Carrying over from the events and blog post from last week, we are still discussing diversity and the events that happened at Georgia Southern University last week. In class, we are dissecting the term "white privilege" and trying to gather a more well-rounded to understanding the inherent biases of our society.
Following up with white privilege, it really opened my eyes to what it truly means and it's NOT socioeconomic status, which is usually the cause of ignorance for most. It is better defined through examples. A white man walks into a gas station at night with a hood, the clerk may not be as tensed or on edge as if a black man were to walk in with a hood. A white man is less likely to be questioned by the police vs a black man. These situations don't always occur, but they occur often enough to where they are seen as a commonality. It's not fair. It really isn't. But that's the world we live in now. The media also seems to get more attention and reaction from the public with stories of racial attacks and the "good" things don't get quite as much feedback.
Another interesting article was about how racism isn't always conscious. It can also be a subconscious thought or something you said that you didn't think was provocative but can be misconstrued by others. Also, nobody wants to be called a "racist" and this article outlines that it is almost impossible to tell your friend that they've said something sensitive without getting ultra-defensive about it. I am not going to lie, if someone called me out for being racist, I would get very defensive. I am not racist. That is a phrase highlighted in the second part of this article, referring to the unconscious bias. This poses a paradox in my opinion. If you subconsciously say something that is a little racist, and nobody calls you out on it, how are you to recognize to fix it? And when you aren't called out, do you subconsciously become more comfortable in that mindset? These are questions I asked myself and thought about for a long time after our class Wednesday and I honestly could not come up with an answer.
The whole event that happened with the speech and the book burning and all the things that ensued, has been a very introspective teacher to us all. I think because it hits so close to home, our campus, the FYE teachers took a strong initiative to extensively discuss with everyone about diversity. I believe it helped everyone open their eyes just a little more and realize that there is more in this world that needs to be fixed. Everyone can do their part by inspecting themselves and judge whether they stand in the way of diversity and equality or stand behind it, helping it transcend the barriers of traditional thinking, stereotypes, and racial bias. It all starts with you.
Resources:
https://www.salon.com/2015/06/16/11_ways_white_america_avoids_taking_responsibility_for_its_racism_partner/
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really
Following up with white privilege, it really opened my eyes to what it truly means and it's NOT socioeconomic status, which is usually the cause of ignorance for most. It is better defined through examples. A white man walks into a gas station at night with a hood, the clerk may not be as tensed or on edge as if a black man were to walk in with a hood. A white man is less likely to be questioned by the police vs a black man. These situations don't always occur, but they occur often enough to where they are seen as a commonality. It's not fair. It really isn't. But that's the world we live in now. The media also seems to get more attention and reaction from the public with stories of racial attacks and the "good" things don't get quite as much feedback.
Another interesting article was about how racism isn't always conscious. It can also be a subconscious thought or something you said that you didn't think was provocative but can be misconstrued by others. Also, nobody wants to be called a "racist" and this article outlines that it is almost impossible to tell your friend that they've said something sensitive without getting ultra-defensive about it. I am not going to lie, if someone called me out for being racist, I would get very defensive. I am not racist. That is a phrase highlighted in the second part of this article, referring to the unconscious bias. This poses a paradox in my opinion. If you subconsciously say something that is a little racist, and nobody calls you out on it, how are you to recognize to fix it? And when you aren't called out, do you subconsciously become more comfortable in that mindset? These are questions I asked myself and thought about for a long time after our class Wednesday and I honestly could not come up with an answer.
The whole event that happened with the speech and the book burning and all the things that ensued, has been a very introspective teacher to us all. I think because it hits so close to home, our campus, the FYE teachers took a strong initiative to extensively discuss with everyone about diversity. I believe it helped everyone open their eyes just a little more and realize that there is more in this world that needs to be fixed. Everyone can do their part by inspecting themselves and judge whether they stand in the way of diversity and equality or stand behind it, helping it transcend the barriers of traditional thinking, stereotypes, and racial bias. It all starts with you.
Resources:
https://www.salon.com/2015/06/16/11_ways_white_america_avoids_taking_responsibility_for_its_racism_partner/
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really
I 100% agree that this has been a learning experience for everyone. It's opened my eyes to so many new perspectives and, like you mentioned, I'm sure that all of us are much more aware of the current state of things concerning race and white privilege after this week.
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