Racism

This week I was very fortunate to be part of the race panel. I learned so much from each of the other presenters. The overall message that was given was to define a person by not what their skin color is or how they dress and talk but instead what their personality is and who they are. Like Roger said, we see ourselves so different from others when in reality we are all the same. If you cut open a Mexican and an American, we all have a heart and we all have lungs. It's all a social construct that society has created: stereotypes not facts.

"Racism isn't born, folks, it's taught. I have a two- year old son. You know what he hates? Naps! End of list. "- Denis Leary

The quote above proves that racism is a social construct. We are all taught by society and the people who surround us, what's good and bad, and as we grow up, we are more exposed to the world and start to see people for their race and not them. We live in a diverse world and therefore we should become more socially mindful and realize that everyone from one certain race aren't all the same. They might have similar characteristics but are certainly not restricted to only those defined by their race. Racism is not always explicit, it's implicit too. It occurs in our school faculty, Band-Aids are only a light skin color, and textbooks don't show diversity, only white people. These things aren't realized because it's not something we think of everyday, but are such a privilege that white people have.

We restrain ourselves from grabbing a tasty looking cookie from the person sitting next to us on the bus, even though our instincts tell us it would taste SO goos we don't do it. Why? Because we know that stealing is wrong. If we can do that, then surely we can also ignore someone's skin color. When will we stop holding our purses tighter when a black man walks by? When will we stop assuming that a job applicant named Jose Jimenez is less likely to be qualified than John Smith? Ending racism today means realizing that these acts and thoughts are wrong. Despite the urge we might have to let them slide from the unconscious to the conscious. Ending racism today means moving beyond instinct to truly thoughtful acts, in everything we do. It might be very challenging to do, but it will be worth it.

 

 

"I’m on an internship for school. I’m not getting paid for it. I’m in a strange city. I don’t know anyone here. I have applied at almost every fast-food restaurant, retail store, gas station, and whatever else I can think of, but have heard nothing back. My bank account is almost completely empty. I’m writing this on the laptop I can’t sell because I need it for school, and while I write, I eat the last of my groceries. My car is almost out of gas. I don’t even have enough money to pay rent on the first of the month. I don’t have a lot of personal possessions that I can sell, and the ones that I can, I probably won’t get much for. I don’t have health insurance, and I dread getting sick or having an accident that leaves me in the hospital. If I give up now and go home, I won’t graduate. I’m already several thousand dollars in student loan debt, I hope to at least have something to show for it. But how long can I last at my internship when I have to choose between putting gas in my car and doing laundry? My life is a ticking time-bomb, and the last few seconds are counting down before my eyes.

I am the 99 percent. And I am out of ideas."

Why desire for economic security is not being met- He/she cannot find a job in a place where he/ she does not know anyone and the internship he/she are in is not paying him/her. His/her bank account is slowly decreasing and almost empty and is living each day with the little money he/she has. He/she does not have heealth insurance and therefore is scared to get sick because of the huge bill that he/she will recieve. He/she lives with the fear of giving up and not graduating because he/she believes that hopefully something will come out of graduating. However, it's hard because it's increasing his/her debt.

More fair situation- The ability to be able to get a job and to have health insurance should be available to everyone at no cost because it's essential in life. Also, as a possible solution to student debt, colleges should adjust to the sudents fianncial status and having them pay a tuition that they can afford or not be in debt in. We all should have an opportunity to have equal or great education without being able to pay so much money for it. After all, we use the education and knowledge to succeed in life and improve society and our government system such as the economy.

Relates to social class- This person is in such a low class that even though they are reciveing an education, they are in debt and don't have a job to be able to live a good lifestyle. Now this person is debating whether his education is worth suffering economically and psychologically for.

I choose this image because this person wants to have a good education in order to live a great life after they graduate. However, its questionable whether or not they are going to recieve that promise after graduating, after all that debt. It just shows how education is truly only available for the rich or in some cases middle class because they are the ones who can possibly pay the whole college ride and still stay economically stable without being in debt. Also, their comparison to a time bomb really allows me to see how bad this person feels and how any second they might just give up on all their dreams because everything they ever wanted is not at their reach and isn't worth getting anymore as a result of their social status.

 

"I got my first job mowing lawns when I was 13. I went to work for the Federal government, laying fences, when I was 15. At 17, I left home and put myself through college and law school, without my parents’ help. Yes, I had student loans, and yes, I paid them.

I lost my job in 2009. Despite hundreds of phone calls, resumes, and a few interviews, it seems I am now “overqualified,” at age 50, to be employed. I am coming to grip with the fact that I will never earn what I took for granted, just a few years ago.

I have run through my savings, my investments, and my retirement accounts. I lost my house. My wife left me a year ago, and cancelled my health insurance. My heart medications, insulin, and related supplies, not to mention ADD meds for my teenager, total $3500 a month. I don’t have $3500 to spend on meds, so I take a daily aspirin, and my kid is suffering in school. I’m waiting on the word that I have renal failure. A vial of insulin, that used to cost $15 a few years ago, now costs $80. Big pharma is gouging.

Now, I am facing eviction. My two children have never seen daddy without money. I am facing the grim fact that my life insurance policy and social security death benefits may provide my kids better financial security than I can. Like George Bailey, I am “worth more dead than alive.” I AM THE 99%

Jack
Austin, Texas"

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Why desire for economic security is not being met- Despite all of his work experiences and great resume he is unable to get a job. Also, he is unable to ge a job because of his age which in my opinion is strange because isn't it the older you are the wiser you are? He lost his house and is a single parent with 2 children who see him nervous daily about how they are going to afford what they need. To add to this list, they do not have health insurace and all of the medication that keeps them alive and functioning right is very expensive and he cannot afford it.

More fair situation-  To have an equal opportunity as everyone else to get a job  and to have health insurance. Health insurance should be available to everyone at no cost because it's essential in life as i said in the first 99% story. We can clearly see that health insurace serves a key role in being able to survive because if you don't have heatlh insurance you have to either not  do anything and let the pain/disease/ ect. worsen or go to a doctor and recieve a bill that you can't pay without having to give all the money that you have for food in order not to be in such a big debt.

Relates to social class- although this person has an education and an awesome resume, he is still unable to get a job and isn't able to pay the expenses at home. This shows that education is not always the important factor in having a successful lifestyle. Instead, what social class you are apart of is the most important factor to success.Therefore, the upper class are more likely to succeed because of their connections to very important people in society.

I choose this image because it really startled me how this person thinks that they are "worth more dead than alive" and as bad as it sounds it's a horrible truth that is realized when living a life where they are invisible in society.

                  

"I’ve been living in the US for 30 years, working in a restaurant all the entire time. Every day I work 13 hours, leading to my bad health now. After 9/11, I started getting respiratory problems. My wife used to work in the garment factories, but because there wasn’t business, she got laid off. Rent increases yearly, and we have 2 kids. Now we don’t have work, so life is very difficult. We are a part of the 99%."

Why desire for economic security is not being met- Both his wife and him don't have a job which makes it hard to support their children. Also, he is in bad health and unfortunatly he can't go to a dotor to help sooth the pain/ problem because he is unable to spend that much money on his health. The rent and other expenses increase yearly as well, which demand more money that they cannot earn.

More fair situation-  As I have said in the above 99% stories the most important factors that would make this a more fair situation is providing jobs to everyone and having an equal opportunity to obtain one as well as having health insurance in reach.

This relates to social class because this man came to America hoping for something better than what they had in their country. However, their inability to be successful wasn't his fault because he wasn't trying hard enough but because our culture values money way too much and sometimes trying your best jusst doesn't cut it in our society. Now after 30 years in the United States,  this man and his family's American dream has been tossed and are now doing anything they can in order to survive this idfficult life.

I choose this image because it shows those who come to America with a dream and with such a motivation to succeed because they are unable to in their country, it is very difficult to do so with sucha split society and unequality in our country.