Are Black and White really different?
Shelby Steele did an excellent job describing key points that depict racism in our everyday lives and how it affects our social interactions. “I’m Black, You’re White, Who’s Innocent?” from the book The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America is a persuasive essay that emphasized different points that lead to an enormous ethical problem in our society. This text’s sole purpose is to shine light on the real question. Do we know when we are being racist and just decide to be oblivious about it?
The author had a certain unstated assumption that any human being, no matter their race, could be racist aside from it being an uncomfortable topic. There is a character in the text that has …show more content…
Throughout the text the reader arrives to the conclusion that he is addressing everyone, for example, “distinction of race has always been used in American life to sanction each race’s pursuit in relation to the other (Steele, 4614).” According to Steele, “... racial struggle in America has always been primarily a struggle for innocence (Steele, 4614),” so in order to be convinced by this text you need to understand that as human beings you enjoy knowing you are innocent in racial situations but dislike being pointed out. In a way, the audience has to realize that this text’s implication is a wake up call. This text does a full in detail inspection as to how we maim people without even …show more content…
They seem to connect together like a puzzle to somehow shape the text even though the author uses his past experiences to set the tone for the real hit of the text. One of the main implications Steele is trying to make is that innocence leads to the loss of power or vice versa. According to Steele, "The inferiority of the black always makes the white man superior… (Steele, 4614)” this statement gives you a clear vision as to what he was trying to convey which are the basic standards of racism. Another point the author tried to make is that he who is innocent is also guilty. Making a batch of chocolate chip cookies is like racism. You mix the ingredients, hate and speech, then put them in the oven. Once they are ready and you eat them it exemplifies you eating away at other people's lives without you even noticing. In other words, if we want to live in a world where we can get through a social interaction without any awkward silences or hate, then we need to start changing our perspectives and move past the racism. Furthermore, African Americans have had to conform in order to fit in. The author clearly states, “Bargainers give in hope of receiving; challengers withhold until they receive (Steele, 4616).” This implies that once again African Americans seem to be guilty even if they know they are right. In other words,
Shelby Steele did an excellent job describing key points that depict racism in our everyday lives and how it affects our social interactions. “I’m Black, You’re White, Who’s Innocent?” from the book The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America is a persuasive essay that emphasized different points that lead to an enormous ethical problem in our society. This text’s sole purpose is to shine light on the real question. Do we know when we are being racist and just decide to be oblivious about it?
The author had a certain unstated assumption that any human being, no matter their race, could be racist aside from it being an uncomfortable topic. There is a character in the text that has …show more content…
Throughout the text the reader arrives to the conclusion that he is addressing everyone, for example, “distinction of race has always been used in American life to sanction each race’s pursuit in relation to the other (Steele, 4614).” According to Steele, “... racial struggle in America has always been primarily a struggle for innocence (Steele, 4614),” so in order to be convinced by this text you need to understand that as human beings you enjoy knowing you are innocent in racial situations but dislike being pointed out. In a way, the audience has to realize that this text’s implication is a wake up call. This text does a full in detail inspection as to how we maim people without even …show more content…
They seem to connect together like a puzzle to somehow shape the text even though the author uses his past experiences to set the tone for the real hit of the text. One of the main implications Steele is trying to make is that innocence leads to the loss of power or vice versa. According to Steele, "The inferiority of the black always makes the white man superior… (Steele, 4614)” this statement gives you a clear vision as to what he was trying to convey which are the basic standards of racism. Another point the author tried to make is that he who is innocent is also guilty. Making a batch of chocolate chip cookies is like racism. You mix the ingredients, hate and speech, then put them in the oven. Once they are ready and you eat them it exemplifies you eating away at other people's lives without you even noticing. In other words, if we want to live in a world where we can get through a social interaction without any awkward silences or hate, then we need to start changing our perspectives and move past the racism. Furthermore, African Americans have had to conform in order to fit in. The author clearly states, “Bargainers give in hope of receiving; challengers withhold until they receive (Steele, 4616).” This implies that once again African Americans seem to be guilty even if they know they are right. In other words,