- Is white a single race in the eyes or other races?
It is interesting to think that in the eyes of the white race the black race is marked as black and therefore appears to be a single race when white as a race is a large spectrum or individuals, ethnicities, and subcategories. Is this because the white race is unmarked and has marked the black race? If it is not the reason do individuals of the black race see the white race as a single race, are the roles reversed? In my opinion the roles are not reversed. Some individuals from the black race may see and understand white race and a single race however the black race sees themselves as a spectrum and understands that to be true for other races. I believe this is because they are marked. They see what is true, not ideas created because a group is marked in society. Because the white race does the marking all they see are the ideas associated with being marker rather than ideas about the entire race of people. Therefore, I believe that markedness and unmarkedness effect how individuals or an entire race sees society and understands other people and races around them.
I would have to agree that markedness and unmarkedness effect how individuals or an entire race sees society and understands other people and races around them.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion however, white people (regardless of ancestry) are "Caucasian" and black people (regardless of ancestry) are "African American" according to a box one would check on a form. I think it is understood that no matter if we are black or white, that we are all mutts (at least most of us in America are). I know that race is seen differently in other countries (Brazil for example). These races encompass many different cultures, beliefs, traditions and languages but race as we see it here is not effected by those. Am I way off?? I should get some sleep haha.
Kaitlyn, I completely agree with your last statement: "Therefore, I believe that markedness and unmarkedness effect how individuals or an entire race sees society and understands other people and races around them." I think the idea that markedness and unmarkedness affects how people view each other or groups is a very poignant one.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would bring up a bit of contention with your point to say that because black people are marked and see themselves as a spectrum, they see everyone else as a spectrum. We talked about in class how the unmarked group marks the marked group, and I think we came to the conclusion that the marked group cannot "other" the normative group. However, I would debate the point that just because they are marked they have a sort of objective view of other races and ethnicities. Does the majority of them maybe view the white race as more than single race... maybe. But I bet there would still be a general consensus of a single white race from many people. Just like there are white people who know that you can't lump blacks into one category, I'm sure there are blacks that know you can't lump whites into one as well. But I'm not quite sure that's how *everyone* is going to see it, you know? The only way to really find out would be to take a consensus on their thoughts. I think you bring up a good point, but don't I think that just because blacks understand themselves as being different from the unmarked group - that is, seeing themselves as a spectrum - that they'll necessarily understand whites as a spectrum as well.
I feel that's a little reducible to, "Well, the victim learned their lesson from experience, so they won't reproduce it because they know better." I think the way race is biologized in such a way in the United States makes it act under a very hidden influence - something people of all races take foregranted, marked or unmarked.
Agree/disagree?