Post 8

In class this unit we've been talking about race. Contrary to popular belief, race is not biological; race is simply a social construction. Before taking this class, I, and I'm sure many other people, believed that race was biological and genetic.  Now I know that it's not. There are no gene similarities common to people of the same race. There is no similar bone shape or DNA strand common to one race. Therefore, ones race or racial identity is fluid and can shift and change with time and experience. This social construct we call race has taken a toll on our society. We consider people of a different race different than us, and in result descriminate against them. Discrimination by definition is treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which the person or thing is perceived to belong rather than on induvidual attributes. Discrimination was a key role in slavery. Whites saw blacks as different, and treated them poorly based on the color of their skin. On the other hand, prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. One can be prejudice without discriminating. In other words, you can think other races than you (those not in your Ingroup but in an Outgroup to you) are different, but you don't have to treat them in a different manner or poorly. For as long as we can remember, whites have always had a privilege over blacks. Though it's 2017, we can't deny that there still is prejudice in our society today. Whites tend to make more money, be more educated, and have a better chance of getting a job than not just blacks but Latinos as well. In class we were presented with a panel of students of all different races. We got to hear from each student and listen to their experiences being their specific race. I'm white so I never really had to think about what it means to be white, or how people will perceive me. Listening to the panel and learning about race in class has taught me that not everybody has had it as easy. It has made me realize that everyone is the same, regardless of our skin color.