This week I learned a lot about race and from the videos “ Race: the Power of an Illusion Episode 2” the video talks about how the United States become a country and explain about race from the beginning of slavery, where there were no slaves and becoming more hungry for land. Also becoming more aggressive white Americans forcing the Cherokee to leave their homes and leaving their land. Also, it talks about the philosophy of manifest destiny where the West belongs to the white American. A very interesting piece in the video talks about enslaved or free African Americans who couldn’t become citizens in the United States in the 1850s. Adding on to this I also watched “ A Conversation with Asian Americans on Race”. Where this video talks about Asian Americans and other communities how they are treated differently and by knowing this it shares what is an American in America.
I can understand how people feel when they are mistreated from what race they are to where they are from. And I think that is a huge problem because around the world a lot of people ask where you’re from? , Are you born in this country, etc.
When watching the video I also learned a lot about the history of America that they want to try and keep hidden. Hearing the horrible things done to these innocent people angered me. As a society we need to learn how to treat everyone as equals because that’s what we are. Everyone might live in different circumstances but that doesn’t make them any less of a human or an American and I believe that’s an important lesson.
Hi Andrew,
Your last comment on are you born in this country and where are you from seems very western now that I think about it. Here in the united states we won’t consider the possibility but instead will assume someone isn’t a citizen here if they don’t look like a “American” (what ever the hell that means) in comparison lets say the east (I’ll use S. Korea as an example) where even if you don’t resemble a Korean in the phenotype sense, but if you speak Korean they will always ask if you are Korean. Because there, despite physical characteristic differences they very well could be said citizen. But here, in this huge republic with various groups coexisting, we question many if they don’t resemble quintessential white American westernized traits. Very strange to think about. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
I agree it is nerve wracking when people ask where you are from because they can be prejudice against you based on their ignorant views. Society needs to unlearn the negative and racist thinking of different people because it sets communities back as a whole. The reading and videos made me realize how other people experience racism against other communities and even their own. It was also a new insight on how Asian Americans deal with systematic racism because not many people would consider their perspectives on the issue.