Race & ethnicity

Am very glad that we did not write a blog about Class and Global Inequality because I would not know what to write under Race and Ethnicity, because class is very important when analyzing race and ethnicity. No matter what race one is, if he or she belongs in the lower and underclass, he or she starts at the bottom of the ladder in all spheres of life.

Throughout the semester we have been talking about ideologies that support inequality and the power that the dominant groups have in shaping what the rest of the population thinks and does. From the start, the people who have power have defined race to suit their interests, and ensure that they do not have any competition from minorities. Victims of this power structure continue to suffer to this day.

Political and social functions of color-blindness ideology

I chose to read the article about color-blind privilege because it talks about ideology that promotes the notion that it is not a racist world anymore and everyone has an equal shot of fulfilling his or her dreams. Charles Gallagher starts his article by noting that big corporations have advertisements that feature people of all colors; these ads point to the illusion that all races have equal standing (1). The realities on the ground do show a very different picture. I watched a documentary called The Corporation that talked about how corporations rule the world; they go wherever there is money, and craft advertisements to suit whatever target market. If minorities have money to spend, the corporations will go to them, and they will change their marketing to appeal to the different groups. This does not mean that racism is over. 

The game of life is rigged to give people who already have advantages even more advantages. Since it is the 21-century, and one cannot just go about overtly oppressing other people. Inequality that has persisted from the legacy of racism continues, albeit in a veiled manner. To maintain the status quo, the dominant group has to come up with what Ghalager calls normative ideology, where everyone thinks that there is no racism while it is alive and thriving.