The Final Blog

I have a respectful mind. I am most comfortable when I am surrounded with various groups of people. Whatever the case maybe, age, race, or sex, I enjoy finding the differences within each individual and find a way to work well among them. With younger children, there obviously has to be a change in approach compared to a teenager. I love to find these variations and learn different ways to work effectively within each sector.

If I had to choose some characteristics that I exemplify include exhibiting curiosity, respect for other viewpoints, and read with awareness of self and others. I show curiosity by wanting to learn more, and then finding answers to questions. I don't wait for others to tell me the answer, but instead I go out and search myself. I respect others viewpoints during class discussions and outside of the classroom. I am patient until a person finishes their thoughts and then I give my viewpoint with respect and courteous. I also read with awareness to others and myself by thinking about how a certain subject affects my life and the lives of people around me.

I learned two things through this blogging process. The first is that I can share my thoughts about my feelings and expand my horizon by following others blogs. Before this project, I only shared my feelings, if you could call it that, on facebook. Well as you can imagine, I never researched or thought of ideas that could support my question. I learned that others have significant questions about the world, or have ideas that could help in everyday life, that by following I could learn more about. The second thing I learned directly relates to my big question on equality in America. I thought that whites had more privileges and received more than blacks, but I never had the statistics to back up my hypothesis. I learned that even after the Civil Rights Movement, blacks still have a little ways to go before they have the same equality as whites. I enjoyed this process and I learned a lot about my subject and the people I followed.

IQ

Would you think that IQ scores vary among ethnicity. Well tests that have been conducted determined that there is a slight difference in the scores of whites and blacks. It shows that blacks score an average of 90 points or below on the IQ test, where whites score an average of 100 or more points. What causes this? Is it really that whites are smarter than blacks? Well, some have complained of cultural bias. This means that the questions can have answers that appeal to blacks, but the correct answer is one that appeals to whites. So not only is there discrimination within the work place but also on intelligence quotient tests.

True Colors

This song is from the hit movie Save the Last Dance with Julia Stiles. The song talks about how blacks live a harder life and how they are discriminated against because of the color of their skin. The song talks about how we should live in the United States, and how we are all the same. Focus on the lines:

yo, they say this love wuzn't meant to be,
two people from two different worlds we wuzn't meant to be
it must of been fate you were sent to me
we'll make it through these hard times..eventually
let's stand and fight,walk by faith,not by sight
we're all the same color when you turn out the light
we all breathe the same air
so we all the same
if you don't kno me don't judge me what you talkin bout

Discrimination in the Workplace

Mean Mean
Name Callback Name Callback

White Female Black Female
Emily 8.3% Aisha 2.2%
Anne 9.0% Keisha 3.8%
Jill 9.3% Tamika 5.4%
Allison 9.4% Lakisha 5.5%
Sarah 9.8% Tanisha 6.3%
Meredith 10.6% Latoya 8.8%
Laurie 10.8% Kenya 9.1%
Carrie 13.1% Latonya 9.1%
Kristen 13.6% Ebony 10.5%


Mean Mean
Name Callback Name Callback

White Male Black Male
Neil 6.6% Rasheed 3.0%
Geoffrey 6.8% Tremayne 4.3%
Brett 6.8% Kareem 4.7%
Brendan 7.7% Darnell 4.8%
Greg 7.8% Tyrone 5.3%
Todd 8.7% Jamal 6.6%
Matthew 9.0% Hakim 7.3%
Jay 13.2% Leroy 9.4%
Brad 15.9% Jermaine 11.3%


So it is clear that sometimes before an interview occurs, employers already have a judgment based on a name. A couple of letters that create a name does not have an impact on how well a person works. So why do employers take this in to account? This is just another example of how we still have prejudices in the world today. How can employers have a moral conscience to limit jobs based on a name? I never knew that a name could mean so much. It forces me to think of suitable names to give my children in the future that will allow them to have equal opportunities.

Sitcoms on Inequality

As I was sitting in bed last night, I turned the television on to Nick at Nite. A show that I had never seen was playing, called Everybody Hates Chris featuring a teenage African American boy as the lead character. Within the first minute of watching the show, a clear demonstration of white supremacy was displayed while Chris was in school. He was the center of attacks by three fellow students and one teacher. Quick segments of each interaction showed that the white students all felt that they were better than Chris. The first minute of this video displays the relevance of white children thinking they are better than black children. What are television shows teaching young children?

Dismal Black Participation in Furthering Education

On average, more whites attend and graduate college compared to African Americans. The most recent statistics states that a low 43 percent of blacks graduate college compared to the 63 percent of white students who finish their education. Why is this statistic so staggering? One reason may be a limited income that permits one to complete their education. As we all know college is expensive, and continues to rise year by year, thus the percentage will dive as more and more students will not be able to afford the costs of tuition. Another statistic shows that black graduates with a four year education receive less income than whites with the same or less education. What can we do in the work force to make wages more equal?
(http://www.jbhe.com/preview/winter07preview.html)

60's BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS TRIBUTE

Back in the 1960s African Americans had to fight to have "equal rights" in America. The question still stands as to whether or not their rights are at the same level as whites. Blacks, today, need to stand up, like their predecessors did, and demand equality in all aspects of life. There is a sense of disappointment in this video for me in the fact of what extremes African Americans had to go to get the attention from whites.

More Hateful Jokes About African Americans

Don't get me wrong, I love to hear jokes, but at what point does a joke become a racist comment. How many more "black jokes" compared to "white jokes" have you heard that have negative connotations. Well for me, society has created a world where in my personal life, I rarely hear white jokes that insinuate that whites are awful human being who cannot support their family or live in a successful manner. Many who make racists jokes say that it is easier to think of a black joke that is funny and many believe to be true compared to any other race. Listed below are several blacks jokes that I have heard. Many are piercing to your morality, but the importance is to show that white Americans still feel like they have more power and success compared to a black person.
1.Whats the difference between a black guy and a white guy that sell drugs?
-ones a pharmacist and the others a drugdealer
2.Why are black people so fast?
-All the slow ones are in jail.
3.Whats the difference between a black jew and a white Jew?
-The black ones have to sit in the back of the gas chamber.
4.Whats long and black?
-The unemployment line.
5.What is the only positive thing about black people?
-HIV
(http://www.angelfire.com/rock4/leaf_fan_1988/blackjokes.html)

These jokes have unfair connotations to African Americans. Blacks should not be at the center of racists comments. Yes, they may appear to be jokes, but many of these jokes made me cringe and I am a white teenager, so I cannot imagine what it would feel like for an African American to hear these jokes. Something needs to be done, but what is it?

Whites Rule Over Blacks

Though times have improved since men were crucified, this image signifies the struggle African Americans possess in this nation we say is an "equal" country. The significance of this photo is that it displays how whites are not only superior in the past, but continue to reign over the average African American. In the past, whites could limit blacks to work in the fields, but now today they still rule over the work place and many other areas in life. Though many may be ignorant or simple want to ignore the fact, but there are still prejudices in the United States. Don't try to fool yourself, when you see two possible convicts, one white and one black, being tried for a murder, the first one you usually put the blame on is the African American. It is not your fault, society has created a world where "equality" is not truly "equality."