Race,Racism and Representation

Respond to one of the following series of questions in no less than 200 words. Construct your own argument using the readings (cite), outside sources (optional), and personal experience as supporting evidence. Remember to respond to one of your peer's blogs unless you are the first poster (congrats) and to pose a question at the end.

1) How does racism exist in America as a system (rather than as an individual choice)? How do economic, political and social institutions perpetuate misinformation about and the mistreatment of some racial groups while privileging others? How and why are "whites" often better served by this system and why does white privilege remain largely invisible?

2) How and why do discussions of racism become a "blame game"? Is it true that conversations about race expose a dynamic of guilt and a sense of obligation to defend one's race? What are the benefits or pitfalls to racial guilt? Conversely, what are the benefits or pitfalls of racial pride?


3) Pick 3 racial categories and discuss the variations in their media representations. How visible are members of this race? Are they (in)frequently stereotyped or made into caricatures? Are they (in)frequently positioned as central to the program/ ad in which they are depicted?

4) In the U.S., minority categorizations are often hyphenated (eg. African-American, Japanese-American, Latin-American), yet "whites" are very rarely defined as Caucasian-American or European-American. Why might this be? Do people equate "American" with "white"? How does race factor into the rhetorics of patriotism, war, and/or the "English Only" movement?