Preszilla Celis

Professor Brody

17 May 2019

Eng 301

Writing Critique #1

The Difference Between Understanding Today’s Racism

In the U.S. today there are many social norms that we the people accept but disagree on

because of social norms.When events become so common the majority of people don't pay

attention to the information. In the event of racism which is a common topic that's debated

becoming more controversial today then in the past.With so many minorities and cultures in the

U.S. it's understandable that there is going to be some differences and challenges within the

community. Some people will disagree and say that there's no longer racism and were that all

treated as equals. However the reality is that racism still exists today and only those who haven't

experienced it/ see it are either belong to a community of one ethnic or don't realize what racism

is. And in many cases they fail to understand how many people feel when they are looked down

upon by other.

An example of being a different race means is lacking the funds necessary to save

yourself in an emergency. In 2005 the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina left many people in New

Orleans specifically people of color and those poor in the ruins of their city. Many who were

unable to leave the city due to financial reasons left many people to question why was this

demographic left behind? Authors ​Cheryl I. Harris and Devon W. Carbado wrote about those left

behind in the article "Loot or Find”.They wrote about how people who were poor and of color
were left in the city and flooded the shelters, but those with money who were white were not

affected as much. This is because in certain areas white people are paid more than African

people and are able to save more money. While ​Linda ​Holtzman and Leon Sharpe's Article

"Theories and Constructs of Race" argue that the reason as to why they were left behind was

because of social norms, political and economically norms. In the majority of disaster those who

are left are usually the poorer people while those with money fleed. In Holtzman and Sharpe

article and Harris and Carbado article they both tactile the issues with racism and what factors

contribute to the continuation but differ in what the media's input of the definition of race means.

According to Harris and Carbado article “Loot or Find” depicts how news outlets

interpret those trying to survive the aftermath of a hurricane based on the color of their skin. A

photographer captured some pictures were in one picture a African survivor is seen as”looting”

food versus a white survivor “finding” food.These photos sparked outrage that two photos were

captioned in different ways one in a negative and the other positive. People argued that the

photos were depicting African people as criminals/looters and whites as scavengers.

In Holtzman and Sharpe "Theories and Constructs of Race" article they argue that the

reason as to why people react in a different ways is due to how the definition of race is

perceived. “The historical mutability of race is significant because of how it has been used as a

marker of group identity and a means of access to privilege in this country and elsewhere. The

possession of whiteness represents a valued status that confers upon its owners a set of exclusive

citizenship rights (Lipsitz 1998).” Holtzman and Sharpe describe how we are taught as children

the history of the immigration of Europeans and their struggles and conquests but what about the

other races. Theres is little to no mention of how other races struggled to survive when faced
with white conquers. This stereotyping and color blindness we are taught contributes to how we

interpret racism and the definition of race as we grow older. While there are other factors that

contribute to how we perceive racism the fact of the matter is that news will discriminate against

other races. The confirmation of select discrimination not only from the news but also from the

government in the form of laws and restrictions towards minorities and the poor. To further the

gap ad the concept the discrimination still exists today. The continuation of looking down and

restriction minorities continues to inflict harm and more confirmation that those are social norms

that the people continue to accept. There is opposition that minorities are being treated as second

class citizens to people who are white thanks to laws specifically targeting minorities like the

Housing Act restriction which families can get loans for buying houses. By keeping the poor

poorer and the rich richer it keeps that dividing line that white people are better than minorities

and that people who are African are criminals and ended up in their bad situation by their own

actions thus continuing the social norms.

The theory of separating people into different classes of race is not only to distinguish

what type of background we have but also how trusted we can be. In many cases the media will

portray certain ethnics groups in a negative way while others are treated as the heroes. This type

of positioning in some terms will be the social norm if people become accustomed and accept it.

Both articles depict how the media portrays certain ethnic groups without backing evidence to

support the claim. But when the report the same type of information people become accustomed

and accept it. While that's not the case in all circumstance the fact of the matter is that by

depicting certain ethics as good/bad they create more harm than good towards the public's view

of social norms.
Work Cited
Holtzman, Linda, and Leon Sharpe. Media messages: What film, television, and popular
music teach us about race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. Routledge, 2014.
Harris, Cherly I.,and Devon W. Carbado, “Loot or Find: Fact or Frame” Rereading
America 10th (2014)