Race

Social Construction of Racism- Although the idea of race is one that is most commonly used to categorize people into different groups, it simply is not real. Humans all originate from the same place. Even though we can look externally different, biologically we are all relatively the same. The only real reason the idea of race was ever truly established was because of slavery. Whites could feel better about labeling those who they considered black or inferior. It was a way so that white people could morally not be responsible towards other races, simply because they didn't look exactly alike. The only real factor that decides what race a person is, is society. You could be a multicultural but if you have dark skin like you are labeled as black or African American, like Tiger woods for example. In "White Like Me" Tim Wise discusses how some people believe in the idea of becoming "colorblind" so that no one sees color and we are all equal. But Wise also addresses how this idea is simply not realistic, rather being color-conscious is what we should strive for. Not ignoring everyone's differences and acting like we are all the same, we should embrace those differences and acknowledge the struggles that many different people have to go through every day because they are not white.

Ingroups/Outgroups- These exist between white people and every other minority in America. It is unarguable that white people have a lot more opportunities than those who are not white. Even if those people were born in America, if they are not white, then they are already at a disadvantage when it comes to things like employment and law enforcement. A person of color is less likely to get a job that a white person is applying for, even if they are more qualified for the job than the white applicant. Now, this doesn't always happen and most likely the person is more qualified will be hired. However, the fact that it can still, and sometimes does happen, shines a light on white privilege.

White Privilege- This is not really an idea really, rather it is an observation of how white people are able to maneuver in America. White people receive better treatment than any of their race in America. Whether it be applying for a job, or being pulled over by the police, white people have different interactions with theses things than other races do. In the White Privilege is Measurable article, it shows how the unemployment rate for black people is double what it is for white people and how a higher level of white kids attended low poverty schools than black kids attend. Being white myself, I experience white privilege every day even if I don't realize it. In the song White Privilege by Macklemore, he says "Cause we got the best deal, the music without the burden". He is talking about white rappers and how rap music really wouldn't have been a thing if it wasn't for black artists changing their hardship into art. As a result white rappers are to this day are making money off of something that they truly can never know about.

Implicit Racism- This is the kind of bias that isn't necessarily intentional by the person who exhibits it. It is most commonly a result of being raised in a country in which stereotypes are constantly present. A child who grows up around these stereotypes, even if they eventually decide they don't agree with, will forever be burned into that child's head. For example in Why Cops Shoot, it talks about how a lot of the shootings done by police are done by nervous cops who rush to judgments and make mistakes. It is those mistakes that put those nervous cops in bad situations where they feel forced to shoot. Why are they nervous though? It is because they have been raised in a country in which they are constantly reminded that black people are more dangerous, even when that is simply not true. Even though those cops are being discriminatory towards the black men that they shoot, it doesn't necessarily come from a place of hate, rather it comes from a place of false information.

Explicit Racism- This is the most commonly recognizable type of racism. It stems from hate, ignorance, and heartlessness. Throughout history, it has been this type of racism that is most prevalent. Things like Jim Crow Laws were created who feel that other races are inferior. Explicit racism is unlike implicit racism in that there even if we were to change how race is viewed throughout the world, there will still be people out there with hatred in their hearts.

Social Class

Social Classes contribute to most of the issues found within our country. Nobody wants to feel as they don't belong somewhere and that's exactly what social classes do. They separate us from one another. Whether it be financially, educationally, or socially, these classes create problems and solutions to problems that are not entirely fair. I would say that I am part of the middle class in America, however this wasn't always the case. My father used to be a manager at a car dealership and I was born into the upper class. My grandfather had his own business and raced horses for a living, so my family was well off. Eventually my father lost that job and my parents got a divorce so my mother and I moved into the upper middle class as well as my father. This is what's called intragenerational mobility, because my immediate family moved social classes within my lifetime. The benefits of being in the upper middle class are very impactful. I am able to go to one of the greatest high schools in the country and my future looks bright because of it. The access I have to certain colleges is very beneficial to the type of lifestyle I will be able to create for myself and eventually a family of my own. Other people in other classes like the working class or the working poor, don't have these same luxuries. While I was able to focus on school and my future, kids in these lower classes don't have that same mindset because they are focused on simply surviving. In the SPENT game, I had to worry about basic things like car payments and rent and I had to deny my kids benefits like a class field trip or buying a present for their friends birthday. They might have to get a job after school to provide for their family, instead of focusing on their school work. Or they simply might not have the access to a quality education because schools on lower classes tend to not do as well. This adds to the cycle that is social classes. Most likely whatever class a person is born into is the one they are going to stay in for the rest of their life. In the people like us documentary, Tammy had been poor for her entire life and no matter how hard she worked, she wasn't able to move social classes because she did not have access to the same financial opportunities that people in higher social classes have access to. In Tammy's case she was able to keep believing that one day she could make it, for others though is isn't always the case. Being constantly reminded by society that you are poor can be crippling to a person's mental health. This contributes to why crime is higher in lower social classes, because people have given up on themselves and their futures and feel they have no options left. When my group played monopoly the person that started off poor didn't really want to play because they felt it was a waist of time when they couldn't really do anything. It's this mentality that adds to the cycle of social classes because the less motivated a person is, the less likely they are to be successful and person can't possibly be expected to be motivated when it seems their life has no social meaning.