Overprivileged

Tonight in class we discussed white privilege and watched the Tim Wise video. Since I took the course on minorities and ethnic groups before I had already had discussions about white privilege and knew what it was about. I really enjoyed Tim Wise’s video, mainly because he was very straightforward and presented numerous points and examples to help explain his points.


It is extremely hard for white people to understand white privilege, because, as he stated, it is something we are in denial of and it is just something we don’t think about on a daily basis. People of a different race, on the other hand, live through it on a daily basis; they live through the disadvantages of not being white and being “underprivileged.” As Wise said underprivileged is a well-known word, but on the flip-side overprivileged is not recognized, and immediately as I write it, the red squiggly line tells me I am ‘making up words and should start over.’ We don’t want to admit to being overprivileged and say we have an advantage just because of our skin color.


I think some people might find his stuff exaggerated and dramatic, maybe. I just think it is really hard for people to step out of their own skin color and mindset, and recognize what other people have to go through. They say ‘Oh no, I don’t have privilege I have to work for what I get.’ Sure, so does everybody in this country, besides the few who don’t; but what about the everyday problems you don’t have to deal with that other races do? Like racial profiling by cops, or just simply trying to buy a house but not being shown the houses or neighborhoods that they would show a white person? But how could you prove it? It is so hard to prove that someone isn’t showing you the houses they are showing others simply on your race, it’s nearly impossible to prove you’re being profiled at the airport when you get checked every time because of your race not just because it is “random.” I just think people are naive and don’t want to believe that this is going on, that racism is still a huge factor in our society today, and it’s not going away tomorrow. People just need to open up their eyes and be tolerant and kind to EVERYONE.

First Impressions

Tonight was the first night of class and after two weeks of anticipation I would say my overall first impression of the class is a good one. I have taken a minority and ethnic course before, but it was from a sociological stand point. I enjoyed that class very much, and I hope to gain the same amount of enjoyment from this class as well. The topic is hard to swallow at some times, it makes people angry and frustrated but I do believe it is something EVERYONE needs to talk about. I really do wish this class was mandatory for everyone at OU and everyone around the United States, because I think the American people have something to learn from classes like this.

Things I wish to learn/gain from this class are the ability to realize stereotypes immediately and to stop letting others and myself (I'm not a saint whatsoever) stop thinking those stereotypes are what defines that certain human being and that they are true in any way. Stereotypes are defined by an oversimplified conception, image, or opinion. When is an opinion ever truth? Never.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stereotypes

I wish this class and other classes like this were mandatory because I just want people to broaden their minds, if only for a semester. Because I know that some people are so close-minded that it is impossible for them to change their beliefs and attitudes, but sometimes they just need to hear the truth about what is really going on in the world beyond what the media shows, beyond the veil in front of their eyes.

Well, enough about that. I'm happy to hear that there will be guest speakers, movies, and other presentations for the material other than just lectures; those things always make things more interesting and more real. On another note, I've never written a blog before so this is new territory for me. But, how hard can it be to write about how I feel? I don't mind working in groups as long as everyone pulls their own weight, which has normally worked out pretty well for me; if it didn't work out I moved on with my life just as I would have if it worked out fantastically. Overall, I'm excited to delve into this course and get as much out of it as I can. :)