The Racist Mind by Raphael Ezekiel

I am a white woman- (specifically,mainly Irish and some Portuguese)- born in Fullerton, California, (next door to Anaheim), but predominantly raised in the small town of Lodi California. Both my parents are college educated and have their Masters Degrees, my dad in Anthropology and my mom in Education Administration. Growing up, I’ve always been for the most part accepting of all races unless someone does something to hurt me or things I don’t agree with (shoplifting trying to peer-pressure me into things I don’t agree with) but reading this chapter made me remember the first time I spent Thanksgiving with my boyfriend’s family, We have been together almost 10 years now, so this was a long time ago-but things have not changed that much when we go there for visits. He is very open to other races as I am, but lived in the poor side of town; the side of town where on a side note during our first year of dating my best friend (white) at the time lived in a gated community her dad(white) dropped me off at his house and after I got out of the car asked my best friend if I was “dating a Mexican boy” because of where he lived. He is half Russian and half German though, and to get back to my story of my first time going to his grandparents house for Thanksgiving was the first time I ever heard someone talk about other races in such a horrible way “niggers” “chinks” “wet backs”. I was in utter shock that his grandpa was such a racist. Since he was so old everybody just rubbed it off as “oh that’s just grandpa” but as this chapter talks about I felt like an alien- yes I am white but I’m not white like you. Which makes me question “can you be racist against your own race?” Some of the stories I read or videos I see online and what’s discussed in this chapter of white supremacists disgusts me and being on social media makes me hate how some other races or other country’s just think all white Americans act like this or are this. Growing up until that point I thought all that racism was just talk or just what happens in the south not here in California. Which as you talked about in class, California is pretty progressive but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening or in the back of people’s minds or what some like to talk about over a Thanksgiving meal. To be honest, some of the readings this week have been hard for me as a white American to try and write about. There are certain things I don’t think I’m allowed to talk about because according to my skin tone I’m “privileged’ which the world and our society makes me feel it’s not my place to address some of the issues in the readings that were discussed.