Overcoming Inequality

Bryan Leininger
SOC 210: Race and Ethnic Relations
01 September 2012

Is Reaching For the Stars Too Much Too Ask?

Throughout this course we have learned about as well as discussed the challenges that we face when dealing with overcoming inequality. This class along with reading the text helped me in opening my eyes and realizing that even though we may not care about the color of a person’s skin we still face an uphill battle in absolving inequality. After reading the text my views have not really changed in regards to people getting along with other people of a different color, however, my views on inequality have changed from that of being an easy fix to one of being a complex fix and one that honestly has no real answer. The
Undoing racism is addressing how White racism is embedded in American society and engaging in social justice work, which has three parts: vision, a deep understanding of oppression and a strategic action. I believe that undoing racism can and cannot work. I believe that it is the responsibility of whites and non-whites to get rid of these negative stereotypes that are attached to them. I firmly believe that if we want to do away with negative stereotypes they can. Let’s face it, deep down inside whether we want to admit it or not we all look at people of a different skin color or ethnic group differently. Whites look at non-whites as drug-dealing, gang-banging thugs or people who own casinos, drink too much and run the risk of diabetes. Non-whites look as whites as wearing pointy hoods, riding horses and lynching those who are different. The scary thing is that we’re all right, and we’re all wrong. We’re right in the fact that yes, a select few of every race/ethnic group does fall into that stereotype and ruin it for the rest of us. We’re wrong in the fact that we categorize everyone into these stereotypes. How do we do away with racism? That is the million dollar question. Even if we can do away with the stereotypes that each of us are labeled with there are those in power who are white and will always look out for themselves. Even with the stereotypes gone one big stereotype remains.
The text stated that antiracist democratic education is where racism is challenged and not ignored. The book also discussed the differences between miseducation and noneducation. Miseducation is when education doesn’t prepare students for actual conditions of the world, where noneducation is school activities that have no educational value.6 I believe that given the current state of the country and all the problems that we face education might be the best way to go. I believe that if we can educate our kids about the past and help them prepare for the future that would be a big step in aboloshing inequality. We are taught from a young age that race is a touchy subject. I think that it is this way of thinking that has helped to cause inequality. I think that education should have people of all ethnic/racial groups together. I don’t think there should be any special treatment among students. If a teacher thinks a student is a trouble maker or likely to fail they place that student at the front of the class. I believe that we should have speakers that have experienced inequality first hand as well as speakers who have overcome inequality and how they did