It would be a lie to say I completely agree with Allan or that I can even relate to most of it. In my life thus far I can honestly say I haven’t been subjected to or in witness of much racial, gender, or sexual discrimination. Of course I’ve seen many Hollywood movies, such as Malcolm X, American History X, and Remember The Titans, portraying various discriminations and prejudices, but can honestly say I have not had the misfortune of being raised with it. I’m not ignorant to the fact racism still exists in today’s time I’m simply stating it hasn’t affected my life or shaped me into the person I am today. Born in NY and raised in the public schools of NC, I met and grew fond of people of all color, gender, and sexual orientation. I accepted them all and still do. Each of my classmates succeeded or failed based on their efforts and not due to their “privileges” or lack thereof.
Now socioeconomic class is a different story. Allan briefly touches upon this but does not give it nearly as much emphasis as it deserves in comparison to the other privileges. In my generation (and opinion) socioeconomic status divides this nation more than skin color or sexual preference. The quote in the book, “Whites can assume that when they go shopping, they’ll be treated as serious customers, not as potential shop lifters or people without the money to make a purchase…” is not totally accurate. For instance, let’s assume a middle aged, well dressed, professional, black man walks into the same store followed by a white, shabby dressed (baggy jeans, knit hat, Vans), teenager. Who do you think the store owner pegs as the biggest threat? Most likely the teenager. This immediate, instinctual, discrimination has nothing to do with race, but rather class. To rid this world of its discrimination and prejudices we must first consider how to rid the world of socioeconomic class levels. Continuously discussing the race topic is like beating a dead horse. I feel like we’ve made great head way in changing our nation in that respect. Let’s now focus on the money.
Your second paragraph really made me think about how we sort of prioritize our prejudices. For instance, we might our put prejudices against poor people BEFORE our prejudices against black people, but we might also do this differently in different situations. You raised a very interesting idea!
ReplyDeleteTo go off of Jean's comment it as if even before we get into the idea that they are a poor and white he is also a kid and kids are trusted less then adults. So i would say this is more of an ageist view. Great bolg post, very interesting.
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