Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had to battle stereotypes in almost every aspect of
my daily life. I’ve dealt with stereotypes from, the way I dress, the kinds of music I listen to,
the food I eat, my skin and eye color, my hair texture, and even the way I talk over the
telephone. Growing up, I’ve had the unique perspective of seeing and experiencing problems
of lower social and economic classes from an outside-in perspective. I’ve had the chance to
experience what it’s like to be in a home situation that is constantly being undermined,
yet still come back to a stable situation at my own home. I have family members who have
been killed due to gun violence, yet I don’t have to worry about gun violence in my
own neighborhood. I have friends that live in community housing and live on food stamps,
but yet I come back to find a home cooked meal every night. I’ve worked the night shift at a
plastic injection mold factory, not to take care of and provide for my family, but to save up to
buy new wheels for my car. I have childhood friends who have overdosed from drug abuse. All
these are examples that have shaped my experiences and my overall view of the world.
My parents were the first ones in their families to not only attend and graduate from a university,
but to go on and complete graduate school as well. They have always used examples from our
extended family members to preach the importance of getting an education. Stories about my
older cousins getting into trouble with the law and having children out of wedlock.They use their
own examples growing up for added emphasis. For example, my father tells me stories
about standing on a sidewalk with his belongings, during a winter storm in Washington DC
after getting evicted from his home. My mother tells me stories about having to explain to her
parents what the letters from school were saying and having to interpret what the teachers said
because they were immigrants who didn’t speak a lot of English. All of these lessons and recounts
were used to reinforce the importance of going to school and getting an education.
but to go on and complete graduate school as well. They have always used examples from our
extended family members to preach the importance of getting an education. Stories about my
older cousins getting into trouble with the law and having children out of wedlock.They use their
own examples growing up for added emphasis. For example, my father tells me stories
about standing on a sidewalk with his belongings, during a winter storm in Washington DC
after getting evicted from his home. My mother tells me stories about having to explain to her
parents what the letters from school were saying and having to interpret what the teachers said
because they were immigrants who didn’t speak a lot of English. All of these lessons and recounts
were used to reinforce the importance of going to school and getting an education.
Although the demographics of Hickory are changing with the influx of immigrants,
the town has been a traditionally white, blue collar working, and a politically conservative area.
One my bestest friends, who we’ll call Ben, is someone who fits the stereotypical description of
what a “redneck” is. He drives a run down, mid-1980’s Ford Pickup truck that screeches every
time he presses the gas pedal. He never shaves his bushy beard, often wears an Iron Maiden or a
Metallica shirt, and has a Marlboro cigarette in his mouth while showing me the latest addition
to his bird and reptilian collection or his latest horror movie collectible. Ben, a smoker since
he was 12, grew up in a relatively unstable home environment. His mother was addicted to
drugs when he and his twin brother were just infants. His father was an alcoholic who could
never really hold a stable job. I will never forget the time he told me about the sizeable holes
in his door, when his twin brother grabbed a kitchen knife and violently stabbed the door
during a fight they had.
the town has been a traditionally white, blue collar working, and a politically conservative area.
One my bestest friends, who we’ll call Ben, is someone who fits the stereotypical description of
what a “redneck” is. He drives a run down, mid-1980’s Ford Pickup truck that screeches every
time he presses the gas pedal. He never shaves his bushy beard, often wears an Iron Maiden or a
Metallica shirt, and has a Marlboro cigarette in his mouth while showing me the latest addition
to his bird and reptilian collection or his latest horror movie collectible. Ben, a smoker since
he was 12, grew up in a relatively unstable home environment. His mother was addicted to
drugs when he and his twin brother were just infants. His father was an alcoholic who could
never really hold a stable job. I will never forget the time he told me about the sizeable holes
in his door, when his twin brother grabbed a kitchen knife and violently stabbed the door
during a fight they had.
In combination of my experiences growing up around working class whites and my experiences
with the media, I feel that the consistent positive light that whites are portrayed in is hurtful to
everybody, including white people. I virtually never see white people being portrayed as dirty,
violent uneducated, or working manual labor jobs. My experiences with whites are the complete
opposite of what I see from the media everyday. To me, this presents an unintended consequence
of the media representation of white superiority. It hurts white people because not all white
people are rich or educated or non violent as they are portrayed to be in our culture. My interactions
with Ben and his family have taught me that there are opposite spectrums in every race, including
white people. I believe that in order to fix the myth of white supremacy, there needs to be more
media coverage of the poverty levels in the white community. For example, a statistics chart
released by the National Center for Children’s Poverty indicates that white children take up
the biggest percentage of those living below the poverty line. The media should note that
while, yes, whites hold numerous advantages over people of color in the United States, not every
white person is completely protected from the different societal forces that drive our existence.
The general public needs to be taught the concept of internationalism, and how each person
has inherit advantages and disadvantages in their everyday lives. If people study internationalism
more frequently, I think the concept of race can be discussed across all spectrum and more progress
can be through newfound understanding in less time.
with the media, I feel that the consistent positive light that whites are portrayed in is hurtful to
everybody, including white people. I virtually never see white people being portrayed as dirty,
violent uneducated, or working manual labor jobs. My experiences with whites are the complete
opposite of what I see from the media everyday. To me, this presents an unintended consequence
of the media representation of white superiority. It hurts white people because not all white
people are rich or educated or non violent as they are portrayed to be in our culture. My interactions
with Ben and his family have taught me that there are opposite spectrums in every race, including
white people. I believe that in order to fix the myth of white supremacy, there needs to be more
media coverage of the poverty levels in the white community. For example, a statistics chart
released by the National Center for Children’s Poverty indicates that white children take up
the biggest percentage of those living below the poverty line. The media should note that
while, yes, whites hold numerous advantages over people of color in the United States, not every
white person is completely protected from the different societal forces that drive our existence.
The general public needs to be taught the concept of internationalism, and how each person
has inherit advantages and disadvantages in their everyday lives. If people study internationalism
more frequently, I think the concept of race can be discussed across all spectrum and more progress
can be through newfound understanding in less time.
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