From the film, short video, and reading it is evident that race is a social construct used to justify the actions of the people in power in this case, white people, against people of color so they can maintain their positions in a system that supports racism. Thomas Jefferson had stated before that, “all men are created equal” yet that has never really been the case for many Americans who are not white. In the text by Dhingra and Rodriguez, it says, “Race is a politically created concept. Racial categories are externally imposed, and groups must navigate within and between them. Groups with greater power over social discourse, media, and the economy assign the racial categories of a society, and minorities attempt to jockey for position within those options.” Racial structures are ingrained into society such as in government where people label their selves based on what they are told and identify with that. In the film, “Race: The Power of an Illusion, Episode Two”, one narrator tells the audience how race is what others perceive the individual to be based on physical appearance and not how the individual thinks of themselves. The film speaks more on how race has evolved historically in order to further goals economically and politically such as how America put down the Filipino Independence Movement resulting in the country of Philippines to become a U.S. territory. In the early stages of America people of color were seen as inferior to white people and this concept was used to practice slavery using black people as well as removing indigenous Americans from their lands. In the short video, “A Conversation with Asian Americans on Race”, it explores and dives deeper into the experiences of Asian Americans on how they confronted and dealt with racial issues. For instance, Hasan Minhaj, one of the interviewees who is an Indian-American comedian and actor, explains how he experienced colorism as a form of racism when he was just a child and did not understand why. Overall, many people of color especially the ones living in America have experienced some form of racism and it can change a person to view the world differently because of the unfortunate obstacles they had to encounter.
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“Thomas Jefferson had stated before that, ‘all men are created equal’ yet that has never really been the case for many Americans who are not white. ”
I like that you brought up this contradiction. I was surprised when I heard that he wrote a rationalization in “Notes on the State of Virginia,” when he writes that though all men are equal, some, he suspected, may not be human after all. This was economically favorable to him, and I was not surprised that as a slave owner Jefferson demeaningly described his runaway slaves.
I agree with your thoughts and discussion on how race is a social construct. I also ponder over the statement of Thomas Jefferson that, ‘all men are created equal’. Even though he said that everybody is equal, racial differences grew during his reign. From the early stages of American history, as white individuals hold power compared to the minority people of color, racism began. It is utterly sad that it still persists. Moreover, the way people judge someone and their actions based on their physical appearance makes it worse. The individuals who go through this feel inferior and might have negative feelings about the way they look or talk.