"...We crash into eachother, just so we can feel something."

   This week we watched Crash, and it was honestly one of the most amazing movies I've ever seen. The whole point of the movie was to look at race and how we're socially constructed to think about it. It also showed how even though we may  not want to think it, there is a little prejudice in all of us.
   Throughout the entire movie, more and more stereotypes were played on. Ludacris and his friend were portrayed as the "bad black guys" and when they ran over the Asian man, I'm sure we all thought that he was just some innocent man. What was really crazy about the movie was how they proved a lot of the stereotypes wrong. The Asian man that appeared to be solely a victim was actually a human trafficker, defying the stereotype that all Asians are perfect, innocent people.
    There is so much racism and stereotyping in the world today that I think it's hard for people not to be racist or stereotypical. I'm faced with stereotypical comments all the time because I'm Asian. Whether it's because I'm not "smart like Asians" or because I'm not good at math or even because I have freckles, the comments are always surprising at first, even though I've been exposed to them all my life. I think people need to know that everyone is different; everyone has unique qualities. Only when we can accept that fact, we can stop being so racist.

racism

This week we talked about racism, and how even though we may not think so, it is apparent everywhere. Being Japanese, I have been a victim of racism and I'm sure I will experience acts of racism in the future. I remember when I was in elementary school this one boy used to call me "chink" all the time. When I was that young I didn't even know what that meant. What the heck was a "chink"? I later found out that it was a name made up for Chinese people. That was the first time I had experienced something like that. The funny thing is, I'm not even Chinese! It's crazy to think how people are actually taught to hate other people just because they may look different. In history classes we talk about different topics, like slavery or the civil rights movement and I know a lot of us think, "wow, how could people have been so racist like that back then?". But what people don't realize is that our society is still racist. We may not want to think so, but we can see racist acts everywhere. I think that stereotyping also goes into the same category as racism. When you're a certain race or ethnicity, people expect you to act the way they think "your" people would act. Isn't that wrong? In class we talked about how when you meet a person, one of the first things you notice is his or her race. I know that when I meet people and then get to know them, I hear things like, "you're not asian at all!" or, "you're the whitest asian I've ever met!" Like, what does that even mean? I feel like we've grown up to believe that racism hardly exists anymore when it's really everywhere.

doesn't have to be thanksigiving to give thanks...

Thiss week we learned all about social class. We played monopoly and felt what it was like to be in a certain class for our whole lives. We also watched another 30 Days video, and this time the guy and his fiance were living a low-wage life for 30 days. It wasn't until I saw this video that I really took a second to think about everything I have in my life. The kids that go to SHS, myself included, take so many of the resources we have for granted, and I don't just mean the things that are provided for us in school. We're all so lucky to be able to have a solid roof over our heads, hot meals, clothes to wear, and just a lot of different material goods. It's crazy to think about adults that have to support their families while making minimum wage. We kids see something in the store for $5 and we think, "That's so cheap! Let's buy it!". But for people that only make $8.25 per hour, that $5 is a lot. Watching the movie made me truly thankful for everything I have in my life, and I can't really picture it any other way.
   It's sad to think that there are so many families in the world that are just struggling to survive. America is the wealthiest country in the world and we still have so many people that are homeless and living out on the streets. It's hard to think that once you're born into a certain class that you'll stay there for the rest of your life, but it seems to be pretty realistic. I think we should do more for those families in need, and maybe try living like them for a little. I don't mean try it for 30 days or anything, but I think it would be interesting to try and keep yourself on a tight budget and see how you really change. I think that's the only way people who are lucky enough to have what they need can really understand how it feels to not have anything.