Post by mypallyowndu on Apr 26, 2008 6:18:15 GMT -5
Why am I posting at 7 am on a Saturday? Because, while still amped up on Red Bull, I no longer have the energy to study for my exams.
Yes and no. Race does not matter when judging the merits of an individual. However, race does most certainly matter as a social category. To deny the importance that race plays in an individual's life is to deny that person's unique experiences. For example, I am Indian. If a person were to draw conclusions about my merits as an individual based on my race, I would be deeply offended. However, that does not mean I want them to ignore the very different culture that I grew up in.
I find this deeply problematic both pragmatically and normatively. How are we to achieve this? My grandfather has worn a turban every day since he was a young man because it is one of the tenants of Sikhism. In 2001, he and my grandmother immigrated to the United States. They currently live in Dallas, a city wear turbans are not the norm. This clearly marks him as an "other." Should he no longer be allowed to wear it in a race-neutral world? There are countless other examples from other cultures (e.g. Orthodox Jews, Albanian Muslims, Romanian Catholics, Rastafarians, etc.) that prove how difficult it would be to legislate our way to a world where race no longer exists.
Secondly, Nick's position is troubling from a normative standpoint. As arcuscloud and roy have eloquently pointed out, history matters. Our country was built on the broken backs of African slaves. After Reconstruction, the era of Jim Crow devastated Southern blacks until the 1960's. Think about it --- your parents were sneaking alcohol from your grandparents' liquor cabinet while schools were still segregated. It really wasn't that long ago. To say that we should acknowledge that race doesn't matter anymore would allow those who enjoy racial privilege (i.e. whites) to skirt the responsibility they have to blacks. Please do read the first few pages of this article to see why we cannot ignore race:www-personal.umich.edu/%7Eeandersn/AndConstitCommentary.pdf
The evidence presented in the paper clearly show that blacks remain a group that is segregated from white America. This segregation continues to hamper the economic and political advancement of black Americans.
If you return to the Anderson article I mentioned previously, you'll see why it is necessary to raise hell about images that reinforce racial stereotypes. Anderson points to mounds of evidence that show deleterious psychological effects such images have on blacks. Moreover, she also shows how the racial stigma that these images cause hurt blacks materially (harder to find jobs, depressing value of homes in black neighborhoods, inability to obtain credit, etc.). Speaking out against racist images is one way to combat racial stigma.
Thanks to all who have commented. You all have shown me that my stereotype of gamers as unconcerned citizens was unfounded!
Why do you need to observe what race someone is? Shouldn't it not matter?
Yes and no. Race does not matter when judging the merits of an individual. However, race does most certainly matter as a social category. To deny the importance that race plays in an individual's life is to deny that person's unique experiences. For example, I am Indian. If a person were to draw conclusions about my merits as an individual based on my race, I would be deeply offended. However, that does not mean I want them to ignore the very different culture that I grew up in.
Second, I personally believe that the first step towards eliminating racism is stop even acknowledging that it exists anymore.
I find this deeply problematic both pragmatically and normatively. How are we to achieve this? My grandfather has worn a turban every day since he was a young man because it is one of the tenants of Sikhism. In 2001, he and my grandmother immigrated to the United States. They currently live in Dallas, a city wear turbans are not the norm. This clearly marks him as an "other." Should he no longer be allowed to wear it in a race-neutral world? There are countless other examples from other cultures (e.g. Orthodox Jews, Albanian Muslims, Romanian Catholics, Rastafarians, etc.) that prove how difficult it would be to legislate our way to a world where race no longer exists.
Secondly, Nick's position is troubling from a normative standpoint. As arcuscloud and roy have eloquently pointed out, history matters. Our country was built on the broken backs of African slaves. After Reconstruction, the era of Jim Crow devastated Southern blacks until the 1960's. Think about it --- your parents were sneaking alcohol from your grandparents' liquor cabinet while schools were still segregated. It really wasn't that long ago. To say that we should acknowledge that race doesn't matter anymore would allow those who enjoy racial privilege (i.e. whites) to skirt the responsibility they have to blacks. Please do read the first few pages of this article to see why we cannot ignore race:www-personal.umich.edu/%7Eeandersn/AndConstitCommentary.pdf
The evidence presented in the paper clearly show that blacks remain a group that is segregated from white America. This segregation continues to hamper the economic and political advancement of black Americans.
The problem with racism is and has always been unequal treatment. By raising hell about a trailer like this and freaking out everytime this kind of thing is depicted, we are basically implying that different races should be treated differently.
If you return to the Anderson article I mentioned previously, you'll see why it is necessary to raise hell about images that reinforce racial stereotypes. Anderson points to mounds of evidence that show deleterious psychological effects such images have on blacks. Moreover, she also shows how the racial stigma that these images cause hurt blacks materially (harder to find jobs, depressing value of homes in black neighborhoods, inability to obtain credit, etc.). Speaking out against racist images is one way to combat racial stigma.
Thanks to all who have commented. You all have shown me that my stereotype of gamers as unconcerned citizens was unfounded!
