The readings this week centered around a very stimulating topic as it exists today in America. Prejudice, racial discrimination, it’s such a big taboo as Foner states it, yet like all taboos, it has such a big impact on society. That being said, I was attached to the fact that all the readings were so honest and blatant about this factor in American society. Foner can easily seem like the most shocking reading this week. Amongst its usual statistics and “matter-of-fact” ways of speaking, chapter five a Foner had an interesting point-blank truthful way of discussing the matter.
Aurona brought up some points which I wanted to address. “The hopes are that discrimination and prejudice doesn’t affect future generations. As Lessinger talked about there have been groups started to remove common misconceptions about Indians. For instance in Columbia University a group called “Indian Youth Against Racism” rose when there were recurring instances of racism among the Indian community in the late 1980’s.” Lessinger’s mention of the youth population’s reactions actually made me remember something that was discussed in class a while back. Future generations seem to take the initiative before their older relatives gain the courage to. I enjoy this notion that we take the lead in fighting against racially-charged incidents. Going beyond that, I take great pride in the fact that we seem to be breaking down this systematic racial codification slowly (VERY SLOWLY). We agreed in class that as the generations go by, we are becoming more tolerant towards one another. The mention of IYAR/YAAR shows just how active young adults are towards racial discrimination, and this sparks optimism. Another point I wanted to address briefly without getting into it was: “Obviously it’s definitely going to be a challenge but I think equal access to resources among different groups is a must for any change to occur. I think that this change has to start from the government down.” I actually think that change starts within the people, at least within this case. The government taking action and passing legislation won’t stop people from discriminating against one another (think de facto segregation). If the citizens don’t have the will, then actions taken by the government won’t do much.
With so much immigration being involved in the American equation, it provides a great issue when “codifying” everyone based on this white-black dichotomy. A lot of immigrants pouring into the country do not neatly fit into either category. However, it seems there is some sort of effort put into MAKING immigrants fit into one category or the other. “They don’t discriminate because you’re West Indian. They are discriminating because you’re black. Period” (Bobb 218). According to Foner, Asians are often viewed as the “model minority,” or the “most Anglo-Saxon of the current wave” (162). Both quotes represent this notion of trying to “fit” immigrants into this black-white dichotomy. It was mentioned repeatedly in Foner that despite the fact that West Indians and native blacks try to separate themselves, they are often seen as one and the same. Asians, who are often viewed as the “yellow race,” are slowly being molded into the “white” category. If I remember correctly, Foner even suggested that in time to come, they may be viewed as white (the same way Italians and Jews can be seen as such these days).
I am so glad that we managed to cover such a controversial issue (an issue which is still approached with a “hush-hush!” modus operandi) in this class. The readings this week managed to shed light on this issue. It wasn’t seen as a “white versus black” sort of discrimination. In fact, Lessinger points out that there was a period of confusion when Indians were the victims of hate crimes; because it wasn’t a white group attacking a black group, ths making it harder to immediately call it a hate crime. The readings this week focused not only on how certain groups were discriminated against, but also how the members within those same groups discriminated against others. Indians refused to acknowledge any Indians living in the Caribbean; Asians felt superior to other immigrants. The list can go on. Discrimination isn’t a one sided war. It goes both ways and starts simply with a fear of the unknown.
I can’t wait to awkwardly discuss this in class on Tuesday. There will be lots more tension for Professor Vellon to poke fun at, as we uncomfortably try to talk around issues that society has discouraged us to deeply analyze. Then again, I’m probably being dramatic.
