Responses slave trade and racism
Response 3
I agree that during the abolition of the slave trade and racism by Abraham Lincoln, some individuals from the white community argued that it was part of their culture and hence, their way of life. More importantly, I concur that it is significant as a community to reset a culture to eradicate racism. Consequently, racism has indeed become people’s way of life that they no longer realize they are racist. Moreover, I agree with Yancy’s letter that being white makes people racist. However, as people of color, these persons fail to see the privilege of being white. In addition to that, they fail to see the privilege they get by being able to afford education or being from a family that can afford basic needs. I also agree that as a nation, there is a need to accept that America is a racist country and hence accept that it has failed terribly to eradicate the different forms of racism. I also agree that racism in America can be eradicated by changing cultural beliefs. Moreover, if the same mentality is passed to the young generation, they will see the problem associated with racism. Lastly, I agree that Americans should not be at peace when another person is being racially profiled and hence, the country as a whole should work on its mentality as well as its culture to eradicate racism.
Response 4
I agree that Yancy’s letter to Americans is an honest one and reflects what society needs to embrace. Moreover, I support the issues addressed in the letter such as power imbalance which emanates from racism. I agree that power imbalance is the root cause of power abuse that leads to unfair treatment of individuals. It is crucial to acknowledge that racism navigates white supremacy beliefs at the expense of black people as well as people of color. I agree that this is connected with police belief who thinks that black people are violent and lawbreakers as well. In connection to that, I agree that police use their position to oppress the black individuals as reflected in the case of George Floyd. I also concur with Yancy’s addressed issue on otherness whereby the white benefits at the expense of black people. In that regard, Americans must look deeper into how their reckless behaviors against the black people perpetuate racism. Moreover, I agree that Americans can eradicate racism by creating diversity at workplaces, leadership as well as any other aspect of being.
Response 5
I agree that Yancy’s letter to Americans has notions of power imbalance and otherness. I support the idea of otherness being portrayed when security personnel decides who to inspect at the checkpoint. This brings in the idea of racism whereby, the whites are favored. Moreover, I agree that judging or rather treating women of color differently emanates from how the community thinks about people of color. Consequently, I agree the incident of George Floyd was driven by otherness as well as power imbalance whereby, police had to determine the amount of force applied to arrest him. However, if it was a white man, this would not be the case. I concur that racism is the root of power imbalance, as manifested in George Floyd’s case. Lastly, I agree that the aspect of otherness is represented by the Black Lives Matter movement who fights for freedom in a country that was built by their forefathers.
Response 6
I agree that indeed, professor Yancy did a great job of introducing the subject of racism and making it easy to comprehend the seriousness of that issue. More importantly, i agree that racism is often overlooked in the American system and people as well. I also concur that the aspect of racism and sexism continue to dominate since it is a norm that is widely spread in the country. Again, it is clear that women as well as other individuals have been subjected to racism due to the widespread belief of racism in the country. I support the idea that it is crucial for America to admit that it is a racist and hence the need to explore deep inside racism to see what has been hidden inside.
Response 7
I agree with the view on otherness that involves seeing someone as others and the inequality between us. It is quite bad for Americans to take advantage of the black people by utilizing the aspect of a power imbalance to achieve what they want. More importantly, I concur that racism in America is grounded on biases and defenses, and thus, it is crucial to get rid of this mentality to find the true meaning of racism. Lastly, I agree that it is essential for the whites to understand the feeling of racism that black people experience and imagine it was them. I believe this would make them see the sense that racism is not a good practice and hence should work towards eradicating it.