The Many Types: Asian Americans

         Being Asian American, it was interesting to hear in to this forum in particular. It discussed the way Asian Americans are categorized in various situations such as college applications. I think it’s unfair that the category is so broad. When thinking about “Asian Americans” people only tend to think of East Asian people. South Asia is also a branch under the term Asian Americans. When using affirmative action at colleges, someone mentioned about our category is just “Asian Americans.” However, I believe that we need to break that term down, since there are so many branches. Affirmative action should then take place within those sub categories. Someone also mentioned how quotas shouldn’t exist when looking at admissions to a University. I should be based on who is the most qualified. Also, placing a quota on the amount of Asian Americans who are able to attend a certain university will prevent all sub categories of Asian Americans from being represented equally. 

Skin Color or Talent: Sports Exploitation

         A lot of young students in high school have big dreams of becoming professional athletes, however very few actually make it, especially minorities. I think it’s important for universities to reach out to all high schools, including the ones in small towns and areas. I don’t think it is something that should consist of affirmative action because it’s purely based on talent and whether or not that person will succeed in a particular sport. I think it’s important to make academics a priority for all student athletes. These students are at university for an education. Not all of them are guaranteed a position within a professional athletic team. University is the time when students are able to get an education based purely on having a successful future. Without a promising future in athletics or a proper academic education, student athletes will find it extremely difficult to find a good job following graduation. As for minorities, it would make this even more difficult for them. 

Inaccurate Portrayal Through Media: Colorism

         No, colorism isn't the study of various colors. Colorism is an issue that is based on the discrimination of someone based on his or her relative lightness or darkness of skin tone. It can build a sense of self-hatred and low self-esteem. I was one of the group members for the colorism forum and it was interesting to hear everyone’s perspective on the issue. The portrayal of darker skinned individuals in the media is degrading when compared to lighter skinned individuals. Someone mentioned how lighter skinned people are given the opportunity to play the role of a dark skinned person in movies or TV shows. I think it’s completely discriminatory and unfair that darker skinned individuals aren’t given equal opportunities based purely on their skin tone. As society and the media emphasize the distinction, individuals gain hatred toward their skin tone, which can cause them to even lighten their skin through treatments. To solve the issue of colorism in the media, we need to work with casting directors and imagery. If we emphasize the beauty of dark skin through magazines, photography and videos, we will be able to reach the point through to society. 

The Unnoticed: Serial Killers and Whiteness

            I enjoyed the forum of serial killers and whiteness since I had a few thoughts, which I wanted to know more about. It was interesting to hear about the different perspectives students had and the evidence brought forth. Someone mentioned the fascination with serial killers and how so many shows have been created in the past few years, which informs the community about them. I actually watch a lot of those shows and the forum brought to my attention how they generally discuss white serial killers more than any other kind.  We tend to know white serial killers such as Ted Bundy since the media has made him so known. When referring to the victims of such crimes, someone mentioned how it’s generally women, prostitutes and people of small body frames. What I found the most surprising was when someone said that statistics show how victims who are males generally are short and weaker. I also learned about the difference between mass murder and serial killers. Mass murders consist of killing a large amount of people in one time, while serial killers kill people periodically through time. I liked the solution of focusing more on the victims rather than the serial killers. This will reduce the amount of serial killers over time since they generally get a lot attention on the media, which is something that drives when they do. 

The Pathway Toward Equality: Affirmative Action

        Affirmative action or otherwise known as employment equity in other areas consists of using policy to favor minorities or disadvantaged individuals within society. Although we like to think discrimination no longer exists within society, it does indirectly. The forum discussed the issue of affirmative action and whether it is needed or if it isn’t. Individuals within the group used evidence to support their views so it was interesting to see the debate coming from each side, for and against affirmative action.

            One group member discussed how minorities earn less compared to the rest of the community. When placed in the same career, a white person earn more than a person of color with the same amount of education, qualifications and experiences. Although this may be an issue, it is important to consider other factors such as gender, personality, values and other qualities. We can’t be sure that race or ethnicity prevents a person from receiving certain opportunities.

            As the discussion went on, someone mentioned how people of color have a greater unemployment rate compared to white people. When looking at qualifications, everyone had college degrees. This piece of evidence suggests that there may be a case of white privilege within society. However, I think it’s important to focus on that facts and understand the reasoning behind why the concept of white privilege even exists. Although discrimination was a huge issue earlier in the century, I think it has reduced by great amounts since then. The concept of white privilege may just exist because they are in fact the majority of communities all around the United States. It is important to consider that maybe they are given more opportunities because they are the majority. The minorities probably aren’t given many opportunities because not many minorities apply for them. They are considered the “minority” for a reason. Being a minority myself, I understand how difficult it can be to receive certain opportunities but at the end of the day, it’s about the qualifications I have as an individual. I don’t think someone should be given an opportunity just because they are a minority. It is based on the experience one has and who is going to succeed the most.

            Harvard is a prestigious university, which uses affirmative action in order to provide equal opportunities to receive admission for all minorities. According to the forum, in the past years, there was an increase of 14-16% of minorities being admitted in to Harvard University. However, Cal Tech is a university that doesn’t use affirmative action. They admit their students based purely on qualifications and their statistics show an increase in Asians by 27%. This shows that, maybe we need to focus more on providing opportunities to the most qualified over minorities. 

The Mix of Cultures: Cultural Appropriation

  What is cultural appropriation? It consists of the adoption of elements from one culture by another culture. The issue faced with this is how it can be offending in the sense that not all cultures visualize or use specific elements from other cultures in an appropriate manner. I enjoyed the cultural appropriation forum in particular because I could relate to it, growing up with three different cultures through my life.  I’m Indian, yet I was born and raised in England and then I moved to the United States. Someone mentioned the red dot and how some Indian women wear it on their head. Some people think of it as a fashion statement and wear it too. However, it is more of a religious symbol of Hinduism. Someone else in the group mentioned dream chasers and how people of non-Indian descent hang them up in their home without knowing the true symbolism behind its culture. Halloween is the time of the year which an create a huge issue regarding cultural appropriation. People dress up as people from other cultures and don't understand the significance behind it or whether it is inappropriate to dress that way. I think it’s extremely important that people understand the meaning behind certain things before using them and making their own conclusions. The only way to do this, as the forum group mentioned, is to educate friends and the community in general about your culture and the symbols that come with it.