Angel Cruz
RCST 202
Personal Analysis
Some may think just because we live in the 21st century there are no more oppression, privilege, and discrimination, but some are not yet educated to develop a critical social justice perspective. Through the ideas learned in this course and the readings (White Privilege by Paula S. Rothenberg and Is everyone really equal? by Özlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo) I am pleased to say that I personally have been transformed to think critically about our society. From thinking on why our society is the way it is? Who is in power? Who made these rules? Etc. As a Mexican-American male I personally and institutionally have been in power/privilege but also have been a target of discrimination/oppression. Everyone …show more content…
When playing pick up basketball at the EWU Rec gym I recognized that the dominant group in there was Black. According to the book Is everyone really equal? Stereotypes refer to reduced or simplified characteristics attributed to a group (pg. 30). A stereotype that is usually related to color people is that “black people are good at basketball”, I sometimes use this stereotype myself. When playing basketball if someone wants to play next they will usually say “I got next”; when I was waiting for the next game I saw that 6 out of the 8 guys were black, after seeing who was sitting down I saw two more black people waiting for the next game too. After the game was finished I said I was next, but the colored players ignored me, I heard one whisper “he is Mexican he can’t ball” and others laugh, I was forced to wait another game. Sitting down waiting again made me have internalized oppression, because I accepted my role as a minority and also accepting their comments that I can ball. The black players were being prejudice against me, but when I stepped to the court and scored against them they soon recognized that I could play and apologized to me. This event made me understand that one group can be discriminated on, but they too can discriminate against
RCST 202
Personal Analysis
Some may think just because we live in the 21st century there are no more oppression, privilege, and discrimination, but some are not yet educated to develop a critical social justice perspective. Through the ideas learned in this course and the readings (White Privilege by Paula S. Rothenberg and Is everyone really equal? by Özlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo) I am pleased to say that I personally have been transformed to think critically about our society. From thinking on why our society is the way it is? Who is in power? Who made these rules? Etc. As a Mexican-American male I personally and institutionally have been in power/privilege but also have been a target of discrimination/oppression. Everyone …show more content…
When playing pick up basketball at the EWU Rec gym I recognized that the dominant group in there was Black. According to the book Is everyone really equal? Stereotypes refer to reduced or simplified characteristics attributed to a group (pg. 30). A stereotype that is usually related to color people is that “black people are good at basketball”, I sometimes use this stereotype myself. When playing basketball if someone wants to play next they will usually say “I got next”; when I was waiting for the next game I saw that 6 out of the 8 guys were black, after seeing who was sitting down I saw two more black people waiting for the next game too. After the game was finished I said I was next, but the colored players ignored me, I heard one whisper “he is Mexican he can’t ball” and others laugh, I was forced to wait another game. Sitting down waiting again made me have internalized oppression, because I accepted my role as a minority and also accepting their comments that I can ball. The black players were being prejudice against me, but when I stepped to the court and scored against them they soon recognized that I could play and apologized to me. This event made me understand that one group can be discriminated on, but they too can discriminate against