kc-dynamicsofprejudice

[kc-dynamicsofprejudice]

Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

1: I can buy clothes that have sizes in which fit me proportionately.

2: I was born in the U.S.

3: I can pass through airport security without worrying about being detained.

4: I have the privilege of having a first name that is easily recognizable to most people in the U.S.

5: I do not worry about the impact of my race when applying to jobs.

6: I can use the stairs and walk anywhere because I have abled body privilege.

7: I can use public transportation due to my UNM id.

8: I can find a wide variety of makeup that is made for my skin tone.

9: I am bilingual.

10: I can protest peacefully without fear of being labelled a "thug".

11: I can go to college with a scholarship that was given to almost everybody in my school.

12: I can access any internet service with the technology I have.

13: I have drinkable water within reach of me at almost all times.

14: I can expect help from people in a public place if I ever need it.

15: I am able to purchase things I want, rather than budgeting to only spend my money on necessary items for survival.

16: My parents are willing to pay for my dormitory while I pursue and education.

17: I can walk into a store with a backpack and security most likely won't check me.

18: I am not allergic to any medicines, food, etc.

19: If I were to book an appointment with a doctor, my healthcare will be able to make it affordable.

20: I am in a heterosexual relationship and people don't judge us when we're out in public.

As I have lived through 18 years, I don't always take a step back and recognize the privilege I withhold. I have lived in a middle-class family for those 18 years, and although I had an incredible amount of hardships and disadvantages, I am still here and being able to go to college with a roof over my head with food and water. I grew up in an intense household with many financial difficulties, mainly due to family members unable to manage money correctly so I grew up thinking that I was poor. To this day, I have learned that I was never poor and that I am grateful that I am able to get through life with privilege. I don't necessarily think privilege is a bad thing, unless it is unaccounted for and used to exert power. It is something taken for granted more often than it should, and I'm thankful for being able to understand the privileges I have because of this course. If I wasn't able to have privileges of having a supportive family, being able to get my own job, live in the area that I do, my life would be flipped. I wouldn't be able to live on campus and afford the things that I do now, as well as staying home and having someone take me to my classes everyday. I would struggle to maintain a schedule if I didn't live the way that I do now, especially because I am not privileged with the access of driving.

I most definitely experience privilege and marginalization at the same time in my intersectional identity as I am biracial, a woman, disabled, and I come from a toxic household, etc. I was continuously ridiculed for looking more Japanese than I do white, so many people in my elementary and middle school wouldn't let me just be a kid. Although I am half white and born in the U.S, no one took that into consideration until many of my Japanese family members used it as an excuse to say that I'm not "Japanese enough". I grew up with the idea that I didn't fit in and I would be treated badly by more than just one group. In Peggy McIntosh's "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," the idea that although there may be many factors that can make you stand out, there are also many privileges that should be taken into consideration, "In proportion as my racial group was being made confident, comfortable, and oblivious, other groups were likely being made inconfident, uncomfortable, and alienated," (pg. 370, The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability). My younger years were tough, especially having to come home to more abuse than I had to deal with at school. There are many factors in my life at the moment that feel as though they are working against me, but there are also many privileges that I never took into account because of the things I would have to face.

Work Cited:

Rosenblum, Karen E. & Toni-Michelle C. Travis 2009. The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability. McGraw Hill. 5th Edition

[kc-dynamicsofprejudice]

"Asian-fishing"

Media has always been the main source of influence for everyone as it possesses different angles into what "beauty" means to the viewers, or what they are being told it means. Race has always been a main factor into the common beauty standard, primarily white people having the perfect genes to fit into this mold. An ideology created by Audrey Smedley, in "Race" and the Construction of the Human Identity, could describe the difference between appreciating the culture and appropriating it, "In order for Tiger Woods (a golfing star) to have Thai culture, he would have to learn the language and the elements of Thai culture. One can learn these without having a single gene from a Thai parent," (pg. 58, The Meaning of Difference American Constructions of Race and Ethnicity, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexuality, and Disability). Although one doesn't need any genetic strains from a certain ethnic or racial group, it is acceptable for those to appreciate and learn the culture. As of now, many white people are working towards trying to get others to view them as oppressed, in which being white has usually never been a contender for it in any way, shape, or form.

Different races always seem to be the new standard for beauty in America as media uncovers new trends for everyone to follow. It is incredibly frustrating to witness people using makeup to change their skin color dating back to the 1830's with Jim Crow and the start of "blackface", or cosmetic surgery as Michael Jackson changes his race from black to white, or even now with the constant progression of Ariana Grande seemingly changing races as she moves forward in her fame. There have been multitudes of examples to represent beauty through race in America's culture, but as of now, Asians are the main topic.

There have been countless trends that are blatantly offensive to Asians as the trends include the "Fox-eye" trend and "ABG" trend. The "Fox-eye" trend is described as putting your hand on your face as if you're pulling your eyes to create an "almond shape" or actually pulling on the skin to create the effect. Many have fought over this controversy saying that it isn't meant to be offensive, but if one is using their hands to manipulate the shape of their eyes to create the look of Asian eyes, that have been ridiculed and scrutinized over countless decades, then it can be deemed as offensive by those who are offended.

As for "ABG" Youtube has a multitude of different makeup tutorials to achieve what is called the "ABG" look, also known as the "Asian Baby Girl" look. In the article written by Mai Tran, Tran discusses the trend as it has been glamorized and taken into the hands of many as a new trend, "Despite the glamour, ABGs today are generally regarded with negative connotations, similar to the Valley Girl or dumb blonde stereotype. Some Asians will become sharply defensive if they are associated with the term," (Mai Tran, Vice). The idea that it has been used with negative connotation seems as though it can be related in terms of the "Ghetto Black Girl". These two terms can be harmful in ways that replicate gangs, but are solely used for glamor and performative intentions. As well as non-Asian people doing this trend, it can immediately be taken as Asian-fishing due to taking a stereotype of another race and using it for beauty purposes.

In "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh, she writes "...Whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work which will allow 'them' to be more like 'us'," (pg. 369, The Meaning of Difference American Constructions of Race and Ethnicity, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexuality, and Disability). The idea that white privilege is held to an extent where the idea of average and normalcy stems from being inherently white, and creates a boundary between whites and every other race to the point where white people start to cross it in order to feel seen or different. The, sort of, lack of necessary ethnic culture can be a distinct reason as to why white people feel the need to overexert their privilege and cross the line between respective and offensive.

Work Cited:

Rosenblum, Karen Elaine, and Toni-Michelle Travis. The Meaning of Difference American Constructions of Race and Ethnicity, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexuality, and Disability. McGraw-Hill Education, 2016.

https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/g5p44x/it-was-a-cultural-reset-a-short-history-of-the-abg-aesthetic

https://upennfword.com/2020/03/07/the-rise-of-the-abg/

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/fox-eye-trend-asian-cultural-appropriation-trnd/index.html

#Youtube

[kc-dynamicsofprejudice]

Stereotypes and Social Class through Media

Many viewers tend to watch shows or films in a different language with an English audio dubbed over for an "easier" viewing experience. There have been many controversies with American or English speaking audiences of films and television shows created in another country, in which this happened with the Korean film, "Parasite," by Bong Joon Ho in 2020. Many came to say that the film isn't worth watching due to the "language-barrier" as well as the blatant racism being shown. As the film won multiple awards at the Oscars, the Academy Awards, and many others, critics were quick to comment about it being the first South Korean film to win at the Oscars. In the article by Insider, Alexandra Ma writes about the controversy surrounding "Parasite" winning at the Academy Awards, "A woman who voted as part of the Academy's actors branch also told The Hollywood Reporter last week that "Parasite" was "beautifully done," but added, "I don't think foreign films should be nominated with the regular films," seeming to suggest that "regular" films meant English-language films,' ("South Korea's 'Parasite' made Oscars history, but it still couldn't escape racist criticism", Insider)." Further on, there have been so many comments about how the Asian languages all sound the same and are "extremely annoying to listen to." As many people made racist and insensitive remarks about the work, it seems to always cycle back to the next Asian work that succeeds in the eyes of America.

TikTok is the perfect example for media being fed into the young minds of today as it is the most widely-known and used app in the world. Although it isn't always the creator who is representing racism, the commenters on particular videos can get a bit repetitive and showcase many faults hiding behind a screen. As the most-viewed show to ever be released on Netflix, "Squid Game" is a show with mainly Korean actors who are being viewed in the eyes of Americans. Although not everyone in the U.S. is racist, there is an overwhelming amount of those who are. The show has gotten into the hands of the wrong people and these people have come out in the comments of TikTok. An Asian woman on the app had shared a video of her lip-syncing to a song, in which many comments had been referring to the actress from Squid Game, HoYeon Jung, mentioning how the woman in the TikTok looks exactly like the character the actress plays, Player 067. Although she does not look anything like the actress or character, the people commenting solely relied on the fact that the person is Asian. In the third Framework Essay, Asian stereotypes are discussed briefly in the personal account by Isabelle Nguyen, which she states, "These positive portrayals depict Asians as so flawless that they are robbed of any humanity. Some may feel indifferent to my story or ask if I really reject the positive stereotype. My only reply is this: positive and negative stereotyping are different sides of the same coin. Both invalidate individuals as human beings and lead to negative consequences," (pg. 402, The Meaning of Difference American Constructions of Race and Ethnicity, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexuality, and Disability). Nguyen discusses the positive effects the model minority stereotype had on her, but although the Asian stereotype of "all Asians being smart" seems like a positive impact, stereotypes usually always have a negative impact due to the ignorance one faces when they place one onto a certain race or ethnicity. This contributes to the stereotype that all Asian people look the same. Because even though most white people have similar features due to their ethnic genetics, Asian people will be ridiculed with this stereotype only due to racism.

Circling back to the works of Bong Joon Ho and Hwang Dong-hyuk, they created two very intense pieces about the social classes and how they affect people so greatly. In "Parasite", the main plot surrounds a family living in poverty and creating a plan to work for a wealthy family, but ends in bloodshed and crime. As well as "Squid Game", the storyline goes hand in hand, as the characters face a decision of life or death in a series of games to win enough money, in order to get out of the enormous amount of debt piled up throughout their lives. Each set of characters have lived through the torture of living in a country where money is everything, and results in the amount of crimes committed to survive. Although these two works are vastly exaggerated for entertainment, it describes how brutal living in poverty truly is compared to what is written. In the first Framework Essay, they describe social class in America with, " The belief that merit is rewarded—and, conversely, that the lack of merit is punished—stands as a uniquely American belief. As Noah writes, surveys consistently show that Americans— more than people of any other country —believe that people are rewarded for their intelligence, skill, and effort," (pg. 33, The Meaning of Difference American Constructions of Race and Ethnicity, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexuality, and Disability). The social class in America compared to the social class in South Korea can be intertwined, as though those who succeed in their merit and intelligence are rewarded with wealth and genuine success in life, this isn't necessarily true. For example, although one can be intelligent and top of their class, if they do not have the wealth in the first place, their intelligence does not necessarily mean they will succeed in life because they may not be able to further their education or even when they do further their education seemingly to the highest extent they can, they will not be guaranteed success in life. This can be portrayed with the character Cho Sang-woo in "Squid Game", as he doesn't come from wealth but was accepted into a very prestigious school in South Korea, the Seoul National University. Although he graduated from one of the top business schools in South Korea, he ended up in debt and chose to play in the games to risk his life to get it back.

Work Cited:

Rosenblum, Karen Elaine, and Toni-Michelle Travis. The Meaning of Difference American Constructions of Race and Ethnicity, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexuality, and Disability. McGraw-Hill Education, 2016.

https://www.insider.com/parasite-oscars-wins-racist-criticism-coronavirus-2020-2

https://www.tiktok.com/@disneychanelle_/video/7014331815443942662?is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=7041022354944296453

[kc-dynamicsofprejudice]

The Portrayal of "Female"

Throughout history, women have endured multiple standards for beauty as it seems as though they change within every second of every year. Many forms of media have contributed to these ideals of women being held up to these standards through beauty products being commercialized on television with women actresses having "perfect" skin, cartoons having unrealistic figures these women are drawn into, photoshop creating doubts and insecurities into countless audiences, social media influencers showing a facade as their mostly-younger audiences having multiple sources to look up to influencing them to look down on themselves. These are only just a few ideas circulating the decades of unrealistic standards women have to live up to, or else they aren't worthy of being seen as beautiful.

One of the most common social media platforms today include the app called "TikTok." This app was originally named "Musical.ly" where most posts were about lip-syncing to viral songs or 6-second "Vine" audios, but it has just become an intrusively bigger platform to post anything one desires. There are still multiple posts of lip-syncing involved, in which thousands of conventionally attractive users could mostly use it to boost their views and like counts. The quite-famously used slang phrase to describe these types of videos are described as "thirst-traps." Many users have posted dancing videos as well, in which the comments are filled with self-deprecation as other users come to compare themselves more to each "TikToker" they find as they scroll through billions of videos. The comments are incredibly heartbreaking to read as you continue to scroll through each comment, especially the comments with the most likes, which could range from hundreds of likes to thousands or even millions, knowing that those who didn't comment related to each one.

It's not only the comparison these young users do to themselves, but there are multiple trends that could put these viewers in harm's way. In the article about this, the authors, Reem Nasrallah, Daffny Cardoso, and Melinda Wan, write, "The disturbing hourglass trend showcases young girls demonstrating how to get abs by wearing plastic wrap around their stomachs, (The Classic)."

These trends are influencing thousands of people to shape themselves into a body type that isn't common for many gene pools. An incredibly saddening statistic included reads, "A study conducted by Bradley Hospital, Butler Hospital, and Brown Medical School found that one-third of inpatient adolescents are notably more ill than other patients because they struggle with poor body image. In the United States alone, the number of individuals that will be diagnosed with an eating disorder sums up to be 9% of the population. In addition, approximately 35 to 37 percent of adolescent girls take diet pills, laxatives and take many other harmful actions in order to lose weight, (The Classic)."

In the documentary, "Miss Representation," the sole idea that runs through this film is that women are constantly put on blast for their image. Every little detail on a woman's body has been put on display for everyone to pick apart and shape into this insane mold that is almost unreachable for someone who isn't constantly photoshopped or put onto diets to prepare them for the spotlight. There are countless methods to try to obtain these ideals that are incredibly expensive or unhealthy, and the sole audience being influenced are young women and children. A young high school student, Ariella, being interviewed expresses, "We see so much in the media that there's so much negativity towards women and their weight, and how they look, and it's just a representation of the pressure we feel to conform to men's ideals. There's this concept of the perfect woman who looks this certain way, and because women may not look that way, they're scrutinized, (00:07:49, Miss Representation)." Men play an intrusive role in all of this as well, as they have constantly been in power over women and their purpose on this earth being that they are here for their viewing or physical pleasure and treated as inhumanely as they possibly can because it has been this way and seems like it will always be this way.

There has been this constant portrayal of women where, not only are they supposed to look a certain way or act a certain way, but if they do conform to these sexist ideals, they will also be deemed as a "slut". A constant amount of double-standards that surround relationships or hook-ups can be described as men passing, but women are judged to the harshest extent. For the main ideal that women are sluts if they have sex with multiple men, but men are praised, this creates yet another conflict women have to face in their daily lives. In "READING 29: Gendered Sexuality of Adulthood", a plethora of college students have experienced a multitude of gender inequality throughout their college experience, "Women noted that it was 'easy to get a reputation' from 'hooking up with a bunch of different guys' or 'being wild and drinking too much'. Their experiences of being judged were often painful; one woman told us about being called a 'slut' two years after the incident because it was so humiliating, (pg. 289, The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race and Ethnicity, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexuality, and Disability)." Women are ridiculed for their sex lives but are also being sexualized on a daily basis, making women stand on a never-ending fine line.

Work Cited:

Rosenblum, Karen Elaine, and Toni-Michelle Travis. The Meaning of Difference American Constructions of Race and Ethnicity, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexuality, and Disability. McGraw-Hill Education, 2016.

https://unm.kanopy.com/video/miss-representation-0

https://www.thhsclassic.com/2021/05/21/the-problem-of-tiktoks-unrealistic-beauty-standards/