It was interesting to me when Michael Omi and Howard Winant brought up the concept that in the beginning, when the first settlers came to the Americas, race had much to do with the origin of man. If you believed that you and the people that look like you were not only the first but the only people, and then you came across people that looked nothing like you, it would have you questioning many things. Questions such as, did we come from the same place, how did we come about to be in two different places, are they not like us, and in what are they not like us. I never took the time out to think that race may be perceived differently in other countries.

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Black here might not be Black somewhere else, and the same going for White. Looking at the way Brazil conceptualizes race it makes it easier to understand that race is just an idea. In America if you are Black you have Black offspring, if you’re White you have White offspring, if you’re Asian you have Asian offspring and so forth. But in Brazil, a mother, a father and a child may be seen and relate to three different race categories. In my family I consider me father Trinidadian, my mother mixed, but to me they are both black. There are so many sub divisions in the Black community.

I had a though, if race is just a social construct and not a genetic trait, why do I hear so often that Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to get certain disease? Through out the preface of Rethinking the Color Lines you get an idea of what we are going to learn this semester. The author made me look forward to reading the text book with promises of exposure to new and challenging ways of thinking about race and ethnicity. The preface lets you remember that even in this day and age race is still an issue. It goes on affecting us in ways that we do not even notice, ways we have just come to think of as normal. I am sure that things happen every day to us as individuals, that occur strictly because of our race or ethnicity. Since it has been happening for so long, we do not even notice it.

The authors make a strong statement when they say,”a majority of students who read these articles internalize a version of “sociological imagination” that forever changes the way they understand race and ethnic relations”. I hope i can learn enough to say that. The second reading “How Our Skin Got Their Color” an interesting little history and science lesson. Although most of the information i knew already it was still interesting to read.

It shows you that we are not all that different, adaptations of the human body changed our skin color over time to help us survive, it was supposed to make us stronger not different. The last reading A Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn, chapter 2 drawing the color line, brought to light some interesting facts. I found it interesting that even white slaves were treated better then black slaves. They were both people property and a slave and still the owners found a way to discriminate based on color. Later you read that the slaves were put into a physiological and physical system, that taught them they were inferior.

The fact that they were taught that they were inferior is disgusting. How can you teach someone that they are inferior to someone else?

In the reading, How Our Skin Got Our Color, I found myself highly interested and amazed. Most of what I read was new information to me and helped me understand color better as a whole. In the paragraph summarizing the light skinned individuals advantage, the writer says, “white was beautiful because white was healthy”. Then, in the paragraph summarizing the dark skinned individuals advantage, the writer says “black was beautiful because black was healthy”. I find it ironic that in both races there was a clear advantage to being a certain color. Those that were tanner of the whites were not considered as valuable based on evidence that they were not as tall and as strong as lighter skinned whites, as well as lighter skinned blacks were not considered as valuable based on evidence that those were the ones who were more likely to wind up with diseases and lethal malignancies. It makes me wonder if natural selection had really wiped out all the in-between skin colors what life would be like if there were strictly pale white skinned individuals and dark black skinned individuals.

And what would happen if the two had come to have a baby together. Would it be possible for a black woman to give birth to a completely light skinned white child? Rethinking the Color Line seems to be very insightful and interesting, even within the introduction and preface. Suprisingly, the first the readings were very interesting, unlike most text books you are assigned to read in class. As I read on, I recognized alot of things I already knew, and of course agreed with.

Many parts of the introduction also made me question the whole idea of “race.” The next two chapters made me understand how skin color even came about. I always knew that melalin had something to do with how dark your skin was, and of course equatorial population. However, I never knew that Darwin’s theories had anything to do with skin color. I never heard of the term cultural selection before these readings. History always interested me, so reading the second chapter of drawing the color line did bring me some insight. Slavery was indeed one of the United State’s biggest mistakes, and downfalls, even though at the time many saw it to be beneficial to the newborn country.

However, the part of these readings that struck me the most was in the very beginning of the introduction. The quote goes as follows: “if a white person walks into a room, we see the individuals race. What happens when he or she starts talking and we pick up an Irish brouge, or a NYC accent, or a southern dialect?” Race is indeed a social construct. No matter what, we are always categorizing people, whether it is by their skin color, the way that they look and dress, their actions, or their accents. This social construct is such a negative part of our American culture. How could we use race to judge people? How can we say that someone will get farther in life because of their ethnicity?

All in all, I hope that Rethinking the Color Line brings about interesting questions and ideas for our class, and our discussions. I hope it brings new insight to us all. The Preface lays it out clearly that race is still definitely an issue, but the media paints this false picture of an integrated America.

For instance, like in all the cheesy fast food commercials, or any advertisement for that matter, you see different peoples interacting with one another—I’m not saying that it’s not realistic, but it’s just not as prevalent as one would hope in such as diverse country. Also mentioned in the Preface, while Caucasians are the majority in this country, it’s no surprise that they’re the dominant force in just about anything you can put a name on in this country. It also no surprise that everyone else (the minority groups) are underrepresented (even women, but that’s a different story). As for the “How Our Skins Got Their Color” chapter, I like the scientific break down of the cultural selection. Harris provided a breakdown of all perspectives including black, white, and everything in between—“white was beautiful because white was healthy”, “black was beautiful because it was healthy” (p. In America it doesn’t seem like a balanced perception of beauty, because for one whites nor blacks were the indigenous peoples of the land. Also, it just seems like lighter is better in this country, and I’m sure in many other regions.

“Drawing the color Line” was a historical breakdown of what is deemed to many as a natural explanation of racism. Nothing from what I’ve read surprised me, it stirs up a little resentment inside, but nothing out of the ordinary when hearing about the dehumanization of my people. The chapter discusses some of the uprisings and insurrections of the slaves and oftentimes with the white indentured servants.

I have two things to state about this. For one, slaves attempting to escape goes to show that no one dumb enough would be willingly open to submit themselves to that kind of lack of treatment. But slaves were thought of as less than human—not able to perceive or reflect, but we all know that this isn’t true. Also secondly, my statement goes to show that when people are on the same level, they fraternize with each other, and unite. So because the salves and indentured servants were in the same predicament they united—thus we as humans must unite. Reading is not of my favorites on my list during the weekends but after reading Marvin Harris’ article on “How Our Skins Got Their Color”, I was so intrigued about how our skin color came to be. The title just swept me away.

With a strong education background in biology, having to read this article amazed me. In high school or even college, you would normally sit down and learn about how your body is form, made up, etc but I have never learned how our skin came to be in many colors. I bet 95% of students never learned about how our skin color is the way that it is. Talking about the latitudes of where certain people live, Harris tells us that vitamin D is important to our body. While many Europeans and other countries are struggling to stay away from UV rays or finding vitamin D to help their bodies, blacks are easily able to obtain these needs. Parents favored darker infants because it showed that they grew up healthy.

Lighter skinned people have higher chances of getting skin cancer because of their skin pigment. I have to say, no matter what happened in the past and even if there is racism around the world, color is beauty. Black, white, yellow, brown, red, I think we should all embrace the natural beauty we were born in. Everyone should all be comfortable in their skin. ‘Beauty is skin deep’. The video “A Classroom Divided” was a good to watch before the readings. It showed you how people actually felt and reacted to racism as oppose to just reading about it.

As an aspiring Psychology major, the exercise that Jane Elliot showed how easily people can be convinced about something even if the argument they are fed is not a sound argument. Then the readings reinforced the dominant idea many of us in class have been stating. People are not informed about our ancestry and origins, and also the reason why each person has a certain skin color.

There is a quote that I really liked from Howard Zinn’s “Drawing the Color Line” which said “There is not a country in world history in which racism has been more important, for so long a time, as the United States.” I have to say that I agree completely. Though racism exists in almost every part of the world the U.S has had such a long and nasty history with racism and we still see the effects of it today. It is things such as class power and the acknowledgement of it that kept slavery in power for so long. People tried to use fear, and put down the Africans by calling them savages by separating the blacks from the whites a line was created that was hard to cross. This is why I enjoyed the video because it showed you basically the same concept in a different setting with different people, and how one idea that could turn best friends into enemies, and make people feel like the scum of the earth.

In reading these 3 short excerpts I began to find myself thinking of the other aspects of racism, race, skin color and so forth. The parts which dig deeper and do not merely skim the surface. Rather than simply generalizing these terms, I’d like to go a little more in depth. In reading “Rethinking the Color Line” it is easy to see that racism is not something which has been eradicated, and realistically speaking, it probably never will be. It is a common misconception that the United States and various other “Free” nations are just that – “free” from prejudice and socio-economically divisions.

As nice as it may be for the world to be that way, it is not true. Despite whatever advancements have taken place, be they socially, economically, politically, etc – we do not live in an equal society. Even I, a white, republican, christian male – whom fits into the generally established niche of the “majority” in American society, has met inequality. There is a facade amongst the American people [mainly the social majorities] that racism is a thing of the past, but that ideal is not rooted in truth. With the other readings, namely “How our skins got their color” I found it to be very interesting how science and our own genetic make up [which is basically the same for all human beings] can affect our social make up. To be less wordy, it’s funny how something on a molecular level corresponds and shapes us on the social level.

Lastly, the Howard Zinn article is especially interesting in regards the way it describes slavery and prejudice as a structured “force” in a sense. What I took away from the reading was that if a large group of people [whites] can overpower [mentally, physically, economically] a smaller group of people [blacks, minorities, etc] the social ramifications of these actions can stretch across the world. They can shape legislature, and even religious beliefs [the clergyman asking if slavery was “right” under church doctrine]. It just goes to show you how powerful and destructive misdirection and disbelief can be. Ignorance is not bliss. I know this may sound “corny”, but I absolutely love college.

This course continues to prove my way of thinking. I’ve read the assigned readings and have learned things I never knew.

It is also allowing me to open up and discuss issues among other individuals. While working today I was engaged in a conversation with an Italian wife and Middle Eastern husband and this is the only thing that is sticking to me.

The wife was telling me about her upcoming trip to Norway. I was very intrigued and interested about her trip to visit her daughter since I love to travel. We instantly sparked up a conversation. I remember reading in Chapter 1 about skins adaption to the sun and your skin pigmentation depended on your environment. She explained that her grandkids were very pale and when they came to America they just wanted to lather them in sun tan lotion. They also could not stay in the sun for a long period of time.

It was ironic that we were having this discussion only a day after I read the material. By the end of the conversation we were in depth on the subject of racism and they both agreed that things have changed, but a lot of things have remained the same. The wife even felt that the president is expected to fail and people will do whatever it takes to make that the outcome. I just found it amazing that I was comfortable and confident to discuss this topic while working with my customers.

This course is not only expanding my knowledge, but it is also changing me as a person. While reading the Preface I came across this quote which I agree with that the media takes part in, but it really is a fake depiction of reality. It read: “In this carefully manufactured racial utopias, television commercials depict actors of different races interacting in race-neutral environments like Chili’s or Applebees’s.” There are many commercials that to depict this situation, but some of it is actually forced.

It’s reminds me of a story I heard about a month ago about a white hollywood director who said racial slurs on a set while filming with a black crew. Sorry about the last posting, my computer has been acting up recently. Now for the full blog comment! These three readings have served to introduce us to the text we will be using for this course, but more importantly to reinforce what we have learned in the previous assignments and what we have learned in class. The readings accomplish this through various points. In the preface, the compiler, Charles Gallagher examines the culture of today and shows us how what we see on television, on the Fortune 500, and the United States Senate are not indicative of our country’s current demographic. To better understand he has released this text in order to have students understand how race and ethnicity influence and affect our culture.

I believe from reading the preface and succeeding sections will positively influence how we think about race in our society. In Marvin Harris’ “How Our Skins Got Their Color”, the author proves his case in which skin color is not indicative of abilities by using science to argue his point. His main point is that Melanin, the main chemical responsible for coloration of human skin chooses the color of skin according to the person’s environment. This section served to back up the points presented to us in class and in the video that people are not different because of their skin color. Skin color is a certain shade because of the environment in which the person resides forms it that way. That is why those who live closer to the equator tend to have darker skin. Yet the early colonists of the 1600 & 1700s did not know what melanin was and why it made someone’s skin light or dark.

Quite frankly, I dont think they would have cared because of the need for labor they possessed. If it was not a lower classed European, or Native American then they would have to look into taking Africans as workers, and they did.

Howard Zinn’s “Drawing the Color Line gives us a more in depth look at how deeply rooted racism is in our society today by allowing us a window into 17th & 18th Century America. He shows us how racism developed from a need to convince African slaves that they were “different” from those of fairer skin and how White slavemasters used separation techniques (Black & White Servants and later Black House Slaves & Field Slaves) in order to prevent runaways & suppress rebellion. This section to me added on to what one of the videos (Race: The Power of Illusion) had to say about early colonial racism. This section gave me a more in-depth view on why slaves from Africa were needed in the first place and once they got here, how and why they became a lower class of people in the eyes of white society.

One part of the section really jumped out at me and disturbed me so. It was the part that dealt with the Roman Catholic priest who was troubled over the question of whether slavery was legal according to Church doctrine.

The priest ended up sending a letter to another clergyman in Europe asking this very question. The answer he received was that slavery was ruled legal in the religion by several high ranking members and because it was legal, several of them guiltlessly possessed slaves of their own. This served to show me that slavery (and racism) at that time was so structuralized that even those who preached the words of treating your fellow man as you would treat yourself did not see it apply to Africans.

In short these three readings have reinforced what we have been exposed to in class and in the assignments. Going in, I knew quite a bit of what was written yet I read of items I was not knowledgeable of before. These sections have given me a nugget of information in the path to thinking and being more informed about race in the US. Having read other works by Howard Zinn in the past, I’m not really surprised by the amount of intrigue he has sparked. He apparently has a lot of interesting points to make about racism and its history.

After reading the book, along with the previous posts before me, I can’t help but think of not only the blue-eyed, brown-eyed experiment that was done but also how this can be related to a simple analogy of driving. It is a well known fact that stoplights have 3 colors: red, yellow, and green. It has been embedded in our minds forever that red means stop and green means go. In that same way, it was embedded in our minds that blacks were slaves or inferior and whites were superior. If they tried to change the stoplight system we have, if they were to change the colors, I’m sure that mayhem would ensue and there would be many problems. Most people would subconsciously go on green and stop on red. I believe that, to some extent, the issue with racism is analogous.

At first it was a spoken rule. Years went by until it became an unspoken rule. Laws might have been changed and programs have been invented to prevent discrimination. But I believe that it is still something that is “unspoken, yet communicated.” Something that doesn’t sit quite well with me is the affirmative action programs that exist. While they are definitely put in place to help minorities have opportunities they otherwise might not have, it is almost like a constant reminder of racism. I believe that in some ways, indirectly and not intentionally, it is keeping it alive.

One of the things that resonated with me, from Howard Zinn’s piece, was this idea he expressed. “The system was psychological and physical at the same time. The slaves were taught discipline, were impressed again and again with the idea of their own inferiority to “know their place,” to see blackness as a sign of subordination, to be awed by the power of the master, to merge their interest with the master’s, destroying their own individual needs.” This along with his use of the idea of “class consciousness” and fear really sharpens my lens into viewing the social climate. When we have a math problem, we are taught to break it down and simplify.

When we have any kind of problem in our lives, we are told to take it one step at a time, essentially to break it down and work each thing individually. This seems to be the mentally of how the upper class wanted to deal with any uprising that they feared. I guess it was a tactic towards prevention. By breaking each person down, making them BELIEVE they were inferior, breaking families up and having a tight harsh grip, they had an almost foolproof system that would never allow for any kind of change. We all crave a support system to face challenges and without them it is almost impossible. It seems like, regardless of intention, this system was going to be nearly permanent and there was nearly no way out. The priest ended up sending a letter to another clergyman in Europe asking this very question.

The answer he received was that slavery was ruled legal in the religion by several high ranking members and because it was legal, several of them guiltlessly possessed slaves of their own. This served to show me that slavery (and racism) at that time was so structuralized that even those who preached the words of treating your fellow man as you would treat yourself did not see it apply to Africans. I liked the way the chapter started off asking a question that makes us reminisce the past and start to remember. Where did we learn to act the way we do today, and why do we still follow it? For me I would have to say that it’s from my parents and my school. My parents taught me how to act, what the right things and wrong things are, and my school added onto that teaching.

Coming from a private school with only white Jews, I would have to say that I’m more on the side of the rest of America being that I am not “color-blind.” However in the past year of being in college, I have learned a lot from being around people of all different races. I am becoming more “color-blind” in that I feel comfortable being in a conversation with anyone, even if they are of different race. Every time the topic of blacks being slaves is brought up, the thought that comes to mind is how can people be so cruel to other humans just because they are of a different skin color.

To transport the slaves like they are cattle is inhumane and just wrong. To blame the blacks for anything that goes wrong is also a terrible thought. Just because the whites had their own problems did not mean that they had to blame it on others. They need to understand their mistakes and take blame for them. In society today, where everyone is “equal,” some people take the blame for their own mistakes, however there still are those who blame their mistakes on others, mainly others who are different than them.

It has improved however, in that others aren’t being killed as much because of someone’s mistakes. In the preface of “Rethinking the Color Line”, I realized that even though it seems as if we have come along way with racism, there are many issues that are not being dealt with. The media and government have done a good job at deceiving the world that we are an accepting nation. However, it is sad to say that all you have to do is look at any statistic and see that this is clearly not the case. We focus so much on coming so far from slavery and having equal rights, but we, as a nation are not fully accepting minorities as our equals. Whether it be children in school, or employees at work, I am now realizing how much racism is still a part of all of our lives.

Unfortunately there is a lot I don’t know on this issue partly due to how well it has been hidden. I had no idea about how our skin gets the color it does although I was always curious to find out. I found the Marvin Harris reading extremely on that topic interesting and eye opening. All three readings, especially the Howard Zinn, opened my eyes to understanding other cultures. It also made me realize that when we all take the time to learn about and understand the history of different races, is when we will really be able to accept them. These three readings definitely helped to explore a more intelligent aspect of racism. My favorite reading of the three was by Marvin Harris, “How our Skins Got Their Color.” It is absolutely insane how in previous times people believed that your skin color judged how intelligent you were, how social you were and how attractive you were.

After reading this our skin color is given to us by nature. Those who lived at latitudes closer to the sun had more melanin to protect our skin from the sun. Those who lived in latitudes further away from the sun did not possess melanin because the sun was not a factor in their everyday lives. How is it that race has become a large issue even up until now when we never had control of how we are so different? Completely mind boggling. The other two readings were very interesting also. I was forced to examine the world as we know it; a very diverse place, literally called a “melting pot.” However, there is little diversity in lawmaking body, we still are looked down upon by the majority class and the work for us is harder than we imagined in just proving ourselves.

In trying to create a name for ourselves that we can be proud of would be difficult as we celebrate a national holiday for a man (Christopher Columbus) who once called us “savages.” The history has not only been left in the past, we’ve been haunted by it so much, even we have began to live it and believe it. Comment BLS 1003 reading assignments: In the Preface it seems like it is saying that the media world portraits race and ethnicity as one, everyone gets along fine there seem to no problem with color, race, who you are or where you came from, it doesn’t seem to really matter.

Latinvfr Ksan. As I read on in the preface, this text is going to give a clear picture of race and ethnicity, so that we as students can walk away with a better understanding and meaning of race and racism. In the introduction I believe it is saying that race and ethnicity is not an easy subject to define, but we try to by defining people into racial categories, and that they should represent that race. In part one I found it interesting the question asks who taught you to how to be BLACK?

Me, myself I am not sure I can’t give an honest answer because I believe came from variety of sources throughout my journey of life. In chapter one I learned the scientific meaning of dark skinned people and how the color has to do with the protecting of the skin from sun ultraviolet rays; also Vitamin D helps to get the skin color. Must care for and protect skin properly or it may cause cancer. I must admit I had a little difficulty with chapter 2, knew was talking about slavery and racism, but I realized it was talking about much more than slavery and racism. I didn’t understand it.

It took a while to read the chapters, because sometimes I have trouble understanding what is being said. I must say the readings were informative. Although I heard about the fact that race lines were actually created, I wasn’t exactly sure how. From what I read slavery was so strictly enforced because of fear. Since slaves ended up making up half of the population, if they banded together, there would have been many more revolts.

I think this is the reason why slaves were treated so harshly and made to feel inferior. Also, sad to say, it seems like any persons of darker skin was doomed from the start. According to the elizabethan definition of the color black it was associated with filth and distain, and as a result this is how the people of that skin color was treated.

I also found it interesting that when the slave master’s began to see the bond between the slaves and indentured servants, they began to make a race class difference between the two so as to alienate the black slaves. This shows that at some point there was equal interaction between blacks and whites based on social status and not skin color.

These readings were quite informative for me. I actually, though it may sound ignorant, did not know what it was that made “race” as we know it, and it’s very funny to know that skin color is basically just a reaction to the amount of sun in areas. I think what Quinn said, that “skin color is only skin deep” is definitely the message that Marvin Harris was trying to prove. The fact that, though throughout the years people have put so much of an emphasis on what skin color means, it really is just color.

There is no difference. And to know that “Brown skinned ancestors may have been shared by modern-day blacks and whites as recently as 10,000 years ago” was quite interesting to me. To think that, at one point, we were all the same color, that it really doesn’t mean anything is a message that I think more people need to hear. Though, honestly, i do not think that if more people know that it would change anything because I think that racist people will remain racist no matter what people say. Howard Zinn’s article was also quite shocking, but not really in a good way. To see how quickly racist attitudes in America, the country built on its “freedom and equality” is sickening.

The fact that Columbus’ first thoughts when seeing the defenseless Native Americans was “Oh hey, we could subjugate them easily and make them our servants” is more than a little shocking. All in all I would say that these readings were very informative, whether it be good or bad. I think that these readings really help to clear up a lot of the misconceptions and myths that surround the touchy subject of racism.

First of all I was unaware that the textbook consisted of a series of other works brought together for an ultimate collective learning experience, I think that Gallagher really is pioneering a special and perhaps even stronger approach to learning about this subject by doing this. Although a lot of these facts are already known to me I still feel like the message is not clear enough to the world: that skin color is only that of skin deep. From all these readings I find over and over again people were mistreated solely upon the complexion of their skin color and it is perplexing. I also am confused as to why no matter how civilized or welcoming one people may be it seems to constantly be taken for weakness, like in the case of Christopher Columbus how he loved the Native American’s kindness but then takes them as slaves to find gold. The truth behind skin color is something that needs to be well stressed to the world so that maybe then we can all understand that skin color has no effect on your learning capabilities, competence, or preferences of any sort.

I feel that people who are in support of racism are ignorant of the truth behind racism and are afraid of the change that its extinction will cause. I feel that that is the only thing that fuels racism in today’s society because it is proven everyday that no matter your genetic makeup or even the economic circumstance of your family everyone can achieve anything. It’s scary to think about how the idea that Africans could be used as workers, a barbaric idea that was thought of hundreds of years ago by early settlers, could be so influential throughout the course of history. I wonder how pitiful we must be as a supposedly intelligent human race when we decide to ignore the fact that skin color is purely genetic. If anything, it would seem to me that fair skinned people would be considered the inferior race because they are more prone to skin cancer because there is no melanin in their skin. While on the topic of inferior races, wouldn’t the white colonists have been considered the inferior, more barbaric people? They dug up corpses and men killed their wives because they were hungry.

Yes, I understand that the colonists were desperate, but how could they have done that and still consider the Africans- who had a developed society- to be barbaric? It amazes me how hypocritical the white colonists were. They were just trying to find excuses for their barbarism and used the Africans as a scapegoat. The first 3 readings in Rethinking the Color Line are pretty interesting to read. I did not think that it will actually open up so fast into skin tone and other features of races. Now and days when it comes to actually speaking up about race or racism some people might get a little on the “I am not going up and saying anything” side. The truth is that even though this country has changed a lot since the past 300 years, there are still signs of racism surrounding us.

Some of us might not notice it or do not want to notice it but it still exists till today. One of the statements I read that stated, “a U.S. Census Bureau figure predicting that by the year 2060 whites will be outnumbered by Asians, blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians”, was really appealing. The fact that there might be a time when “brown skinned” people will be more dominant then whites is kind of hard to believe but might actually happen is interesting. In Marvin Harris’s part of Rethinking the Color Lines I actually liked reading about the melanin. The way he discussed that the major of people who have a darker complexion are less exposed to skin cancer.

In a way it was nice to hear that there is actually a benefit to be a darker complexion but then at the same time I feel bad on a general level for the people who are lighter complexion for them to have more hazard of getting skin cancer. Another thing that appealed to me was when I was reading the second chapter where Howard Zinn stated that Africa had a feudal system but it was not equivalent to the European feudal system. In fact I did not even know that feudal systems existed in Africa. The American history that I have been learning since I was in elementary school only talks about slaves that were brought here from Africa. The never told us about the history of the slaves before they were brought here. Is it fair to say that the media “pulls the wool over our eyes”?

It embarks on a journey that often misleads people in thinking that we are all united and totally oblivious to the skin color factor that causes friction among races. What you see is not often what you get! We are not color blind for the most part and do not act cordial with our fellow racial minorities. With that said, it was refreshing to learn before-hand that this text “Rethinking the Color Line” is indeed student proof, for the mere fact that students were given the opportunity to give feedback on the stories, which allows for a better understanding on my part. Why do we see color first? This big elephant in the room causes us to judge, make assumptions that regularly are false. Looking at color first is definitely not a reliable source in determining what racial group an individual identifies with.

The term “socially constructed” comes to mind; because society plays a major role is concluding who is white, black, yellow, brown etc. We just take what people say and run with it, without any hard evidence; if that’s not ignorance then what is? We need to find out what race and ethnicity really means and how they relate to each other. Ultimately as the intro states “race exists because we say race exists” – so is it really just a state of mind? I gathered sufficient information in “How Our Skins Got Their Color”; from what causes skin color, to what disease can occur with lack of sunshine and vitamin D.

So now I came upon “Drawing the Color Line” to my surprise (not!) the opposing racial groups discussed were black and white. Is this a world where you are either black or white? (Can hear a Michael Jackson tune in my head) But I just wondered why we tend to put the most emphasis on these two groups.

Going back in history black servants were labeled as slaves while the white servants were nothing more than white indentured servants, how much more fancy can it get now? Slavery is slavery no matter where, so for it to be said that African slavery was less harsh than American slavery is nothing but hot air. Slavery should never be praised for we were and are not mere things but gifted human beings! On the first page of the preface there were a lot of racial juxtapositions. It seems to me that there is a sort of ‘double standard’ when it comes to racism. It is almost like blacks, hispanics, and other minorities are only “good” and “acceptable” when they are being “useful”.

For instance, playing a sport and getting your state/country recognition, or doing jobs for little pay. On the other hand, hate crimes against minorities exist, blacks and hispanics are underrepresented in the workforce and in the government. The last two paragraphs of “How Our Skins Got Their Color” really stuck with me. “ whenever people had to decide which infants to nourish and which to neglect, the advantage would go to those with lighter skin such individuals tended to grow up to be taller, stronger, and healthier than their darker siblings. White was beautiful because white was healthy Darker infants were favored by parents because they grew up to be freer of disfiguring and lethal malignancies. Black was beautiful because black was healthy.” These words probably stayed with me because it just seemed so ironic and perhaps sad that if mothers were not so concerned about their child’s health, then maybe racism would not be what it is today. In “Drawing the Color Line” I was once again struck by something ironic.

During and after slavery, it was said that the “reason” blacks were enslaved is because they were “barbaric savages”. Yet according to Howard Zinn, the colonists were far worse. From digging up graves and eating corpses, to murdering Indians to prove their worth, the colonists were far more savage. “If you were a colonist, you knew that you were civilized, and they were savagesAnd when your own people started deserting in order to live with them, it was too much. So you killed the Indians, tortured them, burned their villages, burned their cornfields. It proved your superiority, in spite of your failures.” •.

12 Week Crossfit Program Pdf. Rethinking the Color Line seems to be very insightful up to the third chapter. I have previously heard about the history of how we got our skin color and the way melanin works. I believe many people have been taught that depending on where our ancestor’s are from in the world affects the color of our skin. However, people are quick to forget the science of why we look the way we do and act on what society claims these different colors of skin mean. As it was stated in Chapter 2, a “natural” antipathy, meaning a feeling of intense dislike, cannot be the reason for the racism that exists.

The conditions of life in the 1700’s were so different then they are now. Farmer’s wanted to prosper in the new world and felt slavery was how they would profit. Poor whites were noted to gang up with the black slaves, interestingly enough, or wanted to feel superior in some form and therefore stayed away. Yet, society is set up so differently now, slaves don’t exist, and everyone, regardless of skin color and social status, for the most part have common goals. So why is there still racism so present in 2010?

Is it just because that is what society has taught us to do? An idea that has not been let go of for almost 300 years?

Or is this “natural” racism idea real? I found one of the passages by Kenneth Stamp interesting, “A wise master did not take seriously the belief that Negroes were natural-born slaves. He knew better.” Back then and now, anyone with a brain, that is not too brain washed, know black skin is exactly that, skin, they are still the same as any pale white skinned person. I think the fact black people are a minority and the color is obvious to the eye, it is used as an excuse for illicit behavior towards them, in the past and still today. Thoughout the readings, I felt myself strongly agreeing with much that was being said-the rest was new to me. The first point that I can account for that really caught me is the fact that there is a false sense of racial diversity in the media that is not always the case in real life.

This is something that I always find myself thinking about whether I’m watching tv, looking at billboards, or reading books for magazines. It is also a touchy topic because on one side one can say that there are only “white people” in this ad. Then, there is another ad and there are two white people but one black and others may say, they jus put the “token black” so that they dont appear racist or whatnot. I feel however, that it is a difficult topic to argue because one can always find something to call discrimination or racism especially since ALL races cannot be represented ALL the time in every single advertisement or such. A quote that I found very intriguing is, ‘race exists because we say race exists’. If i didnt shout “EXACTLY!” when I read that, then I was every close.

I agree with that statement one hundred percent! That is what it all boils down to.

Color was not acknowledged UNTIL it was brought into account and mixed association-forbidden. I thought that the teacher who divided her classroom between brown eyes and blue eyes was very clever.

She realised not only how impressionable young kids would be, but also the authority she held as a teacher. I believe that a students (especially young ones) trust teachers for their knowledge and are more likely to take a teacher’s word on what is right and wrong than someone else’s in society. I am glad that it’s lesson has been spread and has been able to be used in a variety of situations (though maybe not as much as we may like) in order to educate. “Brown skinned ancestors may have been shared by modern-day blacks and whites as recently as 10,000 years ago”.

This quote definitely stood out to me and enlightened me of something I never knew or thought of before. It just goes to show that we are all the SAME. Black or white, once upon a time we may have had the same great great great great great grandfather. The only reason why we look quite different from one another now is due to environmental adaptation.

This quote serves as an emphasis to Harris’ point in How Our Skins Got Their Color, on why each individual’s present skin color is the shade it is. The next time one thinks about discriminating against someone else because they are a different skin color, think twice about it because you just might be extensively related. The article also changed a previous perception of mine. I have always thought that race was genetic. But it apparently isn’t. Even in a past exercise we did I found out that there is no gene for race.

I am now starting to understand that it is merely an adaptation as seen through cultural selection. The “healthy” survive, and black and white are seen as beautiful in situations where they are portrayed as healthy. I can’t help but wonder if we could all be healthy at the same time in the same environment.

Then maybe racism as we know it would not exist. It’s funny to think how and why humans really have the skin color they do.

It’s even funnier to think how uninformed the public is about the true facts on skin color. To be honest, all the logistics of skin color still kind of confuses me, but since there are many biological, geographical and genetic reasons for skin color, I guess confusion is alright. I use to wonder why I was the skin color I was. I would think that since my father is brown skin and my mother is very light skin then I should be caramel if anything. My mind at that time couldn’t conceive that there were other factors involved. I hated being so light, hanging around darker kids, I would feel like an outsider. It didn’t help when people would call me red or yellow, which would just confuse me even more.

I didn’t know there were colors other then black and white. A quote that really stuck out to me was, “There is not a country in world history in which racism has been more important, for so long a time, as the United States.” from A People’s History of the United States, 1492-Present by Howard Zinn.

I never thought about that before. The truth behind that statement is so real. Racism has been everywhere at one point or another, but in American, racism and institutionalized racism has been around for more then 400 years.

In those 400 plus years racism was allowed to evolve socially, psychologically, economically, in the individual, in the mass population, in the majority, in the minority, in the media and in the home. Because America has allowed racism to grow out, it has taken on many different roles and many different faces. That’s such a crazy thought and what’s even crazier is that it is still evolving.