I thought yesterday's (Thurs. 9/29) class went well, although we did not make the kind of progress I had hoped to make. So, I will be using this blog today to catch up a bit.
WRAP-UP OF VIDEO SERIES:
There are a couple final observations I'd like to make about Part 3 of the video series. Recall that the two main points we focused on yesterday were the Ozawa-Thind Supreme Court cases and the history of housing discrimination, among a few other points I made.
Toward the end of the video, they talked about America as a "colorblind" society. Many people profess to not see color, just people. Also, they talk about Dr. King's dream of a society where people will be judged based on the content of their character and not the color of their skin. But, we also need to remember that Dr. King was describing a DREAM he had, NOT THE REALITY. And the unfortunate fact is that we have a ways to go to realize this dream. And to realize it, we must first take race into account.
1. Supreme Court Justice, Harry Blackmun, acknowledged the above point in a famous affirmative action case: that we must take account of race in order to get beyond racism.
2. John Powell had the last word, observing that we should be UNCOMFORTABLE with the present arrangement.
NOW, TO THE "BASIC DEFINITIONS:"
A. Let's address some issues relevant to the definition of some basic terms in this field of race and ethnic relations. It is important to recognize some of the controversy surrounding some of these definitions, such as the definition of "race." It should also be noted that this is not an exhaustive list -- there will be many more terms we'll be defining and discussing throughout the term.
1. CULTURE: I decided to include this term because we will encounter other terms and issues that presuppose some understanding of it: terms such as "multicultural" or "cultural diversity." So what is culture?
a.) I purposely selected this long definition because it is all-inclusive -- covers both non-material and material aspects. Broadly, values, norms, material goods (really any object fashioned by human hands). Important to acknowledge the physical or material because many different groups have contributed objects, inventions, foods, music, etc.
b.) Interesting to note various things that Americans have made uniquely our own. Foods such as pizza; Mexican foods such as tacos; African-American jazz & blues. The English language itself is actually very multicultural -- many common English terms have come from many different languages.
c.) Various metaphors have been used to describe American culture -- "melting pot," which implies ASSIMILATION; and more recently (and I believe, accurately) "salad bowl," "stew," "stir-fry," all of which reflect CULTURAL PLURALISM, which implies that the various racial and ethnic groups that make up America maintain their distinctiveness (unique flavors) at the same time they share being Americans.
2. RACE: as you can obviously see, this definition is more than just a definition; it also embodies an argument or criticism of the concept along the lines that we saw in the video series, "Race: the power of an illusion." It is very controversial, although I believe it can be said that there is a consensus among biologists, anthropologists, and other experts that "race" as a biological classification (designating distinct groups of homo sapiens or subspecies) has little or no validity.
a.) Historically, it is a notion that has been scientifically challenged since it was first introduced back in the late 1700s. Ironically, one of the scientists who first propounded a racial classification, Johann Fredrich Blumenbach (1776), also upheld the unity of the human species against an alternative view at the time which argued that races had been separately created (which was a key claim of the Nazis). He defended the mental and moral untiy of all peoples; indeed, he campaigned for the abolition of slavery.
1.) Nonetheless, in the words of Stephen Jay Gould, author of "The Geometer of Race:" "Blumenbach radically changed the geometry of human order from a geographically based model without explicit ranking to a hierarchy of worth, oddly based upon perceived beauty (a very unscientific criterion), fanning out in two directions from the Caucasian ideal." To underscore this point here, Blumenbach used a very subjective criterion to determine which race was the primal race at the top of the hierarchy. No doubt he was influenced by the prevailing belief in the superiority of European culture.
"...Blumenbach chose physical beauty as his guide to ranking. He simply affirmed that Europeans were the most beautiful, with Caucasians as the most comely of all. This explains why Blumenbach,...linked the maximal beauty of the Caucasians to the place of human origin. Blumenbach viewed all subsequent variation as departures from the originally created ideal -- therefore, the most beautiful people must live closest to our primal home."
"Blumenbach's descriptions are pervaded by his subjective sense of relative beauty, presented as though he were discussing an objective and quantifiable property, not subject to doubt or disagreement. He describes a Georgian female skull (found close to Mount Caucasus) as 'really the most beautiful form of skull which...always of itself attracts every eye, however little observant.' He then defends his European standard on aesthetic grounds: 'In the first place, that stock displays...the most beautiful form of the skull, from which, as from a mean and primeval type, the others diverge by most easy gradations....Besides, it is white in color, which we may fairly assume to have been the primitive color of mankind, since...it is very easy for that to degenerate into brown, but very much more difficult for dark to become white.'"
c.) The American Anthropological Associations' official statement on race (1997) reviews a bit of the history of the concept. It emphatically rejects the concept of race as biological, but reminds us of the SOCIAL REALITY of the concept -- that people believed it to be true and used it to justify slavery and, later, segregation. It said, in part:
"BIOPHYSICAL DIVERSITY HAS NO INHERENT SOCIAL MEANING EXCEPT WHAT WE HUMANS CONFER UPON IT. The concept of 'race' is in reality a product of that process. 'Race' is a set of culturally created attitudes toward, and beliefs about, human differences developed following widespread exploration and colonization by Western European powers since the 16th century. In the North American colonies, European settlers conquered an indigenous population and brought in as slaves alien peoples from Africa. By the end of the 18th century a rising antislavery movement, produced by liberal and humanistic forces mostly in Europe, compelled slave owners to find new defenses for preserving slavery. 'Race' was invented as a social mechanism to justify the retention of slavery. 'Race' ideology magnified differences among these populations, established a rigid hierarchy of socially exclusive categories, underscored and bolstered unequal rank and status differences and provided the rationalization that such differences were natural or God-given. The different physical traits became markers or symbols of status differences."
"As they were constructing this society, white Americans fabricated the cultural/behavioral characteristics associated with each 'race,' linking superior traits to Europeans and negative and inferior ones to blacks and Indians. Thus, arbitrary beliefs about the different peoples were institutionalized and deeply embedded in American thought."
And a final observation from that same official statement:
"How people have been accepted and treated within the context of their society and culture has a direct impact on how they perform within the society. The 'racial' worldview was invented to assign some groups to perpetual low status while others were permitted access to privilege, power, and wealth. The tragedy is that it succeeded all too well in constructing unequal populations. Given what we know about the capacity of normal humans to achieve and function within any culture, we conclude that present-day inequalities between human groups are not consequences of their biological inheritance; rather, these inequalities are products of historical and contemporary social, economic, educational and political circumstances."
That's all for now. Next Tuesday, 10/4, we will pick up with the next basic definition, RACISM. Also, remember that your first essays are due next Tuesday as well.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Passages from "Slavery by Another Name" & Remaining Comments on Part 2 of the Video Series
Passages from "Slavery by Another Name" by Douglas Blackmon:
Before I post these passages, I want to remind you of the context in which they were relevant. At the conclusion of the Civil War, the institution of slavery was abolished but NOT the race theory and racism that justified it.
"The Civil War settled definitively the question of the South's continued existence as a part of the United States, but in 1865 there was no strategy for cleansing the South of the economic and intellectual addiction to slavery. The resistance to what should have been the obvious consequences of losing the Civil War -- full emancipation of the slaves and shared political control between blacks and whites -- was so virulent and effective that the tangible outcome of the military struggle between the North and the South remained uncertain even twenty-five years after the issuance of President Abraham Lincoln's Emanciaption Proclamation. The role of the African American in American society would not be clear for another one hundred years."
"In the first decades of that span, the intensity of southern whites' need to reestablish hegemony over blacks rivaled the most visceral patriotism of the wartime Confederacy. White southerners initiated an extraordinary campaign of defiance and subversion against the new biracial social order imposed on the South and mandated by the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution which abolished slavery." (pp. 41-42)
Later, Blackmon cites W.E.B. DuBois's characterization of whites' attitudes towards blacks around the turn of the 20th century:
"...there was scarcely a white man in the South who did not honestly regard Emancipation as a crime, and its practical nullification as a duty." (p. 245)
Finally, Dr. King's perceptive comment in the same vein as the first passage above:
"Reading Charles Silberman's "Crisis in Black and White" after its publication the prior year (1964), Martin Luther King scribbled a long note in the margins of his personal copy: 'The South deluded itself with the illusion that the Negro was happy in his place; the North deluded itself with the illusion that it had freed the Negro. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slave, a legal entity, but it failed to free the Negro, a person.' In every aspect and among almost every demographic, how American society digested and processed the long, dark chapter between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the civil rights movement has been delusion." (p. 394)
REMAINING COMMENTS ABOUT PART 2 OF THE VIDEO SERIES: let me add just a couple final comments about Part 2: the stories we tell.
Toward the end, the narrator spoke of the "white man's burden" in connection with a growing American empire and European colonization of Africa and Asia. This was captured in some of the cartoons around the turn of the 20th century, which usually depicted America or white civilization as a mother or father figure and those we conquered like the Filipinos as backward children needing to be guided.
As a couple of the families noted, the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair had people on display, like animals in a zoo, in their "natural" habitats, obviously backward compared to the civilized whites.
Finally, one of the historians reminded us of a signficant contradiction: that our society is based on such wonderful principles worth dying for. And yet our society has allowed us to ignore these principles. A good example of this was an argument many civil rights activists in the 1960s made: that we presented ourselves to the world as the bastion of democracy during the Cold War, and yet we denied many African Americans the right to participate fully in this democracy.
That's all for now. On Thursday (9/29) I plan to comment on Part 3 and then get into those Basic Definitions. Don't forget your first essay assignment which is due next Tuesday, Oct. 4th.
Before I post these passages, I want to remind you of the context in which they were relevant. At the conclusion of the Civil War, the institution of slavery was abolished but NOT the race theory and racism that justified it.
"The Civil War settled definitively the question of the South's continued existence as a part of the United States, but in 1865 there was no strategy for cleansing the South of the economic and intellectual addiction to slavery. The resistance to what should have been the obvious consequences of losing the Civil War -- full emancipation of the slaves and shared political control between blacks and whites -- was so virulent and effective that the tangible outcome of the military struggle between the North and the South remained uncertain even twenty-five years after the issuance of President Abraham Lincoln's Emanciaption Proclamation. The role of the African American in American society would not be clear for another one hundred years."
"In the first decades of that span, the intensity of southern whites' need to reestablish hegemony over blacks rivaled the most visceral patriotism of the wartime Confederacy. White southerners initiated an extraordinary campaign of defiance and subversion against the new biracial social order imposed on the South and mandated by the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution which abolished slavery." (pp. 41-42)
Later, Blackmon cites W.E.B. DuBois's characterization of whites' attitudes towards blacks around the turn of the 20th century:
"...there was scarcely a white man in the South who did not honestly regard Emancipation as a crime, and its practical nullification as a duty." (p. 245)
Finally, Dr. King's perceptive comment in the same vein as the first passage above:
"Reading Charles Silberman's "Crisis in Black and White" after its publication the prior year (1964), Martin Luther King scribbled a long note in the margins of his personal copy: 'The South deluded itself with the illusion that the Negro was happy in his place; the North deluded itself with the illusion that it had freed the Negro. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slave, a legal entity, but it failed to free the Negro, a person.' In every aspect and among almost every demographic, how American society digested and processed the long, dark chapter between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the civil rights movement has been delusion." (p. 394)
REMAINING COMMENTS ABOUT PART 2 OF THE VIDEO SERIES: let me add just a couple final comments about Part 2: the stories we tell.
Toward the end, the narrator spoke of the "white man's burden" in connection with a growing American empire and European colonization of Africa and Asia. This was captured in some of the cartoons around the turn of the 20th century, which usually depicted America or white civilization as a mother or father figure and those we conquered like the Filipinos as backward children needing to be guided.
As a couple of the families noted, the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair had people on display, like animals in a zoo, in their "natural" habitats, obviously backward compared to the civilized whites.
Finally, one of the historians reminded us of a signficant contradiction: that our society is based on such wonderful principles worth dying for. And yet our society has allowed us to ignore these principles. A good example of this was an argument many civil rights activists in the 1960s made: that we presented ourselves to the world as the bastion of democracy during the Cold War, and yet we denied many African Americans the right to participate fully in this democracy.
That's all for now. On Thursday (9/29) I plan to comment on Part 3 and then get into those Basic Definitions. Don't forget your first essay assignment which is due next Tuesday, Oct. 4th.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Family observations on Part 3 of "Race: the power of an illusion"
GREEN FAMILY
(1) Ozawa case
The Ozawa case was very surprising: how he could not be a citizen because he was not white, despite the fact that the Japanese had been in America for many decades. This case really showed us that being labeled "white" is about more than skin color; it is also about what opportunities you can have. Even though Ozawa acted as a white American, this was not enough to prove to the Supreme Court that he was white.
(2) 1930s FHA
The Federal Housing Administration sounded like a good program, helping the "average" person to own a home. But it also sanctioned discrimination against "average" black people trying to purchase a home and it used racial criteria to determine which areas were considered good or bad credit risks. People of that era would probably be surprised to see how things have changed today.
BLUE FAMILY
(1) Ozawa and Thind cases
The two Supreme Court cases in the 1920s that involved the definition of who is "white" not only showed the difficulty in doing this, but also showed the arbitrariness of such definitions. Takao Ozawa made two arguments. First, he argued that race should not be a factor in becoming an American citizen. But knowing his first argument was too far-reaching, he made another argument that he should be considered white because he lived like any other American. But the court ruled against him, saying that according to the latest science he was not Caucasian. The court contradicted itself two years later in the case of an Indian named Thind. He used science to trace his ancestry to the Aryan (white) race. But this, too, was not good enough for the court, which argued that this scientific argument was not good enough, that the common man could clearly see Thind was not white. So, white was whatever the white man said it was. Clearly, this is circular reasoning and proves that race is a matter of social definition -- a very dangerous and powerful idea.
(2) Impact of housing discrimination
The beginning of mass homeownership after WWII had a huge impact on race relations in America. First, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) made possible mass homeownership by requiring only a small percentage down on a house and low payments each month. This made it possible for average families and seemingly "anyone" to own a home. But "non-whites" were left out of this housing market because the builders and realtors were allowed to discriminate against non-whites. This led to nearly all-white suburbs and minorities being concentrated in inner-city housing projects. When minorities were finally allowed to move into these neighborhoods, "white flight" occurred, which was encouraged be realtors and led housing values to decline in neighborhoods where blacks moved in. This led to a geographic Jim Crow (or racial segregation) in the U.S. today, and this contributed significantly to the large wealth gap between whites and non-whites.
ORANGE FAMILY
(1) Ozawa and Thind cases
Even though Zangwill wrote about America being a "Melting Pot," clearly those who were regarded as non-white did not have a place in this pot, as illustrated by the Ozawa or Thind cases. Ozawa's petition to the Supreme Court to be declared white so he could become a citizen was denied even though he lived his life like most white Americans. Thind was able to prove scientifically he was white, but his petition was also denied because the Supreme Court said any person can see he is not white. These cases showed how easily the rules could be changed for who was white, and who would be allowed to be a part of this so-called "melting pot."
(2) Government-sanctioned housing discrimination
The FHA program, which was a path to homeownership for millions of Americans, was discriminatory toward blacks. It pioneered the practice of "red-lining" in which predominantly black neighborhoods were judged to be bad risks for mortgage lending, which led to inevitable decline and decreasing home values in these areas. This institutional discrimination was much more serious than individual discrimination against blacks.
That's it. Everyone earns the 6 points for this activity. I did decide to award the Blue family a bonus point for being so prompt in sending me their responses, which were generally more complete. We will discuss this tomorrow (Thurs. 9/22), and these family points may be used as a basis for some midterm exam questions.
(1) Ozawa case
The Ozawa case was very surprising: how he could not be a citizen because he was not white, despite the fact that the Japanese had been in America for many decades. This case really showed us that being labeled "white" is about more than skin color; it is also about what opportunities you can have. Even though Ozawa acted as a white American, this was not enough to prove to the Supreme Court that he was white.
(2) 1930s FHA
The Federal Housing Administration sounded like a good program, helping the "average" person to own a home. But it also sanctioned discrimination against "average" black people trying to purchase a home and it used racial criteria to determine which areas were considered good or bad credit risks. People of that era would probably be surprised to see how things have changed today.
BLUE FAMILY
(1) Ozawa and Thind cases
The two Supreme Court cases in the 1920s that involved the definition of who is "white" not only showed the difficulty in doing this, but also showed the arbitrariness of such definitions. Takao Ozawa made two arguments. First, he argued that race should not be a factor in becoming an American citizen. But knowing his first argument was too far-reaching, he made another argument that he should be considered white because he lived like any other American. But the court ruled against him, saying that according to the latest science he was not Caucasian. The court contradicted itself two years later in the case of an Indian named Thind. He used science to trace his ancestry to the Aryan (white) race. But this, too, was not good enough for the court, which argued that this scientific argument was not good enough, that the common man could clearly see Thind was not white. So, white was whatever the white man said it was. Clearly, this is circular reasoning and proves that race is a matter of social definition -- a very dangerous and powerful idea.
(2) Impact of housing discrimination
The beginning of mass homeownership after WWII had a huge impact on race relations in America. First, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) made possible mass homeownership by requiring only a small percentage down on a house and low payments each month. This made it possible for average families and seemingly "anyone" to own a home. But "non-whites" were left out of this housing market because the builders and realtors were allowed to discriminate against non-whites. This led to nearly all-white suburbs and minorities being concentrated in inner-city housing projects. When minorities were finally allowed to move into these neighborhoods, "white flight" occurred, which was encouraged be realtors and led housing values to decline in neighborhoods where blacks moved in. This led to a geographic Jim Crow (or racial segregation) in the U.S. today, and this contributed significantly to the large wealth gap between whites and non-whites.
ORANGE FAMILY
(1) Ozawa and Thind cases
Even though Zangwill wrote about America being a "Melting Pot," clearly those who were regarded as non-white did not have a place in this pot, as illustrated by the Ozawa or Thind cases. Ozawa's petition to the Supreme Court to be declared white so he could become a citizen was denied even though he lived his life like most white Americans. Thind was able to prove scientifically he was white, but his petition was also denied because the Supreme Court said any person can see he is not white. These cases showed how easily the rules could be changed for who was white, and who would be allowed to be a part of this so-called "melting pot."
(2) Government-sanctioned housing discrimination
The FHA program, which was a path to homeownership for millions of Americans, was discriminatory toward blacks. It pioneered the practice of "red-lining" in which predominantly black neighborhoods were judged to be bad risks for mortgage lending, which led to inevitable decline and decreasing home values in these areas. This institutional discrimination was much more serious than individual discrimination against blacks.
That's it. Everyone earns the 6 points for this activity. I did decide to award the Blue family a bonus point for being so prompt in sending me their responses, which were generally more complete. We will discuss this tomorrow (Thurs. 9/22), and these family points may be used as a basis for some midterm exam questions.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Family observations on Part 2 of "Race: the power of an illusion"
Below are your edited part 2 observations:
BLUE FAMILY:
(1) Indian Removal Act
Initially, Thomas Jefferson and many white settlers believed that Indians were savages but they were capable of being civilized -- they were perceived as "brown little white men." The Cherokees in particular tried to prove they could be "civilized" or "Americanized." They converted to Christianity, learned English, went to school, became farmers, even dressed like whites. But because of pressure for their land, they were forcibly removed, which led to the Trail of Tears. And they were placed on a reservation where they were encouraged to be Indians and not try to assimilate into American society.
(2) 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
In addition to being a celebration of American progress and prosperity, this world's fair also displayed people of different cultures and races like zoo animals in their natural, "uncivilized" habitats, which made these "lesser peoples," such as the recently conquered Filipinos, appear inferior to the white Americans who saw them.
GREEN FAMILY:
(1) Dr. Josiah Nott's collection of human skulls
Although this was presented as objective science, one historian noted that this collection of skulls and diagrams made from them were based on prejudice and intended to show that blacks' skulls resembled those of apes and monkeys, whereas whites' skulls were more symmetrical and looked more human.
(2) Treatment of Indians
The U.S. government found ways to take Indian land and force Indians to become more like white Americans. But even when the Indians, such as the Cherokees, proved they could be "civilized" on the white man's terms, the government still moved in and took their land in the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the Trail of Tears and the deaths of a significant proportion of their population.
ORANGE FAMILY:
(1) Recent origin of racism
Racism is a relatively modern phenomenon dating back to the 18th century. Colonists were more likely to distinguish between Christians and non-Christians, and in the beginning indentured servitude was not race-based. Yet, because of labor shortages due to slowing immigration from Europe, colonists turned to the African slave trade to supply cheap labor for their labor-intensive crops. By the 1780s, Thomas Jefferson talks of his suspicion that African slaves are inherently inferior, and he calls on science to prove this, which science proceeds to do, leading to a race theory which places whites on top of the racial hierarchy and blacks on the bottom.
(2) This is a heartbreaking chapter in American history. While Native Americans were seen as capable of being as civilized as white Americans, especially among Enlightenment thinkers, many ordinary whites saw themselves as superior. In response to populist pressure for their land, due in large part to the discovery of gold in northern Georgia, the federal government under Andrew Jackson, authorized the removal of members of the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickisaw, and Chocktaw nations out of the Southeast, giving their lands away to white farmers through a random lottery. Nearly a quarter of those who were part of the Trail of Tears died from disease, exposure, and starvation; those who refused to go were often killed, and many more died after reaching the reservations in Oklahoma.
That's it for Part 2. Look for Part 3 to be posted tomorrow (Wed., 9/21). We'll begin discussing all this on Thursday.
BLUE FAMILY:
(1) Indian Removal Act
Initially, Thomas Jefferson and many white settlers believed that Indians were savages but they were capable of being civilized -- they were perceived as "brown little white men." The Cherokees in particular tried to prove they could be "civilized" or "Americanized." They converted to Christianity, learned English, went to school, became farmers, even dressed like whites. But because of pressure for their land, they were forcibly removed, which led to the Trail of Tears. And they were placed on a reservation where they were encouraged to be Indians and not try to assimilate into American society.
(2) 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
In addition to being a celebration of American progress and prosperity, this world's fair also displayed people of different cultures and races like zoo animals in their natural, "uncivilized" habitats, which made these "lesser peoples," such as the recently conquered Filipinos, appear inferior to the white Americans who saw them.
GREEN FAMILY:
(1) Dr. Josiah Nott's collection of human skulls
Although this was presented as objective science, one historian noted that this collection of skulls and diagrams made from them were based on prejudice and intended to show that blacks' skulls resembled those of apes and monkeys, whereas whites' skulls were more symmetrical and looked more human.
(2) Treatment of Indians
The U.S. government found ways to take Indian land and force Indians to become more like white Americans. But even when the Indians, such as the Cherokees, proved they could be "civilized" on the white man's terms, the government still moved in and took their land in the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the Trail of Tears and the deaths of a significant proportion of their population.
ORANGE FAMILY:
(1) Recent origin of racism
Racism is a relatively modern phenomenon dating back to the 18th century. Colonists were more likely to distinguish between Christians and non-Christians, and in the beginning indentured servitude was not race-based. Yet, because of labor shortages due to slowing immigration from Europe, colonists turned to the African slave trade to supply cheap labor for their labor-intensive crops. By the 1780s, Thomas Jefferson talks of his suspicion that African slaves are inherently inferior, and he calls on science to prove this, which science proceeds to do, leading to a race theory which places whites on top of the racial hierarchy and blacks on the bottom.
(2) This is a heartbreaking chapter in American history. While Native Americans were seen as capable of being as civilized as white Americans, especially among Enlightenment thinkers, many ordinary whites saw themselves as superior. In response to populist pressure for their land, due in large part to the discovery of gold in northern Georgia, the federal government under Andrew Jackson, authorized the removal of members of the Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickisaw, and Chocktaw nations out of the Southeast, giving their lands away to white farmers through a random lottery. Nearly a quarter of those who were part of the Trail of Tears died from disease, exposure, and starvation; those who refused to go were often killed, and many more died after reaching the reservations in Oklahoma.
That's it for Part 2. Look for Part 3 to be posted tomorrow (Wed., 9/21). We'll begin discussing all this on Thursday.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Family observations on Part 1 of "Race: the power of an illusion" & Reminders
FAMILY OBSERVATIONS ON PART 1 OF "RACE: THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION"
Please note that I have done some editing of your submissions. I trust that my editing did not distort what you were trying to say.
BLUE FAMILY (Amelia, Jarell, Kristal, Mary Katherine, Julisa, Mimi)
1. Jesse Owens and the Rise of Black Athletes
Jessie Owens won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, which shattered both the Nazi belief in Aryan superiority and belied Hoffman's argument in "Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro" that the Negro was inherently infirm and destined for extinction. This changed the idea of African Americans being the weaker race to the idea that they were physically superior (although not intellectually or culturally) due to the fact, as Owens' coach observed, "they were closer to the primitive."
2. Use of Davenport's Study of Eugenics in Nazi Germany
Davenport, a biologist in the early 20th century, developed the science of eugenics which was premised on the belief in white superiority. The Nazis later used this "science" to justify the Holocaust and promote Aryan superiority. This is significant because it shows how misguided American science contributed to the slaughter of millions of people due to race.
GREEN FAMILY (Jessi, Jared, Jack, Nygia, Lucy)
1. Eugenics movement
In the early 1900s, eugenics, the so-called study of improving human genetic quality, became popular in the U.S. The eugenists' worse nightmare -- a conglomeration of "the worst racial traits" -- was discovered in the WIN tribe of the Virginia Blue Hills. These people were a mixture of white, Indian, and Negro blood. The racist eugenics movement proposed outlandish measures, such as sterlization, which were upheld by the Virginia courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, in an attempt to maintain white racial purity and superiority.
2. People have had a hard time getting around the idea that outward appearance, such as skin color, is indicative of inner characteristics and capacities, but science has clearly shown that these differences are merely skin deep. Underneath the multi-hued skin tone of the people of the world, everyone is essentially the same. Hopefully, as science progresses, the "race myth" will be further discredited.
ORANGE FAMILY (Shelby, T.J., Brianna, Emily, Ethan)
1. Frederick Hoffman's book: "Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro"
Hoffman argued that there was a natural order among the races and the fact that African Americans had higher rates of infant mortality and shorter life spans was due to their inferior race. He assumed that they were inferior, and even destined to become extinct, based on these statistics. But he ignored the role of social factors such as poverty and discrimination, and assumed their poor health was due solely to their race.
2. Eugenics
The eugenics movement in the early 20th century sought to promote white racial purity and superiority through selective breeding. The proponents of eugenics also believed that children inherited moral traits from their parents. Hitler used these ideas in promoting the ideology of Aryan superiority.
**Please print out or copy these points down. We will discuss them after we finish viewing this video series, and I may use them as a basis for some questions on the midterm exam.
REMINDERS
There are still a few of you who have not posted your comments on the first individual exercise. Please do so ASAP. And if you cannot figure out how to do this on the blog, send you comment to me directly via email. But I still would like everyone to post your comments on the blog, eventually.
Sorry about the delay in showing Part 2 yesterday. I should be able to avoid that next Tuesday. Nonetheless, I would like to receive the family observations from part 2 as soon as you can, hopefully by next Monday at the latest.
Please note that I have done some editing of your submissions. I trust that my editing did not distort what you were trying to say.
BLUE FAMILY (Amelia, Jarell, Kristal, Mary Katherine, Julisa, Mimi)
1. Jesse Owens and the Rise of Black Athletes
Jessie Owens won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, which shattered both the Nazi belief in Aryan superiority and belied Hoffman's argument in "Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro" that the Negro was inherently infirm and destined for extinction. This changed the idea of African Americans being the weaker race to the idea that they were physically superior (although not intellectually or culturally) due to the fact, as Owens' coach observed, "they were closer to the primitive."
2. Use of Davenport's Study of Eugenics in Nazi Germany
Davenport, a biologist in the early 20th century, developed the science of eugenics which was premised on the belief in white superiority. The Nazis later used this "science" to justify the Holocaust and promote Aryan superiority. This is significant because it shows how misguided American science contributed to the slaughter of millions of people due to race.
GREEN FAMILY (Jessi, Jared, Jack, Nygia, Lucy)
1. Eugenics movement
In the early 1900s, eugenics, the so-called study of improving human genetic quality, became popular in the U.S. The eugenists' worse nightmare -- a conglomeration of "the worst racial traits" -- was discovered in the WIN tribe of the Virginia Blue Hills. These people were a mixture of white, Indian, and Negro blood. The racist eugenics movement proposed outlandish measures, such as sterlization, which were upheld by the Virginia courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, in an attempt to maintain white racial purity and superiority.
2. People have had a hard time getting around the idea that outward appearance, such as skin color, is indicative of inner characteristics and capacities, but science has clearly shown that these differences are merely skin deep. Underneath the multi-hued skin tone of the people of the world, everyone is essentially the same. Hopefully, as science progresses, the "race myth" will be further discredited.
ORANGE FAMILY (Shelby, T.J., Brianna, Emily, Ethan)
1. Frederick Hoffman's book: "Race Traits and Tendencies of the American Negro"
Hoffman argued that there was a natural order among the races and the fact that African Americans had higher rates of infant mortality and shorter life spans was due to their inferior race. He assumed that they were inferior, and even destined to become extinct, based on these statistics. But he ignored the role of social factors such as poverty and discrimination, and assumed their poor health was due solely to their race.
2. Eugenics
The eugenics movement in the early 20th century sought to promote white racial purity and superiority through selective breeding. The proponents of eugenics also believed that children inherited moral traits from their parents. Hitler used these ideas in promoting the ideology of Aryan superiority.
**Please print out or copy these points down. We will discuss them after we finish viewing this video series, and I may use them as a basis for some questions on the midterm exam.
REMINDERS
There are still a few of you who have not posted your comments on the first individual exercise. Please do so ASAP. And if you cannot figure out how to do this on the blog, send you comment to me directly via email. But I still would like everyone to post your comments on the blog, eventually.
Sorry about the delay in showing Part 2 yesterday. I should be able to avoid that next Tuesday. Nonetheless, I would like to receive the family observations from part 2 as soon as you can, hopefully by next Monday at the latest.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Follow-up Comments on First Lecture & First Family Activity
FOLLOW-UP COMMENTS ON FIRST LECTURE
Before I post some additional observations about the relevance of the this course in race and ethnic relations, let me remind you to check out the WELCOME & FIRST INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. Please try to post your comment on that individual exercise by next Wednesday, 9/14.
After discussing the results of our little survey yesterday, I launched into some prepared remarks on the relevance of this class, focusing especially on whites who tend not to be as aware or sensitive to race and ethnic relations' issues as other minorities. That stems from the fact that whites generally have not suffered as much from prejudice and discrimination and they don't see themselves as a racial group -- that as Dr. Robert Terry discovered, what it means to be white is that you don't have to think about it. I, then, went on to argue that it is important that we be conscious of racial and ethnic differences and the existence of prejudice and discrimination in order to overcome these differences and truly become a "colorblind" society.
Sociologist, Dr. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, in his book, "Racism Without Racists," which I used a few years ago in this class, articulates well the point I was trying to make in the above context. He said,
"Nowadays, except for members of white supremacist organizations, few whites in the United States claim to be 'racist.' Most whites assert that they 'don't see color, just people; that although the ugly face of discrimination is still with us, it is no longer the central factor determining minorities' life chances; and finally, that like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they aspire to live in a society where 'people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.' More poignantly, most whites insist that minorities (especially blacks) are the ones responsible for whatever 'race problem' we have in this country. They publicly denounce blacks for 'playing the race card,' for demanding the maintenance of unnecessary and divisive race-based programs, such as affirmative action, and for crying 'racism' whenever they are criticized by whites. Most whites believe that if blacks and other minorities would just stop thinking about the past, work hard, and complain less (particularly about racial discrimination), then Americans of all hues could 'all get along.'"
And he went on to say, "But regardless of whites' 'sincere fictions,' racial considerations shade almost everything in America." (p. 1) He, then, went on to list the many socio-economic variables on which blacks lag far behind whites.
Also, as we'll see in a few weeks, Dr. Beverly Tatum emphasizes, among other things, that white teachers especially need to be aware of the prejudice and stereotypes minority students have to deal with.
You do NOT transcend race and ethnicity by naively believing these divisions do not exist -- that we can just wish away literally centuries of racial and ethnic prejudice and discrimination.
(a) Like the much-criticized program called "affirmative action," race (or gender or disability) must be considered in jobs, education, etc. not only to make up for past discrimination, but also to get to the point where we can truly transcend race, gender, disability in employment, education, and elsewhere in our society.
In terms of sensitivity training, I would encourage all of you to put yourself in a situation of being a distinct racial or ethnic minority. You can experience something of this when you travel abroad. Or even here in America -- in ethnic enclaves such as "Little Havana" in Miami, "Little Saigon" in Orange Co., California, or any Chinatown, Indian reservation, or Harlem. You'll find, I believe, that you will become much more conscious of your racial and ethnic background and concerned with how others see you.
Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the great proponents of integration, stressed that American society needed to be integrated not just at the level of kids playing together, holding hands (an image he invoked in his famous, "I Have a Dream" speech). But he went far beyond this romantic vision to suggest that we need to integrate all groups and individuals into the full economic, political, and cultural life of this society.
(1) The sad fact is, however, that racial and ethnic minorities have arbitrarily been denied full access to the rights and opportunities this society has to offer, the rights and opportunities necessary to develop as complete human beings.
(2) In his last book, Dr. King spoke of all groups being "woven in a single garment of destiny" -- that even though we may not assocaite with each other all the time, we are all important to the current and future well-being of this society, that we should all have the opportunity to contribute. (and that means ALL of us -- from the lowly janitor or sanitation worker to the teacher, doctor, CEO, etc.)
Please copy or print out the above comments and insert them in your notebooks along with the other remarks I made in my first lecture of sorts.
FIRST FAMILY EXERCISE:
Over the next two weeks, beginning next Tuesday, 9/13, we are going to be seeing a three-part video series entitled, "Race: the power of an illusion." It challenges the whole notion of race (along the same lines that race is defined on the "Basic Definitions" I handed out) and gives a nice overview of the pernicious effects of race theory and racism in America from our earliest days as a nation. Following the viewing of each part, I want each of the families to discuss what you saw and identify what you believe were the TWO most important historical facts or points and their significance for understanding race relations in our society today. Once you determine those two points, a designated family member should then EMAIL your comments to me, and I will then edit them and eventually post them on this blog. Please be fairly succinct in stating these points -- no more than one paragraph each. At the conclusion of the series, we'll review these points in class and I will add my own analysis of some of the key points in this video series. I may use some of these points you come up with as the basis for some questions on the midterm exam. This exercise is worth 6 activity points, and you have to be present and participating in order to earn those points.
The three families are as follows:
GREEN FAMILY: Jessie F., Jared S., Jack M., Nygia B, Lucy R.
BLUE FAMILY: Jarell B., Kristal M., Amelia F., Mary Katherine M., Julisa M.
ORANGE FAMILY: Shelby H., T.J. D.,Brianna G., Emily E., Ethan G.
Hope to see everyone next Tuesday.
Before I post some additional observations about the relevance of the this course in race and ethnic relations, let me remind you to check out the WELCOME & FIRST INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE. Please try to post your comment on that individual exercise by next Wednesday, 9/14.
After discussing the results of our little survey yesterday, I launched into some prepared remarks on the relevance of this class, focusing especially on whites who tend not to be as aware or sensitive to race and ethnic relations' issues as other minorities. That stems from the fact that whites generally have not suffered as much from prejudice and discrimination and they don't see themselves as a racial group -- that as Dr. Robert Terry discovered, what it means to be white is that you don't have to think about it. I, then, went on to argue that it is important that we be conscious of racial and ethnic differences and the existence of prejudice and discrimination in order to overcome these differences and truly become a "colorblind" society.
Sociologist, Dr. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, in his book, "Racism Without Racists," which I used a few years ago in this class, articulates well the point I was trying to make in the above context. He said,
"Nowadays, except for members of white supremacist organizations, few whites in the United States claim to be 'racist.' Most whites assert that they 'don't see color, just people; that although the ugly face of discrimination is still with us, it is no longer the central factor determining minorities' life chances; and finally, that like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they aspire to live in a society where 'people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.' More poignantly, most whites insist that minorities (especially blacks) are the ones responsible for whatever 'race problem' we have in this country. They publicly denounce blacks for 'playing the race card,' for demanding the maintenance of unnecessary and divisive race-based programs, such as affirmative action, and for crying 'racism' whenever they are criticized by whites. Most whites believe that if blacks and other minorities would just stop thinking about the past, work hard, and complain less (particularly about racial discrimination), then Americans of all hues could 'all get along.'"
And he went on to say, "But regardless of whites' 'sincere fictions,' racial considerations shade almost everything in America." (p. 1) He, then, went on to list the many socio-economic variables on which blacks lag far behind whites.
Also, as we'll see in a few weeks, Dr. Beverly Tatum emphasizes, among other things, that white teachers especially need to be aware of the prejudice and stereotypes minority students have to deal with.
You do NOT transcend race and ethnicity by naively believing these divisions do not exist -- that we can just wish away literally centuries of racial and ethnic prejudice and discrimination.
(a) Like the much-criticized program called "affirmative action," race (or gender or disability) must be considered in jobs, education, etc. not only to make up for past discrimination, but also to get to the point where we can truly transcend race, gender, disability in employment, education, and elsewhere in our society.
In terms of sensitivity training, I would encourage all of you to put yourself in a situation of being a distinct racial or ethnic minority. You can experience something of this when you travel abroad. Or even here in America -- in ethnic enclaves such as "Little Havana" in Miami, "Little Saigon" in Orange Co., California, or any Chinatown, Indian reservation, or Harlem. You'll find, I believe, that you will become much more conscious of your racial and ethnic background and concerned with how others see you.
Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the great proponents of integration, stressed that American society needed to be integrated not just at the level of kids playing together, holding hands (an image he invoked in his famous, "I Have a Dream" speech). But he went far beyond this romantic vision to suggest that we need to integrate all groups and individuals into the full economic, political, and cultural life of this society.
(1) The sad fact is, however, that racial and ethnic minorities have arbitrarily been denied full access to the rights and opportunities this society has to offer, the rights and opportunities necessary to develop as complete human beings.
(2) In his last book, Dr. King spoke of all groups being "woven in a single garment of destiny" -- that even though we may not assocaite with each other all the time, we are all important to the current and future well-being of this society, that we should all have the opportunity to contribute. (and that means ALL of us -- from the lowly janitor or sanitation worker to the teacher, doctor, CEO, etc.)
Please copy or print out the above comments and insert them in your notebooks along with the other remarks I made in my first lecture of sorts.
FIRST FAMILY EXERCISE:
Over the next two weeks, beginning next Tuesday, 9/13, we are going to be seeing a three-part video series entitled, "Race: the power of an illusion." It challenges the whole notion of race (along the same lines that race is defined on the "Basic Definitions" I handed out) and gives a nice overview of the pernicious effects of race theory and racism in America from our earliest days as a nation. Following the viewing of each part, I want each of the families to discuss what you saw and identify what you believe were the TWO most important historical facts or points and their significance for understanding race relations in our society today. Once you determine those two points, a designated family member should then EMAIL your comments to me, and I will then edit them and eventually post them on this blog. Please be fairly succinct in stating these points -- no more than one paragraph each. At the conclusion of the series, we'll review these points in class and I will add my own analysis of some of the key points in this video series. I may use some of these points you come up with as the basis for some questions on the midterm exam. This exercise is worth 6 activity points, and you have to be present and participating in order to earn those points.
The three families are as follows:
GREEN FAMILY: Jessie F., Jared S., Jack M., Nygia B, Lucy R.
BLUE FAMILY: Jarell B., Kristal M., Amelia F., Mary Katherine M., Julisa M.
ORANGE FAMILY: Shelby H., T.J. D.,Brianna G., Emily E., Ethan G.
Hope to see everyone next Tuesday.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Welcome & First Individual Exercise
Welcome to this blog which I have set up for this class, Sociology 240. We will be using this site throughout this semester for a variety of individual and group activities, beginning with the one described below. I will also use this blog to post occasional lecture notes if I get behind in class. And, finally, this blog will be used for whatever extra credit opportunities I may offer you. Although I will usually let you know in class if I have posted something you need to check out, you should get in the habit of checking the blog a couple times a week anyway. I hope and trust that you will find this blog to be a valuable additional tool in exploring the realm of race and ethnic relations.
FIRST INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE:
I want each of you to briefly describe any one incident in the news (local, national, or international) that you can recall which touches on some race and ethnic relations issue. In addition to your brief description, tell in what respect you believe the incident is pertinent to race and ethnic relations and also state your own view or position on this incident. I am only looking for a couple paragraphs at most, which you should post as a comment on this blog. Please do so no later than WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14TH. This exercise is worth 5 activity points.
FIRST INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE:
I want each of you to briefly describe any one incident in the news (local, national, or international) that you can recall which touches on some race and ethnic relations issue. In addition to your brief description, tell in what respect you believe the incident is pertinent to race and ethnic relations and also state your own view or position on this incident. I am only looking for a couple paragraphs at most, which you should post as a comment on this blog. Please do so no later than WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14TH. This exercise is worth 5 activity points.
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