What is Race?

Race is just a social definition that we have grown so accustomed to that we believe it is biological. It is hard to believe but race wasn't originally based on skin color and in many places, it still isn't based on skin color. Race used to be based on where you came from. Your race was French, German, African... Now we call that your nationality because a lot of those people are considered "white" these days. In the late 1800s the Irish people were considered non-white. They were painted as drunken black people. However, today we look at an Irish person and we would call them white. I wonder if black people will ever be considered white? I really don't think so because we base everything off of skin color. You are only white if your skin is white. If you are black, Arab, Indian, or Asian you will probably never earn your whiteness. In America we define race with skin color. However in other places (like Japan) they define race by earwax. I remember this story of a black person talking about their identity. He just wanted to be called black, not colored and not African American. We created the word African American for black people but a lot of the time these black people are not from Africa. The boy said "I don't know why they call me African American, I'm not from Africa."

PS...Mr. Sal --> can you do your best to watch the episode about masculinity I gave to you or just give it back asap because the semester is ending!

From Rags to Riches, I think not.

This week we continued to discuss social class especially the immobility of the top rich and bottom poor. Throughout the middle class (upper, middle, and lower) there are a lot of opportunities and a chance for a lower class person to move up and for an upper class person to lose their job and move down. However, for the very rich and the very poor, it is different. In America, we tend to believe in equal opportunity. Our capitalist system gives people the chance to make it big. Anyone can go from rags to riches. Although everyone technically can go from rags to riches, there are many things working against these people. In class, we spent a whole day arguing about this rags to riches kind of scenario. People were saying how anyone can move up. That women living in a trailer in Ohio could make her life easier. She could move closer to Burger King, have her kids work, work two jobs, and my favorite of the suggestions: close her legs and stop getting pregnant! However, it isn't that easy. How is this women going to move. She doesn't have the money. Her kids can't work because they are in school. And of course, many pregnancies aren't planned. What is she going to do? She can't really do anything. She will be stuck in Waverly, Ohio for her whole life (most likely). Another example was the people in Appalachia. People were saying how they have no pity for the mom of the family. They were wondering why she chose to become a drug addict. When there is nothing for you in the world, you resort to drugs and then you become addicted. That's it. However, Mr. Sal didn't show the movies for people to feel bad for these poor people. He simply showed the video so we can understand. Understand what it is like to live in poverty. Although there are many stories of people rising from rags to riches (I'm not saying it isn't possible for that to be done), it is very hard. A lot of times you find yourself asking "What else can I do?" You might be a child with all these dreams to go to college and be successful. Yet, by the age of 18, you have been so physically and emotionally drained that you are hopeless. So, you resort to drugs and you get pregnant. The cycle then repeats with your own children. This is why the bottom poor most likely stay that poor.

Rich and Richer

This week we have been watching a movie about the lives of different classes. Currently, we are watching the part about the WASPs or the white Anglo-Saxon protestants aka the privileged rich snobs with old money. There is a huge gap between the rich and the poor. We looked at a chart and it compared the money people earned to different heights and the normal person stood 8 ft tall while the richest person would be as tall as Mount Everest. I never really knew that there was such a small number of very rich (income) and wealthy people out there. I mean, I watch plenty of TV shows that focus on the rich (Gossip Girl, 90210, Royal Pains) but I never knew that they actually made up such a small population of America. All of the actors and singers are only 1% of the population. However, we focus so much on them. As a society, we are interested in the rich because we value money. Thus, we like to watch television shows that focus on the elite. I remember reading an article in the summer about the TV show Royal Pains. Someone asked why it is getting so many viewers in these hard economic times. The response was that we Americans like to strive for money and we like to see rich people. Royal Pains was literally that 1%- these people lived in the Hamptons with these gigantic houses and very expensive cars. On Wednesday, Stevenson Gymnastics has a meet at Lake Forest. Wow, that school looks like 5 mansions put together. It is crazy big and extremely fancy on the outside. Lake Forest is Illinois' version of the WASPs featured in the video.