Week 1, Post 2

After reading this week’s assigned readings, I cannot say that I know much about race and ethnicity. From the readings I understand the two terms as highly debatable and a little vague. Race and ethnicity are often used by many of us to label people when we first meet them; however, these labels often provide little to no information on who the individual is as a person. I can see both the benevolent and harmful effects of using race or ethnicity to define people. By identifying oneself with in a specific racial or ethnic group you feel a sense of belonging and togetherness with others sharing your same background. On the other hand, sometime you may fall into certain stereotypes simply because you have believed them to be true, not because they are actually apart of whom you are. Labeling others can cause either a sense of togetherness or an initial fear of the other; therefore, this two can be benevolent or harmful. I think one of the biggest challenges when discussing race or ethnicity is realizing the stereotypes that I place on people. I do not really consider myself racist or ignorant but when we are discussing race in class I begin to realize the different stereotypes that I associate to people of different races or ethnicities. Regardless of if these stereotypes shed good or bad light on the group we are discussing, I am bothered that I recognize any of them. I even stereotype the groups that I am a part of. For example, I always associate the touchy-feely, food-loving, loud and attention-getting part of myself with my mom’s Italian side of the family; when in reality, those qualities are probably just part of who I am. So far, I am pleased with this class because I feel as if it has heightened my awareness of problems within different racial and ethnic groups, and I now appreciate my awareness of my own preconceived notions about different races or ethnicities.