Naturalization, Cultural Racism, And Minimization Of Racism

Race has been an issue in North America for many years. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva discusses the new racism in his book, Racism without Racists. Bonilla-Silva classifies the new racial discrimination as color blind racism. Color blind racism is then structured under four frames (26). Color blind racism is believed to have lead to the segregation of the white race from other minorities called white habitus. Color blind racism and white habitus has affected many people, whom don’t even realize that they are, have been or will be affected.

In the film “White Like Me”, Tim Wise expresses that white privilege affects those people who have advantages from the privilege and the ones who suffer as a result. The film constantly conveys instances where society continuously expresses racial bias and as a result has entered into a period of color blindness. Color blindness can be defined as white people attempting to reject racism, and continue to remain oblivious to society’s racial inequality and white privilege. Most white people are ignorant, being that they believe black people are treated equally to them. They constantly bring up facts about post slavery and freedom, but are blind to the white superiority in our society.

The most important theme in this book was the trials and tribulations of racism because it was woven in every part of the plot, it contributed to the conflict and resolutions, and gave the story a connection to current events, helping the reader’s comprehension.

According to Bonilla-Silva there are four frames of colorblind racism: Abstract Liberalism, is the belief that everyone is equal and programs like affirmative action are not needed; Naturalization, allows for an explanation as to why things are the way they are, as is the case with residential segregation; Cultural Racism, believes that culture plays a role in the standing of minorities in society; and Minimization of Racism argues that we are now post-racial.The notion that we are all equal and deserve the same opportunities is fundamentally protecting white privilege, as Bonilla-Silva States: “together these frames form an impregnable yet elastic wall that barricades whites from the United States’ racial reality.” Along with the frames of colorblind racism, there are ideals which allow the

This chapter on the framework of the colorblind ideology seems to be the most concrete and logical chapter in the book. This chapter is very well put together, with examples that cover a wide variety of topics. He also illustrates the concept of the frameworks playing into one another very well. The premise of these four frameworks as an “impregnable yet elastic wall that barricades whites from the United States’ racial reality” makes perfect logical sense as an explanation for the “racism without racists” culture seen in the US (47). Changing attitudes towards race relations forced a change in the manifestation of racist ideologies.

Many people in the United States society believe that people of all cultures, races, and ethnicities are now on an even playing field. People with this belief support their logic with the argument that since equal rights for people of color and women have been required by law for some time now, we are all inherently as equal as claimed in the Declaration of Independence. Many believe that race is no longer an issue, a viewpoint frequently referred to as color-blindness. National polling data indicated that a majority of whites now believe discrimination against racial minorities no longer exists. (Gallagher, 96) Color-blindness allows a white person to define himself or herself as politically and racially tolerant and then proclaim their

Renowned equity and Sociology professor at University of Toronto, Sherene Razack defines cultural racism as not only a concept which negates biology and the judgement of people because of their color but as well reframing the prejudice in regards to cultural differences by using cultural difference as the demarcation, racism is evacuated (Ramachandran, 2009).

Color blindness refers to a society where there are no special rights, privileges, or importance attached to person’s race. This concept confirms the values of fair play and equal opportunity. Some appealing elements to this ideology are the reversal or removal of drama from social, economic, and political incorporations of minorities. For examples, no more racial slavery, exclusions, genocides, or invasions of cultural groups in the United States.

What is nativism and xenophobia and how are they being expressed in today’s society? (20 points)

The "White Fragility in the Workplace" video (with sarcasm) shows that the White people are hurt when making a racial claim, and/or when called to be "racist" ("the r-word"). I think this video relates well to "The Style of Color Blindness". The people in the study "avoids racist terminology and preserves its mythological nonracialism through semantic moves such as 'I am not a racist, but...' 'some of my best friends are …,' …". They choose to use diminutives (a little, a bit…), followed by a racial projection, and end with a statement where they are not being racial or not knowing (Bonilla-Silva, Chapter 4). Because they are very emotional about race talks,

“Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict, [or] war, the fight for civil rights, and during economic downturns” (Shah). Racism has evolved throughout the years, yet still remains pervasive and highly oppressive. We are taught at an early age that we are all created equal, however as people grow, many tend to believe otherwise. This semester, our textbook has shown us racism taking root in our country from the day Columbus arrived, well into the 1830’s, and has provided principles that are still relevant today. Throughout the years covered in our reading assignments, David Walker’s “An Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World,” William Apess’ “An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man,” Christopher Columbus’ “Letter of Columbus,” and Samson Occom’s “A Short Life Narrative,” all works provide personal accounts demonstrating the growth of racism in America ranging from the years 1451 to 1829.

I had the opportunity to join a community event, Come to the Table: Learn and talk about poverty and racism, one in a series sponsored by Avondale Presbyterian Church located in the affluent Meyers Park area of Charlotte, North Carolina. Though I had previously planned and prepared to discuss the observed gender and racial differences between the Indian culture and ours, when I noticed this event was advertised as the topic Cultural Norms & Blind-Spots and I though it fit right in with week fifteen’s discussion regarding society’s ability to truly be colorblind, I quickly jumped at the opportunity to attend. Somewhat surprisingly, my eighteen year old son, visiting home for only the day from college, was eager to join me. We soon learned this event was not just a community gathering (we happened to be the only two non-members of the church in attendance), but a kick-off for their mission to partner with one of Charlotte’s public housing communities, less than two miles away. A large part of her introduction was reassuring the group that self-reflection is the perfect start to change.

In his article, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva validated that racism has not ended yet. Racism that was believed to have already ended has only immortalized and gave birth to a new trend of racism wherein color is no longer the basis of stereotyping. From what most whites assert that they no longer see colors but they see people, an abstract way of racism towards minorities evolved to make their grudges more concealed. Racists are expressing their prejudice using words that are masking preconceived opinion aimed towards minorities. Racism has evolved. For example, simply replacing the word black with “African American” in describing a black person is an example of color-blind racism. Racism is there, but cannot be detected easily. There are expressions, phrases or idiomatic words that still encapsulate racial prejudice casting minorities as lower leveled individuals who are not deserving of the same rights and privileges that whites people deserve. When addressing color blindness, there is always contradiction compared to the reality that is experienced in the United States on a daily basis as we see it through the news in particular. Color blindness is the new racism that has given many people (mostly whites) a diversion to continue practicing racial inequality to some extent. The problem is that color blindness does not go deep enough to face institutional practices in order to create and promote racial equality.

Liberalism on the other hand is a political philosophy which advocates freedom and equality. According to liberalists, everyone should have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of thoughts or in short freedom of everything on personal level. Liberalists also believe in equality. They believe that no one is superior to others and everyone should have equal rights. They believe in equal rights for all genders and races. Liberalism also states that the government should not dictate people on what to do and how to do, and if someone does not want to follow the government’s orders, he or she must be having full liberty to do so. Apart from being a political and philosophical movement, liberalism also has economic theories. Liberals are strong proponents of a modified form of capitalism. They believe that government should have least control over the businesses.

When we look at today’s world, we no longer see the world our parent’s or grandparent’s see. Country borders have now ceased to define us.The time when a person’s culture could be defined as where they lived, who they associated with or how they looked, now no longer exist. Today, the foundations of our cultural identity seem to be laid by ourselves and defined however we want it to be. For some people, it is just accepted and nothing strikes them in their daily lives but there are others who ponder on this question: is our way of defining culture really the path we should continue to go down or should more be done by everyone to retain the cultures that have played a significant part in the evolution of the world. To truly find an answer,