After I completed the “Sorting People” activity on the PBS: Race as an Illusion website, I was told that I had correctly paired 6 out of 20 people’s faces with their corresponding U.S. racial classification. These results were not entirely surprising. I often find myself categorizing others, whether it be by gender, ethnicity, race or age, but I recognize that I am usually wrong in these assumptions. I’m horrible at guessing someone’s age and, more often than not, I’m wrong when it comes to guessing someone’s race or ethnicity, as well.
When you try to categorize others, especially by way of race, you’re forced to rely on a set of stereotypical features assumed to belong to certain members of certain groups. We all have specific images that …show more content…
There are no clear-cut set of features for any single race, simply due to the fact that race is nothing more than a social construct—an illusion. No one facial feature or characteristic is shared unanimously across one group. Humans, as a species, have not been around long enough to have any evolutionary differences between groups in this way.
Overall, I’m not surprised by my results to this activity. It is hard to judge which racial classification someone falls under, simply because it is an unnecessary, over-generalizing label we stick to ourselves. We each have a specific ethnicity or ethnic background from our families, and while I don’t believe this label should define us, either, it is at least a more accurate description of ourselves than race ever will …show more content…
The fact is, misperceiving someone’s race can have damaging consequences. For example, an air of controversy still hangs over Middle Eastern individuals in our society, especially in relation to airports. Ever since 9/11, our society has been on edge—leading to superficial judgements of those who may bare any semblance at all to the group who caused America so much grief. Even 14 years later, Middle Easterners are still fighting an uphill battle in our country when it comes to being pigeon-holed by stereotypes. This is an even larger problem in airports. Misperceiving Middle Easterners or someone similar, can lead to being wrongfully and harshly judged, and often times they are treated very differently not only by their peers, but by administration and staff at the airport, as well. They might get pulled aside to have their baggage checked or have an additional search. These judgements are unfair and cause unnecessary stress to innocent
When you try to categorize others, especially by way of race, you’re forced to rely on a set of stereotypical features assumed to belong to certain members of certain groups. We all have specific images that …show more content…
There are no clear-cut set of features for any single race, simply due to the fact that race is nothing more than a social construct—an illusion. No one facial feature or characteristic is shared unanimously across one group. Humans, as a species, have not been around long enough to have any evolutionary differences between groups in this way.
Overall, I’m not surprised by my results to this activity. It is hard to judge which racial classification someone falls under, simply because it is an unnecessary, over-generalizing label we stick to ourselves. We each have a specific ethnicity or ethnic background from our families, and while I don’t believe this label should define us, either, it is at least a more accurate description of ourselves than race ever will …show more content…
The fact is, misperceiving someone’s race can have damaging consequences. For example, an air of controversy still hangs over Middle Eastern individuals in our society, especially in relation to airports. Ever since 9/11, our society has been on edge—leading to superficial judgements of those who may bare any semblance at all to the group who caused America so much grief. Even 14 years later, Middle Easterners are still fighting an uphill battle in our country when it comes to being pigeon-holed by stereotypes. This is an even larger problem in airports. Misperceiving Middle Easterners or someone similar, can lead to being wrongfully and harshly judged, and often times they are treated very differently not only by their peers, but by administration and staff at the airport, as well. They might get pulled aside to have their baggage checked or have an additional search. These judgements are unfair and cause unnecessary stress to innocent