Implicit vs. Explicit

An example of implicit racism from Crash would be when Sandra Bullock and her husband were walking along the sidewalk and when she saw Luda and his friend, she instantly held her purse tighter and moved the other way from them. An example of explicit racism would be when the white cop shot Luda's friend in his car because he thought he was going to pull out a gun. Another example would be when there are derogatory terms used. I think the hidden nature of implicit racism has the potential to be as volatile as explicit racism because you're still thinking and assuming the worst, yet not acting on it. Implicit racism turns into explicit racism when fear and panic step in, explicit racism is just the act of implicit racism. It is valuable to be aware of implicit racism so that it can be prevented. Implicit racism is apart of me because of where I grew up, and probably partially because of crimes or stories I've heard. Society shapes our views of race because of social norms, our surroundings, movies, and even advertisement.

Race

In class while looking at the different hate groups in America, I was shocked. I didn't know people still had that much hate for different races today. It's really sad how people are so ignorant and close-minded to different people and their cultures. When thinking about it, I don't think I've experienced any explicit racism such as these hate groups. I have heard many people use derogatory terms against different races, but then again who hasn't? Which that in itself is sad. I found it interesting that someone's race could change if traveling to a different country. Race isn't a biological trait, it's more of a perception and based off of social construction. It was surprising to hear the names people in other countries have for our "white and black". It made sense in a way because their classifications are more specific. If people were more open-minded there would be barely any racism or exercised hate.

Lyfe

The movie we watched in class about living on minimum wage was surprising. It's really hard to do anything with just the income of 6 or 7 dollars. The reading about Barbara, the journalist experiencing the life on minimum wage was shocking.as well. Her journey was definitely an adventure as she met many different people at her new jobs. The employees at the Hearthside and Jerry's living conditions were terrible. They had great trouble in making ends meet. To get out or poverty is very difficult because of the way our society and the system is set up. People's perceptions of people living in poverty is negative and they're not given much credit. People don't realize how difficult their circumstances are. When I was reading this chapter and watching the movie, I was shocked about the stories and how hard it is to live comfortably when you only get minimum wage. It made me more grateful for where I'm at and what opportunities I have.