I believe that many lessons were learned from the Civil Rights Movement, including treating others the way you would like to be treated, and everyone is created equal. Just because someone looks or acts a little bit different doesn't mean you should try to stay away or segregate them away from yourself. For example not serving colored people in a restaurant. It makes you and has made others feel as if they were less then human because you aren't being allowed service because you are a little bit different then others. It would make you feel alienated and just completely awful. Being treated differently just because you are a little bit different only leads to a path of hatred, destruction, and violence.
I think that when it comes to equity and equality America struggles severely. We may get most people on to an equal level of opportunities but we don't necessarily act in the same way for everyone to get their. Like if a school has a two story building, the school would add an elevator to make it so that anyone who is crippled could get to the top floor easily. But if you aren't crippled you cant use the elevator, you get to walk up the stairs. Both kids would get to the top of the building to their class for equal opportunities but they wouldn't be treated the same to get the opportunities.
Most of you may know about the fatal Bart shooting where a young black man was shot dead by a cop even after pleading for his life. This is an example of institutional racism, I mean how likely would it have been that the man was shot if his skin was a different color. I think that this proves even today their is a lot of racism floating around, racial profiling is also another thing you could look at. Just because the person is different their looking at him like he is dangerous or a criminal. Theirs still lots of ways to show how racism still goes on but I wouldn't want to drag this on forever.
7 comments:
I really loved your title. And the example of the recent bart shooting is a great way of showing current discrimination.
A great read! you stated your opinions easily. also your second paragraph was very strong. it's exactly what everyone goes through. the bart shooting is just brutal and unnecessary. that man should have lived .
"I mean how likely would it have been that the man was shot if his skin was a different color." Ok then im throwing the same thing back at you. If the police officer was black, then the shooting would have been seen only as an acident and not as racism. But because the shooter is white everyone asumses that it was racism and not an accident. Besides the color of thier skin, is there a different reason to asume that this crime is an act of racism?
Very very good point Shana. The racism surrounding the Oscar Grant shooting did NOT occur when Oscar Grant was shot. The racism occurred when everybody made this an issue of a white policeman shooting a black man rather than an issue of a policeman shooting an indefensible man. Martin Luther King wanted us to be color blind but our awareness of color is exactly what screws us over time and time again.
I really did like some of the points that you made and I agree with Shana's point as well. From one question comes another and then there becomes a debate because we really can't see the actual event. Someone did get shot and accident or not, the point of this blog post is about the Civil Rights Movement. This was nicely written and there was plenty of examples and evidence. I enjoyed reading it.
Also, just to be a jerk, being color blind doesn't necessarily mean you don't see color.
What does it mean?
Martin Luther King did not want us to be color blind. He wanted us to SEE color equally and treat ALL people equitably, and do this by working TOGETHER.
In terms of the BART shooting. The reason people reacted the way they did was because there is institutional racism in our legal justice system. While this one case may or may not have been racially motivated, it continues to prove to those who see inequity that things continue to be unfair and people are not treated in a way that tries to equal the playing field. There is no reason to assume direct, personal racism here. But this does give reason to explore why unintentional, unconscious racism exists.
Great conversation here!
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