Chapter 4: Does Race Really Matter?

Does race really matter?

This chapter talks about race in many different ways and how it exists in America. It gives the definition of a Racial Group, Ethnicity, Racism, Prejudice, and Discrimination. A Racial Group is a category of people who share the same physical characteristics, such as skin color, that members of society deem to be impoartant in many ways. Six out of 35,000 genes in your body make up the pigment of your skin. This means to me that it is very unimportant. Ethnicity is a group of people that share the same cultural background. Racism occurs when a particular group think that their group is superior to another racial group of people. A key example would have to be back during the Civil Rights era in which the Ku Klux Klan preached "White Supremacy. Prejudice occurs when you judge a book by its cover. An example would be, "becasue she is blonde, she is a ditsy bimbo" or "because he is black he may rob or attack me". Phrases like that begans the molding of the perseption of race and how much it matters to certain individuals. Discrimination is behavior that treats people unfair or unequal becasue of the color of their skin or their ethnical background. An example would be the rejection of a job application because it maybe of a minority.

My Perception on Race:

Race is a social and Political construct. I say that because we as Americans and of differenrt racial groups allow ourselves to see race as a key factor in the way we view others. We make it our duty to examine the color of a person's skin before we even think about gettin to know that individual and much of America is definetly guilty of this act. Take for example Barack Obama being the 44th President. Every President before him was looked at as the 43rd or 42nd and so-on President, but when it comes to him; he is only refered to by many as the 1st BLACK President. George Bush Jr. in my opinion had to be one of the worst Presidents but he was not attacked merely as much as Barack Obama is being attacked. But thats my opinion and "to each his own." When it comes to marriage, the fact about race matters is exposed in interracial relationships. An example is a Black Male and a White Female. Most would say to the Black Male, "Oh, you had to go and get you a white woman." In reality he did not go and get a white woman, he went to get a good woman that best suits him and his preferences. And this interaction could be vice versa also.