Cheesy Last Blog

I think the saddest part about racism is people not being confident in their skin or feeling inferior. While researching racial bias in children, I came across an article by the CNN. The news reporter sat down with kids and asked them questions about the paper doll test.  The paper doll test is a paper with a picture of five identical dolls, each only differing in skin colors. The dolls range from very light to very dark.

When the reporter asked “What skin color do you want?” a black little boy pointed right to the lightest doll. Another black little girl chose the second lightest saying that “…I just don’t like the way brown looks cause the way brown looks, looks really nasty for some reason.” Similar responses were given by other children. 

These poor kids have grown up thinking that their skin color is undesirable, and would rather be white. It is each of our jobs to actively teach children, peers, and even grown ups that racism is not okay and can be resisted. Going along with that, I also think it is so sad that people are even afraid to be a certain race, or wear certain garments in our country these days. I don’t know how to get rid of racism, and I cannot solve all of our problems. But I can be accepting to everyone I meet, treat everyone equal, and be a good example. Our country needs love and acceptance right now, and I think that that is the best way that we can all make a difference.   

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/13/doll.study/

#MannequinChallenge

If you have been on Instagram or Twitter lately, you have probably come across the Mannequin Challenge a time or two. If you have been avoiding social media lately (I do not blame you), the Mannequin Challenge is the newest internet trend in which people stand completely still in poses while a video is recorded.

Most of the Mannequin Challenges I have seen have been all fun and games – usually dancers frozen during class or a sports team frozen during practice. 

However, I came across a much more serious video today. This challenge was done by filmmakers Simon Shepherd, Kevalena Everett, and Todd Anthony to raise awareness of police brutality. The short video re-enacts the tragic scenes of many popular police shootings and other racial issues including Philando Castille, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, Trayvon Martin, and Colin Kaepernick. There is also police scanner audio playing in the background.

The video is honestly hard to watch, as it shows many individuals being mistreated and put in horrible situations. It is very effective at helping the audience picture these situations and the need for change. I think a video like this is a great way to peacefully protest police brutality. The video caused no harm, but has already received a lot of publicity in less than a week (it has been viewed over 700,000 times on Facebook as of November 10, 2016). This is how social media should be used. The filmmakers used their platform to make a statement, rather than put others down. 

Here is a link to the video, which speaks for itself.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/mannequin-challenge-takes-racism-frozen-frames-n682236

Racism in Ballet

Picture a ballerina.

What does she look like?

Most of us, if not all, probably pictured a tall, slender, toned, fair-skinned, graceful ballerina in a pink tutu. Why do we automatically picture a white ballerina?

There are many excuses made for why blacks are not ballerina material. They tend to be curvier, flat-footed, too muscular, too this, or too that. Even though a curvy, flat-footed, muscular young woman would not be the best body type for a ballerina, not all blacks fit that category. Likewise, not all white young girls are the “perfect” body type for ballet either.

Julie Gant said that this kind of stereotyping is “literally saying black people have a gene so they are unable to do ballet. It’s like saying Asians can’t drive. You basically have to redefine human if you’re going to say certain nationalities can only do certain things.”

I think that the ballet industry loves to hold on to certain traditions, and uses blacks’ stereotypical body type as an excuse to be racist. Ballet companies do everything they can to make each ballerina dance exactly the same. They have daily, long rehearsals perfecting every move so that the ballerinas will leap, turn, and glissade completely in sync. The ballerinas wear the exact same outfits, have the same makeup and hair, and you guessed it – they even have the same skin color.

Skin color should not have anything to do with being given a chance to dance in a ballet. With dedication and practice, any race has the potential to be a beautiful ballerina. Misty Copland has proved that African Americans should not be overlooked in the ballet industry. Copeland did not even start ballet training until age 13, but she was accepted into the American Ballet Theater four years later. She is also the first African-American ballerina lead role in Swan Lake. Not only is she amazing to watch, but she continues to inspire other young dancers to not give up. She has worked so hard to get to where she is today, and I hope the world of ballet will one day become more diverse thanks to inspiring dancers like her.

This short video should be enough proof for anyone that all races can do ballet. https://youtu.be/IxJHjcRGdCQ

Article that the quote was found: https://glimmerglass.olivet.edu/2015/03/05/black-girls-cant-dance-ballet-body-type-or-stereotype/

Why Do People Live in Poverty?

Not too long ago, I would see people living in poverty who resort to selling drugs and wonder why on earth would they not try to get their life together. “Why don’t they get a job?” “Why are they selling drugs, they’re just going to end up in jail?” I wondered why people would choose to live in poverty. I thought that with determination and persistence, everyone could get some sort of job, save money, and work their way up. Unfortunately, the world does not work that way.

In the real world, a large percentage of blacks will be born into poverty, targeted by the criminal justice system, and sent to jail just like their relatives. No one gets to choose what class, race, or part of the world they are born into. I was born into a white family, and although my family is not upper class, I have had so many opportunities that I cannot take credit for. I was born into a culture where I was able to grow up going to school, and am continuing my education at college – something that a lot of us take for granted.

It is so hard to imagine exactly what it would be like to be a part of a minority race for a white person. A white individual living in America lives in a world that is designed for him/her. I am not proud to say it, but it is the truth. Michelle Alexander talks a lot about this in her book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.

Alexander describes how blacks make up a large majority of the criminal justice system. They are less likely than whites to commit drug related crimes, however they are way more likely to be imprisoned. How is that? Because America has continuously established a racial caste system that ensures that blacks be kept inferior to whites. Alexander explains very well how the system works, and how mass incarceration is equivalent to slavery and Jim Crow. What a lot of people (my younger self included) do not realize is that discrimination is still legal. Even though it is illegal to discriminate based on race, it is legal to discriminate anyone with a felon. This might not seem unreasonable at first. However, because so many blacks have felons, they are subject to discrimination. After prison, it is pretty much impossible for them to move up in the world, because they are denied housing, cannot get a job, and will forever be branded as criminals.

Our stereotype of blacks being criminals has been intentionally created by whites. It is not the result of blacks engaging in more criminal activity, rather it is the result of whites targeting more blacks, imprisoning them, labeling them as criminals, and denying them any opportunities to be successful. It is tempting to think that blacks choose to be criminals, but often they do not.

People living in rough living conditions have to make a choice on how to survive, and often times the answer is selling drugs. I am sure no one wants to resort to that, but you have to make money somehow. Instead of first putting our time and money into police efforts and criminal justice, I agree with Alexander that it would be very beneficial to help the poor find a job and support them, so that no one has to rely on drugs to help them survive.

Black Abortions

I am constantly blown away by different ways blacks suffer in America. This past week I came across more staggering statistics; this time about black abortions.

According to Right to Life of Michigan...

• Abortion has taken more black American lives than any other cause of death combined since 1973.

• The abortion rate of blacks is nearly 4 times higher than that of whites.

• An average of 870 black babies are aborted daily in the U.S.

• The ratio of abortions/live births for American white women is 127/1,000. The ratio for black women is 435/1,000.

Accoding to Texas Right to Life, more black babies are aborted than born in some regions.

Once again, blacks are not given equal opportunities - and in these cases, the babies are not even given a chance to live.

By killing a baby, that is a person's way of saying that the babies life does not matter, that they should not be treated fairly, and that they are worthless. Sound familiar? These babies are in many ways facing the same kind of discrimination that blacks face in society today.

Because abortions take so many black lives, it is often referred to as Black Genocide. According to BlackGenocide.org, the largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, was actually created by a racist hoping to essentially get rid of as many African Americans as possible.

I am in no way trying to point fingers at blacks, because I know it is a problem among all races. It is just so sad to me that anyone would kill a precious baby. Black lives matter - even soon-to-be-born lives.

Here's a video addressing the problem, if interested.
youtu.be/q31wKamAbZo

Islamophobia

Although Muslims are not a race, Muslims deal with stereotyping much like racism. Just like people associate Asians with being smart, or African Americans as being good at sports, it is common for Muslims to be thought of as villains. Western countries tend to be prejudice toward Muslims because of the negative connotations they have acquired because of terrorist attacks. Only a small percentage of Muslims have caused harm or intended to cause harm, but Westerners still associate events like 9/11 with all Muslims.

This fear of Muslims is referred to as Islamophobia. This phobia does not only include a fear of Muslims, but sometimes even prejudice and hostility. Many Muslims do not feel accepted by Westerners. In fact, 52% of Americans agree that the West does not respect Muslims. A report by the Center for American Progress found that misinformation accounts for a lot of Islamophobia in America. The promotion of this phobia creates prejudice against Muslims. When one hears a horror story that involves a Muslim, they associate that fear with all Muslims. 

It is not right to treat others less just because another completely unrelated Muslim threatened America at some point in time. Besides, there are plenty of dangerous Americans who create more harm than Muslims do. Even though there are many criminals in America, we do not assume that all Americans are bad. This mentality should be applied with Muslims (and any race or group) as well. 

My mom hired a Muslim student worker a couple of years ago. She was one of my mom’s favorite student workers. She was very nice, responsible, and an all-around good person. I remember my mom telling me about how her student worker had to deal with stereotypes and prejudice. Even though she had done nothing wrong, people treated her differently because of her beliefs. The stereotypes caused her to be scared in many situations because so many people despise Muslims.

 I tried to imagine what it would be like to be that student. I cannot imagine how offensive it must be that there is a phobia that references the fear of those who belong to her religion. To walk around campus and receive dirty looks all the time, to know that when people hear “Muslim” they hear “9/11” or other terrorist attacks, and to be labeled as someone who does not deserve a fair chance would be so difficult.

The Muslims who are violent are not violent because they are Muslim. Nor are they an accurate representation of the entire Islamic religion. Therefore, try not to let the small percentage of violent Muslims make you believe a false stereotype.

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Black Lives Matter

In my last blog I discussed some pressing issues going on in America right now, including ‘Black Lives Matter’ and police brutality. I mentioned that I agreed that black lives matter, but so do all lives. I think I was missing the point of what ‘Black Lives Matter’ is all about. An article I read this past week by John Halstead, The Real Reason White People Say ‘All Lives Matter,’ put things into perspective for me. He makes many great points on why whites should not have a problem with people saying ‘Black Lives Matter.’

1. Blacks saying their lives matter in no way suggests white lives do not.

2. ‘All Lives Matter’ draws attention away from the real problem, and instead focuses on whites.

3.  It is not really necessary to clarify that all lives matter, because whites aren’t undergoing discrimination. On the other hand, blacks face discrimination frequently, which is why BLM is necessary.

A lot of times whites may think racism does not affect themselves. It does, however, and Halstead also offers great suggestions on what we can do.

1. Accept the fact that it is impossible to be colorblind, as hard as we may try.

2. Immerse yourself in Black communities to become more comfortable with Blacks. Learn from them.

3. Say “Black lives matter,” rather than “All lives matter.”

4. Be a part of the Second Civil Rights Movement. This will probably be uncomfortable, but it is necessary to step out of your comfort zone in order to make a difference. 

It is disrespectful to undermine the struggles blacks go through daily. By saying ‘Black Lives Matter’ we can offer our support.

I encourage you all to read the article, which explains this topic way better than I ever could.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-halstead/dear-fellow-white-people-_b_11109842.html