For class we will be viewing the film “When the Bough Breaks” that elaborates on internalized racism and its effects on the body.
YOUR TASK: Please watch this video OR you can choose to read the author’s article HERE. (Or you may select to do both). After viewing (or reading), please leave your brief comment on the material below.
After reading the article and watching the video, I must say that I am confused. Race is not an interesting topic for me. In my religion, we are taught that all human beings are same and no one has priority on each other based on their colors and family background. So whenever I read or watch such type of content, I cannot digest it easily.
In the article, the author talks about 3 levels of race and this approach has risen a lot of questions in my mind. if we look at 3 levels of race, does not it boost up the chances of racism and discrimination?
We have already experienced all 3 types of racism in our nation that the author describes. Perhaps institutionalized racism is not as present as it was many decades ago, however both personal mediated racism and internalized racism still go strong today. It is unfortunate that different ethnic groups or human beings who are told that their self-worth is much less than the one who is pointing the finger at them is or was often believed. The world is a garden that should not have a pedestal to only one flower or a group of flowers. Instead, we should be able to have open arms and hearts and say that the is only one color which exists and that color is the rainbow. The question is: When and how do we turn all types of racism into all equal types of equalities?
Racism is a serious problem and the way the author broke down the three levels of racism gave me a better understanding about it. I think that using the example of the gardener was a great way to illustrate how racism works. If a person has personally mediated racism, they will already have a preference on a particular race. So treatment given will not be equal as in the case of the flowers. The reason why the pink flowers didn’t grow strong and beautiful was because of the environment (poor soil) and not because something was wrong with them. Any type of flower in that same environment wouldn’t have a chance to grow strong and beautiful not even the red flowers.
Knowing how racism works in each level could maybe help find a solution to this terrible problem. Racism has to be cut in all three levels for there to be progress. Eliminating it in one will not work and everyone needs to be on the same page starting from the gardener (person in power, government).
When it comes to the 3 different types of racism I believe two of the types described in the video are still around today. Institutionalized racism has really decreased ever since the civil rights movement but Internal and Personally mediated racism is still alive today and it causes issues for people every day of their lives. In present day there is a stereotype for every culture and ethnicity in the US and it has been leading to violence all around our nation and its all because of personally mediated racism. Internal racism causes people of a certain culture to become a stereotype because of how they are raised or what they think when they see a person who has more than them. I think that the example given in the video about The Gardener (The Government) planting seeds to two different places because of personal preference is a very good example to explain how the different types of racism occur in past and present day.
I agree with the author in that institutionalized racism needs to be addressed first so that the other two categories can be improved. The government truly does have all the power and resources and has the power to change the environment in which certain racial groups of people live in. however, to change the environment there also has to be an income inequality change as well. In my opinion people that live in nice neighborhoods make more money. If racial groups (other than white people) earn more money, they can have access to better resources and living conditions. But even that itself is hard to change when there a ton of other variables that go into how much a person can potentially earn in income over their lifetime. Education being one of them. This article does a great job of also explaining the other two categories of racism which are also important, but change has to come from the top (the gardener/the government) to trickle down to those affected by their choices.
it was a very nice story to read and the author’s comparison of the racism with gardener’s preferences the red flowers over pink ones illustrated three levels of racism: institutionalized, personally mediated and internationalized. Also she showed how it impacted on health and that all “flowers” must be taken care equally and that institutionalized racism is most powerful in the USA and we all should confront it and treat everybody equally.
I think the author did a great job at explaining racism. Her explanation of the 3 levels of racism: Institutionalized, Personally mediated, and Internal racism, gave me a better understanding of the topic. I agree with her 100% and I really enjoyed her Gardener example. Although I do believe the Gardener (government) has the power to make change, I believe it should start from within (internal racism). Many people think their entitled or better than others or vise versa because of who they are or where they came from. How can we expect the government to create change when we still view ourselves as better than the next “race”. How can we expect others to make change when we haven’t made the effort ourselves. Whether White, Black, Asian, etc. we all came from the same place. So why treat each other differently? We should be encouraging each other to be better not putting each other down. It’s sad that racism has been embedded in our culture, so now we must fight twice as hard to end it.
There are 3 types of racism spoken about here: Institutionalized, Mediated, and Internal. Now-a-days, institutionalized racism is definitely not as predominant as it was back in the day with the Jim Crow laws separating everyone. But that cannot be said about mediated and internal racism, for that happens everyday. No matter if it’s intentional or not, racism is still one the main issues we deal with. If we all would just treat each other as equals there would be no more believing were not good enough or there would be no more stereotyping.
I completely agree with the author that looking at race as a factor and not seeing any results, yet repeatedly going back to it is holding us back. Both medicinally, scientifically and socially. Why do we do it though? Probably because its better than telling your superiors or people funding your research that you haven’t gotten results. In accordance with the three levels of racism mentioned I believe that institutionalized racism is the most prevalent, especially for college students. For extreme examples of that look at FAFSA and other financial aid. Some schools are letting students in that shouldn’t be there (in terms of not making minimum requirements), offering double or more the financial aid and free resources just based on race. Colleges especially should be offering financial assistance to those with high grades, and financial need. Not just because “x” person is “y” race.
The author mentions a type of racism known as institutionalized racism. Although many think that institutionalized racism has reduced recently I believe that it is still just as common as it used to be but it simply has evolved. Institutionalized racism used to prevent minorities from getting certain jobs and doing certain things. Today there are laws that have been made that give those minorities a higher probability to succeed and give them an advantage over what used to be the more privileged race.
Do you honestly feel that government initiatives to rectify institutional racism in the past has taken away all the privilege from “White” groups? You state that the dominant group “used to be more privilege”— do you think that this is no longer the case?
The author basically described what racism is, and separated into 3 categories. Institutionalized racism may have decreased, but that is only for those that have actually reported it. It might still be in play in other places of the world, where it’s treated like a normal day (unfortunately). The other 2 is kind of something that can’t be controlled. The sad part is I don’t really see racism stopping. People are always entitled to their opinions and will always do what they do. Whether it is out of fear, misunderstanding, pride/ego; it all boils down to how people treat each other. This article is useful in that it explains the categories of these racism, even though some or most of us has already experienced or has knowledge about it; we probably didn’t know it was categorized as such. It’s good to spread awareness, but I don’t think it would really do much, especially if people only wish to stay in their box/world and refuse to acknowledge things outside of their circle.
In the article “Levels of Racism: A Theoretic Framework and a Gardener’s Tale” the author mentions three important types of racism that has and still effects our society. The author briefly describes internalized racism which is defined as acceptance by negative messages about their own abilities. Personality mediated racism which means different actions toward race and motive and action according to race. Both types of racism can be found when a Hispanic student gives up on his studies because his family suffers from poverty or he has always been influence with the idea that he/she won’t be able to attend a good college because he/she is not smart enough. Personality mediated could be found when we see a homeless person begging for help, money, or something to eat. Society doubts on those homeless people because they would use the money for drugs or they are lazy to find a job. Society judges without knowing their past and life situation.
The authors clearly break down 3 type institutionalized, Mediated, and Internal.Racism regardless in what way view it, it take will always have a negative impact. But the article explain how some racism are unintentional. though instittionalism doesn’t appear as it was year back it remains a big controversial topics.To even illustrated how far racism has gone parent start named their kids Italian, Asian or Russian just to be consider for a certain position so their application won’t get reject.Racism will playa role in this society,it’s sad to say but stereotypical is a mental.I see your colour is predominant to be good at doing science so therefore we should mostly hire such and such in other for our company to work as expected which is a false assumption like she did for the pink..
the author speaks about the three types of racism that exist in society. i think that the best example is when she compares the gardener to the government because the government is the only one that can make a change.
in my opinion, i think all three types of racism still exist and some are stronger than others. for example, institutionalized racism affects us because some people still have limitations on income, and businesses still hire based on appearance even though they do not openly deny a job application because of laws. this would be the weakest of all, but if you notice today, we still see businesses where they have the same ethnicity of people and are given better opportunities to grow in a company because they belong to the same ethnic group. Now in terms of personal mediated racism, i think that most people have past experiences and judgement ahead of time even before they meet someone new. the best way to change would be to meet people from different backgrounds and to encourage others to have an open mind. I guess mediated racism goes hand in hand with the last type of racism, internalized racism because a lot of times society itself places a wall on us. for example from the time that we are young our parents simply they take us to doctors which are often of the same ethnicity; whereas, someone else of a different background may be more qualified. in a similar manner, we see stereotypes such as that students who are better in math are normally Asian. when in fact a lot of people are good are math. In my opinion, i think that all three types of racism still exist some being stronger than others. It also depends on the person that we are, like the author says we, “shouldn’t stick to the box that we are in.” we should explore, encourage and learn new ideas from everyone that we meet.
Race plays a part in life from the very beginning until the end. Growing up I lived in a neighborhood where everyone looked like me. We had similar skin tones and we ask spoke the same. It wasn’t until high school that I encountered an environment that was diverse in race. I had to leave my neighborhood to get this experience. Our neighborhoods are divided by race, social status eveb death. The cemetery is even divided by race! I remember going there with my mom and we passed “Oriental Road” all the headstones were for people of Asian decent. I just dont understand why race plays such a huge part in the united states…
I have to agree with the author based on the three different types of levels of racism. Of course is it possible that some individuals based on race have more power than others? Throughout history, certain ethnic groups have been affected just by their color and where they come from. For example when the president became the first “Black” president certain people weren’t happy with who was in charge of a whole nation. In job applications why does ethnicity, or whether your Latino, Asian, or black matter? I feel that as long as you are very good at your job, and you are responsible than that’s what matters.
listening to the video and skimming through the reading has showed me a different way of thinking about racism. To me racism was just racism no matter what shape or form, i have never thought about it in levels. although i have known the difference between blatant racism and institutional racism and i have never put them together and processed it as racism in levels.
I believe that the government can help or lower this kind of racism. Politicians are able to include this in their agenda in order to reduce this kind of racism. Sometimes I feel as if minorities aren’t looked at unless you have an upper class population moving into the same neighborhood. I believe people are calling it gentrification now. But this is shouldn’t happen as a result of an upper class moving in. it should happen because the minorities matter equally.
This kind of racism is what makes me always wonder if I will be stopped and searched by cops. I used to believe in the saying don’t judge a book by it cover but I don’t believe in it anymore. One day when walking home from work at night I was stooped and detained by two officers because I fit the description. I had committed any crime. This could cause anxiety for some people who have to worry about this on a daily basis.
This is a serious issue, when I talk to some of my friends and ask them why they didn’t go to college they respond with answers I can’t blame for. Internalized racism is portrayed in movies school and a lot of other places we encounter on a daily basis. I feel at some point those who face internalized racism tried to fight against it but gave in. it sucks when you try to share your dream with a friend from the neighborhood and their response is “you can’t do that because of your skin color.” Of course you won’t pay your friend attention at first but when you see it’s a pattern with everyone else you share it with you start to believe that they are right and you’re not capable. It’s unfair that people have to deal with such negativity.
I think being mentally strong may contribute slightly to living a healthy. Also asking questions and seeking a solution can be beneficial.
Fantastic response– we will talk more about the effects of stereotyping and threats of stereotyping. You have generated a very thoughtful response. Well done.
racism has influenced the world in many different ways. we are been judged according to the color of our skins, background, race or gender. racism makes some people believe they’re inferior or superior then others. no matter how hard we fight against racism, I believe racism will always exist. it’s very hard to break that barrier. The author talked about the 3 types of racisms such as institutionalized, internalized, personal mediated racism. we should have equal access, privilege, and income. it’s not fair for a group of people to do the same job and they not getting pay the same income. Because of racism some us cannot even achieve our goals. we should have equal right according to the 14th amendment.
I think that race will always be an issue with people for a long time to come. We will always be judged and treated differently by the way we look, the color of our skin and texture of hair. This is very sad. Unless! we all look the same. Besides race, people are treated differently based on their gender, class or religion. Is anyone truly equal? Is this the only country that still does not have a female president?
The author presented a very interesting theory where she categorized racism into three levels (institutionalize, personally mediated, and internalize). She mentioned that out of the three, institutionalize is the most important and that it is the main one that needs to be address in order to eliminate racial disparity. Once this is address the other two levels will eventually address themselves. I agree with her that institutionalize racism is the most important but I disagree that the other two levels will address themselves once institutionalize is taken care of. Institutionalize racism has been address for years now in the U.S. and it has lessen over the years. Even though institutionalize racism has decreased, personally mediated and internalize racism haven’t. You see it on the news and media outlets a lot. An example is police brutality through personally mediated racism based on racial profiling. Some police escalate a small situation to the point that it ends up on the news. I also believe that the media are partly to be blame for racism. The contents they presented can cause internalize racism and personally mediated racism by making individuals feel a certain way about themselves or different groups of people. The same can apply to how people view the police because some of them didn’t intentionally wanted to result to brutality. Instead people couldn’t follow a simple by the book instruction and retaliated which led the police to take action. The media then presents the content as racism and police brutality because the last half of the event happens to be caught on camera. The media also acts as an outlet for people who intentionally cause trouble and then use racism as a mean to put the blame on others and get people to side with them. The constant exposure of race through media is the reason why racism is becoming harder to eliminate. It is okay once in a while but the constant exposure passes racism down to the next generation. Racism is still strong today and it will continue to stay that way unless all three of these levels are address. In addition the media need to stop fueling stereotypes and presenting racisms in just about everything, and people need to stop playing the race card when they know that it clearly has nothing to do with their race. They just needed a reason to get the media and others to side with them.
Wow, I really love the story of the gardener and the red-pink flowers that I read in the article. I think it makes racial disparities and its effects much more understandable and explains some of the thoughts that undoubtedly crosses people’s minds such as, “It’s wrong to think this race is better but its true that this race fares better than the other race.” People like to justify their racist ideas by “proving” that they are right about a certain race by giving “facts” and examples. Yes, there may be some truth in those “facts” but they are not looking at the bigger picture which is the social. What kind of environment did they have to grow up in? What kind of opportunities were available to them? What kind of influences in the community and household did they have? What kind of odds did they have? These questions are the background to what makes people who they are. Not what color they were born as.
Race has always been around for an long time. No matter where you at and what country you in you would still in counter some type of racism because of your skin color, the way other looks, and your back ground. You would expected that it a ready 21 century there shouldn’t be any type of racism because everyone have the same equal right. I also even notice people that are educated they still have some type of racism toward some type of culture, the way the other looks, gender you expected they would know better not to judge and look at everyone as equal right.
I totally understand the author’s point of view. As an immigrant, I do feel like I have experienced different levels of race. Racism was not abolished nor vanished but it still exists and aims anyone in the society. Why do people have to deal with institutionalized racism when they went to get a cup of coffee at ****bucks. No one can solve this terrifying race issues but people have to deal with it.
People often think a minority who look different from each other in skin, eyes color are different from the majority which is a big misjudgment. People should learn how to treat people equally regardless of their races. However, here, I’m wondering if the government have the power to change what people think. Who has the keys to the solution? I think the answer is “us” people unless the government control it by legislation.
The author did a great job explaining what racism is. It cleared a few things up for me. Like she said we need to give equal opportunities to everyone despite their race. We need to better this country’s systems in a way that everyone can be treated as equals but it will not happen until we find a way to destroy the idea of race. We should not have to wait around for the government to do something, we can stop it ourselves if we learn to stop judging others and actually treat each other equally.
The 3 levels of racism was explained really well. I believe racism is in everyone and some may be saying racist things without thinking twice but there are individuals who may be racist but might think twice before saying anything hurtful out load. It’s pretty much impossible to control what a person says and if you’re around a friend who is racist and they say lots of racist things then eventually you may be influenced by their way of speaking and start thinking the same as them. Racism is like a disease which can be spread easily but it may take some time to get rid of or may stay with you forever.
I have always thought of racism as something that everyone ignores because it is easier to make ourselves feel as though we have progressed from the time of slavery. I liked the author’s use of a garden to express her 3 levels of racism. I thought it was a very clear and impactful visual of how racism has become accepted in today’s society. We can always preach, march and riot against acts of blatant racism but I don’t believe that any significant change will come of it until the institutionalized racism in this country is definitively addressed. The start of racism came from the top and only from there will change occur. The government itself needs to address the racism that has been bred into the system itself.
The author gave a detail explanation on racism and even break it down 3 stages. In 21st Century, Institute Racism is being addressed as everyone is getting equal educations and such. Personally mediated racism is still strong because most people say it unintentionally without having malice, which usually goes like “No offense” and say remarks about their races. Internalized racism is also strong because it passed down from the previous regeneration and is it like “old grandma remedy.”
After reading the author’s article about racism. I found the article to be fairly interesting considering how he related the three different types of racism, which were institutionalized racism, personally mediated racism, and internalized racism, to the example of the gardener who preferred red roses over pink roses. while reading the article i realized the point the author was trying to make through the example he was using, which by the way was very visual and very true to what is happening in today’s society. This is some of the things affecting people who are from another race. It is something that is not normally spoken about because it’s easier to keep those thoughts to yourself.
I think the breaking down of racism into those three categories is a pretty interesting way of looking at it. I think it makes it much more simple to recognize racism when it does happens. And I agree with her in that we all need to be more vocal in calling out racism when it does occur in order to bring it to light and hopefully create change. Especially with institutionalized racism, which has been an issue for a very long time. Considering the stories and videos of police brutality in recent, I hope that now, with the ubiquity of social media, that this will help bring awareness to the situation and also aid to break down the barriers of perceived differences that divide us.
After reading the author’s article and watching the video breaking down racism into 3 levels; institutionalized; personally mediated; and internalized, I doubt racism will ever cease, we are human, we think and have our own individual preferences / ideas. The gardener knowing the quality of the 2 soils separate the pink flowers in poor quality and red flowers in high quality soil even though the two soils can be mixed to produce an equal environment for both. The gardener’s preference for red influence the conduct of raising it in high quality soil, while the pink flowers growth was either obstructed or removed. Even if we try to get people to treat each other equally, I believe racism / preferential treatment will still remain.
The story really gave me a better understanding about racism. The 3 levels she spoke about were institutionalized, personally mediated, and internalized. I have gone through so many occasions were there has been a issue with racism. We are always judge by the way we look, what race we are from. Now in days I believe there are cases out there that involve racism. Now in days you see it on TV, for example Donald Trump made several racism comments about Mexicans, with out even knowing them. He believes that they come to this country to give out drugs and bring in crime. I felt very upset by his comments I was brought to this country when I was 2 years old and my parents are hard workers. We had no criminal record and we do not deal with drugs. I am a very hard worker I work in order to pay for my tuition in college and I want to receive as much education as I can and make my parents proud and make them realize that they did not risk there life coming to this country for nothing, I would show to everyone that agree with Donald Trump comments about Mexicans make them see otherwise. Racism is everywhere on Tv and in personal experiences. This should stop it does not only make people feel upset but we should all be treated equally and not be judge just by our race and the way we look. It is very upsetting how people still think like this after so many years.
I like that the author broke up racism into three different levels. It gave me a better understanding on racism. I think people would understand what racism was if they were to read this article. The story about internalized racism was a great way of explaining exactly what internalized racism is. The story says that the gardener represents the government but I also think that the gardener can represent society and the people in our society.
The reading was informative as to where different categories of racism fall. The examples were fairly straightforward but the only thing that I took away from the whole work was that institutionalized racism is a far bigger issue then most people let on to be. Racism that can’t be ignored, and is very hard to uproot, as well as being seen as “just something that exists” or something that has and will be around isn’t productive to our society and hinders our development as a species.
After watching the video i think it was a very informative interview, some points that she gave made a lot of sense. I liked how she gave the gardener analogy about the flowers. i believe that “mixing up the soils” will help balance out racism in this world, giving everyone the same opportunity to “grow”. I think this video explains a lot of what is going on in this world and how racism affects us all. I also think more people should be exposed to this video so that they know what is actually happening when they do or say something racist.
The author separated racism into different categories which helped to more understand racism. What i took from the article was that government decides who will grow in the areas where resources are better and who wont. The gardener example was perfect for anyone to understand a simplistic view on institutionalized racism. Another key analogy was the pink flowers having “internalized the belief that red is better than pink, because they look across at the other flower box and see the red flowers strong and flourishing.” This is a prime example of racism having an effect on people of color both externally from their environment and internally from themselves.
I answered this post under a different section but I really didn’t get the comparison of the flowers to race.
After reading the article, I got a better understanding of racism under its 3 levels; institutionalized, mediated and internalized. I will advise people to read this article that can serves as a wake up call because issues around racism are mostly written and not usually spoken. Racism has been around for so long and will continue to be present if we don’t fight it at individual and collective level. Racism is today the cause of most brutality and crimes around the Word. We are all born equal and should believe at individual level in ourselves as human beings rather than internalizing negative messages created by other people about our own abilities and intrinsic worth. The Government should be doing more work in regard to racism by promoting equal opportunities for all. It is being ignorant and disrespectful to mistreat others because of their race.
In the reading, the author separated racism into 3 levels. They are institutionalized, personally mediated, and internalized. Institutionalized racism is where goods, services, and opportunities of society is differed by race. This is where material availability and power all comes to place. Certain groups can have certain education, housing, employment, medical facilities, etc. In other words, it is basically saying what ever class you are, you only have a certain amount of access to certain types of these materials and such; to a certain extent because of your race “class.” For personally mediated racism, it is just prejudice and discrimination all due to assumptions based on your own opinions, motives, intentions, actions, etc. all coming from the others of their own race. In other words, the word of mouth; what one person tells another about the other race and you judge upon that. Lastly, internalized racism is not believing in their own race and not believing others that look like them also, and also not believing in themselves.
Basically, what we’re born with, what we’re brought up in, how much access we have growing up, enriched by others of the own race, and such all comes to play. Just like how the author described her “A Gardener’s Tale” story. If you have two flower beds, one with a rich amount of soil and fertilizer and one with poor, rocky soil, the one with the rich new soil will flourish, while the one without such is to not be so flourished. And if one comes by to judge your boxes, of course one will choose the one with the rich soil. Should we mix the soil, or just let one grow less vibrant? The story puts the government as not being equal just like the gardener’s tale.
When reading about institutionalized racism I could not help but think of affirmative action, a policy which I have heard described as positive discrimination. In the 60s affirmative action served a vital role in insuring equal rights when it came to things like job opportunities or school admissions. It helped keep African Americans from being denied these things based on the color of their skin. But today I feel that that is no longer the case and that the idea of affirmative action promotes institutionalized racism. Say two people are applying for the same job, one who is in a protected class and one who is not in a protected class. In this scenario pretend that individual who is not in a protected class has more experience in the field and might be a better fit for the company, but because of affirmative action the job goes to the individual in the protected class instead even if he isn’t as qualified. How is that not a form of discrimination? Isn’t the applicant not in the protects class against because of skin color or gender? Because of affirmative actions companies and schools have “quotas” they need to fill and this will lead to people getting a position that they might not have earned if not for the color of their skin or their gender. In my opinion affirmative action has been keeping institutionalized racism alive.
In an ideal world things like race and gender would not have any role when making decisions on employment or college acceptance. Unfortunately, however, we do not live in an ideal world. If you get rid of things like affirmative action then I believe that there will be institutions out there who will go back to discriminating against people because of the color of their skin or their gender. So while affirmative action, in my opinion, promotes racism it can be successful in stopping it when done correctly.
It is very helpful to me after read this article. Specifically, the author is broke down the racism in three levels: institutionalized, personally, and internalized. I’m very interesting on institutionalized level. I think it is the main problem that the American’s society is carrying. The example how the gardener enforces to grow the red and pink flower is similar to how the government of the United States pushes on the population. It was stronger and clearer how well they treated White people in the past, as same as the red flowers in the article. I absolutely agree with the idea of the author that the government should provide a new soil to another box or mix the soil together. Because it is not fair when you are giving different resources between red and pink flower and then you expect them get the same result. Today the pink flowers is growing up much better than the past, but the soil resources between red and pink flowers are still not the same.