tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503569476724915921.post8545542549742535741..comments2023-04-12T06:24:00.587-07:00Comments on The Civil Rights Movement : #StereotypingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503569476724915921.post-73511044889171531992013-04-21T12:10:52.560-07:002013-04-21T12:10:52.560-07:00After taking this class, it is obviously quite cle...After taking this class, it is obviously quite clear to me why situations like this one are wrong. Whether purposeful or not, making light of very real, very serious racial divisions is a hinderance to everything the Civil Rights Movement has fought to eliminate. <br /><br />With that being said, I have definitely made jokes like this in the past, and I definitely never regarded them as a result of racial hatred. My high school was very diverse, and some of my best friends were (and are) African American. We were all very close, and felt comfortable teasing one another and making jokes about anything and everything, including our skin color. These could be directed at someone else (my telling a friend that I was going to be as "tan" as him in the summertime) or at ourselves (that same friend always loudly complaining when his mother didn't pack him fried chicken and Kool-Aid for lunch, stating, "Doesn't she know we're black?!"). Though I am definitely not proud of these comments, especially now that I have seen the harm they have done throughout history, I think it is important to note that we only made these jokes because we felt that they were SO ridiculous and SO preposterous that no one could possibly take them seriously.<br /><br />As I now know, that was our mistake. Racism absolutely still exists in the world, which means that not everyone would take our lighthearted teasing as... well, teasing. Therefore, whether purposeful or not, continuing to reinforce stereotypes and distinctions between separate races will have a negative impact on American society.Taylor Weidowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17710910898167358947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503569476724915921.post-16116744628525244572013-03-07T15:17:15.513-08:002013-03-07T15:17:15.513-08:00I can remember seeing a similar hash tag over the ...I can remember seeing a similar hash tag over the past few months about Asian stereotypes (I think it was #lifeasanasian), and I've personally been subject to racial stereotyping. At the same time, there are so many comedians who use their race, or others people race, to make jokes. How many of us have heard that Asians are bad drivers? Stereotyping isn't just a social media thing, its ingrained in the very fabric of our modern society. Everywhere we go we are constantly battered with images, sounds, and propaganda that furthers these stereotypes in our minds. This isn't a fault of twitter, it is one of our society as a whole. Alexandra Frenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05979700633768648395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503569476724915921.post-52143880615383920362013-03-07T11:02:57.510-08:002013-03-07T11:02:57.510-08:00At a young age, I was taught to treat others how y...At a young age, I was taught to treat others how you would like to be treated. If you are tweeting about stereotypes within your own race, you are giving everyone else permission to use these stereotypes as well. How are we supposed to teach children the difference between right and wrong if wrong stereotypes are being seen as jokes across social media? By having hash-tags on twitter such as #WhitePeopleActivities and #BlackPeopleActivities, racial stereotypes are seen as jokes. Let me be clear, the KKK is not a joke; going to State Penitentiary is not a joke. I do not believe that social media is the sole reason why stereotypes are no longer seen as big deals, however I do believe that social media does not help, and certainly does hurt the issue.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09838325967748222486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503569476724915921.post-10532337106454422752013-03-06T21:29:12.184-08:002013-03-06T21:29:12.184-08:00I am disappointed but not surprised in reading thi...I am disappointed but not surprised in reading this. I agree with your final statements about using the social media to our advantage and reinforce positive conversation and ideals. Unfortunately, individuals who support negative stereotypes of their race give other countries cause to view our country negatively. There are so many reasons why other nations believe us to be "fat and stupid," and reinforcing racial stereotypes only fuels their stereotype of us, however incorrect it may be for some. Supposedly, we are the "land of the free and the home of the brave;" but how brave are we if social media sites are riddled with ignorant statements buying into racial stereotypes rather than arguments proving those stereotypes incorrect? Where is the freedom in degrading oneself? The hypocrisy associated with this is frustrating as well. We complain about racial profiling and class stereotyping on a daily basis, then turn around and reinforce the stereotypes by joking about certain aspects of race and class, teen pregnancy and Starbucks consumption, to quote a couple. How are we to be respected as a country if we promote the negative views of the world through our foolishness?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04112072461071634536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8503569476724915921.post-50084692819276335432013-03-06T21:09:15.740-08:002013-03-06T21:09:15.740-08:00I find social media to be a very interesting devic...I find social media to be a very interesting device for both progressive action and demeaning and racist activity. Much like internet bullying, it seems as if communicating through social media takes away some of the responsibility of making bold statements. One can state something harsh and cruel anonymously without the public and immediate reprimand one might receive by simply making a statement amongst a group of people. In this way, social media creates a platform for cowardly behavior because there are no repercussions. On the other side of the coin, we have seen amazing social progress because of the use of social media. The Arab Spring is the best example of this. Young Egyptians started the "facebook revolution" to overthrown their corrupt government and the same story is true in many other middle eastern states. Like most things, social media has both pros in cons in relation to social progress. Either way, it is interesting to analyze the internet as a catalyst for action.Elizabeth Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13048981923245534021noreply@blogger.com