Review
Although
related, stereotyping, prejudice, and racism are not one and the same. As
humans, we cognitively put things into categories based on significant
features, such as, size, color, function, or sounds in order to make sense of
our world. When stereotyping, we do the same thing with other people. We tend
to place people with similarities to our own into an “us” group and those who
are different into a “them” group. The danger in stereotyping is the assumption
that certain characteristics, especially those related to disposition and moral
character, are stable and unchanging.
“Whereas
stereotyping deals with how we describe people, prejudice deals with how we
feel about people.” (p. 51) With stereotyping we are trying to understand the
world around us, with prejudice we are prejudging, whether positively or
negatively, before we get to know a person. The book presents five theories as
to why we develop prejudice: racial and cultural difference, economic
competition, traumatic experience, frustration-aggression, and social control.
It also expresses that there are some problems with all of these theories and
that prejudice probably has more to do with the complex interactions between
society and the people involved.
The
factors contributing to racism are similar to the ones previously discussed
with stereotyping and prejudice. Racism, however, takes those pre-judgments and
leads a person to believe that his or her race is superior to another.
Connected to this is hatred of those belonging to a different racial group. Aside
from hatred being a problem in and of itself, racism becomes a problem when it
is institutionalized. This happens when racist ideas find their way into
societal regulations or policies designed to keep certain races apart from
aspects of everyday life. The author states, if we do nothing to try to
overturn the policies that lead to racism, then we are helping to contribute to
it.
Although
they are different, stereotyping, prejudice, and racism all have an impact on a
person’s sense of identity, especially when they are regulated by people in
power. According to the author, the important thing to remember is that we need
to be open to the idea that our identities have been shaped by a society that
has been built upon these three practices, and we need to struggle with these
issues in order to better understand ourselves.
Reflect
In
1979, when I was eight years old, my family moved from a suburban town in Connecticut to a small
rural community in south Georgia. This was a huge culture shock for my family
and me. Prior to this point in my life, I had very limited experience with
people of color. My aunt had married a black man before I was born, and I
honestly never thought of him as being a different color from me, he was just
my uncle whom I loved very much. I only remember one black child in my whole
school in Connecticut.
When we moved to Georgia,
suddenly my skin color became very obvious as I was now the minority at my
school. Everyone else (black and white) also spoke very differently and even
dressed differently from me. My family was also catholic, moving to an area
that was predominantly protestant.
It
was interesting reading this chapter and thinking back to that time in my life.
I realize how much of whom I am now and what I believe was formed during that
time. I unknowingly learned about stereotyping, especially the grouping of “us”
and “them” as mentioned in the chapter. In the beginning, my family was the
“us” and everyone else down there was the “them.” Gradually, as we made our way
in the community and got to know the people around us, our “us” group expanded.
In
1979, in South Georgia, integration was still
a sensitive subject for many. The schools may have been integrated, but the
town was not. My first real experience with prejudice was two years later in
the 5th grade. I had a number of good friends at this point, both
black and white. There was one girl in particular (who happened to be black)
that I would go home and talk about every day to my mom. My mom, being from up
north and naïve as well, told me to invite her over to play some time. So one
day, I mentioned this to my friend. I was shocked and embarrassed when she
began to laugh at me. She said, “Girl, my mama would never let me come over to
your house!” When I asked her why, she told me it was because she was black and
I was white, and it just wasn’t allowed. It wasn’t until I was in high school
that another black friend actually came over to my house, and interestingly, she
had recently moved from out of state as well.
I
can see several of the theories of prejudice formation at work in my own
experiences. The racial and cultural difference theory was probably the biggest
simply because of the obvious differences between my family and the community,
but also the economic competition theory. My dad was transferred by his company
to help open a new large manufacturing plant in the town. We were probably seen
by some, as these outsiders coming to town to try and change things. Also, the
traumatic experience theory played a part in whom I am today. I was bullied, in
middle school, by a group of black girls, probably not because I was white, but
because I was little and shy. I later became friends with these girls in high
school, but the feelings they caused can still rise up in me even after all
these years.
It
still saddens me today when I think about how much racism there was in my
little town back then. There was a lot of hatred between the races and it was
definitely institutionalized. The school superintendent, principals, mayor,
sheriff, etc. were all white men. We even had a black homecoming queen and a
white homecoming queen until I was a junior in high school so there would be no
fighting between students. I haven’t been back to the town in years, but I like
to think that things have finally changed.
Refine
So
what does all of this mean for my instruction? I think that I have a unique perspective
on what it is like to come into an environment as an outsider. Whenever I get a
new student in my class, whether they are a different nationality, color, or
just from another school, I try to do what I can to make them feel comfortable.
I assign a student to be their buddy to show them around and introduce them to
the other students. I also try to get them to share about themselves with the
class.
Having
experienced the ugly side of prejudice and racism myself, it makes me very
uncomfortable to think that I have my own prejudice against others. I think as
the book points out, we need to look into ourselves and reflect on our own
feelings about others who are different from us. If we find negativity directed
toward any one particular group, then those are the students that we need to be
the most cognizant of in our day to day interactions.
I
think with our international students, we need to be very careful about forming
stereotypes and prejudice based only on the experiences we’ve had with the students
and families in our class. We need to keep in mind that one or two students or
their families do not represent a whole culture and therefore prejudge based on
that limited experience. To counteract any feelings of negativity that we find
we may be forming, we could perhaps research the culture or try to get to know
others within that culture.
Ultimately,
I think it all boils down to knowing ourselves and being willing to develop an
open-mindedness toward others.
No comments:
Post a Comment