Racism is far from gone.

There is so much more implicit racism than we realize. It's everywhere; everytime someone makes a joke, or even simply references to someone by their "race", it's racism. There really is no such thing as "race". It's made up in our heads to categorize people. Many people think we've come so long and that racism as decreased a lot. I'm not so sure about this - I think it has just changed. Instead of being violent, it is now jokes and humor. But it is still hurtful because it is still categorizing people. I think that because we see people of certain "races" making the jokes (like the Chapelle show we watched) we accept it as okay. But the truth is, it is not okay. It is the same as segregation because the psychological effect is the same. Just like the study we watched with the six year olds and their dolls. They still feel that there are certain "races" that are better than others and that are preferable. This more than anything shows the effects of the implicit racism. Children of such a young age feeling this way is so indicative of how this is affecting them and why it needs to stop. I hope some day that everyone will be viewed as exactly the same as one another, no matter what their skin color is.

Class.

I really hadn't though of how people tend to stay in the same class as their parents until we discussed it in class. It's so true! Also the monopoly game really shows how difficult it is to move out of the class you grew up in. Right now, I'm in the same class that my parents grew up in. However, my grandparents all grew up in very poor conditions. The grandparents that grew up in America would probably have fallen in the lower class. My grandmother who grew up in Europe grew up in poverty because of World War II. My grandfather from Europe was probably lower class as well. To think of what they came from and what they all made with themselves in their adult lives is unbelievable. They all went from bad conditions to living in the middle-class. Now, because of their hard work, I live in a upper middle-class home. But my parents have told me how hard their parents worked. It is also visable in their actions. They are much more appreciative of what they have and much less wasteful. My grandparents do not take too much food and then not finish it. They do not over-indulge. They do not splurge just because they want to. They are so grateful for what they have because they know what it is like to be without so much. I think part of the reason it's so difficult to change class is because people from different classes have different ideals and values. I feel grateful to have been taught to be thankful for everything I have because it could all disappear one day. If I'm very lucky, I will move into the upper-class. However, most likely, I will remain in the middle-class.