have to deal with this myself because I am a white male that has been subjected to something called “white privilege.” White privilege refers to societal advantages that white people are argued to benefit from beyond those commonly experienced by people of color in the same social, political, or economic spaces. (Clark) The concept of “white privilege” is reiterated in the article written by Dyer, whereby he states, “Whiteness is dominant in society and all white people speak about white people and only white people.” He also states, “when talking about race or racial imagery white people are never discussed and its always people of different races.” (Dyer) Although I am not discriminated against personally, I have seen how prevalent it still is in today’s society as well as the stereotypes that individuals endure on a daily basis. Race is a classification system used to categorize humans into large and distinct populations or groups by cultural, ethnic, genetic, religious or social affiliation.
POP 1600
Soc. Geog. Of Race I have been alive for 19 years and was exposed to race at a very young age. I don’t remember much about being a toddler but have seen pictures and videos of neighbors and friends that my family spent time with. The family that lived next door to us was black and their son was the same age, so we played together often. I was in the 5th grade when my dad started a football league with a close friend that was also black and they coached us for two years. I didn’t think much about the color of his skin at the time. I simply respected him as a coach and thought of his son as a good friend and amazing player. I wasn’t aware of all the stereotypes that people face due to race because my family treated them the same as everyone else. As I got older, my parents began to educate me about the different forms of discrimination that people deal with due to race, ethnicity, religion and culture. I have been lucky enough to not have to deal with this myself because I am a white male that has been subjected to something called “white privilege.” White privilege refers to societal advantages that white people are argued to benefit from beyond those commonly experienced by people of color in the same social, political, or economic spaces. (Clark) The concept of “white privilege” is reiterated in the article written by Dyer, whereby he states, “Whiteness is dominant in society and all white people speak about white people and only white people.” He also states, “when talking about race or racial imagery white people are never discussed and its always people of different races.” (Dyer) Although I am not discriminated against personally, I have seen how prevalent it still is in today’s society as well as the stereotypes that individuals endure on a daily basis. Race is a classification system used to categorize humans into large and distinct populations or groups by cultural, ethnic, genetic, religious or social affiliation.
Cited: "Race (human Classification)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. Clark, Kendall. "Defining "White Privilege"" Defining "White Privilege" N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.