Reading And Writing About Race And Ethnicity

This particular section deals with how uncomfortable race and ethnicity makes us feel, whether we read or write about it. For me it is uncomfortable more to write about race or ethnicity. Mostly out of fear that what I say will be misquoted or misunderstood. Reading about ethnicity makes me uncomfortable if it's negative or grossly slanted. The authors of the text used this section to discuss race and ethnicity in a social versus biological setting as well as giving the reader information on the history of race and ethnicity in America.

I agree that our perception of race and ethnicity is shaped by social values we learn throughout our life. While the visual appearance of people may lead us to believe that person may have a certain set of values and cultural standards, do we really know what that person really believes or feels? The authors, I feel, want the reader to understand that you must not judge a person by outward appearance. How we feel about the subject is based upon our perspective or our self-perception of our race or ethnicity.

The other important issue discussed is how past discriminatory practices have and continue to shape the present social, economic, political and cultures of our country. In our country's past we have placed "labels" on and done great disservice to various races and ethnic social groups such as Native Americans, African-Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Irish, Italian, Catholic, Islamic and Hispanic just to name a few. These digressions have in whole or part led us as a nation to engage in war, enjoin in civil rights movements, place entire ethnic groups in detention, enact laws to end segregation and establish affirmative action programs. All of which affects everyone of us in some fashion daily in our lives.

Unfortunately, politics have also shaped our view on race and ethnicity by campaigning specifically to different social groups or even coming up with new group classifications in the interest of getting the votes. Race especially is still in the forefront of our news even with all the progress we've made in our society to date. Even our social class shapes our view on the subject as well.