Visit the website Race: The Power of Illusion, spending 15-20 minutes looking through and analyzing the documents available on the "Me, My Race and I" and "Where Race Lives" links on the right hand side of the page.
After reviewing the website, and considering our class discussion on Friday, respond to this post with your observations and thoughts on the question: Why is race so closely linked to social class in American society?
I think that race is so closely linked to social class because of our history. In American society, whites have always been thought of as the dominant race.. Because of this they have received more opportunities and respect than other races. Its hard to change the mindset of an entire society in a short period of time. Although I don't think we'll ever know what started this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jess that it has to do with our history. In all of America's history before the year 2008 America had always been lead by a white male. America was "discovered" by whites. Their views on the blacks were what America's first view on the blacks were. Unfortunately it was to use them as slaves. Well that view had been passed down for generations, perhaps all the way until the 1960's and to when the civil rights act was passed. I don't believe the view on blacks changed for everybody though. Some people in America even to this day share the same views as their ancestors and are prejudiced against black people.
ReplyDeleteLike jess said, I believe it is so closely related because it dates back so far in history. Like we learned in class, it race still plays a big part in todays social class. It dates back in history and became very prominent in class society with the redline maps. Ever since redline maps were introduced, black property has been valued less than white property. While the redline does not exist today and blacks are aloud to sell their homes without consequences they are still far behind in net worth. Like we learned in class, white people's houses were given lowered mortage rates and were able to keep up with payments easier and that has carried through the years.
ReplyDeleteWhite people have always been the superior race. Although there has been changes to society, and people's views are changing, many standards remain the same for the inferior race. Although there are still many poor white people, the percentile of poor black people over white people is much higher. There has always been and always will be existing prejudice against inferior races which causes them to keep the lower class standards.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone has said so far race is obviously linked to our history as is class. In America white supremacy is the stereotypical mindset. White supremacy goes all the way back to the days of slavery. Even after slaves were set free white people already had a head start in society, therefore they had more money and were of a higher class. Race is so closely linked with class because from the start class was based on what race you were. No matter how poor a white person was they were still a higher class than a black person. Even today these underlying class guidelines still somewhat exist.
ReplyDeleteIn American society race is linked so closely to class because of how the country came to be. This is because when the colonists started this country they were mainly white and had black and hispanic slaves. Even once the black people did get there rights they were still discriminated on for another 70 years before the law actually took affect. Like jess said whites have always been thought of as the dominant race and those thought have shaped the social classes in america.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most everybody here that race is closely linked to social class due to the history of our social norms and where things fell into place earlier in our history. Since African-American's were enslaved earlier in our history there is a preconceived notion that blacks have always been "lesser beings" although this is completely false many Americans get this idea in their head. Like Evan said, before 2008 the only presidents have been white, which also makes it seem as if African-Americans aren't qualified to be a president.
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems to be agreeing on the fact that race is very closely related to our country's class system. I agree with this to some extent, as our contries history does provide proof of this. Blacks have always been thought of as a "lesser being," and so have other races. I liked Zack's point when he said that this could be from how our country was founded. This is because ever since the country was started, whites have been dominant.
ReplyDeleteHowever, now to put my own spin on the topic, a part of me disagrees with the class. A part of me wants to say that nowadays race has very little to no impact on class. I am feeling this way because many important figures in our country are not white. Just look at the obvious example; our president. He is not white; in fact, he is the same race as a lot of the people saying they are a lower class "because of their race." What I am trying to say is that anyone can really be in whatever class they work towards, regardless of race.
Race is linked to social class just has everything to do with history. In the past the social norms were that whites were superior above anyone else, this is what led to slaves, segregation, and all the discrimination that other races face today simply for being not white. Besides history, people can view it in different ways and treat everyone the same but because of our history people associate races with stereotypes of being inferior, stupid, or just dangerous. If people forgot about stereotypes social class wouldn't need to be so closely related to race.
ReplyDeleteI think that race is closely linked to social class because of the racial discrimination that history has built. Amber made a good point with the redlines concept. Similarly, Social Security from 1935 left a lasting echo in which the majority of jobs unaffected by its creation were mainly those of minorities. Another example is the fact that some of the 15 most segregated cities are around the Northeast. The Northeast, using New York as an example, can be considered the region for business in the country. As it seems, race is linked to social class because of how history has not been as kind to minority wealth.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that race is linked to social class due to our past. The white race has been seen as superior for a very long time. Even though there were laws set quite awhile ago that granted equality to other minorities, like blacks, that did not change the minds of all people in society. I especially agree with Amber when it comes to the cause of this issue. The redlines we learned about in class caused a huge difference in net worth for whites and blacks. Todays generation still suffers from the gap created between races by redlines. The sabotage that blacks faced in history, such as having to pay more for mortgages, overall makes them more poverty stricken today.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the past is responsible for race and social class. In the past black people were already thought of as less than human, but social class gave white supremists more ammunition in order to further degrade black people. Because of the jim crow laws and the redlines that were made to further segregate blacks and whites created an even further gap between the social classe. As it is today, black women are more likely to get strip searched than any other woman from another race, and black workers make ten times less than white people in a year because of discrimination and social class. Unfortunatley, this continues to be a problem because of the mistakes that we have made in the past.
ReplyDeleteI believe that race is responsible for the social class issues in American society today. With social class people automatically think that blacks are poor and whites are rich due to the school they had gotten in the past and also the way they stand in society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jess that nobody really knows how this started or how this came to be but its brought down through generations and with this it allows people to think differently about one another. When looking at the schooling paper in class they had showed that many schools had a high percentage in whites and a low percentage of blacks there were not many schools that had more black than white. This definitely has to do with social class. The reason is why is schooling still one way people separate from one another.
The problem with the segregation between social class and race has been going on for years. Eduardo Bonilla (Silva sociologist) said, "The idea of the melting pot has a long history in the American tradition, but it really was a notion that was extended exclusively to white immigrants. That pot never included people of color: Blacks, Chinese, Puerto Ricans, etc., could not melt into the pot. They could be used as wood to produce the fire for the pot, but they could not be used as material to be melted into the pot." This is showing how for races other than white have been considered not superior to the white race. This difference in roles in society, or the "melting pot", has created different social rankings and expectations. These original roles were given based on color of skin because people saw each other differently based on the color of their skin. Rather than all being humans with the same potential, whites saw other races as less adequate in society. Although these opinions have been changed for the most part, the relationship between class and race still remains.
ReplyDeleteI believe that race and social class are closely related because of the history of racism in this country and around the world. i think that over time white man have felt superior over every race they have encountered. this may not be the case today but it small ways this does still exist and shows up in social status of races today.the first problem is looking at people differently because of the color of their skin and we all do it to some extent and that is shown in the movie crash. and when a boss does a subconchense judgement then the cycle just keeps on going.
ReplyDeleteAs seen throughout history social class and race have always been linked. Every immigrant group went through similar situations just none as extreme as the one black people have been put through. Laws and policies are made to put down each of these groups that stopped them from progressing quickly. The situation was so much worse for blacks because so many of them started off so poor. Government plans to give them land didn't come through and they were stuck with nothing. Later policies that excluded them from making money like everyone else hurt them even more. When a huge portion of a race in our country is put through something like that they all fall into the same social class, making race and class so closely related.
ReplyDeleteI think that race and social class are related because people have been taught over time that white people are superior to others. In America, this puts the white people at an advantage to getting jobs and owning homes, while people of other races have to fight just to show that they are equal. Even though many people think that all races are the same, there will always be those people that believe in the old ways, and thats how they raise their family so prejudices stay alive and keep social classes and races together.
ReplyDeleteI think that race and social class are linked in America today because white people have always had power over black people. White people have always been dominant over black people. I believe that we really don't know where this all began, but we know our history has a little part to do with it. We have always believed that white people are more richer than black people or white people can have those big top jobs and blacks can't. No matter what changes there are in our society and there has been plenty so far, that there are always going to be prejudices around us.
ReplyDeleteI think that race is so closely connected with the social aspect of our society because of the ways the social norms have been set. Views can be passed down through families and I believe that many people in the world today share the same ideas on race as their ancestors. Throughout history whites have been the dominating class and that has just stuck in every ones head. Also, the economy brings race and class together as well. People for example with less money are in one area and become grouped often by their race. Many black people are poor or are considered poor through stereotypes, and that bring them together more as a group.
ReplyDelete*sorry I couldn't answer it last night... internet went down*
ReplyDeleteRace is so closely related to class, because it dates all the way back to history. Social and class distinction has been traced to racism for years upon years. In the early years (late 1800s, early 1900s) Blacks moved more into inner cities, and less outside of them (suburbs) mainly, they have stayed there for generations. Back to what we learned in class about the redlining, Blacks were basically forced to live into cities also. Because, for the most part, Whites dominated the suburbs and/or "country" areas. Another reason as to why race is linked to class, is because of jobs and education too. Alot of Black kids don't go to college (or didn't, for a while) But, now, more and more of them are going to college, getting better educations, which also gets them better jobs. Basically, we can all link race and class together because of racism.
I think that everyone has strong points on this argument. Mostly all of my classmates think that race is related to social class because our history has shaped it to do so. Jess for example said that, “it’s hard to change the mindset of an entire society in a short period of time,” so as time goes on and our society tries to mature and not be as divided it is hard for certain people to move up in the social class. From the reading “Racial Preferences for Whites: The Houses that Racism Built,” Larry Adelman connects history and social class. In the early 1950’s the white family had bought a house for just $20,000, because of a 4% mortgage, and 50 years later they could sell the home for $300,000. A black family had bought a house around the same time, and when they sold it 50 years later they only received $29,500. Adelman writes, “That $270,500 gap reveals a microcosm of race in America. My family is white and Cornelius’ is black.” Adelman then goes on to explain how inheritance plays a big factor in this relation; “Many whites who grew up middle class in the suburbs like to think we got where we are today on merit- hard work, intelligence, pluck and maybe a little luck. We wonder why non-white parents didn’t just work hard, buy a home and pass on the appreciated value like our parents did. We tend to blind to how the playing field has been- and continues to be- titled to our advantage.” Institutions in the past have blocked chances that races and groups could have had equal to the “superior white.” The FHA quietly submitted advantages to only white people and even though it was not de jure segregation, de facto segregation was taking place. Red-lining was deemed okay to real estate agents and the history of segregation and discrimination continued. This is a very good story because it relates the fact that the hardships placed on a certain race indiscreetly affect them today, they are not able to simply take their families inheritance and have to begin now rather than when the whites began.
ReplyDeleteAdam mentioned that “people for example with less money are in one area and become grouped often by their race. Many black people are poor or are considered poor through stereotypes, and that bring them together more as a group,” through the history in America people have been forced to group together due to discrimination and segregation, and it is not simple to get out of the de facto segregation system. As Evan mentioned, our social class is becoming less discriminatory, but due to our countries history it is a lot more divided than it should be.
In a lot of previous comments, I do believe it has to do with our history. Historically, people of other races have been put down and have limits set on them so they couldn’t advance in personal prosperity and socially. For example, just the other day in class we talked about how home owner ship is an investment for future generations for your family to come by. By putting restrictions on people for their race or color of their skin to not buy the nice homes, then they wouldn’t be able to give much to their future generation of family. We then learned in class that there was a very long time frame where people who weren’t white weren’t allowed to move out of the city into nice suburban areas so they were literally stuck inside of the city and couldn’t get out. I feel that situations such as this one, over time that initially has impacted a lot of races to bring them to the social class that they are in today.
ReplyDeleteLikewise to many other comments, I believe that race's relation to social class has directly come from history. It is obvious that, for the most part, African-Americans (people of very dark skin in general), live in poorer environments and do not succeed in life as well or easy as white people (poor education). This also is because of stereotypes, for example: If a white man and a black man with the same qualifications apply for the same job, the white man is at a greater chance for getting the job because the employer will not have negative stereotypes nagging him about the black man like that he could be a gangster or steal goods. This makes it harder for a black person, or any minority to achieve higher goals because of preset stereotypes.
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