Recently we have been looking at the civil rights movement. We can say segregation isn't legal anymore, yet people segregate themselves and the idea is still there.
When you make racist jokes, even if they are jokes, are you adding or subtracting to the issue? In our history, race has always been big in the American's minds. Even in schools, we see cliques that tend to be all of one race. Yes, there are groups who share races, but most are of one race.
In the 1950's people moved away from the cities to get away from minorities, even though segregation was beginning to become illegal, people continued the idea of it. If you go to San Francisco, if you go to New York, wherever you go you will find separation of people.
Yes, in California it is better, better than middle America but that doesn't mean racism doesn't exist here. Last year I went to North Carolina and the racial tensions there made some girls uncomfortable. We stayed in Rocky Mount, an area where mainly blacks live but just across the highway was an area completely filled with whites. My friend, Jessika, felt uncomfortable when going to a certain resturaunt because she is black and she felt that everyone there stared at her. She had never felt this unwelcomed.
Have you ever experienced anything like this?
I agree with your view on segregation in society today; even though discrimination and segregation may be outlawed according to the federal government, racism still exists.
ReplyDeleteEven if people are just kidding about racist jokes that they make, that still adds to the issue because some may interpret those jokes as genuine things that they believe are truly hilarious. I think that one of the reasons why racism continues to exist in today's society is that there are still people making racist jokes without understanding the larger ramifications of doing so.
As for personal experiences with racial tensions: Last summer, I went to Granville, which is a tiny village in Ohio with not much diversity. Although there were only 2-3 other Asians at a program I attended, I felt welcomed because everyone there was open and accepting. I may or may not have been stared at on the street, but that didn't matter since people in restaurants and stores treated me as they did with everyone else.
I think that in general jokes about race are harmful because children who hear these jokes may laugh but it can really affect them negatively. They grow up thinking these things about themselves and can fall prey to the stereotypes surrounding the jokes. One experience I had with segregation was similar to your friend Jessika. I was eating at an Ethiopian restaurant in San Jose and through the windows we could hear some really cool organ music coming from the church next door. We decided to check it out so we peaked our heads in. Even though we only opened the door to look around we were invited inside. It was an African American church and my family was the only white family there. They made us feel very welcome and it was quite an eyeopening experience because I was quite young when it happened. It is situations like these that make me wonder why there is so much hostility towards others when it is very possible to coexist in harmony.
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