PDD chpter 2

Ricky Woodie
Ethnics 101
Chaper 2
10 September 10, 2007


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IN the reading Power Privilege and difference chapter 2, the author’s thesis is fear or difference is not inherited, but people fear others because it is what we learned. He is saying that we all are the same, but people make up race in there cultures.
In this chapter the author talks about how we fear other races because it is what we were taught. He mentions how as children, without the knowledge of race, we do not fear any one for their, race, sex, disabled, or gay or straight. But as we slowly grow up and learn about race we start to view others differently. In chapter two the author says, “the world encourages people to use difference to include or exclude, reward or punish, credit, or discredit, elevate, or oppress, value or devalue, leave alone or harass”. He is saying how race is determined by culture, tells us how we should treat others. He also says how race has changed over time and an example of this would be how Irish were once white but now are in there own class. He then finishes by talking about privileges. At one point he says how If your white you are arrested less then blacks. He says that whites make up more than 85 percents of drug users, but only less than half of those arrested for drug use are white.
The question that I got from this chapter is that of is race really real? And I think the authors gives good reasons for why is not but culture and what we have been taught make it that way. He does a good job of using facts to support this. The best example was how when we are babies we do not see race until we are taught it. He also shows how we give people privileges based on race.
In my opinion, I agree with the author. I don’t think that anyone is different, but that we will believe we are and view and judge other people because we are taught that way. People will trust some people over others based on race. People we baby disabled people because they have been taught that way. I think that because of are history we will always base each other off of race.