While perusing the LA Times, I caught an article that shouldn't have, but made me laugh out loud (or LOL for all my cyber friends). This piece struck me as a little ridiculous because basically, writer Karen Kaplan is trying to make the point that white people view themselves as black in instances such as dropping below the poverty line or going to jail. A study that asked people to classify themselves within racial terms showed that they actually changed their answers based on whether they were incarcerated during that time period. The changes between classifications were also based on the way interviewers perceived subjects based on their economic status and prison record.
I'm sorry, but I'm Asian and if I go to jail- I'll still be Asian. When I get out of jail... yeah, still Asian. Losing my job or falling below poverty line (which I'm dangerously close to as is) will not change the way I view my race. People don't magically become "black."
Not only is it a dangerous conviction of society that people are likely to base their assumptions of race with aspects like poverty and jailtime, it's also confusing, scary, and sad that people view themselves in that way. Being poverty-stricken or going to jail has actually nothing to do with your genetic makeup- something that constitutes race far more than any other condition.
Do you think that people are justified in their views of others and themselves based on these expectations?
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4 comments:
I think people shouldn't get their panties in a twist about irrelevant things like what race people equate themselves with.
This is once of those senseless studies that draws only controversy. What is the scientific or social value of something like this except to stir the pot some more?
I believe that this identity crisis can be traced to the media. To be brutally honest, we are in a society where it is “cool” to have a gun, “fun” to break the law, and a “thrill” to shoot up drugs. Unfortunately, most of the time the people who are being portrayed in these activities are often times minorities No one should be kidding himself, for as many Law and Order want-to-be lawyers and police officers, there are just as many young adults who want-to-be “gang bangers.”
Who gets all the action scenes in movies? Usually it’s the criminal, or the person being chased for his wrongdoing. Therefore, if minorities are being overly in accurately portrayed as the criminal , then it is easy to conclude why people striving to accept the “new” cultural phase of being tough.
Since when has it been a compliment to be street schooled? I am not talking street smarts here, which is something that a person does not necessarily need to be hands on to get, but can do vicariously. I am talking about people who think that it intriguing that they witness a drug deal or actually get involved in petty or more serious criminal behavior, first-hand.
America’s desensitization is spiraling out of control. First with sex and drugs, and now with crime, America is accepting once socially unacceptable behavior.
Lastly, it is important to note that the yearning that many people have to be part of a “crime culture” is not a new phenomena. Look back to the 1930s Prohibition Era where many youngsters glorified mafiaoso, as some people still have that mentality today. It is the same cyclic behavior today.
Here are two websites for reference that this blogger would not publish for some technical reasons and I feel that it is important to list them:
http://www.helium.com/items/265124-how-are-ethnic-minorites-portrayed-in-the-media
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1570687/TV-show-'glorifying-mafia'-taken-off-air.html
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