Race: The Power of an Illusion Part 3

              This section of the film discusses more how race has historically developed into what we see today. Again there is this mention that Race is a category that comes with a set list of values, moral, and etc., but there is no biological difference between individuals due to Race. The markers of race like skin tone are what create these social meanings and are the generalization most people have about certain races.

              It mentions also that during the immigrant rush, those who came to America had to adapt and fit into a racial category that they may have never used before entering the U.S. When the first Immigrants arrived, there were the groups who had to endure the hardest labor, and also lived in the slums; this gave an image of immigrants socially being at the bottom. They were worked for lower wages so companies wanted them, but at the same time these same companies feared immigrants. Later this idea was seen as natural biology, if you were born in that group you earned that type of lifestyle for better or worse.

              With the immigrants they were also separate categories for Whites, separating Europeans into smaller groups ranking them in a hierarchy system. Some groups like Jews, were not viewed as fully white but still here placed higher than non-Europeans like, Asians, African Americans and Mexicans.

              One Idea that I never realized was that this idea of “The Melting Pot” was actually used in a way to allow these other European immigrants to mold together to become known as the ‘White American’. This melting pot actually never included those from non-European descent. So how come people try not to correct this meaning that seems like a common view about America being a melting pot?

              Now for those who were not Europeans, the court decided who could be classified as white. Certain groups of immigrants tried to petition the court to be declared white. Takao Ozawa, a Japanese immigrant tried this, in his petition he mentioned that race should not matter in becoming American; instead it should be based on Beliefs.  Unfortunately Ozawa was denied his petition and mainly because the court claimed science showed him as not being White.  Bhagat Singh Thind in 1923 petitioned that Indians where included in the Caucasian classification, he even had scientific backing but the court reasoned that science was not actual proof. Here is where we saw that the court changed their views for Ozawa, who they used science to consider him not white but for Thind science was denied. When both cases where denied many rights were taken from both Japanese and Indians.  

              The video also mentioned that the original Social Security denied farm workers and labor workers who most were non-whites. Mexicans and Blacks, who were still working for lower wages. Also in 1930 the Federal Housing Administration was created allowed people to get loans to own homes. New communities began developing and here is where we see the development of these suburbias and that became a new component of the American Dream. Black G.I. who returned from WWII returned back hoping for the same opportunity for housing from the FHA, but most were denied. In fact the FHA warned that 1 or 2 non-white families in suburbias could lower the property value of homes. Less than 2% of these mortgages went to non-whites.

              Instead most non-whites remained in their original homes but a claim of urban renewal was going to fix these neighborhoods but most were taken down but never reconstructed nor renovated. Black busting, was a scheme used when housing in suburbia areas became more accessible to non-whites. Black busting was used by retailers to play the fear in whites to sell their homes for less than their values because of the increase of non-whites in their neighborhoods and most people did. This is what caused an economic problem for the housing retailing business since most whites sold their homes and moved into other areas away. Even know certain homes in certain surburbia areas will have a higher selling cost than those with more racially diverse neighborhoods.

                In fact one major thing that is seen today that still emphases this separation of races is the net worth that has grown over time separating the rich and the poor. Even in fact with Blacks who are more economically stable, they would still be earning less than someone who was white and had basically all factors of their life the same. This shows the legacy of racial inequality that has been in the U.S. since a long time.

              Finally colorblindness is not the same as equality. Those who try to ignore color as being an issue or try to claim it doesn't exist is just a naive way of thinking about this. Inequality of opportunity may have been improved over the years but there is still this economic and social inequality that has been here since generations. So the only way to stop this idea of race being a huge factor in our lives is to try to get past it, instead of seeing it in this color blind attitude.