Part of the show they showed two different families with a mom and kids, one white and one black. When they showed the white family, some of the panel said they thought that she probably had a good husband that took care of her and was well-educated and so on. When they showed the black woman with her kids, who actually looked better than the white mother, some people said she was probably on welfare, all of her kids were probably from different fathers, and she was ghetto. And she looked anything but that with diamonds in her ears and all of them had nice clothes on. It was really interesting to see their reactions and realize that people honestly feel this way.
Another intersting part was when they interviewed a guy who was Arabic but was ashamed of his heritage because of 9/11. He doesn't allow his parents to speak Arabic to him and doesn't allow his mother to wear her hair scarf in public if she wants to be with him. They also interviewed his friend who said if there was an Arab looking person on the train with a head scarf, he would refuse to board the train and goes to the other side of the street if he sees someone that looks like that. This was also really surprising to me especially because of all that happened to the Muslim community after 9/11 and what we are still hearing about possible terrorist attacks from some radicals.
SO.
My question is this, more pertaining to the Arab guy who doesn't like other Arabs. How far is this going to go? We know there still seem to be threats out there but how far are people going to go to discriminate against other Muslims who have no connection with these events? Will we ever get away from it? Were there instances before 9/11 where Muslims were discriminated against? What is going to happen to stop this?
Here is the video if you wish to watch some. Again, I know it's Tyra Banks so let's get real BUT it was still really interesting.
This is the one with the Arab hating other Arabs.
This is the video with the different families.
This is just other parts of the show.
His sentiments are really interesting. I remember shortly after 9/11 (in middle school), a mother began shouting at and degrading a young Muslim student outside in the school parking lot while she was waiting to pick up her child. It was absolutely appalling! Other adults and students nearby seemed surprised, but surprisingly no one defended the young girl nor put the mother in her place.
ReplyDeleteI believe the fear and discrimination of Muslims spiked after 9/11 and had significantly diminished since then. Unfortunately, in places like airports, the fear of 'others' will probably continue until the trauma begins to wane a little. Regardless, it's incredibly unfair that completely uninvolved people can have their reputations hurt.
I would like to address the racial profiling that the Tyra Banks show discussed. I was shocked that individuals guessed that the black woman--in designer clothes--was on welfare, while they assumed that the white woman--wearing a over sized sweatshirt--was well off. While I don't necessarily believe that you can base one's financial situation off clothing, I definitely think that is a better indicator than the color of their skin alone.
ReplyDeleteI think this mis perceptions come directly from the lack of education. This education I'm referring to incorporates both an academic education and the basic education they should recieve at home. The "Christian" boy, who seemed to make the most racial, stereotypical comments, was obviously sheltered and given skewed information as he grew up. While this can partially be blamed on his parents, I have to question the school system--what are they teaching kids?
While I feel I was much more informed than this individual, I'd have to admit that this sociology course has shaken my foundation. I was simply not aware of so much that is going on in the world today. I feel embarrassed to admit it, but I had never even considered the possibility of many things that I have learned through this course. While I probably should have done more to educate myself, I have to pose the question: What were my teachers thinking leaving such vital things out of their lessons? Then I have to wonder, do they even know? How far back does this trend of being uninformed go? It is time for the education system to take one big step forward and teach students about the real world.