Reflective Essay On Race
“In the relations of race there is a cycle of events which tends everywhere to repeat itself.” (McLemore, S. D., 1980, pg. 24).
Race is a social construction. The beliefs our society tend to hold about race is neither biologically factual nor is it logical. Yet, there are still vast majorities of people who believe in these stereotypes about race as if it were true. For the dominant group these stereotypes typically keep them in a position of power. As for the subordinate group, these stereotypes hinder them in both institutional and individual ways. As I’ve reflected on my personal experiences with race and ethnicity, I have found that my multi-racial makeup has put me in an awkward position socially. Although my Irish, German, and Hungarian …show more content…
From my research I found that the Hobart name dates back hundreds of years. It is believed that the surname Hobart comes from Germany and means “descendant of Hubert” (“Hobart family history”). The name Hobart has patronymical origin, meaning Hobart was the given name of one of my ancestor’s father (“Hobart family history”). This makes sense because in patriarchal societies almost everything is based off the status of the father. Keeping this in mind, my great grandfather, William Hobart Jr., was a carpenter (“Hobart family history”). Due to his choice of career he was able to gain a special set of skills, which ultimately lead to the fact that the house he built for his family was the most expensive in the area. From what I found on the 1940 U.S. Census, my great grandfather’s house was worth $18,000. Given the fact that the dollar had more value back then this amount doesn’t look like much, but it was actually pretty expensive. The average home in America cost around $3,000 in 1940 (The People History -- Steve Pearson). That is to say, my family was well-off was considering the average socioeconomic status for this given time period. Coupled with my predecessor’s white privilege and their social status they were very entitled people. Using the intersectionality theory to understand my family has been an eye opening
Race is a social construction. The beliefs our society tend to hold about race is neither biologically factual nor is it logical. Yet, there are still vast majorities of people who believe in these stereotypes about race as if it were true. For the dominant group these stereotypes typically keep them in a position of power. As for the subordinate group, these stereotypes hinder them in both institutional and individual ways. As I’ve reflected on my personal experiences with race and ethnicity, I have found that my multi-racial makeup has put me in an awkward position socially. Although my Irish, German, and Hungarian …show more content…
From my research I found that the Hobart name dates back hundreds of years. It is believed that the surname Hobart comes from Germany and means “descendant of Hubert” (“Hobart family history”). The name Hobart has patronymical origin, meaning Hobart was the given name of one of my ancestor’s father (“Hobart family history”). This makes sense because in patriarchal societies almost everything is based off the status of the father. Keeping this in mind, my great grandfather, William Hobart Jr., was a carpenter (“Hobart family history”). Due to his choice of career he was able to gain a special set of skills, which ultimately lead to the fact that the house he built for his family was the most expensive in the area. From what I found on the 1940 U.S. Census, my great grandfather’s house was worth $18,000. Given the fact that the dollar had more value back then this amount doesn’t look like much, but it was actually pretty expensive. The average home in America cost around $3,000 in 1940 (The People History -- Steve Pearson). That is to say, my family was well-off was considering the average socioeconomic status for this given time period. Coupled with my predecessor’s white privilege and their social status they were very entitled people. Using the intersectionality theory to understand my family has been an eye opening