Brandin Reggio
Response 7
As a Portuguese, Uruguayan, Italian-American, I have been around many ethnic groups growing up. It is also safe to say that from an aspect of race, I side with “conflict theorists.” I believe that in this country and around the world, racial and ethnic groups are always fighting for position. A great example of this is the Olympics, where the whole world gets together to compete and become the dominant nation. When you have a country as diverse as America, a similar thing happens when different types of people are living together. I am not necessarily stating if this is wrong or right per say, but merely just stating that it is happening. I cannot really pinpoint when exactly I became aware of my ethnicity, but I do know that it was at a young age. I come from a diverse ethnic background and both sets of my grandparents speak two different languages besides English. They also exposed me to their culture and food from a young age. In the first four years of my life, my mother’s mother raised me. She speaks Italian and Spanish fluently, and some English as well. From a young age I was made aware of my heritage and I am very proud of it.
The actual understanding of how race and ethnicity are used in the United States definitely came at a later age than my realization. As I have grown up, I have seen how important race is to many in this country. I also see how prevalent discrimination and stereotypes are in this country. I feel that in many areas of our society, being a certain race will benefit someone, whereas being another race will hurt you. For instance, if someone is going for a job interview at a “fortune 500 company” and is a minority, his or her chances of getting the job will be less, than a person who is white. Also, as I have become older and a wiser, I have realized that racism and discrimination are not only about the color of one’s skin. When you are young, you may see discrimination as “one person is black and another is white.” Yet, it is far more complex then that. For instance, there are certain countries that are right next to each other geographically on the map and that speak the same language, but they still hate each other with a passion. Another example could be Puerto Ricans and Mexicans, two Spanish-speaking peoples, but in many instances they do not get along. I believe that culture and ethnicity have a lot more to do with the competition among different groups. I feel that when looking for a job in this country, race and ethnicity are important and there is much institutional discrimination along with that process. Things like affirmative action have improved this, but this unbalance may always be there.
In my opinion, along with the knowledge that I have gained in this course, I have learned to look from another person’s point of view more effectively. I believe that I am now more able to see things from another race, ethnicity, or gender perspective with better understanding and clarity. I believe that people can tend to be a little ethnocentric, because I feel everyone is going to perceive things from their own ethnicity or race’s point of view. But, this course has taught me to not do that as much. Another course that I am currently taking that has helped me do this is World History. I have always known the history of my cultures fairly well, but in World History I have learned about every part of the world. I have studied many places that I did not know much about like Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Asia and learning about these people and all of their accomplishments and civilizations fascinates me. Throughout the year in sociology, we have focused on issues of peoples and inequality. These are all things that I see and know exist, but I now focus on the reasons for them taking place in much more depth. I now approach the way that people act in a much more scientific way. I have learned that just because something seems simple, there may be a much bigger reason and explanation behind it.
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