Throughout most of life I have been witness to real life de facto segregation. And I have learned that segregation is natural and normal but that integration is also natural and normal when it is done by choice. My small hometown is a vast majority of white middle class citizens. I am very aware that I have a lot to learn when it comes to cultural differences and due to my unfamiliarity I find the easiest way to ease myself into the situation is to simply observe. When I sought out more knowledge about the true, raw, deep, real culture of my surroundings I tried to open my eyes and ears and put my iPhone down in the most obvious of all places. I aimed to be open and approachable with my body language and tried to release all my preconceived notions and free space for new thinking. But most importantly, I tried to remember that the most is learned when the least is spoken.
So, with all this openness in mind, I ventured out into Muncie to find an experience to reflect upon regarding racial interactions because I realized I had no previous interaction of significance to ponder about. I went to all the public places I could think of. I started in the dining halls, taking notice of natural segregation around every corner. Black girls eating with other black girls and white girls eating with …show more content…
I have been taught that is important to take caution against generalization from a single statement or conversation. In social situation words often come out in a way they were not meant, especially when the speaker is in an intimidating, new, or frightening situation. In general, I believe people exaggerate and read too much into words making them out to be more than what they were intended to be. They do this in an effort to bring awareness to their situation but they in turn make it worse. Words are powerful but actions speak
So, with all this openness in mind, I ventured out into Muncie to find an experience to reflect upon regarding racial interactions because I realized I had no previous interaction of significance to ponder about. I went to all the public places I could think of. I started in the dining halls, taking notice of natural segregation around every corner. Black girls eating with other black girls and white girls eating with …show more content…
I have been taught that is important to take caution against generalization from a single statement or conversation. In social situation words often come out in a way they were not meant, especially when the speaker is in an intimidating, new, or frightening situation. In general, I believe people exaggerate and read too much into words making them out to be more than what they were intended to be. They do this in an effort to bring awareness to their situation but they in turn make it worse. Words are powerful but actions speak