TP#5 Something about the Subject

Something about the Subject Makes it Hard to Name
Gloria Yamato
Quotes
      Yamato writes about the everyday struggle of racism that she encounters on a daily basis. She feels that racism has become so common that people no longer see it as a problem. She states "Racism is pervasive to the point that we take many of its manifestations for granted, believing "that's life"." She is trying to show that people make racist decisions so often and possibly without conscious thought, that they no longer see it as racism.
      She then states "It influences the way I see or don't see myself, limits what I expect of myself or others like me. It results in my acceptance of mistreatment, leads me to believe that being treated with less than absolute , at least this once, is to be expected because I am Black, because I am not white." This is a powerful statement to me. She is saying that because she has is black she has accepted the fact that she will be treated than less of a person, treated lower than a white person. Whether we realize it or not, people of color, and other minorities, have been treated so poorly for so long that it no longer seems to be a concern. When in fact it is a problem. We need to make a conscious effort to make sure we are treating everyone with the same respect as white males seem to get.
     This piece explains the different types of racism. She not only speaks of racism on a skin color level but also as it relates to class and gender as well. She stated "Like every other oppression, racism can be internalized. People of color come to believe misinformation about their ethnic group and thus believe that their mistreatment is justified". This is the whole point of the piece. If people are told enough that they are ugly they will begin to believe it. Same goes for acts of racism. If a person of color is treated poorly by enough people they will begin to believe that they deserve it because they are just not as privilaged as other groups.
     Until people openly discuss racism and the behavior that expresses racism, it will not go away. Like many of the other -isms, racism is one of those things that people hope will just go away of they ignore it long enough. This of course is not her only point in the piece and I hope I can adequately teach the class what she taught me about myself.