Today we finished talking about this article from The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/books/review/Patterson-t.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=race%20in%20the%20age%20of%20obama&st=cse
My students would like to know how rampanent is racism in America?
We you read in the article that 25% of blacks in America live in poverty it is a shockingly high number but you can't walk around Jamaica for long without seeing that there it is not pure hyperbole.
Odile asked what is racism like in NY? If you have an answer or a part of an answer I'd be so grateful for your ideas.
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HELLOS MS. OWENS (:! This is paulina!!! I miss you very much ): Come back soon! French class is not the same without you; EVERYBODY agrees so!
ReplyDeletewell....there is always racism in new york. Since New York is a heavily diverse melting pot with different cultures, there is bound to be some ethnic differences another culture would dislike or feel "threatened about." Some people may say racism decreased since segregation or the civil rights movement but there is always racism in ny, its just that most racist comments are left unnoticed due to years of repeated sayings. People "joke" about chinese, jewish, black, white, etc. people, and some people accept it as a daily routine. However, there are those in new york that are also deeply affected; and those are the people that either want change or increase racism. There are some ethnic surpremacy in new york, some people think they are better than other cultures and would "take advantage," for example; skipping them on lines, stealing from "helpless" people, or just giving nasty stares. I have seen on first account, chinese people taunted by black people, black and white people arguing (and since there has always been a history of segregation,) outsiders deem the arguement with the black and white person as "racist." Jewish people called "poor", hispanics categorized into one group, "mexicans," the list goes on and on, and frankly, i believe racism is stupid in many accounts. I believe racism is one of the most provoking instigator of national and global wide problems. But, sadly, we can not alter another person's beliefs on being "racist."
c'est fini!
HOW IS MARTINIQUE?!!!!??!!?!?
come back soon!
-paulina tam
BONJOURE MADAME!! paulina is right. we all miss you. very very very very very very (x10000) much. :)
ReplyDeleteI guess if you think about it, there is a lot of racism in ny. But it isnt as serious. As paulina said, people joke about other races, but just in a joking manner. I guess people don't realize (people as in arrogant teenage boys) that words can hurt, and you cant always be oblivious to the people around you. In ny, there is a huge array of people, and we are used to it, and most people dont lable their classmates and colleagues with a race.
<33 Allison
I feel that on the whole, America, especially major cities like New York, is moving forward toward a more accepting nation. Public places and facilities are very integrated and it would actually be surprising to me if there were only whites in one public setting at a time. On the other hand, neighborhoods where people live in are more segregated, i.e. a predominantly asian community would normally only have asians living there. However, that decision for races to live with their own kind is their choice. I dont necessarily think its racist, but I feel that people are always more comfortable living with their own kind whom they can better connect with and feel at home with, much how we all feel closer to our own families than to other families.
ReplyDeleteAs for actualy racism that occurs in NY, for the most part it is present in a joking manner amongst kids. On the other hand, I have relatives from the South who arent completely accepting of non-whites just because the south has rasict roots. It would definitely take time for the South to abandon its blatantly racist history, i.e. slavery, lynching, etc.
-Atlas
Racism... It's such an awful thing but I think everyone and I mean EVERYONE has a bit of racist qualities in them. Honestly, I think it's inevitable. It's crazy because the term racism didn't even exist. Now it contaminates our world and creates a barrier between us.
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