Well Informed #3

Racism 2.0

Mathew Cook did an amazing job of presenting the history of racism. Starting with how racism was more of a class thing which evolved into color. For centuries we have fought for the equal rights for all mankind and yet we still decide to divide ourselves into a categories to show we have more power than another category. 

Jane Elliot is a teacher who I have seen become a huge advocate for colored peoples rights. She created an exercise called the "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes exercise". In the video linked (which I highly recommend watching) Elliot gathers college students together and separates them from brown eyes and blue eyes. All throughout giving instructions, she is stern and slightly uncivil causing many of the students to feel intimidated. She has the blue eye'd people go into a room with only three chairs while those with brown eyes go into another room. She instructs the brown eye'd people to sit on either side of the room looking directly at chairs that are facing forward in the middle. She instructs those with brown eyes to mistreat those with blue. To call them names, to make them feel lesser as she teaches a lesson about listening. 

Once the blue eye'd students are put into the room they are treated with disrespect and humiliated for thoughtless things they may say. She does all this to show what those who have colored skin go through everyday. And when one blue eye'd girl couldn't take it anymore she stepped out. Once re-entering Elliot insisted she apologize for taking a liberty that those of color do not have and only then does the message of racism begins to settle in. 

Elliot not only pushes her students to tears, she makes them realize the horrible fact that is racism in our present day. We may have equal rights in a technical sense, but we still do not have equal treatment. 

I am a white female and I KNOW I have had greater opportunities because of it. I know I have had better experiences with law enforcement, I know I have had better options given to me because of the color of my skin and I am grateful for that. And because of that gratefulness I will continue to voice my concerns about the increasing issues surrounding race and show my support to those who don't have my opportunities. I think its important to judge a person based off their character, rather than their skin color.