Welcome to this blog for Sociology 240: Race and Ethnic Relations for the Fall '09. Let me fill you in on what we will be using this blog for this semester:
(1) First, let me note that two classes will be accessing this blog, sections A & B, so if you encounter unfamiliar names submitting material, this is why. It would be helpful to me that in submitting material you indicate whether you are in section A or B.
(2) This blog is intended to give you another outlet for comments, discussion, questions. In addition, I will be posting individual and "family" (or group) exercises from time to time for which you can earn activities points, such as the first exercise you see described at the bottom of this post. One family activity we will be doing prior to the midterm and final exams will be making up exam questions in which you will be called upon to contribute questions for both the midterm and final exams.
(3) This blog will also be used for occasional extra credit opportunities such as posting some brief reflections on an outside lecture or film you may attend that is relevant to this class.
(4) I may also use this blog to post lecture notes or comments relevant to what we covered in class, especially if I get behind in class. But do NOT expect me to do this all the time.
(5) THIS BLOG WILL BE THE MAIN VEHICLE I'LL USE TO CARRY ON CLASS IN THE EVENT THAT I COME DOWN WITH THE SWINE FLU.
(6) Finally, I will usually remind you in class if I have posted something on the blog, but it would still be a good idea to check it a couple times a week regardless.
FIRST INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE:
In a couple paragraphs, I want you to state your view of the argument offered by a number of commentators that with the election of our first black president, this country has entered a "post-racial era." In addition to expressing what you think about this argument, I want you to cite an example or piece of evidence which supports your position.
This exercise is worth 5 points and is to be posted NO LATER THAN NEXT WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16TH.
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23 comments:
These next years in President Obama's term will be a pivotal point in our nation's history. The election of the first black president is a huge step that our nation has taken towards equality. If asked if this was possible 50 years ago Americans (white or black) would have disagreed with its possibility.
Although we have moved toward racial equality it does not mean that it has been reached. America still has a very long way to go before we are 'colorblind.' In an article by Scott Barry Kaufman in Psychology Today he explores the danger of assuming racism is over with the election of President Obama. Kauffman argues, "Look. I am not saying we need to tone down our optimism but I do think we need to increase our realism."
He also points out an argument by a quoting Cheryl Kaiser who ran a research study at the University of Washington, "If Americans assume that racism is less of a problem now that they have elected a Black president, their misperception could make it difficult to garner resources and support for efforts that are so desperately needed to address these racial disparities."
I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. Even though it is a great step forward in electing President Obama that does not mean we can quit trying and the problem is over.
Aubrey, nice comment with good support. The quote from Cheryl Kaiser is well-taken.
As a nation so full of history as ours has, some may say we are entering an era that many would hope could be called “post racial”. As President Obama begins his four-year term as the 44th President of the United States of America he has a different quality than any other president before him. President Obama is part African-American making him the first African American president in a country full of slavery and racial divides less than 100 years ago. Segregation and discrimination were prominent during Obama’s childhood years and no one back then ever thought an African-American would become president of the United States of America. As a newer generation is born and raised with racial divides almost non-existent or at least taught to be that way; we, as a society, need to look at the past in order to move forward into the future. As a country we all have to be willing to accept the past and help integrate past failures into future successes.
I believe that as a country we have taken many steps forward into becoming post racial but we are not there yet. As Daniel Schoor said, “The nation may have a way to go yet to reach colorblindness. Exit poll data in South Carolina indicates that Senator Obama won 78 percent of the black vote, but only 24 percent of the white vote, “ in his time on NPR. This only goes to show that in the South, where slavery was most prominent, there is still plenty of injustice and biased opinions based upon race and ethnics around. Although many young adults, teenagers and toddlers were taught that it is wrong to discriminate against the color of someone’s skin, our grandparents and grandparents were around when discrimination was very prevalent, and I believe that until that generation has passed, our society will still be somewhat divided.
I also believe that your personal background has a lot to do with how you view others. For me personally, I was born and raised in the South where I attended a private school with no African Americans and a predominately white church. My family taught me not judge or view others any different based on the color of their skin; however, I still was able to view that my skin was different than some of my friends. I was told stories of how my family had “helpers” or “nannies” as they were growing up and in the South there was nothing wrong with this kind of custom. I had many African American friends as a played basketball, soccer and other sports as a young boy at the YMCA and many of them came over to spend the night or go to out to eat. Even growing up and being seen in public with someone of the opposite skin color, people viewed me differently than if I was with friends of the same skin color. When the time comes that “colorblindness” is embedded in all of us, from the oldest generation to the youngest generation, our country may then enter a “post-racial” era, however our country will still view other groups in society differently than their own group because the “normal” group would be with them.
Lauren Watts
Sep 13 2009
Soc.240
No, I dont believe America has entered a "post racial era" after the election of our first African American president.I believe that race will always be a topic, whether its a topic of concern or one of triumph and praise. Oxford English Dictionary defines the word racial as " arising from or relating to ethnicity or difference in race" (OED "racial"). This definition doesnt have anything in it that pinpoints overcoming inequality or redefining whats normal. Its just related to anything that deals with different races. So is there really a such thing as a "post racial era?" Can the world really function if race is eliminated entirely? Earnest Harris says in an article entitled " We are not Post racial yet" that he thought that the "success of one black man, was the success of all black men." And I dont believe thats completely true nor is it fair. When someone does something great more people will attach themselves to that greatness, but what about when someone does something wrong? Do we willingly attach ourselves to the bad part as well? In my few experiences not many people want to categorized with something negative.So, I believe that in order for the world to enter a "post racial era" each person has to take personal steps in eliminating race themselves. Another reason is that race will always be involved even if its used for something as simple as describing some one.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earnest-harris/we-are-not-post-racial-ju_b_158978.html
I think with the election of President Obama racial enequality has definately taken a step towards race being less of an issue. However, I do not believe that with President Obama's election we have entered a "post racial era". I think race will always be an issue. As new generations grow up knowing a black president racism will slowly fade, but it is hard to get rid of a complete way of thinking in terms of racism. Thomas Sowell wrote in his article "A Post Racial President", "The racial-profiling issue is a great vote-getter. And if it polarizes the society, that is a price that politicians are willing to pay in order to get votes." His claims that Obama was using the "race card" to get votes further supports that race is always goin to be questioned. A "post racial era" might not be in the near future, but with the election of President Obama, the nation has more hope that great progress was made towards a society where racism won't exist.
No, i do not believe that America has entered a post-racial era. Although electing an african american president as well as having the first latina judge,Sonia Sotomayor, enter the Supreme Court is a huge step in entering a post-racial era. Racist acts occurred before Presidents Obama's election and I think they will continue to happen. An example of one of these acts happened in August. Henry Louis Gates was arrested after one of his neighbors said he was trying to break in. When the cops showed up he produced two forms of identity proving that he owned the house and he was still taken to jail. I wonder if the neighbor would have called the cops if Dr. Gates was white? So, I do not believe that America will ever live in a true colorblind society. There are just to many people that judge a person on the color of their skin.
The mere fact that so much attention has paid to President Obama's race and to what having a black president "signifies" for the nation proves that America is not even close to a "post racial era." Indeed, electing a black president is a step that forty years ago seemed impossible -- a goal around which America could never close its grip. However, for the amount of attention that has been directed at Obama for his race, he has had to field any notions of blackness to even be considered for presidency.
Aman Gill argues as much in his essay "The Illusion of Post-Racial America" in the Indypendent (http://www.indypendent.org/2008/10/02/illusion-post-racial-america/): "Indeed, the election of a black president would be an undeniable milestone in American history, forcing many white Americans to confront latent fears and distrust of black people. And many see progress in the fact that a black man can run a campaign in which race is incidental. Yet it's taken Obama's embrace of post-racism, and concurrent distancing from traditional civil rights-style black leadership, to lend viability to his campaign."
As Gill refers to, Obama has very much echoed the tendencies of civil rights activists in the 1960s such as MLK, instead of perhaps extremists involved in the Black Arts Movement. He certainly hasn't denied his black heritage, but one has to ask how much has he embraced it? He acknowledges it, and he has given a very significant speech about the history of race in the United States, but he makes sure not to demand too much for it. He cannot disown it, just as he cannot "disown Reverend Wright." But if he were to embrace it -- if his candidacy was built upon the fact that he is black, American needs a black president, the notion that the persons of our race have been governed by men of a different color skin far too long -- Obama knew that the presidency would never be his.
So he only made one speech about race. He distanced himself from Reverend Wright. He did not focus his inauguration speech on his being the first black president, but merely commented upon it. And for Obama to say that we are a post-racial society now -- I would argue that this is more a wish of his, more a kind of hope that if he says it, the country will come to embody it. To have to repress your blackness in order to become president, then enlist in that blackness to prove the quality of race relations in the country: that is far from post-racial.
The election of Barack Obama, our first black president, is a giant leap forward to closing the huge racial gap; nevertheless, there is still more work to be done. America has not transcended its racially charged past and entered into a post-racial era, and it is going to take more than having a family of color in the White House to change the portrayals of African-Americans and other ethnicities in society.
If we see the election of Barack Obama as post-racial we are overlooking what is going on in our own community. In reality, the election of a black president has not changed the existence of racial inequalities. African-Americans are still significantly more disadvantaged than white Americans on many substantial economic indicators, such as: income, unemployment, education, and home ownership. African-American social realities are equally troublesome. Blacks are far more likely to be arrested and receive harsher punishments than their white counterparts. Compared to whites, blacks are more likely to suffer infant morality, cancer, diabetes, and premature death. In addition, blacks are less likely to marry, more likely to get divorce and more likely to live in single parent homes. These sobering realities indicate that race still predetermines the quality of life for Americans.
The murder of a African-American security guard at the national Holocaust Memorial Museum by a racist anti-semite reminded the nation that racism still exists in America. Similarly, the Henry Lewis Gates arrest incident spurred a politically charged discussion about race relations and law enforcement in the United States. This incident is evidence that racial profiling still exists in America. It also shows that we cannot get beyond our racial divisions with the election of one president. The election of Barack Obama was a marvelous thing, but now the work begins.
American society has taken a large step in the movement towards a "post-racial" atmosphere as we have elected a president based on his qualifications and not his skin color. However, I do not think that we are quite there yet. An article written in "Truthout," by Peter Phillips describes how racial inequality still remains. Phillips testifies, "This presidency is a hugely symbolic achievement for race relations in the US. We must not, however, ignore the continuing disadvantages for people of color and the resulting advantages gained by whites." Phillips took aim at the topic of education and asserted that due to poor funding of education for minorities drastically shrank opportunities for those kids futures. "Schools remain highly unequal, both in terms of money and in qualified teachers and curriculum. Unequal education leads to diminished access to colleges and future jobs."
I do not agree with Phillips one hundred percent, but I do agree that there still major problems going unheard. Having Obama elected is a great changing point in our history, but we have not put racism in the history books for good quite yet.
http://www.truthout.org/042109B
No, I don't think that we have entered a "post-racial era" once President Obama, our first African American president was elected. However, I do believe that this is a step in the right direction. According to Debra Mathis "post-racial era" is supposed to mean, "that the country has moved beyond race; that race is no longer a significant motivator in how people, or institutions, think of or treat other people." Race is still an issue and will always be an issue. We can't forget what happened in the past, but we can work to make it better in the future. There is no way to ignore the issue of race because it is such an important part of our past and still exists to this day. Overcoming inequality is such a difficult task, is it even possible? And if we do eventually overcome it then what will happen to our world? Will it make everything better? I would hope that everything would be better but there is no way to know.
For now, race is still around; we aren't treated equally, but hoping to make it better. I also think that if we do enter a "post racial era" then the future generations will still be taught about racism and will understand how the world once worked. There is no way to forget about something so important.
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=95559f6b47b35378b96d56a0d13cf461
Many believe that with the start of the new african american president, a new era would arise, a post racial era. As much as I would like to say I believe its a post racial era, I know that it's not the case. I do not believe that it will ever come to that. Even though we have come so far in the last hundred years, racial tension is still present. Just because President Obama is part african american that doesn't mean that everything is going to automatically dissapear." Post racial we are not. Even President Obama has acknowledged that one man, one term of office, is not enough to change our history and the stain of race", stated Eranest Harris from the Huffington Post.
He agrees that just because the president is african american things are not going to change the way some people feel about equality. Even though we have come far, there's always going to be certain people who still believe that whites are the dominant race, which is completely not the case.
I disagree with the statement that we are in a post racial era and feel that we will never reach a period where race is not an iss.
Due to the unfortunate nature of humans to organize their surroundings into groups, categorized by size, shape and color, the American population will not reach its non-racially biased goals anytime soon.
This, along with the institutional racism that keeps most minority groups poor, will keep most penthouses and political powers in the hands of whites. Despite the election of a “black” president, who in fact is racially mixed, the majority of seats in the Senate and House are of Caucasian skin color. Not to downsize such an achievement, but the huge emphasis put on race during that election, whether good or bad emphasis, demonstrates how big of a role it plays in America.
The election of Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States is a stepping stone to reaching a post racial society. However, this milestone comes no where close to effectively ending racism. Although many citizens of the United States supported Barack Obama primarily for his beliefs and the changes he wished to bring about, the color of his skin was always a topic. Not only was skin color a factor for racists who believed that it would be an atrocity to elect a black president, Obama also received some followers merely because he is partly black. The color of a person’s skin has absolutely no correlation to their ability to govern a nation, and therefore if we truly lived in a post racial society, Obama’s skin color would have been a non-issue.
Examples of continuing racism were very prevalent on Wofford’s campus after Obama’s election. I heard multiple students proclaim that a black man did not deserve the chance to be able to be elected the President of the United States. While I was upset at these remarks, I was not altogether surprised. Racist attitudes existed on the campus before Obama’s election, and his election did not magically change their opinions towards racial issues.
As long as we continue to categorize ourselves into different racial groups there will always be prejudice and discrimination between groups. This is because each group has fears and misconceptions about people that they perceive to be different than themselves. Therefore, although Obama’s election was significant in proving that perhaps racism is not as prevalent as it was in the last century, it is still a very relevant problem.
Although the election of the United States' first African American president is by all means a enormous feat for the US, I still believe it cannot be perceived as a turning point for our nation. Earnest Harris wrote,"Even President Obama has acknowledged that one man, one term of office, is not enough to change our history and the stain of race." Race cannot simply be forgotten or lost, and if so then I believe it will take far longer than c.100 years to overcome. While younger generations are generally being taught equality in most American societies, we cannot stop the fact that select people from older generations holdfast to their racist beliefs and pass these beliefs down (knowingly or unknowingly) to the newer generations creating somewhat of a cyclical pattern.
It can't be denied that President Obama is very much an inspiration to many people of varying races but most importantly the African American race. The most obvious argument that swells from the discussion of whether we have reached a "post racial era" is that of African Americans and the gradual dwindling of racism in the US. But racism towards African Americans cannot be deemed the only race issue existing in the US. Other minorities include Mexicans, Asians, Muslims,ect. It is illogical to assume a new president from each ethnic background must be elected in order for all races to be treated equal with ample opportunities but complete equality has not been reached therefore we have not entered a "post racial era".
Although racism may not be as widespread as it once was in US history, it still exists, no matter the race of our President and will continue to linger for years to come, but with more steps such as the 2008 election, the US may possibly be able to lessen those years.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earnest-harris/we-are-not-post-racial-ju_b_158978.html
The election of President Obama was a great stride towards the eradication of "the racial problem" in America. This stride however does not come close to abolishing the aspect of race in this country. We are very much still in a racial era and I personally believe we will continue to be as long as there are different "races" of people.
I can honestly say that I never dreamed I would live to see an African American President. That is a sad circumstance due to my young age. Even as a child I did not believe it could happen. That goes to show how race is still an issue. My own grandmother voted for Barack Obama because of his race. She disregarded all of his campaign components and was oblivious to his plans and ideals. I am sure when the next election comes, she will vote for him again: regardless of successes and failures. As long as there are different races, there will be a race problem. Racism still occurs on a Nationwide scale, not just in small, scattered areas. A most recent and prominent case of racial injustice occurred after President Obama was elected. Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was jailed in his own home after Cambridge police investigated a "home invasion" call. The officer claims Professor Gates exhibited " loud and tumultuous behavior". The whole situation provoked an uproar in the American Press and the controversy surrounding the event displays how race is still an issue in America. That being said, I feel that it is impossible to say racial problems are completely diminished because of the election of an African American President.
I personally think with election of President Barack Obama this country has surpassed another step in racial equality. However, I believe it will take another hundred years or so for our country to enter a “post-racial era”. Race has been an issue ever since the Africans came to America.
President Obama embodies the post-racial era as a period of time, “where civil rights veterans of the past century are consigned to history and Americans begin to make race-free judgments on who should lead them” (Schorr). However, according to a poll taken in South Carolina, “Senator Obama won 78 percent of the black vote, but only 24 percent of the white vote”. This is why I believe it will take the nation a while to fully become “colorblind”.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18489466
this will probably be very brief in comparison to the previous comments, but i felt i should voice my opinion anyway:
we are most certainly not in an era of post racism, even with the historical election of the first black president of the united states. the most obvious points to support this include: 1. the fact that as Soon as he was referred to as black, most everyone-- except for the black population-- felt the need to site his bi-racial background. this amazes me because the majority, the same people pointing out his 1/2 white roots are the Exact same people who came up with the 1-drop rule, and who have more or less perpetuated it since. the second reason that we are obviously not in a "colorblind utopia" can be seen by the fact that the mostly negative stereotypes of blacks still exist, and show no effort in trying to die. obama said "yes, we can" to encourage us All. black,and other underprivilaged minorities, i feel, took that slogan personally and within the community as motivation for dramatic improvement. the problem is that it was, to me, not seen by the majority of whites as such. it was a catchy slogan that served its purpose. and moreso than thinking that, in general, we wont be as successful as they are, they rarely have to question their own future success. *gets down from the soapbox*
to conclude: obama is the exception, not the rule. and since his journey is seen as something exceptional, it will not be specualted by the masses that other minorities will be capable of such.
Chris Jones
09/17/09
Dr. Ginnochio
It seems to me a bit absurd to think all because we have a black president that all of our racial issues in America are gone. America in particular is a country where the individual is emphasized, and in a melting pot like the United States those wont ever completely dissapear. I don't say that to be pessimistic, but it is true. No one is "colorblind", but that has its good effects along with the bad. Distinction is what you make it. Dr. King's message in a nutshell was presented when he said "I dream of a day when my four children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character". If Americans would recognize that everyone is different, but realize at the same time we all are the same than that would help us make the leap towards the highest level of tolerace that humans can have.
Works Cited
American Rhetoric: top 100 speeches
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6804620377696498204&postID=6582300999048426501
Estate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Intellectual Properties Management
One Freedom Plaza
Speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
Book/CDs by Michael E. Eidenmuller, Published by McGraw-Hill (2008)
¹ Amos 5:24 (rendered precisely in The American Standard Version of the Holy Bible)
2 Isaiah 40:4-5 (King James Version of the Holy Bible). Quotation marks are excluded from part of this moment in the text because King's rendering of Isaiah 40:4 does not precisely follow the KJV version from which he quotes (e.g., "hill" and "mountain" are reversed in the KJV). King's rendering of Isaiah 40:5, however, is precisely quoted from the KJV.
3 At: http://www.negrospirituals.com/news-song/free_at_last_from.htm
Also in this database: Martin Luther King, Jr: A Time to Break Silence
Audio Source: Linked directly to: http://www.archive.org/details/MLKDream
External Link: http://www.mlkmemorial.org/
External Link: http://www.thekingcenter.org/
The racism leading up to the election of a black president and the skepticism that quickly followed proves that the United States is not past its tendency to be a racist nation – but it is getting closer to evolving. Electing a black president does not mean that the nation will become less racist, just as it will not become more inclined to think positively about all minorities. Racism isn’t a concept that was bred overnight; hundreds of years helped to create segregation and unjust laws that helped white supremacy grow. The fact that racism will continue is out of ignorance. Ignorance plays a key role in keeping racism alive, because it tricks the mind into thinking that the color of skin determines a man’s worth. President Obama’s election is a step in the right direction, toward a better sense of understanding and rationality. Yet racism is far too complicated of an issue to be black or white in stature. The gray is what keeps racism alive and well; made up of those people who accept racism even though they know it is wrong. To say that the United States can overcome racism in the four years that a man holds its’ highest office is misleading, but the truth is that we are moving toward a social and racial change in our society. Obama’s words at his inauguration: “We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit, to choose our better history, to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness” help us understand that minorities have been oppressed for too long, and they now have a leader who wants to give equality to every man, no matter if racism exists or not.
http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Politics/2009/Inspiring-Barack-Obama-Inauguration-Quotes.aspx?p=5
While the election of President Barak Obama is a great step in our nations history, and journey toward racial equality, it does not in anyway signal the sign that our nation has entered in to a "post rasicm" era.
50 years ago the thought of a black president would have been out of the question and almost laughable. That being said the feat of electing the first balck president, has proved however that enough americans have became enlightened enough to look beyond color see a person for who they are and what they believe, and thus break social norms.
That being said, American is not at all a "colorblind" nation. Even during Obama's political run, around the nation there were extremely heated trails focusing on black verse white confrontation. From the "Jena Six" scenario in Louisiana, to the many reported noose hangings upon college campuses from across the nation, to reports of hate crimes and savage beatings of white kids by black kids, comeing out of Missouri and other such places. color still weighs heavily on our society, and while we are steady makeing strides to change the way we view one another, we have in no way reached that mile stone, and we have in no way earned the right to call our self being in the "post racism" era of America. We are only make takeing large steps in the right direction with a lot of distance left to cover.
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