Racism: who has it worse?
The other day, I watched the Tyra Banks show and it was an episode about racism and who has it worse. The audience was divided into racial groups of White, Black, Muslim, Latino and Asian people. Tyra also had five guests from these different racial groups who participated in a random focus group in order to determine which race had it worse based on first impressions. The five women from the stage stood before the focus group while a moderator asked questions like, “Which woman do you think would have a PhD,� and “Who would you prefer not to sit next to on a plane?� “Which one is more likely to be on Welfare and be a single parent?� “Which girl was likely to be a maid?� The answers, of course were not surprising because even when the moderator was asking the questions I knew the answers. What was interesting was the focus group knew these were stereotypes and what not but most of them admitted to believing them and using them to judge people. One lady even went on to mention about how she feels about Muslims is because of how the media portrays them and even though she knows it's not true. Anyway, then it was time to answer the question: Who has it worse? And every race believed that they had it worse. It need up being the black girl and the Muslim girl debating who has it worse and one of the arguments that was given by the black girl was that Muslims have mostly being suffering since 911 but Black have been suffering for centuries. I thought that statement was quite true and Tyra invited some race experts who confirmed that though all the races have it bad; the Black race has it worse, looking at their whole history and backgrounds.
I think it is interesting that Muslims are put in the category of race even though they are a religion but because of what they have been through since 911, society has put them in that category. Another thing I noticed, was even on the Tyra show she did not have any Native/Indian Americans and I have seen this happen so many times especially in the media.
Comments
The media is so backwards because one minute they're playing this episode of Tyra and the next they're playing some show that COMPLETELY stereotypes people of color and puts them into the exact same categories as the women on Tyra's show taked about. The more troubling thing about this is at the end of the day where has it gotten us. Everyone is mad at everyone else because they think their race has it worse...It seems like what needs to be happening is a coming together of people of color rather than a dividing. If we divide apart it will be much harder to be heard, but a large group will stand a better chance. I mean the more people of color categorize themselves and form seperations, the easier it will be to fall right into racial constructions. I'm not sure how helpful figuring out whos race has it worse is for the state of race in America.
Posted by: Shirani Jayasuriya | March 7, 2007 11:03 PM
"the Black race has it worse, looking at their whole history and backgrounds." I have a feeling that they only think they have it that bad is because it happened to their ancestors, when in reality they haven't personally gone through any of the things that their ancestors did. The only thing anyone and everyone is going through is racism, and it's to those in the minority groups that are being the most effected. Since I live in the United States and the US is a mainly white dominated continent, those minorities are being more and more effected each day. Whether online or in life racism, bigotry, and ignorance is happening more and more. Racism, especially is being passed down through the ages; although parents are warned to teach their kids that racism is bad and that they shouldn't discriminate against others, it still happens to pass by under the radar. I, myself, have a father that is quite racist and I have to stop myself from saying something either in public or in schools, that would discriminate against another. Since I am in constant contact with someone who is so racist, I have become racist, even though I know I shouldn't be. Sometimes, I've realized, you can't always get a perfect world, or an anti-racist society. Racism will always exist. Whether through intolerant older folk, middle aged humans, or the young, although I've found that young are way more tolerance of other races than those who have lived in the past.
Posted by: Paige Deede | April 23, 2009 10:13 AM