The Social Construction of Whiteness and Race in America

The Social Construction of Whiteness and Race in America A comment was made in a blog post early on in the year about whiteness in American that bugged me. It’s a topic that came up a few times throughout the semester in and outside of class. Granted, this topic is based on a single blog post but a collection of comment and statements that were made on specific blogs and during class sessions. This topic I fin extremely important mainly because I felt as though there was some confusion around the topic being white. Understandably if you’re white in America I think it’s easy to forget exactly how privileged you are. Nonetheless, it forced me to want to talk about white privilege in America, explain the meaning of â€Å"paradox of privilege†,†¦show more content†¦Tim wise uses pronouns such as â€Å"we† and â€Å"our† many times in speeches. He uses these pronouns to describe people in general. He is describing essentially every person . He is giving a message and making a statement out to people all over the world when using the many pronouns that he does, by fighting for a society in which those privileges will no longer exist and we will be able to stand on our own two feet without the artificial crutch of racial advantage to prop us up. â€Å"We need to commit to fighting for racial equity and challenging injustice at every turn, not only because it harms others, but because it diminishes us as well (even as it pays dividends), and because it squanders the promise of fairness and equity to which we claim to adhere as Americans.†(Page 18 Paragraphs 18) From this quote it is clear that Wise is not just singling one group of people out he is talking to everyone (mainly Americans). â€Å"It is only when you step back, stop looking at the wires one by one, microscopically, and take a macroscopic view of the whole cage, that you can see why the bird does not go anywhere; and then you will see it in a moment. It will require no great subtlety of mental powers. It is perfectly obvious that the bird is surrounded by a network of systematically related barriers, no one of which would be the least hindrance to its flight, but which, by their relations to each other, are as confining as the solid wallsShow MoreRelatedRace As A Social Construction1679 Words   |  7 PagesAlisha Sparks Dr. Stanley POLS 24 November 2015 Race as a Social Construction When we talk about race, what are we really talking about? The issue of race is a complex issue, with socially ambiguous undertones that have plagued our society for decades. Race has been a marker and maker of stereotypes. Race has been used as a justification for injustice. 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