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Racial Identity: A Theoretical Analysis

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“I didn’t know what being black meant, but I was getting the idea that it was a big deal.” Later on, Steele explains how this mystery of racial identity stereotype was always a struggle to understand, because, after all, “What got me was that it was imposed on me because I was black. There was nothing I could do about that, and if being black was reason enough to restrict my swimming [as a young child], then what else would happen because of it?” Steele explains that it is true many of us would rather not consider stereotypes as guiding our behavior. After all, we are Americans, and we control ourselves. Freedom and independence are as American as meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Therefore, we tell ourselves that we don’t care about stereotypes, and we will be who we are and act how we like, regardless of how others may view us. …show more content…

“When barriers arise, we are supposed to march through the storm, picking ourselves up by our own bootstraps. …[By] imposing on us certain conditions of life, our social identities can strongly affect things as important as our performances in the classroom and on standardized tests, our memory capacity, our athletic performance, the pressure we feel to prove ourselves, even the comfort level we have with people of different groups -- all things we typically think of as being determined by individual talents, motivations, and preferences.” By sharing this surprising revelation, Steele imparts to his readers a sense of confidence in his well-researched topic. The argument is seasoned with his ethos and credibility on the topic, all the while engaging us further into the

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