Race defines the physical
attributes of people. In western society race is considered a primary aspect of
personal identity. Factually, Caucasian race has been favored in the US.
Similarly, wherever the British colonies were formed Caucasians tried to impose
their domination over the locals on the basis of their white skin color. The whites thought of themselves as superior
because of the whiteness and others were treated as inferiors because they were
black, brown or yellow skinned. The moment when Barrack Obama broke the old
tradition of white Presidents by becoming the first African American President
of America was historical.
In general race and identity revolves
around the following categories:
Gender: Although US boasts to be
the most liberal countries of all; there is a big disparity between men and
women for equality rights.
Sexual
Orientation: Socially and religiously heterosexuality is seen as normal sexual
orientation in US over gay, lesbians and transvestites.
I agree with your thoughts on race. A lot of our countries history with race affects how we view race in today's society. I also enjoyed how you mention President Obama and how has broken the mold of what our presidents have been prior to him. That was indeed a very historic moment in the US. Our society has always told us what the ‘norm’ is and how we should react to it. I believe we should break the norm and accept a wider range of people. America is known for being a huge melting pot of people and this is something we should embrace.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your overall analysis on this subject matter. When Barrack Obama became president, it was a huge deal due to his ethnicity. Many people got worked up with his victory. Unfortunately, a lot of racism still occurs here in the United States of America. If there racism had not existed, then Obama becoming president would not even be a big deal. But in this society, we are unable to see past ethnicity. It has been installed into our brains to subconsciously judge individuals based on their race as a first impression. Fortunately, however, it has been proven that we are slowly but surely creating a world with more equality.
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