Welcome to Cleveland

On the website that Welcome to Cleveland was posted on the first thing you see is a display of the Cleveland Indians mascot. Next are multiple demonstrations of other backgrounds just on the Indian face. This to me seems extremely wrong. Even if it wasn't meant to offend any race or ethnicity it does. It categorizes different people and put them into stereotypes. For example the model that was supposed to be the African model had horribly stereotypical features. Everyting about the demnstrations of different backgrounds sent off the wrong message.

Johnson Ch.6

In this chapter Johnson starts off by explaining that inorder for us to do something about power and priviledge we would have to talk about it and that's to risky even for those who actually have priviledge. He says that we live in a world that allows us to think that the social world begins and ends with individuals. It's like it's a collection of people and everthing that happens begins with what those people think, and feel. He explains that everything bad in the world is seen as someone's fault, that's why talking about priviledge steps on so many people's toes. We think in an individualistic way. Priviledge has nothing to do with the individual it has to do with the society. Johnson says in order to the "paralysis" we have to realize that the individualistic way is wrong and that the social world has alot more to deal with than just individuals. He says that social life happens only when people participate in social systems. The only way to understand it is to understand the relation between people and social systems. We develope a sense of personal identities and through those we see how they position us in relation to other people and in terms of inequality of power. The main goal is to encourage dominant groups to feel like they have entitlement in relation to the subordinate groups. Although people know they have other options they stick to certain things because they are afraid to try something new. Johnson says that we have to pay attention to the relationship between humans and the social life. People change from one social situation to the next. It's not enough to look at the person's thoughts, and feelings, intentions, and personalities for the very reason that people act different in different social situations. Most people participate in social systems and think they aren't apart of the consequences. As long as we all participate in the social systems we are all apart of the consequences good or bad. We can choose though how we are involved. We can choose to be part of the problem or we can choose to be part of the solution.

In this chapter I agree with most of the points that Johnson touches on. We do avoid talking about priviledge for fear of what it will bring up. Without knowing we change form social situation to social situation. And we definitely have an option to be apart of the problem or the solution.

Johnson Ch.3

In this passage Johnson's main point was that Capitalism is the main cause of racism.
He explains that the main goal of Capitalism and Capitalists is to turn money into more money. Capitalists buy everything needed to produce services and goods all to make more and more money. He says that Capitalists hire workers and pay them in exchange for their work. Because capitalists don't actually produce anything themselves in order to make a living they charge more for the product than they pay the workers so they can come out on top. Johnson basically explains that the workers really have no other choice than to work for less than the amount they produce. The factories and places they are working are owned by capitalists so either way it goes they would be working for one capitalist or another. They can work for the capitalists or not work at all. Capitalists are always trying to find ways for workers to produce more goods for less or the same price so they can again make more money. This is why now more and more technology is being used. Capitalism produces high levels of inequality for the households in America. He says this is happening because of the class system that focuses on gaps in the income and the power between the households on top and the households on the bottom. Johnson let us know that after the Civil War and blacks were free they were still held in bondage in a new way that kept them in debt. Even the Chinese were in bondage building the railroads in extremely harsh conditions. Capitalists went so far as to go to Africa, Asia, and the Americas to get workers that would work for cheap labor. To justify this, whites came up with an idea of "whiteness" that defined thier priviledge and how it elevated over all that wasnt included in it. Capitalists have not only used low wages to control black employee's but white employee's also. They also create the scenario that controls a worker that if they try to request higher wages they will lose their jobs and they need those jobs. Capitalism also makes use of gender inequality. For example they use the fact that in the past people have devalued women and that gives them an excuse to pay them less. Johnson says that capitalism is a great example as to why people can belong to a priviledged category and not feel priviledged. He says that the complexity of the matrix of priviledge shows that work for change needs to focus on us and how we think of ourselves in relation to inequalities of power.

I agree with Johnson in this chapter. Capitalism has taken over and it is in a way a cause of racism.

Johnson Ch.2

In the reading by Johnson, he gets to the point and let's us know what he will be be talking about in the first sentence. "The trouble that surrounds difference is really about priviledge and power the existence of of priviledge and the lopsided distribution of power that keeps it going "(Johnson 12). He goes on by saying that we inherited power and priviledge and we have to figure out how to deal with it before it's given to our future generations. No one talks about power and priviledge one reason being fear. It's a big possiblility that the mention of it could turn groups of people against each other even more than they already are. As long as we ignore priviledge we will be ok. In this case it will make us stay in a state of unreality and it will seem that differnce in itself is the main problem. He also explains the old myth of why people treat others who are different form them certain ways. It has been said that people are afraid of things and people that aren't like them. Johnson says that is just a myth created by society. It gives a reason for us to keep people that we dont like or understand out of our general circles. The first response to something new hasn't always been to be afraid. Like Johnson said with the North Americans and the Native Americans. When the North Americans arrived the Native Ameicans weren't afraid, they welcomed them with open arms. Everyone is curious about the unknown and for some reason they are drawn to it. We aren't afraid of what we don't know, it's what we think we know that scares us. We create our own ideas as to what something is or what is going to happen next in a situation and it makes us afraid. In the demonstration with the diversity wheel Johnson shows how it does show certain things about us but it doesn't show our personal things like who we are as a person, or our personal history. We as a people make assumptions. An example " if they look white then they must be white." We assume certain things without even thinking it's just become so natural. James Baldwin offered an idea that no one is white and no one is black. He said that everyone was coerced into making this a white country. Like Johnson stated in response to the Baldwin quote most of what we live in is created by our cultures. Basically we form perceptions of ourselves and our surroundings by our culture. The way our culture defines something is the way it is. That's how we have been taught. Most people don't really know what priviledge is. As described by Peggy McIntosh "priviledge exists when one group has something of greater value that is denied to others simly because of the groups they belong to, rather than because of anything they've done or failed to do." Many people are priviledged for different reasons or at least think they are if you go by that definition. McIntosh says that there are two types of priviledge "unearned entitlements" and "conferred dominance". With unearned entitlements it's things like feeling safe or working in public places. Basically the things that should be allowed to you no matter what. Now with conferred dominance that is like giving one group power over another group. If a man controls a conversation with a woman it's ok because it's normal for a man to dominate a woman. Basically one group has more control than the other. Whether or not we notice it priviledge is in our everday lives. One example "Whites are less likely than blacks to be arrested; once arrested they are less likely to be convicted; once convicted they are less likely to go to prison, regardless of the crime or circumstances." Every aspect of our lives includes priviledge. People receive priviledge because people perceive them as belonging to certain priviledged groups. Basically it's all how people perceive you. If someone doesn't think you belong to a specific group, you can lose your priviledge. It has been said by certain people that being priviledged doesn't make you happy. It demands to much on a person's life that in turn makes someone unhappy. Priviledge can damage people as well as their lives.


I agree with the majority of the points that were discussed in the article. Priviledge is something that is a problem in our society. Which ever way it is looked at it still causes issues for those who are considered to be in priviledged groups or who are considered to be priviledged people.

Harris

In this article Harris explains the reason's behind our skin color. He says that we get our color from particles called melanin. Now with melanin "it protects the upper levels of the skin from being damaged by the sun's ultraviolet rays"(harris 7). Harris says that we as humans dont have the right of hair that most mammals have to act as sunscreen. Not having all the hair we need exposes us to lots of bad radiation hazards. The more melanin found in the body the darker the skin is and the lower the chances are for cancer and sunburn. Harris describes the process in this manner. First the sun falls on the skin and it turns into vitamin D. Our blood carries that to the intestines and it then plays a big role in the absorption of calcium. Calcium is very important for a strong body and strong bones. Different foods can give vitamin D and help with the skin. Now at different latitudes particularly the middle one the skin changes colors with the seasons. The temperature in some areas can dictate how the skin will appear. He basically states that Black as well as White is beautiful for multiple reasons. There are many factors that contribute to the pigmentation of the skin.

I find Harris's views on how we all got our skin color interesting. I do agree that our skin color has much to do with where we reside and the things we do in life. An example is when he stated that people in Australia are at a higher risk for skin cancer than the people who live in other areas that are less likely to have alot of sun.