Racism Essay -- Racial Relations, White

"The first, and perhaps most crucial, fear is that of facing the fact that some of what we white people have is unearned. It's a truism that we don't really make it on our own; we all have plenty of help to achieve whatever we achieve." (Jensen, 1) When reflecting on this statement you start to see that what Jensen is telling us is very true. Since born, and while growing up, many white people have been "handed" everything needed to succeed and receive the necessary tools and help to achieve anything. We don't realize this because many of us are continually congratulated on the success actually fostered through the people who love and care for us. What people need to realize is that there are people who are not born into these situations, and are continually fighting to get away from their abusive families that do not support them. "A second fear is crasser: White people's fear of losing what we have -- literally the fear of losing things we own if at some point the economic. political, and social systems in which we live become more just and equitable." (Jensen, 1) Everyone fears losing something that they are accustomed to, whether it be material goods, social status, or power. People are often affected psychologically when they lose something, and for whites, it would make them feel less superior than other races if they did lose something. Some whites feel that they lose power when other races break through barriers and become more powerful than they are. Jensen reaffirms the idea that people are born into a society where "affluence" and "material comfort" will obviously affect how someone feels and reacts to losing whatever they have lost. "A third fear involves a slightly different scenario -- a world in which ... ...enating to people of color: people of color's identities, experiences, and ways of communicating are often outside the very restricted language and the very limited representations of people like them in the stories they read." (Marrero, 10) Marrero brings up a very interesting point when showing the reader that people are sometimes limited in ways of communicating because of the classroom setting they are surrounded with. When you reflect on how many teachers use "dominant paradigms" in their teachings, you begin to realize that students voices are inherently constrained. You then begin to ask yourself the scary questions of "how many people have already been restricted from using their own voice and how many continue to be in this situation today?" People are unable to develop a broader world view unless we are able to listen to how other people communicate.