The readings this week related a lot to the documentary that we watched in class. When Prichett said “racial change occurred… when neighborhoods were no longer able to attract new white residents” (150), it reminded me of the scene we talked about when the values of the homes in Levittown would drop based on the amount of White people that moved out of the area. At first, I thought this prejudice was based largely on the fact the the Whites outnumbered the minority.
But then this goes back to Alex’s question of “would whites still be considered the default of races even when they became the new minority?” I think the answer to this question is a definite yes, especially after watching the documentary. One of the people had said that everything you accomplish in life (your house, car and money) is not the end, but the starting piece for the next generation. And this is reflected in the quote, “Each one of us feels in and out of place as we move through the streets of our neighborhood and the lives of our neighbors. Each one of us bears the burden of a collective, unchosen history…(Sharman 207).” Because of the long history of White superiority in America, I think Blacks, Latinos, Asians, etc. will always be considered a minority even when the actual population suggests otherwise. This in turn, becomes a vicious cycle because minorities often do not get certain opportunities based on their race. In the documentary, they mentioned how a black student could have the same education as a white student and it wouldn’t matter. The black student would still make less money in the future.
This is an interesting concept to think about and it makes me wonder if in other countries, this ideology works in the opposite manner. Would Whites be considered inferior in a country not their own? I also thought that last week’s discussion was incredibly thought-provoking, especially when Maryam brought up the point about how we visualized people as White when we read books that do not describe the characters. It’s strange, but true. I think that ultimately shows us how ingrained American ideals our and how history stays with us forever.
