29 September 2007
They Called It "American Identity"--How Could I Not Link to It?
From PBS's P.O.V. Borders series: American Identity.
27 September 2007
Idea's about race
Hello to all. I just wanted to review and give my own thoughts about "What is race?" base on Dr. Kesrsor's lecture in class. I agree with most of what he stated, but I also have to disagree with one or two of his points.
1) I do agree that race is real. You can't walk around in today's world without seeing or thinking about race, it's just not realistic or practical. We as individuals and as college students are confronted with this idea everyday, there are international students on this campus. There is also a gowning number of minorities no only on the campus of SUNY Fredonia but in the neighboring towns of Dunkirk and village of Fredonia.
2) Race is important. I once again agree with Dr. Kesrsor, race is important in today's society for different reasons, and the importance of race as different means to different types of people. It could help someone deal with their own identity as well as accepting the past of their family. Several questions get answered, for example: Who they are? Where do they come from? Where does this part of me comes from? These questions and others just like it are very common for many people to not only think about in college but for their whole life's. They feel that cant move forward without knowing where they have been or come from, in a sense.
But here is where I differ from Dr. Kesrsor's theory about race. It is true that race is biological. Your DNA is in you. DNA is your genetic make-up; of who you are, what you look like and what you are going to pass on to your children. But I don't think he is giving enough credit to an individuals environment. There are millions of children adopted everyday day all over the world, and many of them have parents from another race. Those children usually grow up with the knowledge and culture of their adopted parents. Another point about how your environment affects you more than your genes is : depending on where and how you grow up a specific trait or characteristic will be more present than another.
Just one criticism or concern i have with his theory. This may come out wrong or seem judgmental, and for that I am sorry. Does it feel like this theory is just a factual way to defend racism? Because i remembered in class someone ask "Even if all this is true, what can you use it for? What is the point?" Dr. Kesrsor's answer was it will help you make a quick decide about someone, in relation to them affecting your life. The example was choosing a lab partner. You would want to chose the student who was Asian because biologically they are smarter than American students. To me It just seems like it was a better way to say racism isn't that bad when it comes to how an individual can affects your life.
Any thoughts?
2) Race is important. I once again agree with Dr. Kesrsor, race is important in today's society for different reasons, and the importance of race as different means to different types of people. It could help someone deal with their own identity as well as accepting the past of their family. Several questions get answered, for example: Who they are? Where do they come from? Where does this part of me comes from? These questions and others just like it are very common for many people to not only think about in college but for their whole life's. They feel that cant move forward without knowing where they have been or come from, in a sense.
But here is where I differ from Dr. Kesrsor's theory about race. It is true that race is biological. Your DNA is in you. DNA is your genetic make-up; of who you are, what you look like and what you are going to pass on to your children. But I don't think he is giving enough credit to an individuals environment. There are millions of children adopted everyday day all over the world, and many of them have parents from another race. Those children usually grow up with the knowledge and culture of their adopted parents. Another point about how your environment affects you more than your genes is : depending on where and how you grow up a specific trait or characteristic will be more present than another.
Just one criticism or concern i have with his theory. This may come out wrong or seem judgmental, and for that I am sorry. Does it feel like this theory is just a factual way to defend racism? Because i remembered in class someone ask "Even if all this is true, what can you use it for? What is the point?" Dr. Kesrsor's answer was it will help you make a quick decide about someone, in relation to them affecting your life. The example was choosing a lab partner. You would want to chose the student who was Asian because biologically they are smarter than American students. To me It just seems like it was a better way to say racism isn't that bad when it comes to how an individual can affects your life.
Any thoughts?
Thoughts from after reading Dusk till Dawn
Dusk till Dawn is an nontraditional "autobiography" of the life of W.E.B. DuBois. What I don't understand is why does DuBois feel that his life is more important or has more hidden meaning then others? Or why the idea of race is present more in his life than other blacks or Americans? He makes it very clear that he is writing about "a" race concept, and he is using his life to explain it this concept of race. Why does he only focus on his own life? As a scientist of sociology isn't it his job to be unbiased and nonobjective? If so why use his own life? Why are use experiences from more people and people of different racial backgrounds?
A reason for this maybe that DuBois is trying to help his readers understand this concept of race by making it seem more personal, so his readers can not only understand but also see that this idea is true? Also maybe the fact that his readers are mostly elite whites. Does this affect his book? Again if that was his main goal, why does DuBois seem so unattached to his memories? So unfeeling, the only real times we can see passion or a sense of forcefulness from him is when he is being critical of "Negroes" of this time.
It seems he was picking and choosing from his past, things that would better move the reader into believing or seeing what he wants you to see. W.E.B. DuBois doesn't let the reader come to some conclusions by themselves, the conclusions are already there for them. Almost as if he is afraid to let them into his life and judge him but more importantly judge his people. He may feel like "Negroes" aren't ready for that type criticisms yet because them are still new to themselves and new to this idea of developing their own culture and identify.
A reason for this maybe that DuBois is trying to help his readers understand this concept of race by making it seem more personal, so his readers can not only understand but also see that this idea is true? Also maybe the fact that his readers are mostly elite whites. Does this affect his book? Again if that was his main goal, why does DuBois seem so unattached to his memories? So unfeeling, the only real times we can see passion or a sense of forcefulness from him is when he is being critical of "Negroes" of this time.
It seems he was picking and choosing from his past, things that would better move the reader into believing or seeing what he wants you to see. W.E.B. DuBois doesn't let the reader come to some conclusions by themselves, the conclusions are already there for them. Almost as if he is afraid to let them into his life and judge him but more importantly judge his people. He may feel like "Negroes" aren't ready for that type criticisms yet because them are still new to themselves and new to this idea of developing their own culture and identify.
17 September 2007
Starting Over
Just a quick note that we're going to try something different with the American Identities blog this semester. In the past, in such courses as American Identities and The Making of America and Americans, I made posting to the blog an option for the final research project; this semester, I'm encouraging students in Introduction to Ethnicity/Race who want to to post fairly regularly to American Identities, either in lieu of the discussion board on the course ANGEL space or in combination with it.
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