After watching part 3 of this film series, please answer the following question below:
Psychologist Beverly Daniel Tatum summarizes the impact of institutionalized racial policies
like FHA loan practices: “To the child of that parent, it looks like, ‘My father worked hard,
bought a house, passed his wealth on to me, made it possible for me to go to
school….How come your father didn’t do that?’” How would you answer the child of that
privileged parent? How would you explain the situation to the child of the parent who
was disadvantaged by government policies?
I would tell that child that it is not that simple. Not every person is privledged but it is what you do differently then generations before you is what counts. My family is a white family and I can say that we are kind of privledged in the context of how the film described it. But we never owned a home, and I pay for my education by myself. I believe it is what you make for yourself, rather than depending on your “privleges”. I dont believe that because of government policies that your family cannot provide for you based on race.
I would ask that child where they obtained the info and what do background information is available to validate the assumption. As history presents itself, there is evidences that insinuates that every group have not been provided with the same access to opportunities. Racist laws and polices have been placed that hindered non-white from accumulating wealth. Contrary to what this privileged child believes it is extremely difficult to obtain wealth due to racial inequality that has passed through generations putting groups in a disadvantaged position. The starting position of a group has the ability to produce long lasting outcomes.
I thought that this part of the film was very powerful. It all makes sense in how now minorities, live in lower income neighborhoods, and perhaps why a lot didn’t have an opportunity to obtain higher education. I belief if things wouldn’t have been done by color or by race, the world would’ve been a better one today. The mistakes done in the past has made things difficult today for minorities. If we would’ve been treated the same from the beginning, the united states could’ve been a better place to live in.
This film illustrated that what makes race are the laws, politically policies instead of physical features. I agree because as humans we are all the same blood but we look different, at the end of the day we are still the same kind. Yet race, due to the laws and policies people set for us is what causes classification of race. The Japanese could not gain citizenship even though Osawa, a man who has done everything he was suppose to do as an American. In the end, it was all because he was not caucasian. This was all determined by the court and even scientific reason was nothing to them. Rather, how they determined whites is what the common man said it was, which is quite ridiculous. It became more difficult for non-whites because they were not granted citizenship and ability to lease or buy land. This marked a wealth gap between society of white and non-whites. When FHA loan passed, whites were granted loans right away for houses but not the blacks. The question, “To the child of that parent, it looks like, ‘My father worked hard, bought a house, passed his wealth on to me, made it possible for me to go to school….How come your father didn’t do that?” It may look like to second or third generation children at that time that their father worked hard to buy a house and the domino effect so forth. But truth is if blacks were granted the loans the same time as whites, then things would be differently. Because the whites had generations of privileges, and as time passed their net worth were more valuable, it is all because of the first step that affects everything. The beginning is the most important step, and of course blacks were not granted that so therefore it was not because the blacks did not want to buy a house or work hard. The problem manifested in these people who were making the policies.
Q1). As a result of overt and covert policies of a systematic discrimination against non white populace, my father was selectively and categorically denied the very basic access to better education, job and wages which make life worth living for.
Q2). l would logically explain to a child of a privileged parent that, wherever and whenever a biased and corrupt system unfairly distribute and share resources among its citizens, there is a greater chance that, the minority groups end up with the lowest capital per head and impoverished standard of living.
Q3). To a child of a underprivileged parent, I would argue that, regardless of an individual’s effort, hard work and sacrifice, there is an inevitable fact that, we all need a good governance which works and creates opportunities and means to its citizenry to achieve and realize their dreams, hopes and aspirations.
As a oldie but goodie neighbor often ask ” How can we permanently and finally eliminate racism?”. Well, there is no magic wand which can change the hearts and minds of all those who see or use a trait like a skin color as the basis to prejudge and belittle the character of any individual.
Over the years, many battles have been fought by civil rights advocates and activists which paved the way for changes like the Affirmative Actions to ward off institutionalized segregation against minorities. However, the ugly face of racism still reigns in our contemporary society via different shades and shapes like the “birthers”, racial profiles and hate crimes.
It is my belief that, we can take further steps which would reduce the magnitude and strength of this inhuman act by the following proposals.
!) First and foremost, as the minorities, we must duly accept life as a burdensome challenge which demands our full fledged responsibilities to craft a plan of problem solving techniques to confront the barriers to our upward mobility.
2) We must use our available human and material resources to invest in our people to build a strong economy which would satisfy our needs and wants thus becoming self reliant and progressive.
3) It would be in our own social interest to put much emphasis on scientific education, research investment and development as the key points of our social-economic emancipation.
The above listed measures ought to be part of comprehensive and cohesive strategies to withstand and counter the force of racism which is deeply rooted in every aspect of the society we live in.
I will tell the child that your father was able to buy the house because of the privileges that comes along with the white color. Your father may have worked hard to earn some money but along with that were those privileges that your father had that my father did not have. Even if my father was able to buy a house, the property would be in black neighborhood where the equity is not anywhere close to what they have in white neighborhoods. There were many government resources in terms of loans and better jobs that were available to whites but blacks like my father did not have the same opportunity. For example when the G I’s came back from war in 1939, opportunity was opened up for veterans to own their own homes, they were given federal loans. When the black veterans went to ask to buy homes, they were denied that opportunity. Blacks were excluded from government housing loan program, they were given public housing. There was redlining also that divided black neighborhoods from white neighborhoods. All of these problems affected businesses, schools and other things that made it difficult for my father to accumulate wealth like your father did. My father was hard working just like your father but the color of my father’s skin determined what benefit was available to him.
I will explain to him that buying a house involves lots of other factor. Not just about money but family records and other bias matter too. Let’s talk about purchasing a car, sound easy enough now? For example, A & B both earns 3000 a month, same age and purchasing the same car. All family member of A’s has their license for over 5 years, yet B is the first one who has a license in his house. When they go to the dealer ship , A doesn’t need to pay as much deposit as B does because A has a very good credit base on his family record, and his family members are willing to share their insurance with A. On the other hand, B is a first generation immigrant so he is lack of any background support. Despite all the money B using on driving classes, he also needs to pay more on deposit and insurance. Does it sound fair to you? Even their payment are the same, other factors may impede them to purchase their car too. When it comes to purchasing a house, it only gets more complicated. It’s never fair to compare two people with different starting point.
In my opinion, people who already have privilege would not realize how hard it could be to the others. They would not know how much effort did the minority group put in to reach their ” standard”.
I would say that everyone is different. Not everyone can work hard because they have low paid jobs or have no jobs at all. I would also explain about white privileges. White privileges makes the whites feel superior and they can also get better jobs than the non-whites. White privileges mostly gives the whites to do anything that is hard for non-whites. Such as getting high paid jobs, loans from banks, and getting better education.
Thinking objectively I can understand perfectly why a privileged child might ask such a question. Did he not see his father wake in the wee hours of the morning to leave home and toll away day in and day out to make a better life for his family? Did he not witness firsthand the frustrations and obstacles that his father faced in his quest for something better? What this individual and others like him lack is the knowledge of the world around them. Children and many adults for that matter live in a much protected world. They can only see as far as their front porch and are either shielded or refuse to see any further. I would say to both the disadvantaged and the privileged child; look not at your father, but at your father’s father and his father before him. Then compare those men to the men of my family. When they were encouraged to embrace the American dream by taking part in the democratic process, engage in fruitful enterprise and, ownership my forefathers were under the leash of Jim Crow. When they were encouraged and enabled by the government to purchase homes and foster communities my forefathers were locked in a battle for basic civil rights. When your father bestowed upon you the fruits of his ancestors my father was planting the first seeds. I will nurture the tree that my father has sowed and my sons will harvest the fruits of their forefathers.
Psychologist Beverly Daniel Tatum summarizes the impact of institutionalized racial policies
like FHA loan practices: “To the child of that parent, it looks like, ‘My father worked hard,
bought a house, passed his wealth on to me, made it possible for me to go to
school….How come your father didn’t do that?’” How would you answer the child of that
privileged parent? How would you explain the situation to the child of the parent who
was disadvantaged by government policies?
To the child of that privileged parent. I would tell him that we all don’t start at the same level, people of certain race or class have things more available to them, better opportunities or it was handed to them and there are policies and laws that give certain race or class a boost over others. And that these policies and laws make it hard for everyone to reach the same privileges and or opportunities like those who already have it.
To the child of the disadvantaged, I will tell them to work hard, work well, to study, to learn, to stop listening to others and find ways to reach a new or different level. I would explain to them how the U.S. was form very unevenly all because of money and power and privilege and most likely fear of a better, different, equal future, where money wasn’t the necessity.
Part 3 of the film showed us how laws were formed to prevent immigrants, blacks, Asians and Latinos from ever building a foundation for a better future. The film showed how tough it was for immigrants to become citizens, many were stripped from their citizenship and or property and force into poverty. The U.S. used “science” to decree the laws, but when science couldn’t defend them, the laws were changed and when the law was against them, they simply went with gut feeling, basically deciding for themselves who was a white Caucasian and who had the right to be a citizen. The film then lead up to the mortgage scheme that segregates blindly whites form others. Showing how suburbia was born and how other places urbanized.
I would tell the child of that privileged parent that every person is not fortunate to accomplish wealth to pass on to their child/children, espeically if you’re African American parent. since most of the laws and policies are not even avaliabe to these parents. it is extremely hard for most parents to even afford to get an education to get a decent job to buy a house and save to help their child/children. it’s also hard for the single parents especially mothers to care for their child/children. Every child/children has a father, but most of these fathers are not in their cild/ children lives.
For the child/children of the parent who was disadvantage by the government policies, my advice would be for that child/children to go to school,get an education and become someboy in life so that they would not have to grow up and live the same life their parent did.
Government policies like FHA loan practices definitely are racist. They put tremendous disadvantages on minority groups. People from minority groups still can climb the social ladder through hard working and education, but it’s harder. The difference those racist policies have made can be huge after few generations. I will tell the child of parents who were disadvantaged by government policy that things are getting better especially after Civil Right movement in 1960s. Because there are racist policies, we have to fight for equal oppotunities and treatments. For the child of privileged parent, I will tell them people should be treated equally no matter what race he or she is.
To the child of that parent, it looks like, ‘My father worked hard,
bought a house, passed his wealth on to me, made it possible for me to go to
school….How come your father didn’t do that?’” How would you answer the child of that
privileged parent? How would you explain the situation to the child of the parent who
was disadvantaged by government policies?
I would not try to stoop down to the level of the privileged child and talk down about the hard work their parents have done. i would simply reply “my parents faced many restrictions in the process of working hard.” i would explain the struggles minorities faced. It was absolutely impossible for a minority to become an American citizen. Every minority that fought against the system was denied by the government. Receiving a well paid job was restricted to minorities. Minorities were not allowed to move into certain neighborhoods and were forced into the lesser advantaged places. Those would be the key reasons i would simple explain as to why i am not as privileged.
I would explain that economic inequality also revolves around factors like denied privileges and resources to individuals. The society we live in loves to state that if individuals are constantly trapped in poverty is due to their lack of motivation to work hard or for having overlooked opportunities to succeed. But what if a father did as much as he could and even sustaining a family represented a challenge in a society where these so called opportunities and resources were withhold from this father because he belongs to a non privileged minority? Then what becomes the main contributor to the unfortunate position in the economic ladder a family has to face is obviously a corrupted system.
When poverty is caused by unfair government policies a child endures the situation first hand. Seeing his/her parent constantly sacrificing for obtaining a better quality of life and still staying stuck in poverty perhaps makes it easier to explain the notion of something else causing their poverty. Thus, I will explain to the child that the unbalanced political administration constitutes a real determinant of poverty.
I would answer by telling that child the different levels of differences that are between blacks and whites in our society and how these differences have allowed mostly blacks not to be able to provide the same kinds of privilege a white kid would receive. Whites are able to afford houses which they later pass on to their kids and their kids are able to enjoy this wealth because their parents had a good education and were able to apply for jobs at any company they so desired and they were given that job because they were white. Unlike the black man even if he or she managed to get an education, getting a job would not be that easy because there are certain jobs in which a black man may not be hired even though he may have the qualification for it he may be denied the job just because of the color of his skin. These differences have made some people in our society privileged while others are less fortunate.
I would explain to the child that houses the wealth gap throughout the years was the big issue when it came to owning a house in a predominantly white area and where lack of opportunities played a major role in the advantage you had in owning a home in an area that promoted inequality. The past discrimination that a non-privileged parent had, played a major role in the way your chances were in shaping the generation. Also, even if they did have money, the area in which they wanted to be a part of wouldn’t let them due to continuing inequality and lack of opportunities. The disadvantages of the government policies were because of integrated neighborhoods and the fact that discrimination and power held them back from being a part of a society that everyone was created equal, when in fact that wasn’t true if you weren’t white.
Out of all three parts, part three is my favorite. I like the truth behind it, which is america is an ignorant country that still has alot to do and change in order to overcome all its obstacles when it comes to race but that is my opinion. I do not come from wealth, I come from a family of immigrants. If i had to have a conversation with a privilege child I would not be ashamed to tell them where i am from, what i have experienced or the lessons i have learned for coming from a “poor” neighborhood. I would tell them although my parents could not afford to give me everything i wanted i got what i needed and that my dad gave me whatever he could. That i had food on my table and cloths on my back that i could have wanted money i was content with what i had and only hungered to do better for myself and my family. I would tell them that my mom and dad are both immigrants from Guatemala and come to american illegally and worked hard for many years. Both my parents and my immediate family are all now citizens of the USA. I would tell them that even after being here for more then 30 years we still cannot afford a house to buy so we rent and although we rent and the rent is high we make ends meet. I would tell them that without financial aid i would not be able to go to college because my parents cannot afford it and i myself refuse to put anybody in debt because of me. I would tell them that i am the first to graduate with my bachelors in my entire family and that my parents are proud. I have done this all for them. One day i want to be able to buy them a house and provide for them the same way they have provided for me. Finally i would tell them although i was not blessed with money i was blessed with many other things. That through the obstacles of living the “american dream” my parents made it through the obstacles of not speaking on word of english, being scared to seek things like welfare and not being able to hold a good job in the beginning. They made it.
I would say that that was them. My parents are not from this country and decided to leave everything they had and known to come to this country to give me and my siblings a better chance to succeed. So now is my duty, my responsibility, my goal and my work in life to make that happen. I’m not an American. I was not born here. My parents were not born here. But they were lucky to come to America at a time of great change and progress.
I would give information on various advantages the privileged parents had on the basis of their race. In my opinion, the privileged parents were obviously whites and got a lot of benefits including loans to buy house in a good neighborhood which helped to increase the net worth of their property. Apart from that, they could acquire good education which gave a clear path to get a good job, healthy income and healthy life similarly. Thus, would explain that there were several other political factors that were involved in their parents’ life which opened a lot of opportunities in his parents’ life which also helped him to get quality education.
On the other hand, I would explain about all the benefits that were deprived to the underprivileged parents. I would try to give a clear meaning to the children of the underprivileged parents on how racial discrimination including other government policies deprived his or her parents from providing similar facilities as that of white children. I would explain him on how racial inequality from past generations has adverse impact for generations to come.
well im a minority , the same bridges and doors aren’t open for both of us, you have every opportunity and policy work in your favor. I however need to find loopholes within the same policy’s to have the same opportunities ,because even if my father worked hard and bought a house in a nice community it would eventually become a ghetto prices would drops and the hard money my father worked for, money that he invested in this house to save as a bank would be worth nothing, why ? because the presence of one minority can change that much, we aren’t actually equal.
I would reply, unfortunately we live in an unfair world, where we are judged by our skin color and not what we have to offer. Your father’s skin color allowed him the privileges that my father was not. It disregarded how qualified, ambitious , or how hardworking my father was. Being born white is the equivalent of being born with a gold spoon in one’s mouth, while being black is the equivalent of living a life of full of never ending hopes and dreams that one can only hope to live long enough to fulfill.
I would answer the child of the privileged parent by telling him or her that because of the policies in place people who are categorized by their looks as non-whites are denied the same ability or chance to obtain the same privileges that a child from a background where their parents owned everything and were able to pass down their belongings to him or her. To explain the situation to the child of the parent who was disadvantaged by government policies is that I would say that is the way things are because of the reason that in today’s society people still look the idea of race or the way someone looks physically or based upon their on biology in defining things such as what houses they can afford to buy, what jobs they can be a part of and more. In addition, until we look past the biological part when it comes to determining government policies availability and take a look at the economical and social information will the policies enact by our government be more fair towards people that are non-white.
To the child who’s parents were disadvantaged by government policies I will explain to him/her that back in the 20th century things were not as easy as they are now. People of color were viewed as non citizens who couldn’t do the same things as whites. Probably that’s why if you compare to how was it like back then from now you can tell why some other people had advantages and why others did not. And the reasons why that happened then, is the outcome of why others can have the wealth and properties passed on to. To the child of the privilege parent I will give him the same answer but I will explain to him/her that we should not act with more power or take advantage of others only because wealth does not pass down generation after generation. We have to understand that this country was birthed in racial inequality.
My answer to the privileged child would be, unfortunately everyone is not given the same equal opportunities to provide a better life for their family. I would then ask them what hard work in comparison to what my family has done makes them think that their family worked hard or harder to get to where they are at. I would explain to them different laws and how discrimination was made to exclude certain people from the privileges you are now reaping. I would tell them to do some research on how and people were discriminated against. I would explain to the other child that due to racism we are not always going to be looked at or treated equal and afforded the same opportunities. I would tell them that while now there are people accepting different racial and economic groups there are still some who a perpetuating ignorant levels of discrimination to uphold social classes. It is important that we uplift and educate ourselves to place us in better opportunities without any permissible excuse.
I think it really comes down to not knowing all the facts to the case. What is going behind the scenes. I would explain to the child of the privileged parents that we can’t always believe what we see. That money inherited could of and maybe was the wealth that was taken away/ceased from a non citizen because they weren’t white enough.
Same applies today to the ones who are on welfare – we aren’t to judge if someone bought a poor person a brand new iphone or a name brand jacket.
Difference between both children is that if either one were to rise to the top to the ladder, it would be the under privileged child that would have better character and devotion than the privileged child, because the privileged usually abuse their inherited position instead of doing all they can to be the best they can.
its something so hard to explained , its obvious that he/she isnt aware of the social factors that come into play when being handed down wealth. my father didnt have the opportunities your father did , its fortunate for you that you were born in the right family because others didnt have the luck yours did. i would like to explain to the privileged child that race and laws played a role in this , i would want him/she to understand that this doesnt mean the father of the unprivileged is any less educated then his/her. also i want them to know that race is one of the most important factors that lead to their wealth.
and to the under privileged child , i would have to let him know the same thing , it isnt his fathers fault that he didnt leave him wealth behind , it was nearly impossible. i think most heart breaking thing i would have to tell this child is that , the world is unfair and sometimes you cant do anything but keep on moving forward . that simply just by being a certain race you lessen value of anything including life .
well as a grown up it could be easy to explain but as a child it may not be so easy to understand why their parents do not have the same opportunity that the fortunate parents have. However, I will start by letting the child know that life is not fair. And there are many factors that can play a role in someone being successful. I will let them know that in this society someone future is pre-determine. it is not by choice that someone is poor rather it by design. some people are giving the necessary to succeed while the other do not. the plain field is not equal. it is like you have a race and some people have cars and the other have bicycle. who do you thing will get to their destination first? or giving some a typewriter to type while the other group have a computer, who do you think will have a better writing paper or type the paper faster?
in addition some people do not have the same economic resources, physical capability, and same social responsibility. in a nut shell everybody situation is different than the next person
A child would not be able to grasp the ideas they need to grasp to understand why they started in a different place in life. The truth is, it is possible to gain wealth and possible to be born with it and squander it. Every person is born with potential, but they are born into a world where those that came before them went through different situations. Their parents are not a reflection of their own intelligence and potential. Yes, it is possible that your father is wealthy and successful, and that is a good thing. It is also possible that somebody else’s father was not – perhaps he struggled with drugs or mental illness, for example. Discriminating based on class is silly, as it’s possible for each person’s social class to change dramatically over the course of their lives. Bill Gates didn’t come from a wealthy background, and it would be a shame if his classmates had thought less of him for it. That child would come to learn to respect others in time.
There is no way simply explain to someone, something that has been drilled into us and told to us forever, that “others got here by hard work and sacrifice we should do the same, stop waiting on handouts”. It’s a difficult concept to explain without it seeming as excuses are being made for an entire race, or a large portion of the black race. It was stunning to see the information put forth in the video because as much as we hear about institutional and systemic racism, it’s usually just rehashed rederick and no real facts.
I would explain to the child that the impact of institutionalized racial policies like FHA loan practices that specifically denied Blacks their fair share and opportunity after serving their country and sacrificing their lives just as whites did, were inhumane and unfortunate. Being forced to work for free for 400 years, being denied the right to own land or open businesses. Eventually being allowed to fight and die for country but not allowed to share in the privileges and prosperity allowed the chosen of that country, it’s surprising that we’ve gotten as far as we have, and have achieved as much as we have. These seemly small missed opportunities compound over time and are the decider between wealth and poverty. The opportunity of ownership specifically prevented blacks from being able to pass equity from generation to generation, forcing every generation to start the uphill battle with nothing as opposed to them getting some form of ownership through inheritance and building their fortune with a foundation and start.
Psychologist Beverly Daniel Tatum summarizes the impact of institutionalized racial policies
like FHA loan practices: “To the child of that parent, it looks like, ‘My father worked hard,
bought a house, passed his wealth on to me, made it possible for me to go to
school….How come your father didn’t do that?’” How would you answer the child of that
privileged parent? How would you explain the situation to the child of the parent who
was disadvantaged by government policies?
The child of the privileged parent only knows what he/she is told to by their parents. I am not consider a child of “whiteness”. My ancestors all suffered because of the color of their skin and how your forefathers chose to treat my family. I may not be wealthy but I know everything that I have is because my ancestors worked hard. And because they were limited in taking part in successful endeavors like housing and education, I am not as fortunate as you. I would tell the child of the parent that is disadvantaged by government policies that yes in the past we may have been controlled by the government and the whites that are in charge, but it will not be like this forever. Every generation that goes by gets a little wiser, smarter, and does things better. It is your duty as a disadvantaged individual to stand up tall with a privileged mindset, it may be tough to accomplish tasks but believe in yourself and raise the next generation the same way; and those who were once disadvantaged would become privileged in many areas of their lives.
I would like to answer both kids with the content of the documentary “the house we live in” which addresses the legacy of past discrimination and historical meaning of race.
The documentary discussed two people the privileged and the disadvantaged. The privilege child descended from ancestors benefited and privileged not necessarily because of hard work, but because of the racialized nature of the laws, courts, customs, and most importantly housing.
Real estates practise and federal government regulations directed government guaranteed loans to white homeowners and kept non white out increasing accumulation of equity and wealth as their homes increased in value. Houses in predominantly white areas sell for much more than those in black, hispanic or integrated neighborhoods, and so wealth,power,and advantage passed to the child and wealth isn’t just a luxury or profit but also a starting point for the next generation.
On other hand, the disadvantage child inherited nothing from parents who were disadvantaged by laws, courts,customs and housing just because of their skin color. There are know differences between the white and non white group in test scores , graduation rates and other measures its the lack of opportunities, not natural differences that’s responsible for continuing inequalities. Policies which ignore race only perpetuate these inequalities that is why a Japanese immigrant who had attended the University of California was denied citizenship for not been legally white.
Even if you inherited nothing from your parents as a child you can still make a difference because you have opportunity as any other person to turn situation around as most of these laws have been changed.
I would answer that child in the most honest way possible, because if I put my self in that child’s place I know that I would’ve wanted a true and honest answer as well. Though its tough to tell a child about the disadvantages of his or her parents, I would do say it, not in a harsh way but try to put in a way the child would come to understand what I was saying, and in a way that I hope he or she would strive to make a better future for their kids as they grow older. What I wouldn’t ever tell that child however is the fact that “your parents aren’t gaining all of what other parents are gaining only because your parents are not considered white.” I would never tell a child that today because to me telling them that would put this ides in their heads that because of the “white” race colored parents cannot afford equality in this country. It might construct a type of hatefulness in that child and little by little if we keep telling kids that and they keep gaining hatred, we will ultimately raise the idea of racism all over again. Instead of doing this, I think we should start explaining what is wrong in the country but not through the perspective of race, but through other non racial ways.
I would try to present to him a more complex picture of the situation. I would tell him that throughout the history of our country, opportunities were not given to all group of people equally. Not long ago, the white majority used deprived minorities from all social and economical rights. Worst of all, this was institutionalized and legalized. We don’t start our lives in equal footing. All privileges that whites people possesses is not just the fruit of their hard work, it is the product of years if not centuries of favoritism toward them by the state. This is the root of the rampant inequality between different racial groups in this country. For that reason, it is incumbent upon all us to fight for equal opportunities to all people without race consideration in order to build a just and fairer society.
To the child of that privileged parent, all I can say to he or she is that , remember long before the passing of House Act for GI bills in 1930, black African Americans (parents) had already been had tough times to educate their children due to segregation. Of course, many parents of that time sacrificed themselves days and nights to work in plantations, or some other areas regarding their occupations at low cost within the US in order to educate their children for years to come. Because of the courageous sacrifice made by them that allows their children to educate their own kids for the future, those kids have become privileged parents.
1. My message is, the child of that privileged parent, there’s nothing more nothing less than sacrifice in terms of lots of efforts to become somebody because wealth derives from sacrifice to pass on to the next to have the privilege, or otherwise.
2. My message for the disadvantaged one, it is obvious in the film, James. H, a black African American said, “Race is a social political construction.”, my understanding of his quote is , race can cause a variety of factors such as lack of education, low incomes, etc, due to policies. However, not all the time, sometimes it depends on the amount of sacrifice, effort, and determination during the course of the parents’life that will benefit their kids for the future in order to have the privilege.
To answer the child of the privileged parent and the disadvantage child, I would have to explain the history of America and how it has molded society so that white people practically get everything handed to them. I’d have to explain to them that the color of your skin determines how much of an advantage you get in this society. You can explain that based on unfair government housing policies in the past, that even if minorities worked hard, they still aren’t allowed certain priveleges. To think that a veteran coming back from war after fighting for this country being denied a home just because of the color of his skin is very upsetting and extremely unjustified. I’d also tell the disadvantage children don’t let that discourage them and to still continue to go for their dreams. Where there’s a will, there’s a way and as long as you have the right mindset, you can achieve anything despite any obstacles.
I would tell the child that not every parent has the means to pass down their wealth to their children. We are a victim of our circumstances, not everybody can be put in a position to set their children up for their future. I would suggest hard work, staying in school, and obtaining a career to set yourself and your future children up for success.
I would simply explain that everyone’s upbringing is different, and there may have been difficult obstacles that particular person may have faced which gave them limited resources. Another thing, maybe that particular person’s support system wasn’t as big as someone’s who always had support. And lastly, just because someone has more money/ financial assistance then someone else it doesn’t guarantee a better life, just a less expensive one.
I would tell the child of the privileged parent that both our parents worked equally hard and because racism plays a big role in buying a house, that my father wasn’t able to buy a house and pass it on to me. The government made it difficult for my father to receive equally opportunity as your father, even though he could afford to buy a house. to the child of the unprivileged parent, I would tell him/her that despite the inequalities in this world, it should not stop him from working hard and creating a better future for his family in the future. the status of his/her father in society should not stop him/her from achieving better things in his life.
Everybody has a different story to tell. Some people described their life hard while their other peers had good life. The KARMA for everybody is different so even if people belong to the same race, group or country, their approach to life is different, and their life is different (including good and bad times). The movie that we saw in class describes how new immigrants from different parts of the world settled in the U.S. and how they lived and struggled to make a better life for themselves and their kids. Ultimately there is a GOD controlling everything, no matter what country you live in, you cannot escape universal laws of GOD.
1. How would you answer the child of that privileged parent?
I would tell the child that the parent was able to get the house because of the skin color, the parent was able to get the loan from the bank and get the house that they want. And that back in the days the society didn’t believe that the poor people should have the same rights as the rich people. As we saw in the film, there was a big wall built to separate the nice neighborhood from the poor people projects.
2. How would you explain the situation to the child of the parent who was disadvantaged by government policies?
I would explained to the child that the parent could not get the house simply because the parent was part of the minority aka the poor people and due to that reason he was not able to get anything from the government. The parent was limited to what he can get, compare to the white people, the poor parent was not allow to get loan from the bank nor naturalization in the U.S. And even though the parent is a hardworking, the government had too many policies that only favored the rich people “White”.
I would explained to the privileged child that there are many other factors that will allow or impede the process of obtaining a home and becoming successful. For minorities the process is much harder especially if they are first generation immigrants. There are many laws and practices in place to discriminate the ability for minorities to gain financial and political power. To the child from the underprivileged parents I would tell them not to considered their parents lazy and unmotivated to reach the American dream, for many it is not as easy as it is portrayed. The idea is to continue to work hard and persevere and everything else will follow.
I will inform the privileged the child that depending on the color of a person’s skin, especially non-white people have not been given equal opportunity. Racism effected and influenced everything about society. For example, immigrants that can to the U.S where offered the hardest lowest paying jobs with hazardous working conditions. Small city’s called the slums started to develop where so called inferior races lived manly black, Hispanics and Asians. Also, when veteran solders came back from serving in World War Two, they were not given equal opportunity to start a living. For example, both white and black fought in the war however when the government decided to give housing loans to returning solders so they can own a home, blacks where deprived of this significant opportunity to change their life for a better future. Instead black G I’s where forced into public housing and lost the chance to pass on their wealth to the next generation.
I was the lucky one, who parents worked hard and bought. My parents had to borrow money from the credit union and the bank. They even needed a co-signer to get a mortgage. Times where hard for my parents, I can’t imagine the child of the parents who could not get a mortgage because of the color of their skin. I would tell the child that their parent are good people, and that the FHA loan practices is just another way to keep people of color down. Their where so many families who were disadvantage by the government policies. Which made so hard for them to get good housing in a good community. Most hard working people of color had to buy homes in different parts of community, because the white families where afraid that their property would devalue if people of color lived next store to them. People of color where able to buy a home in a different in communities and made the best life possible of their children. Therefore, the children of disadvantages would be able to be proud of their parents, who worked so hard.
a) I would explain to the child that it is not that simple. everyone struggle is different. he probably worked hard yet for different minority groups they have to work harder and at times don’t the opportunity to provide for there family financially.
b) I would explain to that child that the parent was pretty much limited to the things he/she could get to provide for the family, because certain skin colors were favored over others. is it right? no but this is the way the government set it out to be.
“To the child of that parent, it looks like, ‘My father worked hard,
bought a house, passed his wealth on to me, made it possible for me to go to
school….How come your father didn’t do that?’” How would you answer the child of that
privileged parent? How would you explain the situation to the child of the parent who
was disadvantaged by government policies?
I think it’s very hard to explain to a child what white privilege is, because of their lack of experience with stereotyping, witnessing racism etc. I would tell the privileged child that, my father wasn’t able to buy assets and pass it on to me because of how the system and law was set up during that time. Only the one’s with the fairest skin complexion had all the opportunities and wealth.
I would tell the child of the parent who was disadvantaged by the government policies that, times were rough for any who wasn’t white. The lack of support and resources from the government was what led them to not owning any properties and assets to pass on to the future generation. I would also tell him/her that now is the time for them to gain back the respect they deserve by educating themselves and being successful so they can own houses and properties of their own and hopefully pass it on their next generation.
In my opinion, i will said not everyone was not given the same opportunities to have better life for their family. Because of the racism many people were discriminated so all people will have different opportunities base on jobs, education, etc. The disadvantage for a child that has been raise from parents who were also had disadvantage just because of the skin color their life will always be different and that make inequalities in this world.
Growing up in a house that your parents own brings about an array of benefits. One particular benefit that jumps out to me is having the privilege of going through grade school in the same environment. I say this because if your parents own a home the likelihood of you moving and having to attend different school districts is highly unlikely. This alone plays a vital role in the overall education of a child because they are able to concentrate in their academics instead of worrying about making new friends at a new school.
My father was the bread winner for many years growing up. He is of Polish and Romanian descent. His father who’s Polish, was very wealthy with his own antique business. Although, previously discussed, eastern European men of that descent was not considered white in the eyes of the judicial system. I wonder how his father became so successful and if he might have pretended to be one of the “white” men to have equal privileges. My father also made a good living for himself and retired at the early age of 48 which many people in his upper to mid middle class would not be able to accomplish in this day and age. My mother is of Puerto Rican descent, her mother brought her here at a young age from Puerto Rico and worked very hard to support my mother and my mother’s brother. Her mother was a home health aid and made minimum wage. When she came, she didn’t speak much English so had to settle with what she had. Now there are so many bilingual or just Spanish speaking positions that could of been beneficial to her back then. Everyone seems to have a place in today’s society which was concluded in the video, I’m glad to see our nation come such a long way, although the sacrifices were definitely not forgotten, but hopefully forgiven.