Here's a great Washington Post article by Roxanne Roberts and Krissah Thompson on black integration in the "A list" world of Washington, DC.
D.C.'s High-Level Social Scene Now Mingles Black and White
Here's what stands out to me. There is a national assumption that black Americans are, as a collective group, on average, poorer than white people. Not that every black American is poor--but when people think "black" they'd be much more inclined to connect it to the word "poor" rather than the words "middle class" or "rich." This is damaging to our collective psyche in general and race relations in particular because it means that other groups, especially white people, don't naturally feel as though they have something in common with large blocks of black Americans. But the truth of the matters is that half of all black Americans are middle class -- which means that those in the other half are either rich or poor. And as middle class Americans, fifty percent of blacks have all of the same struggles as all other members of the middle class--including all of the mundane and often boring concerns such as whether using the coupon to purchase a toaster at Wal*Mart is a smarter option than sending in the rebate that Target offers.
Granted, a disproportionately larger number of black Americans are poor when compared with white and Asian Americans, and racism continues to affect the life chances of people with dark skin who live in America, but the focus of this article is wealthy black Americans. That is to say, RRRRRRICH black people whose powerful and privileged lives would be so alien to most white Americans that the latter would not even have a longing to be like them. This has absolutely nothing to do with affirmative action, by the way, and everything to do with using connections to make more connections and cashing in privilege to gain more privilege. And while these black men and women might feel some unease walking the halls of power given the history of "their people," one likely would not know it by listening in on their conversations. Moreover, these black A-listers probably care about black people in need just about as much as white A-listers care about white people in need. You can decide for yourself if you think that both groups care "a great deal" or "not much at all."
And keep in mind that this article could well have been written about the privileged strata of Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans because the elites of each of these groups have also carved out lives that by and large remain mysteries to many tens of millions of white people.
So how does this article stack up against how you think of black Americans and, if you have time to listen to his shtick, what might you say to Chris Rock? When you think about "white privilege," how do you integrate these African American (and Latino, Asian, American Indian) "A-Listers" in to your thinking?
229 comments:
1 – 200 of 229 Newer› Newest»It is really cool to see the tides of the upper class changing a little bit. Even though the black people that are suddenly being invited to these parties are usually richer than we can imagine, money has not brought them as much power as it does in white society. So, although this is a different form of racism from the norm, it is still an important obstacle that must be overcome. In our capitalist country, money is power. In elections, money is free speech (the more money, the more broadcasting time). Therefore, in order for those with decision-making power to be free of prejudice, everyone’s money must equal the same amount of power. With Obama in office, making “being black what’s in,” it gives a lot of opportunities for people to make personal connections and get more money for their power. Like the Fox Analyst in the article, it is much harder to hate those that you have a personal, pleasant connection with. As these connections grow, the barrier of the upper class will diminish. Also, as this group shifts from those of the era of civil rights to that of the era after civil rights, it will be easier for integration to occur. Unfortunately, this article, like Sam Richards wrote, doesn’t address the problem of class. The divide between the rich and the poor, the privileged and oppressed, is a different issue that strikes at the heart of our capitalist society. Racism, Sexism, and other forms of prejudice, although sometimes rooted in “moral” or “biological” excuses, are usually related to the keeping of one group down economically. The racism in the job market, the educational system, and the banks keep other people from the upper mobility of class that is provided to white male society. This is a much harder issue to change too, since capitalism is revolves around winners and losers. Everyone has the opportunity to make as much money as they can. It is the whole “even starting line” idea. As we talked about in class, there is white privilege, which is something that helps whites across the board in that upper mobility. Those in the upper circles of Washington don’t have to worry as much about this, as they have traversed the obstacles that allowed them to reach a high level of power in our country. I believe that something that is as important as eliminating white privilege is in decreasing class privilege. We talked about nepotism in class, and how affirmative action is kind of like giving those a sense of nepotism that have been denied it due to white privilege. Nepotism itself though is inherently unfair. Although it is something that will never go away, especially in the individual-based society that we live in, we must try to counter it as well. The class-divide needs to decrease, the richest 1% should not own 33% of the nation’s wealth. As we work on eliminating white privilege, and as the rich and powerful become more diverse, they should (even more-so) remember those that are not so powerful or rich, and try to help those as well.
WOW! Chris Rock made me die laughing, but being that I am an African American I can say that most of what he said is true. "Money" in the black community unlike the white community is "new money" not old money for the most part. I believe this excitement and the fact that being well-to-do is not overwhelming but a cool thing to have and essentially to flaunt. Now I am not saying in anyway that all black people flaunt their "richness" but I do know that the minute an A-lister gets money, since most of us are in entertainment, media, etc. that wealth will be seen in some sort of merchandise. But wouldn't you? Just think on a general standard... if your whole life you weren't as rich as you are now and you worked your way up to the top, through all the struggles, nepotism, and people ahead of you, wouldn't you show your accomplishments? Because being in the limelight wouldn't be a quarter of enough to satisfy you and what you have achieved. Now it is not about you but about the others just like you, the other African Americans who are poor. It's about showing that we as a people can be bigger than what they assume or predestine us to be.
I must say I was a little bothered in the blog when I saw that Sam Richards wrote, that as a majority the black community (middle class, rich, or poor) are seen as just mainly poor. Why is that? Is it because when we get money we spend it? Is it because when we do get money no one tells us how to save and the importance of budgeting because our hands are "so itchy" that we don't know what to do once we have some wealth? Chris Rock was right when he mentioned rims and TVs in cars and the waste factor in A-listers spending; however what he forgot to mention is that this mainly just applies to A-listers. Out of all my African American friends most are middle class and there are quite a few that are blessed more than others. But when I think of flaunting, nothing really comes to mind because our families somewhat budget to the best of our abilities to make ends meet even though we are no where close to being poor. The negative connotation that the white man helps more white men so the others (minority) stay at a lower status is so annoying. Its like an alliance. This idea of nepotism and the wealthy get wealthier and the poor get poorer boggles my mind. Even Oprah can't make up for all of us... she's one of the many millions that don't even know how they are going to eat the next day. Chris Rock hit it on the nail. I said while he was talking... "What about Oprah, she's wealthy?" That was the first thing that came to mind. But then when he mentioned the difference between her and Bill Gates and Shaq and the person that writes his check and the difference between wealth and richness I was amazed and had to ask "Yeah what about her compared to them?" It's this on going cycle of questioning why is this so, but I can only think of white supremacy, black people being unaware of funding, and different strongholds to keep us down.
With Obama as president I feel we are one step closer to this idea going down the drain, but in the back of my mind I am like, he is half and half which means, if America wanted to, he wouldn't count to be just like us. What is amazing though is like to many of us, the black community... he worked his way up to the top and essentially that is what we are doing. Now if we can tone down the showing of wealth, save, and help out our other brothers and sisters that are not as fortunate than maybe we will change the phenomenon of "richness" to WEALTHINESS!
Money, wealth and social class are always a difficult subject with people. People don’t want to offend others by making assumptions especially concerning money. So rather than ask someone else, people just make assumptions to avoid an uncomfortable or awkward conversation. Stereotypes are the same way, people are too afraid to ask so they assume. Why is everyone so afraid to ask the pressing questions that really matter and could make a difference?
There is no doubt that they are difference in wealth among various racial groups but it is wrong to say African Americans are mostly poor. There are plenty of successful and wealthy African Americans in the country like President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Michael Jordan, Bill Cosby, and Jay Z. These names come to mind because they are famous and appear in the public on a regular basis. I think the general public would rather believe there aren’t other African Americans out there who are working just as hard to have a nice life for themselves. If a person is not in the spotlight, does that mean they are not successful or wealthy? There are plenty of middle class white Americans who are never seen in public light yet they are still in considered to be middle class. So for the African American community, if the public doesn’t see them then they must not exist? I don’t think so!
The general public assumes that African Americans are poor based on media’s portrayal and what people see on a regular basis. The news consistently broadcasts negative images of poor African American communities where crime and corruption is occurring. Once people see things like this on a regular basis they assume it is the same for everyone in the community. The same would be true if it was a poor Latino or Asian community. Just because terrible things are going on in one community where there is one racial group does not mean it is true for everyone of that racial category. If people saw upstanding middle class, violence free and crime free communities where African Americans were the majority maybe the idea that all African Americans are poor would begin to change.
There are always people out there who are going to want to put another group down because they can. They feel like they can because they feel they are superior, have more money, power or whatever it may be. Despite the fact there are people like that, I know there are people out there who want to make changes and what things to be different. People need to take what they read and see with a grain of salt. Not everything reported is always 100% the truth. People need to open their eyes and experiences things on their own before making any more ignorant and uninformed assumptions and accusations.
It’s almost common knowledge now-a-days that the wealth in America is so far from evenly distributed that it’s disgusting. It’s not even a racial issue; it’s a problem that Americans, blacks and whites alike, experience every day. Every middle class and lower class citizen in the country is essentially owned by the small portion of wealthy people that run this country. Chris Rock was right when he specified the difference between rich and wealthy. People who make their money based on entertainment don’t really make a difference when it comes to the economy and government. Those people who inherit their money and are born into powerful families have the best chances of ending up in a position of power in the government and ultimately making the crucial decisions that define our country. The definitions of democracy and republic are ever changing because of the opinions and wants of those on the top of the social latter. The Washington Post article describes a party scene of the wealthiest people around all trying to network their way to the top. The times are always changing and now black people are seen at these get-togethers of the nation’s most powerful people. Personally, I don’t care at all. These people run America and there’s nothing that any one of us middle to lower class people can do. Legally, to become the President of the United States you have to be at least 35 years old and be born American. In actuality, you need to be filthy rich and have connections on top of being legally qualified. So what, black people are wealthy. That doesn’t mean that they are going to help out everyone else in their race that’s living in poverty. The rich white people don’t make an effort to help out those poor whites who can’t even get a job. Sadly, America’s values are built on selfishness and personal gain today. The government has shied away from the values set forth by our fore fathers and nothings changing any time soon. Obama may promise change and hope, but that’s just his campaign slogan. The stimulus package to save our economy is more the like Obama satisfying every political officer who supported him and helped him reach the white house. Nothing against Obama, it’s just the only way to reach the white house in this day in age. The government reminds me a lot of the movie Gangs of New York. In it there were many gangs, called political machines in textbooks, who were all dominated by one power and if anyone else tried to reach the top they were taken down even lower than they were before. No matter what color you are in America, you still have to answer to the upper class. Maybe when we all see that wealth, not only color, is dividing our country, we can finally find some common ground.
In our society money has divided the upper class from lower, the rich from the poor, the powerful from the weak, and the whites from the blacks. Since the beginning of time money has always equaled power. The more money you have, the better chance you have of becoming successful and powerful. As much as we don’t like to believe this, it is true. However, like Chris Rock pointed out money has its differences. There is a difference from being wealthy and from being rich. He points out that white people are wealthy. They acquire money from their wealthy families and are usually able to pass the wealth from generation to generation. Black people, however, become rich. You see, the money was never there to begin with so there is no money to inherit, as Chris Rock would say. Rock points out that black people would rather spend their money on “22s” than invest it and pass it on to later generations. Now, of course, this is a stereotype. Not all rich black Americans buy rims and not all white people invest their money. In fact, I believe that I have seen many white teenagers driving around with “pimped out” cars with tinted windows and rims and have met black families that decided to invest their money instead of spending it. However, one thing that Chris Rock was right about is that the true difference between the wealthy and the rich is how they acquire their money. What is unfortunate about our society is that it is run by those who are put into their power due to their wealth. In the “Say Hello to My New Black and Brown Friends” article it talks about how for the first time black guests have dominated the presidential dinners and social parties. In the past, before Barack Obama came into presidency, it was mostly white guests at these types of parties and at one party it was estimated that of its 2,000 guests that only 20 were black. Times are changing and I feel that this is mostly due to the fact that for the first time in our history we have a president in power that is not a white male. I believe that our country was in need of a change whether it was to be the first female president or the first colored president. I also believe that change is good and that our country will adapt well to the differences that Obama makes in our society. Throughout history, whites have always had the upper hand, and the “white advantage” and it seems to me that for the first time this is changing. To be black is in, as stated in the article. I believe that as our society took the small step to electing a black president we took a whole other giant step into the redefining our society.
In our society money has divided the upper class from lower, the rich from the poor, the powerful from the weak, and the whites from the blacks. Since the beginning of time money has always equaled power. The more money you have, the better chance you have of becoming successful and powerful. As much as we don’t like to believe this, it is true. However, like Chris Rock pointed out money has its differences. There is a difference from being wealthy and from being rich. He points out that white people are wealthy. They acquire money from their wealthy families and are usually able to pass the wealth from generation to generation. Black people, however, become rich. You see, the money was never there to begin with so there is no money to inherit, as Chris Rock would say. Rock points out that black people would rather spend their money on “22s” than invest it and pass it on to later generations. Now, of course, this is a stereotype. Not all rich black Americans buy rims and not all white people invest their money. In fact, I believe that I have seen many white teenagers driving around with “pimped out” cars with tinted windows and rims and have met black families that decided to invest their money instead of spending it. However, one thing that Chris Rock was right about is that the true difference between the wealthy and the rich is how they acquire their money. What is unfortunate about our society is that it is run by those who are put into their power due to their wealth. In the “Say Hello to My New Black and Brown Friends” article it talks about how for the first time black guests have dominated the presidential dinners and social parties. In the past, before Barack Obama came into presidency, it was mostly white guests at these types of parties and at one party it was estimated that of its 2,000 guests that only 20 were black. Times are changing and I feel that this is mostly due to the fact that for the first time in our history we have a president in power that is not a white male. I believe that our country was in need of a change whether it was to be the first female president or the first colored president. I also believe that change is good and that our country will adapt well to the differences that Obama makes in our society. Throughout history, whites have always had the upper hand, and the “white advantage” and it seems to me that for the first time this is changing. To be black is in, as stated in the article. I believe that as our society took the small step to electing a black president we took a whole other giant step into the redefining our society.
I found the article to be very interesting because although I knew that there was not a lot of black dominance politically, it was eye-opening to see how that related to social events in Washington. A comment was made that it is “in” to be black. I found this comment to be out of the ordinary and I found it to be true relating to the article. After reading the article, I was informed of different things I had not though of, but it did not change how I thought of black Americans. I think black Americans can be rich and there is nothing wrong with that. Before reading the article I knew that there were rich black Americans and why should that be surprising or unacceptable? As a Latina, I find it great when you hear stories of successful African Americans, Latinos, Asians and American Indians. Another reason why it is so great to hear is because most of the time this money is not “old money” which can be the case for many white Americans. Instead, this money is almost always new money and was achieved through hard work and dedication. For me, it just shows that people of different races can do it too and white Americans should never use that as a means to put people of different races down. In terms of “old money” there is definitely some white privilege. I still believe that some white Americans build themselves up on their own, but when it comes to money being passed down, there is a form of privilege. This can occur with African Americans, Latinos, Asians and American Indians, but rarely so. Instead, I think these races get more help from each other. I also believe that races of “higher” classes are seen by rich white Americans in a different light. I know that I am seen by some people in my neighborhood in a different light. As one of the only Latino families in my neighborhood, some people have even come up to us and mentioned in subtle but still in ways significant to us that we are “not like the others”. They trust us to watch their homes, pick up their mail, and walk their dogs when they are away. They invite us into their homes for dinner and buy us gifts for holidays. Now this situation is just in a small neighborhood, but I also think that this happens in companies, government, and “A-list” societies. If I had to say something about Chris Rock’s comedy skit, it would be that I believe that he is just supporting stereotypes. He refers to African Americans as being “money wasting”, spending their money on jewelry, rims and TV’s in their cars. Although this could very well be true of a small population of rich or wealthy African Americans, I do not think this is true of all of them.
I think that It is interesting to see how the social circles are changing due to our black president. But I feel that this is long overdue. Because white or black if you are in the top social classes together there is no reason that only whites should be included in these upper class parties. Because when we talk about social class, like Sam said, there is no racial differences, were all in this together. I think that although there is a selection of black American that are rich, they are still a minority which makes their wealthy population even smaller. Whites are a majority in America so of course the number of wealthy whites will be more. I do feel that Americans have been sheltered from the fact that there are indeed wealthy black Americans. However, they still exist in vast numbers. For instance the music industry is booming especially in the genre of rap and hip hop. And a majority of these singers and rappers are indeed black. If lil wayne isn’t wealthy I don’t know what is. Now sure if you compare Shaq to his signer then I guess you can say that Shaq isn’t wealthy but then no one is wealthy because people who sign Shaq are a rare breed of people who have ridiculous amounts of money. I also find it peculiar and so interesting that now since we have a black president the wealthy black families are being “re-surfaced.” And, frankly I don’t understand why, I mean where were they before? It is sickening to think that just even when we mix groups of the same upper social class whites and blacks still aren’t used to mingling together. In regards to the way I think of black Americans I have come to realize that they are not all poor. It seems that we are taught to believe that every single black person is always poor and the truth is that they are not. This brings me to Chris Rock’s stand up on wealthy and rich. He is right there really is a big difference between wealth and richness. Although I think he is wrong to generalize that all brown and black people are poor and cant get wealthy. Chris Rock says in his skit that wealth will set us free, I disagree isn’t it having the means to get wealthy and make it in the world the key? He then goes to criticize his own people by saying when they do get money they spend it all on material things such as rims. So if wealth will really set African Americans free than how come they aren’t investing in it? Clearly this isn’t the only key for success.
A lot of white people are scared to talk about race but it’s something that we must talk about because it’s obviously something that is bigger than the past. A lot of people assume things about other racial groups, whether it’s black, white or Asian Americans, we all assume! I learned that when you assume u make an ass out of you and me which is the truth. I think that everyone should just ask if they want to know what someone is doing or making. You shouldn’t assume something because then that is where problems come about and we already have enough problems to worry about in each other lives. But people will always assume no matter they will never ask a specific question because they feel it is better and not as controversial to just ask a question or begin something awkward or looked at a different way. People don’t want to offend someone by asking them how much they make in their household. It is the same thing as asking a woman their age. A lot of black people are in the entertainment world and they show off where they place their money by being on cribs or on TV shows. Just because those who have money don’t show it off don’t mean that they are not as “rich” as their neighbor. I don’t look at how people dress or what they have materialistic because most people are not materialistic and don’t show their money, but you will be surprised who have money and who have money for that time and they don’t know what to do with their money. A lot of people came from nothing and now are something and don’t know what to do with their money but to “flaunt” it. Those in the A-list will show their money off because they can and they know they have money but when they get off that list where is the money? The media shows a negative portrayal of black people so everyone only know what they see on the television or hear from the media, so that is why everyone thinks that most African Americans are poor. They only think that black people are only about crime, live in the ghetto, on welfare or some kind of government assistance. When not every black person is what they make us out to be. I know successful black people who do good things but use their money wise instead of buying everything they see in the stores. It always seems as though what you see about one person you think everyone that is that color is doing the same thing. This is not only true for White and Latinos or Asian American communities. I don’t think that just because Barack Obama is president don’t mean that we as blacks are “in” whereas most people will think that.
Tides of black people suddenly being invited to parties… if I were of color I’d be a bit skeptical of this sudden change with the former “A-lister” pattern. The end of the article quoted a black woman as saying race relations will change over-night. I think this is a bit too optimistic.
These more diverse parties are caused by copy-cats of the white house. Barack Obama is part black, and by and large black people are friends with black people (and whites with white and so on). This means that of course he will know and be closer to more people of color than we have seen of presidents in the past (especially Republicans). His friends and acquaintances being more diverse will lead his guest lists to be more diverse as well.
When other people in the public eye see the most powerful man in the world hosting many different “races,” they will want to join in the practice. So here comes the flood of black people being invited to all sorts of get-togethers and parties that they would not normally be, and have never been, invited to.
But looking at this from a different angle, who cares how they came to be invited? As suggested in the article, eventually trust and friendship grows out of convenience. So let us not worry about how society gets its jump start for social integration. If we agree that a common goal of ours is to become more comfortable around races other than our own, then this is not a bad thing. Maybe it was started for the wrong reasons, but it will end for all the right ones. When it ends, people will not have to “add” a few black people to the guest list to make their party diverse, they will include them without thinking about race at all.
I feel like the upper circle is, perhaps, the most ideal place to jump start an integration like this. The race barriers in the upper class may be smaller than the other class’s because money is more prominent than race in achieving power. With the boundaries already somewhat broken down, it provides the epitome of situations in which to start this process. Also, powerful people, regardless of race, are in the media. All eyes are on the powerful people (majority white), who can now be seen including other races in whatever shenanigans they please. This will subconsciously encourage upper middle class to integrate as well. Then the domino effect will take place, trickling down through the classes.
As far as Chris Rock goes, I don’t agree. He’s a comedian and although he is clever, what he says isn’t necessarily accurate. He joked about black people putting rims on a toaster if they could. This is good for a chuckle, if you’re making fun of stereotypes. But the suggestion irritated me. He described a culture and pinned it to black people. That is wrong. There are many white people and other races that fit under the “putting rims on toasters” culture. Moreover, that culture certainly is NOT all inclusive of black people. I would tell him that he’s embarrassing himself in front of millions of people.
I think this article was interesting because it shows how perception and social class is changing among black and white Americans from the upper social status. I think is interesting how before the election a lot of these black elites were not invited or had a big role in social events in Washington compared to now. This brings me to the question are things this way just because Obama and the first family? Are things going to change when Obama is no longer in power or will they keep improving?
Are American acting this way just because of our current political figures? The answer to some these of questions are not very clear, but I will give my opinion and thoughts on this issue. Often I think that this is happening just because Obama is in power now, but when he is not in power anymore and we have a new president, let’s say white president, then white will be “In” again. And I absolutely agree with Steve this country is all about money and whoever has the most, dominates among others that don’t. I think the media place an important role in this subtle change and if tomorrow hypothetically speaking we had a “red” president and first family, then red would “in” and the treatment would be same for people of red color. In others words whomever has the financial, governmental power, connection and charisma can achieve this in their racial group. The media always favorites whoever they think has the power. If tomorrow we did not have a black president then black people will not be popular or “in” anymore. I hope that things change for good and we can get a more diverse government, but I am afraid that things don’t work like that in this country. Everything is like fashion trend.
Chris definitely Rocks! I’ve seen this before and thought it was hilarious. I know this clip is older now and when it was filmed Obama was not the president, so things have obviously changed a bit. As we can see at least the Rich blacks and whites seem to be more on the same page since Obama’s election because African American are finally being included in the picture of what Chris would call “Wealthy”. But does this really mean they are being included? Or like Debra Lee said are they just using them black people for show? Inarguably things seem to be changing, but we don’t see it in the differences of social classes, which is totally a problem.
I think Chris Rock is right in his argument, similar to the King of the Mountain example from Mr. Richards in class. The way Chris describes the African American culture when it comes to spending money is how most white people would think as a reason why Blacks cannot progress beyond and compete with the White. Of course this is not entirely true because there are a lot of blacks that are rich and middle class that until point were not on the same level.
Well to start off, I think that Chris Rocks four minute clip on wealth can go either way. The reason I say this is because he is a comedian and could have just said that as a very large joke, but every joke usually has some underlying truth to it which makes it funny. I think that Chris Rocks joke about people being rich and wealthy WAS true. The white man was wealthy because it was passed down from generations and they had connections. But now every other race is starting to not only catch up but be on the same level as the wealthy white man. Although we don’t see this in sports yet, much more in politics and entertainment, the people of color are now able to be wealthy because of their connections and maybe their generations of richness turned into wealth. I am not just saying this since Obama recently got elected into office and now we have realized all the wealthy black people around, but more because it’s what happened. Black people actually started to gain connections and their past generations started to leave them money which grew over enough time to become wealth and not just rich.
I do find it funny that all these host and hostesses are inviting all the B-list black people to their A-list parties, in turn now making them on the A-list. And the only reason being is Barack Obama being elected into office. Now these people realize that they weren’t diverse in whom they invited but now since Obama is in office they just start doing it because of what he represents. Now the big thing for me is that I really didn’t know much about African Americans and their standing in this society at all. So when the question comes up how does this article stack up to what I think of African Americans, I really can’t say because I didn’t know in the first place. But I can say that it honestly doesn’t surprise me at all that there are these wealthy black people not getting invited to parties and whatnot then all of sudden they are only because Obama got elected into office. I think that it is a rude awakening for some of the wealthy white man that thought that they are the only ones on top of the castle and the black man is way below them. Now all of the Black men who are right on top of the castle with them finally get to show it. I find it a little funny that race is such a big deal to everyone under the table but when you know the facts, that half of the black population is in the middle class, there is really nothing to differentiate between white people and black people.
Wealth and money is what drives America. And the fact of the matter is that wealth is not evenly distributed no matter what racial class we are. There are poor blacks, browns, reds, whites, etc. Everyone today is starting to hurt with the economic state that we are in. As I watched the Chris Rock clip I was boggled by the way he kept referring to rich and wealth as two different things. I have always pretty much considered them the same thing if you are rich your are wealthy. But i think he does make a point that you can be rich but that can disappear from you and wealthy is just even higher than that like for example Bill Gates. However I disagree that Oprah is just rich. I am pretty sure she is always high on the Ford list of richest people. Oprah has a whole empire of things she does beside her talk show that is bringing in lots of money for her. I just don't feel like she needs to be or is worried about losing her money and I don't agree with the comment that one person left saying she is worrying about what she is going to eat the next day. Because I am sure she is not all. I agree that sometimes when people get rich the waste it on stupid things like as Chris Rock refers to jewelry and rims. I think it needs to be taught that you need to save and invest your money. I think people assume that white people just get to spend their money how they want but many whites are careful with what they do to. They invest and budget their money. My parents both have jobs but that doesn't mean I get everything I wanted or what they wanted. We have always made sure to take care of what was necessary and then a few extras. This is how people keep from going poor. Everyone needs to learn skills like hard work, management, organization, etc. I think learning life skills and how to manage money could help fix some of our problems not all of them but some. I also think that with Obama in the White House and seeing changes in the A-List circle that we are going to start seeing changes in who people associate with. I do not think it will be immediate and I cannot say whether or not it will last. I think it happened because Obama stressed inclusion so the A-listers have made sure to invite African Americans to their parties now. Hopefully these people will be able to become friends or make relationships that are of different races and become comfortable with one another. They need to because that is our problem with one another we are not comfortable with one another. Maybe A-Lister parties changing dynamic of people at the parties will change the dynamic of the people others associate with. If that could happen we could be heading in a possible direction of change for the better.
White privilege is a notion that has existed for centuries, and now that there is a rising presence of a more wealthy black population there now exists a new challenge to this norm. While there have been rich black people in the past, whether from legitimate or illegitimate means, the idea of wealth has long been out of reach for those striving for something better in this country. However, with a booming entertainment industry and several black people now being named as A-list celebrities it is difficult to ignore the paradigm shift of classes. Regardless of race, class and wealth are often rungs on a well-guarded ladder, upon which few can truly escape their original position. Black or white, class is something that is frequently dictated by society, and it affects everyone. Additionally, it has been traditionally thought that the lower rungs of this ladder were reserved for people of color. Squalor and poverty have been believed to be the norm for Hispanics, Blacks, and Latinos, while wealth and privilege something reserved for whites. According to this article, this is truly not the case, and the change is now more apparent than ever.
Even I myself once believed that the majority of blacks inhabited cities as the lower class, and lower middle at best. This notion was not from some racism I had been bred with or thoughts of inferiority, but mainly what I witnessed around my neighborhood and the surrounding city. My friends who were “better off” and whose families lived with luxury were typically white, while my black friends were not from the best areas and did not have the same possessions or financial stability. This, obviously, was a misconception, and I have known for years now that it is not truly the case. It is a proud day for all when blacks have an equal stake in social classes, whether lower, middle, or upper. Equal representation is true equality, and while there are certainly many poor white people, the percentage of wealthy or upper class whites is astonishing when compared to the percentages of blacks and other minorities. Class discrimination exists without regard to race or ethnicity, though racism is tied to placement within this ordered system. Equality in this wealth categorization would mean a momentous step in the right direction when talking about race.
The integration of blacks into the world of wealth would deal a heavy blow to racists and their arguments for social Darwinism. The feeble arguments that the poverty of blacks stems from lack of intelligence rather than a history of racism could be cast aside. Logic dictates that blacks should have a steady rise in this country, especially when discussing class and wealth, following the civil rights movement and the constant struggle for equality. In fact, a new television series highlights the new “Black Overclass,” in which members of the entertainment industry have achieved millions almost overnight. Yet many of these newcomers to affluence are not burning through their millions, but are becoming fierce entrepreneurs. Clothing lines, recording companies, and sports franchise ownership are but a few of the industries falling into black high-class ownership. This trend seems to be gaining momentum, and as long as the A-list black community answers back with care for their communities and not thousand dollar rims, let it continue.
The fact that racism is still a prevalent issue within society is illustrated by the social, economic, and political arenas of the United States. The financial status of people of color is disproportional to the population of such individuals, and as Roxanne Roberts and Krissah Thompson convey, they are also widely absent from the public eye, often failing to be granted positions within the world of politics, as well as the media in general. It is unfortunate that until now individuals considered “minorities” were often neglected from prestigious or distinguished stations, thus only furthering the ill-integrated population of America as a whole. However, the future holds many promises, with changes occurring rapidly within the current events transpiring. Likewise, if individuals were aware of the true facts, rather than what society trains them to think, individuals may realize that commonalities do, in fact, exist among various racial communities and ultimately, relations between such groups have the potential to equalize and improve.
The truth of the matter is that 1 out of every 2 individuals of the black community are stationed in the middle class of the economic ladder. This statistic is quite contrary to what whites may assume, as they are socialized to believe and expect nonwhite citizens to be monetarily less fortunate. Why is this? How have we as a people come to make this assumption? How have we learned to associate nonwhite individuals with inadequate financial resources? Is it because those considered minorities continued to experience prejudice and discrimination even after the abolition of slavery, thus receiving only the lowest, most physically difficult, and worst paying jobs? Most likely. However, a great deal has changed since then, and much progress has been made. So why do whites still cling to this theory, which is truthfully, such a huge misconception?
This question poses as a real mystery, but it is also a real problem. The misapprehensions and false impressions one race harbors in respect to another does little else but further the work of damaging and destructing the quality of the relationships such communities share. By harboring misconstructions and mistaken beliefs in regard to the nature of a race and an individual’s experience as a member of such race, all we are doing is infiltrating more friction and tension between us; hence, further dividing and separating one another, and building the barricades around us even higher. If we wish for race relations to advance, we must erase all former notions, beliefs, and ideas about one another. We must approach one another with a blank canvas and an open mind. Misunderstandings only distance diverse races. Thus, we must eradicate any former expectations, and stop believing things that we are not certain are true. We think we understand when we do not, thus leading us to make assertions and judgments based upon nothing other than our own highly unreliable and unconfirmed convictions. When this happens, the lens through which we perceive individuals of other races becomes tainted, and the manner in which we approach and consider such people is shaped and crafted into a mold which is not necessarily accurate. All this places tremendous pressure upon the way people of different races communicate and interact. If race relations are ever to progress, we all must learn about a particular race only by being taught such information by an individual whom has experienced it. By doing this, we will better comprehend, therefore, slowly bridging the gap we have constructed between us through our ignorance.
I personally find Chris Rock to be hilarious, and this video was funny. I do, however, have to disagree with him on some points while agreeing with him on others. First of all, he said that being rich is different from being wealthy which is not true. To have wealth you need money, that is, you need to be rich. And to be rich you need to have wealth. According to the Webster’s New World Dictionary, the definition of rich is (1) owning much money or property; wealthy (2) well supplied (with); abounding. The definition of wealth according to the same dictionary is (1) much money or property; riches (2) a large amount (3) valuable products, contents, etc. (4) everything having value in money. By looking at those definitions, being rich and being wealthy is extremely similar if not the exact same thing.
Chris Rock went on to say that rich black people just spend their money on whatever they want, i.e. rims for vehicles. First of all, if being rich is different from being wealthy and you have to save your money so that you can pass it on from generation to generation (which is one of the things he said defined wealth), then these rich black people should stop purchasing these unnecessary products. My next point, however, comes from the definition of wealth provided by the Webster’s New World Dictionary. It says that wealth can be defined as “valuable products” and “everything having value in money.” Those rims that those rich black people are buying are not cheap. They are not plastic. They are extremely expensive and most people take pride in them. With that said, those rims are clearly of great value.
Chris Rock also said that the riches that blacks get is new money. Ok, I can agree with that to an extent. But let’s just look at this example. Rev. Run is extremely rich. His children are benefiting from his riches. So when his daughters start a company with his riches and his son starts a music career based off of his riches, is that new money? Nope. Not at all. Also, there are so many white people who have riches that are new money. Just because blacks were slaves back in the day and didn’t have money while their masters did doesn’t mean that it is the same way now. (This does not mean that I support slavery because I don’t. But since that isn’t the issue of this blog, I won’t get into that.) I am so sick of black and brown people saying that because their ancestors 400 years ago were enslaved and poor does not mean that they will be poor. And if they are poor, it has nothing to do with their ancestors. It is America, and yes I know that there is the whole issue of white privilege, but there is room for people to rise, people of color and whites alike. If a black person got new money and decided to blow it on things like rims and jewelry, that’s there own problem. And if a white person got new money, or even had old money, and blew it all on rims and jewelry, again, it’s their own problem. You have to be smart with your money. Chris Rock said that white people buy a Wal-mart and then build another. That’s smart. It’s called investment so that your money won’t run out. Maybe everybody should use their riches to do that. But we don’t. And if Chris Rock says that rich black people are not wealthy, well, it’s there own fault. But honestly, in my eyes, if you are rich, you are wealthy. And if you are wealthy, then you are rich.
When I look at this article, it doesn’t change my idea of how I view black Americans. I have seen black Americans on the cover of magazines before and I think in the future they will be on the covers of magazines more often. I am not the majority of the nations that views black Americans as poor. Yes, I have seen poor black Americans in my life, but I have also seen some rich ones as well. There were black Americans in my school that had more money than white Americans. In addition, there are plenty of black Americans that are rich in Hollywood. I understand the view that black Americans were poor existed years ago, but I think in my generation that has changed a little. Also, many people think all white Americans are rich, but obviously that is not true based on the view we watched in class the other day with Tammy. There are plenty of white Americans that struggle each day. A girl in the class mentioned that she heard of the phrase “white trash” but never actually knew one or thought of that when she thought of white people. Maybe that is white Americans got the image of being rich because they never thought that we could have it just as bad or worst than them.
Chris Rock is a hilarious comedian, but I do not necessarily agree with everything he was saying. First of all, white people sell drugs too. I know most people think of black people selling them because they “need to get more money” because they are “poor”, but I can name at least twenty white kids in my school that sold drugs. Not all white people are rich! Second, even though there are wealthy white Americans like Bill Gates, there are wealthy people all over the world from different countries. Chris also said that Oprah is rich, not wealthy. However, from my point of view if Oprah is not wealthy then where is the cut off? It is not like there are forty people that have Bill Gates’ money in America. Bill Gates is a rare person and can’t really be compared too. I agree with Chris that when black Americans get rich they like to spend it on things they want like jewelry and cars. Maybe that is why black Americans are not “wealthy” because they spend it all instead of investing and earning more, then spending.
There were things about this article that I felt were very true, and most of which bothered me after looking back on it. I think what Chris Rock talked about was true. He said that wealth can be passed down through families and most of the time, if a family has wealth, they will teach the younger generations how to sustain that wealth as well. Someone also mentioned that money in the black community is new money – nothing was inherited through families, their wealth was accumulated on their own. However, another thing that Chris Rock mentioned made me laugh and really get to thinking. He talked about how when black people make money, they spend it on jewelry and rims for their cars. I just recently saw an episode of E True Hollywood Story on Kimora Lee Simmons who is of Asian and African American descent. In the episode she admitted to her love of diamonds and how she will wear diamonds on everything. She has worked extremely hard for her wealth and I think she has every right to want to spend it and have nice things – after all, if I could wear diamonds on everything, I probably would too! She said she doesn’t do this to show off her wealth; she wants to show other people, especially those from urban communities where her company Phat Fashions is targeted towards, that they can achieve it as well. But then I thought again about how Chris Rock differentiated rich from wealthy. I looked up the wealthiest people in America and found the Forbes 400 Richest Americans. I did expect Oprah Winfrey to be close to the top and I was shocked to find out she was actually Number 155 on the list! Chris Rock was 100% correct in saying that you can’t compare Oprah to Bill Gates (who has the Number 1 spot). I also found it interesting that wealth did in fact come back to inheritance – families like the Walton’s for Wal-Mart, the Mars’ for candy, and the MacMillian’s for inheritance were all in the top 50.
I think it does come back to nepotism as well. Many people give favors and opportunities to people that are close to them. However, in today’s society, I’m not sure that it should be expected that this is done only by white people. With a black family in Washington now, the social scene there is changing. As the article said, many more blacks are being invited to social events and are experiencing the networking that has been secluded to whites for years. Obama has picked the people that he wants to work with and has appointed a diverse group. The article mentioned that his campaign was definitely about inclusion and I think everyone is seeing the effects of this now. This is something that will be great for blacks and other groups that have missed out on these experiences in the past. Now they are expanding the social networking and perhaps this will change the future for the better and it will be the norm to have all races incorporated.
This idea of blacks being poor reminded me of the video shown in class the other day about the poor white family who lived in the middle of nowhere and the mom instead of sitting around waiting for her welfare check preferred walking ten miles to work a minimum wage job at Burger King. Sam first asked people of color how they felt about the video and if they felt anything toward the woman. Personally, the fact that anyone has to live like that is somewhat disheartening, especially considering the fact that it happened in America (the supposedly bountiful land). While I do have a sense of compassion for this woman, there is part of me that looks on her with disgust. I admire her walking ten miles to work in the pouring rain. Still to me, there appears to be a level of ignorance this family and especially the mom has. My mom had me while she was still in college and things were not easy. We were on welfare for nearly the first ten years of my life. However, I would still not place myself in the same category as she. I guess coming from my mother, she taught me to carry my head high and with dignity despite our economic conditions. We did not have much but I always had on clean, respectable clothes. This lady wears the same thing every day and works hard for the money she makes but still seems satisfied with her current situations. It is not as if she tries to wear better clothes
Despite the fact that the majority of black people are actually middle class, I think that most black people assume eachother to be poor. I know quite a few black people (albeit not as poor as the lady in the movie) who carry themselves as if they are first class. Like having two cell phones and wearing only designer clothes even though they can barely make the electric payment. Which seems stupid and contributes the huge problem of debt in this community but at the same time deserves some respect. I think that in the black community, no matter a person’s economic situation, people still want to be perceived as being better economically than they actually are which was not true of the lady. Also, since a lot of black people automatically assume each other to be poor when you have someone who makes a lot of money like Oprah or Tyler Perry they are placed on a pedestal. That’s maybe one reason why when we see poor white people like the lady, it’s like , “man I’ve been through tough times to but you got to pull yourself up and act better than that.” White people on the other hand are more likely to assume eachother to be fairly well off and so when they see someone who is in extreme poverty they are more likely to be taken aback since society expects white people to be richer.
The A-list African Americans deserve to be where they are today. They earned all of their successes. The fact that they are now included in white house functions shows what it meant for an African American to be President. The Struggles that people of color face with racism still exists today. I do agree that White Privilege is evident in many cases. White people do not realize that their skin does benefit them. Sure we are in an era of social change, but those challenges do exist. I recall Sam discussing the issue of white privilege and how being white has its benefits. It is disgusting to know that it is still difficult for a person of color to achieve the same equality. We have learned throughout the semester that being white often makes life easier.
I think that this article represents how African American’s were once not included in many of so called “White functions”. I recall watching some of George W. Bush’s Presidential dinners on CSPAN and there was a limited amount of Black people present. At President Obama’s Inauguration, there was hundreds of African Americans Present. This shows how the culture is now different. Barack Obama has many African American friends of prominent backgrounds, as George W. Bush had many southern Texans who come from wealthy Backgrounds. To be invited to a White House Function, You must either be wealthy, accomplished, or a friend of the President. Therefore, the fact that more people of color are showing up at these events, is a great for diversity.
The Chris Rock clip was funny. He always finds ways to be humorous about controversial issues. When he discusses the topic of wealth vs. rich, I totally agree. He stated that Shaquille O’Neal is rich. However, the person who signs his checks is wealthy. I think Chris Rock is referring to rich white people when he refers to wealth. Think about all the rich African Americans who have been successful. There is always a White person who is even richer and has more power. Rock made a great point when he said “if Bill Gates had Oprah’s money he would commit suicide.” We see this happening all the time wealthy white men lose some of their fortune and commit suicide. He refers to wealth in some sense as white privilege. I would say to Chris Rock that these inequalities among whites and people of color still exist. Mr. Rock, even with Barack Obama President these are increasing inequalities. Chris Rock as an entertainer is considered rich. His Comedy events sell out huge venues. I consider him Wealthy coming from a hard working family class. I believe that it has become a social norm to associate wealth with White people. The inequalities still exist but slowly change is occurring.
Upon reading the article, I was overall impressed by the growing inclusion of blacks in higher power areas of government, but maintained a guarded skepticism of the overall integration of blacks into high-level political circles as a means to fighting racism.
“This has absolutely nothing to do with affirmative action, by the way, and everything to do with using connections to make more connections and cashing in privilege to gain more privilege. And while these black men and women might feel some unease walking the halls of power given the history of "their people," one likely would not know it by listening in on their conversations.” I greatly appreciate this point that was made in Sam’s blog response. What is appearing at these prestigious political parties is black privilege. Though the article did not dare touch the issue, we have this new form of black privilege rising in the place of previously predominant white privilege within the White House.
I’m sure many black people would argue that this is not an issue of privilege because blacks have been historically discriminated against and continue to be targets of discrimination and hate acts. However, the fundamental tenets of privilege are present. Just as the article stated, "It's kind of great that black people are in charge and white people are worried about being in -- when it's been the other way for so long." Rosen states here that she is glad to see this affirmative action privilege that is turning things upside down to benefit the black population. While I would not say this black privilege is bad in this situation, a diverse democratic nation must be wary of any type of privilege that is granted to a group of individuals.
"Everyone knows that his campaign was about inclusion," Jarrett said. "We would expect that spirit of inclusion to also reflect on Washington's social scene." We as individuals must be able to distinguish acts of inclusion and acts of integration. Obama’s goal should not be to include blacks and other minority groups in elite political classes, but to effectively integrate.
As put forth in the article this type of integration surely is tough, "I don't think that's a sustainable socialization model for Washington," he said. "Integration socially, as opposed to business or sports, is really tough because it involves people's personal lives. . . . Once people get comfortable -- 'I've got my two black friends' -- they can stop. Real integration on a personal level doesn't happen without a deep commonality of interests." On an personal level, instead of wanting everyone to have their two black friends, two Asian friends and two ____ friends, we need to ask ourselves if we are in mutually meaningful relationships with those friends from all different backgrounds.
Like always, our society is divided up into social classes—wealthy, rich, poor, black, and white, etc. For centuries, money has been the divider of these groups. It separates the weak from the powerful, rich from the poor, and blacks from the whites. In the video, Chris Rock does a good job on depicting the stereotypes of money in society. He points out that blacks are “rich” whereas whites are “wealthy.” Whites are more seen as investing their money, as blacks are more seen as spending their money on unnecessary items, such as rims. Rock claims that whites inherit their wealth and are able to pass it down from generation to generation, allowing it to exist forever. Black people, however, become rich on their own. The money was never physically there to begin with and is rarely acquired through inheritance. This here is a stereotype. There is a big number of people who are “rich” and “wealthy,” both groups containing blacks and whites. Stereotypes play a big part in the image of money. After we watched the “Tammy’s Story” video in lecture on Tuesday, an African-American student commented that it surprised her that someone of such low class was white. Why is it that whites are seen as such superior individuals and aren’t susceptible to such things? The article “Say Hello to my New Black and Brown Friends” is also a good article for portraying these stereotypes, but overcoming them as well. The article discusses how for centuries, government positions and parties have been dominated by whites, but currently, for the first time, blacks are taking over and becoming a big part. Previously the article mentioned how there was a party of 2,000 people and only about 20 of them were black—that is only 1% of the people. Before Barack Obama came into presidency, it was very rare to see a person of color present in a government associated party or social event. Now that we have a president with African-American descent, change is coming. Political parties are becoming more diverse, as well as positions in politically related jobs. Famous African-Americans are being contacted to attend these big events, and some whites are actually making more of an effort with this to help diversify. For the first time, whites aren’t overpowering the upper hand on society, and blacks have moved in. As it was mentioned, whites are now fearful that they won’t regain their dominating, powerful status in society, but I believe that this is a good thing and that diversity was very much needed in this country. Change has so far been a good thing with Barack Obama and I believe that this country will continue to prosper from him.
It is hard to understand why exactly that many whites believe that blacks are poor in general. I mean I know that the fact of that is simply false. But when you begin to talk about white privelage, the two go hand in hand. Walking through the city, you will see more black people then white people. When walking through the suburbs you will see more whites then blacks. That is a fact that people tend to stand by when they think of the difference between city and suburb. And I happen to agree but uncertain if it is true. As far as we are in the world of race relations, it is easy to say that it is a privelage to be white when trying to be successful. That may sound racist but it is not. If you grow up as a black child in a city, in an apartment, that will most likely be your standard of a good living. If no individual motivates you to move out and get a big house in the suburbs and a well paid job then most likely you won’t. I have talked to several people who live in the city, they are not necessarily poor, but they are far from rich. And mostly all of them claimed that the city is much better. But the fact is that they do not know of anything better. One individual needs to be exposed to other options in order to see whats available. And when you see that other friends of the same race rave about their living conditions, why go against their word? That gives you more motivation to stay and fit the norm. Then, a peer or teacher comes along and tells you the benefits of upgrading your conditions. Getting a good job, an education, an nice house, away from drugs and especially away from the norm. What is the rest of the race gonna think about you. The only black guy on the block goes to the suburbs. OH does he wanna be white. He is an oreo. A lot of black kids are scared to do better things because they don’t want to let anyone down. And what soon happens is that they begin to truly believe that the style they live in, is the best way and only way that will work. I am black, there is nothing I can do. OR I am black, they will not hire me. It is almost like some are scared of failure. But until they receive a wake up call that it is OK to leave and try to make a better life, then nothing will get done and everything will stay the same.
The article made me think about quite a few things. First off, I could not tell until the second page if the intent of the article was about a popularity contest. At first, it didn’t seem like race had much to do with it, but then the history of the Washington “a-list” was explained pretty well. I had a feeling in the past those special parties were secluded to mainly white people, but it’s almost comical how people are scrambling to “find” black friends. I almost feel as people are trying to buy friends, which is definitely superficial. However, in today’s society I guess it doesn’t really matter how you get your friends, its just who are your friends. I understand how many white people would want new black friends when it comes to the new era of the Washington A list. I thought the last person mentioned in the article, Don Peebles was interesting to learn about. He’s a very wealthy black guy, and from what I got out of it is he is pretty much buying his way into the A-list. He has many properties and is going to throw a party which is most likely going to land him on the list. I can’t really show dissent that he’s doing it, but it just makes me wonder if that was even possible 10-20 years ago when there were white people in office. He probably would have to be a multi billionaire and spoil the guests quite a lot. Also, I got out of the article that most of the black people are gaining access to the A list are mostly Obama’s close friends who he’s met and appointed them positions in his cabinet or other positions. Another thing that I almost found comical was how it said white people are now struggling to gain access to the A list because the main focus is on the black people. The end of the article brought up a point where this will happen for about a year, and then the people who needed black friends will have a few and be satisfied. I doubt that will happen right out because people aren’t dumb. Now that blacks are being integrated into Washington’s respected A list, if they begin to be not invited to social events, it will definitely be addressed to the press and they will blow a story out of proportion. The blacks who are entering the A list will remain there, and good for them, they deserve it. I am excited for the change in the government in the following years. Depending on how Obama does there is a good possibility he will have a chance at a second term. We will all just have to wait and see how the next few years deal with the issues of race and power.
Looking through these comments, one particularly stands out to me. Someone stated that the subject of wealth isn't racial so much as it is a matter of class and I completely agree. I guess I must be very optimistic to believe that racism isn't as widely spread as it used to be, which I'm sure it isn't. I believe that wealth comes down to class, as opposed to race. There are poor people of every race, people playing the system, and people making it big, all of different races. Look at the video we watched in Lecture yesterday about Tammy and her family. Most of the black people that commented after the video was shown admitted that they didn't think there were white people like that out there that are barely getting by, walking 10 miles to work at Burger King, and then they proceeded to admit to first thinking of Tammy and her family as white trash, as stereotypical as that is, that’s no the case at all. Truth is, there are people like her, of every race, all over the world, and it's much more common than people think. I can admit to being a lower middle class white girl and damn proud of it. Yeah I sometimes struggle to get by, but then look to the people in our upper class, mainly celebrities, who find it necessary to buy 10.5 billion dollar houses for them and their spouse. That makes me sick. There are middle class families with about 5 people living just swell in a three bedroom house. Why the hell does a celebrity need that much room, when I bet 95% of them never see every room in the house, And it's not just white celebrities, its all celebrities. So yes, I agree that wealth isn't an object or race, but class, and too often people of all races judge each other, and stereotype that all blacks are poor, or that all whites are rich. This is not the case whatsoever. I believe that we need to start looking at the bigger picture, just as this class teaches us everyday. We, at least as a class, need to start looking at the bigger picture of society, America, and the WORLD. Watch the news, look at the statistics, wealth is pretty evenly distributed these days, among races at least (granted there are some differences) but it's gotten better than it has been. But honestly, looking at the bigger picture needs to be a goal for everyone. Just hear someone else out, or go visit a small town, or a big city, to see how other people of different races live. Sometimes, you'd be surprised to know that they aren't much different than you!
I think it would have been really interesting if Chris Rock and the author of the Post article had attended lecture on Tuesday. Both put such emphasis on the division of money between whites and blacks, but I started to think otherwise after Sam pointed out that money and class do not really know color. While when you look at the statistics it is clear that there are disproportionately more poor black people than white people, there are a LOT of poor white people in America. Poor white people may not be nearly as visible as poor black people, as a lot of them live in small towns and the country, but they exist, and I think that was evident on Tuesday. It seems to me that in his act Rock is portraying his ignorance. I mean, yeah, it’s just for fun, but if that’s how he really feels, someone should enlighten him about poor white people.
When I was watching Chris Rock’s little comedy act, I was really confused at first. I was always taught that the word “rich” has a negative connotation and shouldn’t be used – instead those with money were “wealthy” or “had money”. So I guess, as a side note, I did learn political correctness for some social classes. Anyway, by the end I caught on to what he was trying to say. Yea, white people have wealth, money that is passed on and lives in the family. But so do black people. And yes, according to Rock, black people are rich. But so are white people. When you watch MTV Cribs, you see the white movie stars and rappers and rock stars with their jewelry and their rims and fancy cars and hot girls. If we are going to use the term rich in the way Rock uses it, those white people are certainly rich. Eminem didn’t come from a family with wealth by any means.
As for the Post article, I was intrigued. Thinking of the questions from lecture on Tuesday – how do I think a colored person would respond to this article – got me thinking. At first, receiving invites from wealthy, super high status white people who have NEVER spoken to you before could be slightly unsettling to colored people. If I were them I would feel bitter – like sure, now they want me to come to this fancy ball, now that the president is black I’m invited. But I think the bitterness would pass. Obama truly wants integration, and a lot of people respect him for that. Integration has to start somewhere, it does not just happen. So being invited to the balls and social events is basically the first step to start including colored people everywhere. Why not do it?
I have watched Chris Rock for years and I have actually seen his whole show that this clip came from. He brings up some pretty valid points about black people in this country. His jokes about the difference between wealthy and rich are hilarious but get the point across. When he talks about Shaq being rich while the white NBA owner who signs his check being wealthy, he’s correct. After seeing the clip I wanted to go look at the list of owners in the NBA just to use one professional sports league as an example, because in professional sports as a whole, black owners are not that common. The NBA was formed in 1946. It took almost fifty years from then for someone of color to become the majority owner of any professional sports franchise (this includes the MLB which was formed in 1876, the NHL which was formed in 1917, and the NFL which was formed in 1920.) In 2003, Robert L. Johnson made history as the first African-American to become the majority owner of a professional sports organization when the NBA granted him the expansion Charlotte Bobcats. It’s amazing to think that of the over 100 professional sports teams in this country it took that long for there to be an African American owner. What can we attribute this to? This all goes back to what Chris Rock was saying about how money is spent. Yes I know there are times when this “white privilege” can be seen but he does make a valid point. Now this goes for every race and culture. I don’t care if you’re black, white, Asian, Jewish, Hispanic or Muslim. In order to gain this wealth he speaks of, the simple concepts of saving and investing need to be taken into account. Now I don’t think it’s fair to generalize that every single black person spends all their money on rims, because I know damn well that white people, Asian people, Jews and Muslims can buy just as much stupid shit as black people can. When I see people buying things like the Ab-Workout belt, which lets you exercise your abs simply by wearing this belt, I think no wander people have no money these days. However, every problem, every failure, and every success can’t be attributed to the color of one’s skin or the shape of their nose, or eyes, or lips. Some people simply work harder than others and deserve any wealth they may be so lucky to obtain. I know it sounds like I may be offering too different sides to the argument of how people obtaining wealth can or cannot depend on the color of their skin but maybe there is no right or wrong answer.
Like someone in class said on Tuesday, “I have never really seen a poor white person”, as guess that means that people also feel they have never really seen a rich black person. Or have they? Is the term rich or wealthy only used to describe the about of money in your bank account? What happened to money not mattering and happiness being key? Well that is long gone, and so is the thought that blacks are below whites. In the white eye blacks may seem lower or below, but in reality the most powerful and “rich” man in the country is now black (if your using rich to describe a little more than money). Obama may not have more money then Bill Gates, but he certainly has the power and fame to make up for it. I think that Obama’s idea of inclusion is an impressing one. For decades whites have been in power of the White House, and they didn’t make any effort to include blacks, if anything they discouraged it. Now Obama, with all the power in the world, could easily turn the While house into a “Black House,” but instead he is incorporating everyone. Some people may think he offering positions to all blacks, but if you think about the overwhelming number of whites in the government already, really he’s just leveling the playing field slightly. And now with a black man in power, and both blacks and whites by his side, maybe the government can finally set a positive example for the entire nation and world. Maybe they can all work together and show that blacks and whites can get along and that we are equal. Wouldn’t that be great? But in reality it probably isn’t likely. Too many people are stuck in their ways of thinking that blacks can’t get ahead, and Obama didn’t win by 100%, there is still a large amount of people out there who don’t want someone “like him” in office. It is a shame though that being wealthy and poor are all that matter to people anymore. I wish that being wealthy could be based on your happiness, your health, and your outlook on life. Instead, in this materialistic society in which we live, if you don’t have money (even if you are the happiest and healthiest person alive) you mean nothing to society. The power is where the money is, or at least it was. Maybe Obama can break the mold, proving that power can come to a race, to a people, where money has always been seen as nonexistent. Maybe he can prove that there is more to wealth then the dollar bill. Maybe with bright ideas, a new outlook, and an accepting and willing attitude Obama can change our meaning of the word wealthy. Maybe through Obama blacks and whites together can realize that maybe we are all a little more wealthy than we thought after all.
I found it interesting reading the article from the Washington Post about the newly increasing status of African Americans in Washington. It seems strange to me to think that half of all African Americans are middle class because they way their race is portrayed makes it seems as though nearly all black people are poor. The reverse is also true and it seems that the common perception of the white race is that they are all wealthy and privileged. This is especially demonstrated by Chris Rock’s stand-up comedy routine. He claims that although there are several black celebrities who most would consider rich, these celebrities do not compare to the wealth garnered by white celebrities and professionals. I found this a strange comparison because I know plenty of rich people of all different colors, including famous people. Although Chris Rock says Oprah’s money does not compare to Bill Gate’s wealth, this cannot automatically attributed to the differences in their skin colors. In fact, there are many celebrities who are much richer than other, white, celebrities.
Although I would never argue that people of all colors are afforded the same life opportunities, I think it’s important to remember the poor white people. After looking at the data on wealth and education, it is obvious that money plays an important role in obtaining education and therefore future career possibilities. However, there are many examples that show poor people can rise above their situations to create a better lives for themselves. Although this may be extremely difficult, it is also difficult for white people to rise out of poverty into a higher class.
By assuming that all poor people are either black or brown, the racism that is ingrained in American society is only being perpetuated. When seeing a person of color, people often automatically assume that he or she is poor even though this is rarely the case. This assumption is working to keep these races of people inferior to the white team. As Sam explained during class, white people are on top of the mountain and by convincing the majority of the population that black and brown people are all poor and therefore inferior, white people are ensuring that they continue to stay on top of the mountain.
With the election of Obama, hopefully black people will begin to be afforded the same opportunities that white Americans have often taken advantage of. As this article explains, these black people are wealthy and finally have the chance to enjoy the perks that go along with being rich in America. Regardless of skin color, money has everything to do with power and opportunity in this country. It dictates what opportunities people are given and is used to keep black and brown people from rising into the upper classes of America.
The article “D.C.’s High-Level Social Scene Now Mingles Black and White” brings up some interesting ideas, even if I cannot agree with everything the article claims. For the first time an African American is President and inevitably things are going to change, and the social events and occasions at the White House are no different. I think the fact that blacks can now more readily find themselves either “on the list” or “in charge of the list”, as stated in the article, shows improvements everywhere and a willingness to embrace change and each other as equals. As Valerie Jarrett mentioned, this isn’t anything out of the ordinary and it is what everyone expected, and hoped to see. Inclusion was a very important part of the presidential campaign and I am not surprised to see it upheld. However, at the same time, they are only including those of the A-list, and anyone in this category, no matter the color of their skin, are seen in a league of their own. They are not representative of typical Americans and they are seen at elite to everyone else. Most people will never reach their status and experience their lifestyle. For that reason, I don’t really even find myself concerned with the scenario. Wealth right now is not very evenly distributed if you are just looking at race issues, but that is something that cannot be changed over night, simply due to the fact that wealthy people will continue to pass down that luxury to future generations. It is stories like this that don’t make me initially focus on the differences between the races, but more differences between economic classes.
Regarding Chris Rock’s performance, it was completely relevant for the time he made his comments, and he was doing his job, making a comedic and exaggerated, loud spectacle for his audience. I think if he had to watch this again and do a repeat performance, he would probably alter a lot of the material and have different ideas about some things. I felt he was referring to black people as new money, just calling them rich because they did not inherit their wealth, as much of the “old money” and many white people have. I did not agree that he would place Bill Gates in the wealth category just because he was white, because that was a man who was not anything special and worked his way up on a good idea. I think he was playing on the idea that money seems to play a larger role in white people’s lives than it does African Americans’ lives. The population would most likely not be as shocked by a white man who dramatically found wealth over night than a black person. That notion may be one that needs to be considered in today’s society and possibly will be with the current trend in the White House. As a final thought, I don’t think I would take anything a comedian says, especially during a performance, too literally though. They always get carried away with themselves in attempts to please everyone and get some kind of reaction from everyone in front of them.
As a black male coming from a middle class family I would have to agree with the thought that there is a stigma that the majority of black people are poor. From my own experiences I can say with confidence that most black people are in fact not poor and for the most part are what I would consider middle class. I mean the majority of my friends that I know are pretty well off, and are from being poor. I mean even the people I know that I guess u could consider poor are really not they may not live in the best of neighborhoods, but they are still far from being poor or impoverished. I mean don’t get me wrong there are defiantly a lot of poor blacks out there, but know where near as many as think the media tries to portray that there are. I think the media plays a large role in perpetuating this stigma that the majority of blacks are in fact broke or poor. I mean the majority of the media we see about black people outside of athletes or singers and rappers are poor. Whenever something bad happens in a bad black neighborhood it seem like that’s the first place and only –place the media goes to show black people. Hey never seem to go to the suburbs and show positive black people doing positive things. They only seem to go to what some people would call the ghetto and interview ignorant blacks about some shooting another black person in their community. Even in many of the black TV shows we see it always seems to a poor black family trying to make it out of the ghetto. I mean honestly I understand y people would have this stigma about black people when all the media you see is of poor black people. However I do a agree with many of the things that Chris Rock said in his stand up act. There are still far less wealthy black people then there are white people in this world. I also agree that those white people who are rich do try and keep black people down and try to prevent them from becoming wealthy. It goes right back to what Sam said about playing the game king of the mountain. The ones on top are very selective about those they decide to help bring up the hill. I feel that the white people who are on top do things to help bring up other white people and systematically make it harder for those who don’t look like them down. I also agree with Chris Rock when he said money is new to black people. Many black people have no idea about investing and managing their money.
In reaction to the “elite” political parties and gatherings in Washington DC being “inclusive” but mostly being made up of many black and brown people, I don’t really think I am bothered by this. I do feel that maybe it is not necessarily being “inclusive” in Barack Obama’s words, and in that way he isn’t being true to himself, but I don’t really see anything wrong with it. In reality, the circle of friends that the vast majority of people have is very exclusive. If you look around, most people of each race tend to group together, socializing with themselves, and not as much with people of other races and colors. This is due mostly to a certain level of comfort. Black people, who grew up in the same type of neighborhood, would have more in common with each other, than say someone from a different race who grew up in a completely different neighborhood. It is a matter of culture. What you have culturally in common with another person is what is going to attract you to them, and more often than not, those people that share your culture are also of the same race. So I’m not surprised that the parties hosted and attended by dominant political DC right now are mostly brown and black. They may have more in common with each other and enjoy the event more with each others. That’s not to say, however, that I don’t believe in the power of challenging yourself to interact with people who you normally wouldn’t, I’m just saying that it doesn’t really surprise me, nor does it anger me.
In response to Chris Rock’s comedy skit regarding white, black, rich, and wealth, I have to say that I was annoyed by most of it. It’s not just black and brown people that don’t know wealth. EVERYONE in the middle to lower middle-class and everyone in the lower class doesn’t “know wealth” regardless of race. Maybe some of the wealthiest people in the world are white, and perhaps their white skin played an invisible role in them getting to where they are, but maybe intelligence and luck combined at the same time to get them to where they are today too. There is no truth in saying that the wealthiest people in the world are wealthy just because they are white. Poverty does not discriminate. People of all races struggle with money and it is not fair to say that one race as a whole has it harder than any other. Though I am not from poverty, nor have I ever experienced anything close to it, I found most of Chris Rock’s skit offensive and ignorant. Also, the fact that he joked about black people spending money on rims and other expensive goods didn’t help his argument.
I agree with another blogger who pointed out the importance of money equaling power. If you think about Sam’s lesson about the “King of the Mountain” and the graph about race-wealth distribution, it is easy to see why a lot of black are not in the forefront of politics or dominating a lot of elite social circles. It takes money to make money, and since many black people start off behind in the race, it is no wonder that black people do not have an even share of the pie.
I found the article to be interesting as it is the first one I’ve read about the changing social scene in Washington. I liked the historical background the journalist provided about Washington itself, and it made it clearer to see why this heightened integration is so significant.
One woman in the article noted that you cannot achieve true integration until a mix of generations, race, and class exist; I believe this is a very important point. Not everything is black and white. It reminds me of the movie we just watched about the poor white woman Tammy. I was really surprised with the mix of reactions to her and her situation and found it pretty interesting when put into terms of race.
To answer one of Sam’s questions, when I think about white privilege, none of the African-American A-listers enter my consciousness. I suppose many of the characteristics they embody can be aligned with white privilege, but then I think the term should be called “wealthy privilege.” It’s counter-intuitive to say a black person can benefit from white privilege since they don’t have the white skin that so often helps propel people to success and easy lives. I think this is where we have to remember to tie in class with discussions of race relations.
It has been mentioned in class a lot and in Laurie’s book a few times about how white people rarely discuss race in an attempt to be politically correct and not to hurt feelings. One of the people quoted in the article mentioned this, but added that at black dinner parties, race is more often a topic of conversation. I think white people tend to look to people of color for a sort of permission to engage in a discussion about race. We don’t like to be the one to strike up the conversation, and I agree that what is said is often not as honest because a sort of self-censorship is inflicted.
I also liked the final quote from the optimistic woman who expects change overnight. I think that change is a process, and in this particular case, it won’t be a quick process. And in some ways, I don’t think it should be an overnight change. I would hope people would use this opportunity to learn about each other and reflect on the past while moving toward a future of tolerance.
I find it quite interesting to see the tides of these “privileged” parties in Washington D.C. changing from being dominated by whites to being dominated by blacks. For example, the Washington Post article mentioned that a party for George W. Bush’s 2001 presidential inauguration had 2,000 people present; however, only twenty people were African-American. I find this statistic to be incredibly disturbing. I like the direction that our country is moving in. Now, at these lavish, “privileged” parties in Washington D.C., there is more diversity. There should be more diversity. After all, this is the United States of America, one of the most diverse countries in the world. These parties should be made up of all types of racial groups. If there were nothing but white people, it would not be right. On a lighter note, that Chris Rock stand-up video was hilarious. It opened my mind to discover the difference between wealthy and rich. I never really thought about the concepts as different before viewing the video. I guess there is a true difference between being rich and being wealthy. Chris Rock mentioned Prince being rich, not wealthy. Moreover, he mentioned how being rich could easily be lost. Prince lost his fortune. Lawrence Taylor is another example. Being one of the best defensive players in NFL history, Taylor made some good money from his contracts and pretty long playing career. He was considered to be rich, not wealthy. His drug addictions took away his fortune and he filed for bankruptcy. Now, he has to star in movies and perform on Dancing with the Stars. It brings up a good point. These people are rich, not wealthy. I read an article in ESPN the Magazine one time. It talked about the rising number of retired NBA players that file for bankruptcy. It again bolsters the fact that being rich could easily be lost. However, being wealthy cannot. But this concept of being wealthy not only applies to blacks, it applies to people of all races and nationalities. Wealthy people are those with an empire. For example, there is Bill Gates with Windows and Apple. In addition, there is Donald Trump with hotels, casinos, etc. These people cannot lose their wealth. I believe that wealth is a term that is tied to these gigantic “empires” or is displayed through your family’s past or present fortune. For example, the Rockefellers are wealthy. However, when Chris Rock said that all black people are rich and only white people can be regarded as wealthy, I feel that he was wrong in what he said. There are many whites that are rich and not wealthy. Take a man growing up in a middle-class family who becomes an attorney making good money. The man may be considered rich because he is well-off, but he is certainly not wealthy. Whites, Asians, Hispanics, etc. can all fall into this category just like how black people fall into it-according to Chris Rock.
Sherrell Obaji
Sam Richards - Soc 119
Due: 3/20/09
Say "Hello" to My New Black and Brown Friends!
I don’t think people realize how times have changed, not for the worst but for the better. Africans Americans are reaching over mountains that their ancestry was never able to climb (who says dreams don’t come true). A- lister Debra Lee is the Chief Executive of Black Entertainment Television (CEO of BET), graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor degree in Political Science and received her Master and Law degrees at Harvard University; Ms. Lee is truly a role model for the African American community.
Personal Opinion:
In a sense, I can relate to the article, as a woman of color, I grew up in a middle class home; the school I attended was a mixture of all backgrounds; there was still a lot of tension between the Latinos, blacks, and whites. Why? Because no one knew how to relate to one another, behind closed doors people expressed how they felt around each other’s races which was completely different when face to face with the opposite race. It’s all in the matter of people opening up and learning about other cultures.
Embracing Muslims in the Heartland?
September 11 (2001), has had a huge impact on American citizens, also and individuals from the Middle East. Life in the U.S.A was not welcoming for Indians, parkinans, Arabs, etc. why? Because people are blind to the fact that not all Middle Eastern people are all terrorist. The embarrassment and nervousness that was endured upon the Middle Eastern people, was the same humiliation that was force on the blacks during the 1960’s; it’s called “modern discrimination”, the only different is that its less discrimination among African Americans and drawn on to Middle Easters (blacks still face racism, the difference is that it’s just endured among Middle Easters).
Personal Opinion:
This article shows the power in words, and how we as humans can make a mistake, this article reminds me of the article we read a couple of weeks ago about the father naming his “son Adolf Hitler and his daughter Aryan Nation”; of course the father thought it was okay for his children to be named after world worst tyrant. The Muslim in America went to Arab, Alabama, looking to solve the differences between Arab and Muslim, because of their lack of knowledge in knowing the history that Arab, Alabama consist of they made a fool out of themselves.
Let me first start off by saying that I never really thought about any of this before. The fact that there is a difference between being “rich” and being “wealthy”. The fact that when a white man is in a high position of power that he will invite his white friends and associates to his parties and fund-raisers. The fact that at some presidential parties, only twenty out of two thousand people in the room are white. But now that I have been nudged to think about it, I must say that it is quite disturbing.
Why does it take a black president for other blacks to be invited to these parties. These same people have had that same money probably for a while, so why weren’t they invited before? Is it a racist thing? Or is it the fact that the white people in power simply didn’t know who these blacks were or the power that they held and their ability to help out the cause. As much as I would love to believe the latter, I am quite sure that it is a more racist thing. That the white hosts of the party are simply more comfortable having a large group of people of their own color to socialize with. On the other hand, it seems somewhat natural to socialize with people who is in a more similar situation to you – there is simply more to agree on and converse about. Or in the case of a fundraiser, more to agree upon and help get them to offer their money to support you.
As much as it bothers me that it takes Obama in office to give these people a chance to attend such events and garner these other opportunities, it surely is a great thing to see. It is one step closer to breaking the racial barrier.
Chris Rock brings up a great point that I also never really thought about. Is there a difference between wealth? Before hearing this skit, I never really used the word “wealth” and simply called anyone with a great deal of money “rich”, however now that I think about it, the difference to me is not about the amount of money, but as Chris Rock put it, how one spends their money. Wealth to me is somewhat about “old” money, but it is more about how and what that money is used for. Is it invested to make more money or spent on things that will eventually help you, because if it is then I would call that wealth. Rich on the other hand, is obtaining a large amount of money, and spending it on pointless things that simply look good and therefore make you look better and flaunt the fact that you have it. But hey, what would you do? I’m pretty sure I would do a little bit of both.
This story reminds me very much of the social scene here at Penn State. Certainly we’re not necessarily talking about extreme wealth when looking at a typical party at our school (I’m sure sales figures of delicious, refreshing Natural Light prove that point), but there are definitely different types of parties and bars that are popular with different races. This is an issue that we commonly talk about in our discussion group – why don’t we choose to hang out with more people from different racial and ethnic groups? I don’t believe there is any definitive answer as to why this occurs; we can only really offer hypotheses. I tend to believe that it is because of a certain amount of comfort that we develop around those with a skin color similar to our own. I think we tend to make the assumption that simply because someone has the same color skin as ourselves that they must understand us a little better than someone with skin of a different color. Unfortunately, this assumption doesn’t allow us to develop an understanding of one another’s hopes and dreams and troubles and concerns. And, it could be argued that adopting this type of attitude may inhibit our social develop and cause prejudices and biases to form. That’s why I’m thankful that I came out of a pretty diverse high school because I feel as though it made me a much more well-rounded individual especially in terms of race relations.
This article also seems particularly relevant after watching that video about the impoverished white family in Ohio in class earlier this week. We must realize that people from all races inhabit both the upper and lower echelons of our society and around the world, which is why I tend to disagree with some of the points that Chris Rock is raising. Granted, the majority of the people on the list of the wealthiest people in the world are white, but that doesn’t mean that there are no wealthy minorities in the world. There’s even a Mexican businessman in the top three. This term “wealth” is also highly subjective. I would argue that Chris Rock is pretty wealthy and probably greatly enjoys being an “A-lister,” especially when compared to the rest of our society who are mostly middle class.
All things considered though, I think it’s great that black people are starting to enjoy more prominence in our society as a result of their success. However, I tend to disagree with the last quote in the article from Vernon Jordan’s wife. I do not think that race relations will change overnight. I think it will continue to be a slow moving progression toward greater equality with various monumental events occurring sporadically, such as the election of a black president.
I found the article about black and brown wealth to be quite interesting. I think our society in large does see those communities as less fortunate. Many times when people think of poor people, they picture or use the word ghetto which has an African American association to it. I myself was not aware that half of all black Americans are middle class. I guess I could assume a number close to that but not that high. Perhaps it is because blacks are not represented in the media as much as white people. I come from a dominantly white area and I go to a dominantly white school so my whole life black people have been the minority. When I wanted to visit my sister at school in Philly was when I felt a little like the minority. That I would assume is one of my largest exposures to people of color and that area is not the safest, cleanest, or most affluent place. I saw poverty in Philly and many times I associate that with the African American race.
In conjunction with the article was the Chris Rock clip. I have seen that tour and many of his others multiple times. I think he is a hilarious comedian and is not afraid to make some of something that is taboo. Not many people would go so far as to continually talk about race because of fear of offending someone. I think he has a lot of guts to do what he does and I think he does it well. I particularly like that clip because he is saying things that many others would not say. I do agree that there is not enough wealth in the black community. I think I can name only one black billionaire and that is Oprah Winfrey, whereas Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Donald Trump (among many) can come to mind when I think of white billionaires. I think that the history of slavery in this country has obviously had an affect on the way that wealth in this country can be seen today. That on top of the continuing racism makes it even harder for the black or brown person to make it into millionaire/billionaire status in the world.
Luckily I think there is a brighter light of hope and that light can be called Obama. Obama’s election into the White House has shifted power from the traditional white community to the black community. He is in the highest position in the world and just like all other presidents I’m sure, is sharing the wealth with friends and colleagues. For once the black community is the center of attention at the most important and influential events right now. It was really interesting to read how power has shifted and how the white community has to adapt to this influx of blacks into their inner circles. Only time will tell how things will change for the minority race now that they are in control.
In today’s society, money is everything. Money buys material possessions like showy cars, big homes, and unnecessary amounts of clothing. Yes, if used well money is used to help others, see the world, and can be passed down from generation to generation. But these aren’t the only things that money can buy. Even though our economy is nearly in shambles… money can still but one very important thing. While many people would agree that flashy automobiles, homes with heated floors, in ground pools and a gate that opens and closes by voice activation only is important and proves their wealth they often forget one tiny thing, that their money, based on statistics from class, probably handed down from generation to generation, from one white hand to the next had to buy something else first. IN our competitive society money buys power. While we would all like to believe that each and every single one of us, black, brown, white, has the same chance of getting high paying, respectable jobs…the sad truth is that it just isn’t so. Like Sam has said in class, we say that we all have equal opportunities but we most certainly do not all start off at the same point on the starting line. To see a black family in the white house is a huge step for our country. Since, 1789 all of the Presidents have been wealthy white men. BUT, welcome to 2009, when our country chose a Black President….finally!!! It is refreshing to have “blacks in charge of the [guest] list”, after having rarely been included in the social scene, such as “dinners, black-tie fundraisers, receptions, ubiquitous book parties”. It is about time, that a different group of people rose to the top of the social, political and even the economical scene; and by different group of people, I am actually saying I am glad that finally NON-WHITE MEN have all the power. On a smaller, much more personal level, whenever I am driving on the highway, or in my predominately white neighborhood and see a woman, or a black person, or a brown person, driving an expensive luxury car, for instance, it makes me happy and proud that the person behind the wheel is a person that isn’t a white man. Now, I don’t want it to seem as though I have a vendetta against upper class white men, I don’t, but it is nice to see someone else in power. I thought it was interesting the differentiation that Chris Rock made between being wealthy and being rich. Finally, I liked the line in the article that said “being black is in”, because it shows that our society is taking the right steps to evening the playing field.
Money is power. Money is the platform that is needed to obtain power. Through special connections and networks, power and money can be manipulated to stay within certain groups of people. This creates a perpetual cycle of inequality. It can be seen any facet of American life. The major problems exist in the political system, business practices, and even in everyday interactions. Money and power has been unfairly distributed in American society since it was founded in the 1700s. White Anglo Saxon Protestants have consistently been the elite ruling class in America. From the first president to forty third president, everyone has been white. The wealthiest business leaders in America are white, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Karl Albrecht. Why are white individuals the elites in American society? Over many years, the cycle of inequality created this notion called “white privilege”. This established disparities in the political and economic processes in the United States. From the political prospective, political machines and bosses used power and money to influence local and national elections through corruption, bribery, and violence. After the Civil War, voting restrictions were established, despite the passage of the fourteenth amendment, to prevent blacks and other minorities equal say in the voting process. Does this sound like democracy to you? Political officials being elected by powerful individuals, who only represented a small portion of the entire country. Corrupt power tainted the American political process for many years. Similar inequalities still exist today. For instance, not every American can run public office. Only the individuals that have enough money and connections to obtain such power. I personally feel that is the main reason why George W. Bush was seen as a viable candidate for office, he had the money and prestige to get him the power. In the business world, the same kinds of inequalities exist, but in the form of nepotism; the practice among those with power favoring relatives or friends by giving them jobs. This is a common way many college graduates obtain internships or jobs. This perpetual cycle has given many white Americans advantages in the political and economic systems. But tides seem to be changing with the Obama in office. The Washington Post wrote an article about how African- Americans, for the first time, have represented the ruling class. Obama appointed several blacks to prestigious cabinet positions. His appointments could establish a platform that could link more powerful positions to minorities, making the political system more fair. Chris Rock ridicules the inequality of power between white and colored individuals. He uses old wealth to describe white people and new wealth to describe black and brown people, reiterating the inequality of power due to the perpetual cycle stated earlier. Chris Rock illustrates his concern in a comical fashion, but that should not take away from the severity of the issue.
First of all, I can’t really say I agree with some of the generalizations being made about African Americans going through money like water and white people saving and acquiring their money through corporate investments. I’m trying my best not to be naïve and I’m doing my best to say what I truly think and feel, but this is it: While not every American will see both black and white people as socioeconomically equal because everyone still eggs on existing stereotypes, I personally see a fair balance of both black and whites in many disciplines of life on the high rungs of the economic ladder. Of course, the United States have not always allowed fair opportunities of success to ethnicities outside of the white realm, but now more than ever I see this vanishing. And it is true that people are going to pass down their wealth for generations to come. So, ignoring the fact that there is still a pitiful gap between the higher and the lower classes, I think the races within are close to evenly distributed.
Here is another thing: I think with Obama being the first black president, many black people have become inspired and not so discouraged by the events through history because there has finally been a break in the chain. So, the media is capturing this newfound buoyancy in many African Americans, and other non-white individuals, because there is hope for different ethnicities to be in power. So, it appears as if “blacks are the new black” because the media chooses to capture everyone’s pride, glory and excitement.
Of course most Americans see it as a great thing that there was this break in the concrete, a new mold emerged to prove that it is no longer only whites that are capable of holding positions in Washington and calling the shots. Unfortunately, black or white, A-lister’s or aspiring politician, lower class or raking in the cash, we are all humans, and every group of us, not matter what our category, is susceptible to corruption, or making bad decisions, or being less driven than the next guy (or girl). The bottom line of it is that there is no logical reason that a certain person of a certain race will be less successful than someone of another race. The article interviewed a woman who is optimistic that this change is happening overnight, regarding the diverse groups of people on the guest lists of White House and other political events.
Yet it remains: just because this group of “A-lister’s” is a different ethnicity, I don’t think corruption or self-interest among those in power is brought to a screeching halt. I hate to burst the woman in the article’s bubble, but like Obama said in his acceptance speech, change and equality of all kind is a long way ahead and his win of the presidency was only a step in that direction. In groups of white people and non-white people, there will inevitably be just and unjust people, people who abuse their wealth and class and people who use it to help others. Until humans of all kinds start changing their actions, not just the color of parties in power, the future will become the history we are all too familiar with.
After listening to Chris Rock's schpeal about how black people are rich but not wealthy, I tried to think about if that statement was true. Thinking about a “top richest people in the world” list I had recently read, I do not recall seeing any black people on that list. There were some brown people from India, Mexico, and other countries on the list, but no black people. This could be because of what Chris Rock said about black people spending their money on useless thinks like rims, but I know that not all black people are so wasteful with their money. As for black people like Oprah, who I technically a billionaire, I have no idea why she isn't rolling in dough like Bill Gates is. Bill Gates has Microsoft, which makes so much money because it is installed in every Windows computer, but Oprah has so much business too. She has her TV show, her magazine and so on that should be able to raise her to the wealthy status. I could not even blame it on her coming from such a poor background because Bill Gates also did not come from a wealthy household, yet he transformed his wealth through his business. I think that it should be a well known fact that there are rich black people in America as well as rich white people, just as it should be a well known fact that there are poor white people in America as well as poor black people. This lack of knowledge from wealthy white people that there are rich black people reminds me of how there was a black female that responded to the video about Tammy that she did not know that there were poor white people in America. I do not know where this lack of knowledge about the people in our country's status has come from. How can white people not think that there are rich black people and how can black people not think there are poor white people? Whether you have or have not encountered one of these “rarities,” it should be obvious that they are present in this country. So is it these rich white people's fault that only 20 black people came to a party with nearly 2,000 white people present? Maybe these white people simply did not have any black friends, or maybe they did not think that black people would be able to attend a $25,000-a-table dinner party. This closed-minded thinking is what makes many people seem to not even know much about the population of their own country. There are people of all different colors present in all areas of the income bracket, yet some people have still yet to realize that. I think that everyone should become aware of the fact that not one race is financially oppressed or succeeding financially, but all of them are.
Personally, I don’t assume black people to be poor, nor do I think that Americans in general do. A lot of times when people say things about poor black people or assume people to be black, it has nothing to do with race. They would do the same thing to a white person. They see someone who is poor and uneducated or unintelligent, and they think to make a joke or say something negative about them. Whether it be about their skin color or the way they talk or the way their dressed, poor people are going to get attacked.
I defintley think that its very racist to hate on immigrants the way our country is doing now. Who cares if theres an influx in certain immigrant groups? Its not like they are going to topple the white supremacy of the country- no other group in the past 300 years has. Every few years we get a new ethnic or race or religion coming into the country and it seems like everyone freaks out, but its nothing to be worried about. However, I don’t want to see the national language change, because its just stupid to have two national languages. For the sake of communication, lets keep it English.
Ok im blowing it out of proportion but everybody always seems to be concentrating on being one hundred percent politically correct about everything. Everybody should just relax and have a good time, everything will fall into place. People are so into looking for drama and getting all political and finding things to fight over.
I don’t follow politics and I don’t pay attention to pretty much anything anymore because pretty much anywhere I look, I see 90% bullshit. It really bothers me, but theres really nothing I can do but shrug your shoulders and laugh about it, because if I were to get angry about it, then I would be being a hypocrite and starting drama over nothing. It’s a difficult circle. Anyways, I thought I would get that off my chest.
As for those two songs – who cares. They aren’t really that funny, and I guess they’re racist, but who cares. Rush Limbaugh is probably one of the worst people in media, if not the world, today. And anyone who thinks Sarah Palin is capable of being Vice President but two guys can’t share health care is not going to offend me in any way, no matter how racist they get.
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To start off I want to make a correction when I think of poor people I really don’t think of people of color. In fact most of the time I think of white people for whatever reason. So the statement that there is a national assumption that black people are poor is news to me. I don’t see black people as being poor which may be surprising to many people seeing as I am from a suburb of Philadelphia. Honestly when I think of a poor person I think of an old white guy sitting on a piece of cardboard, sitting behind his upside hat begging for money. I don’t think about black people as being poor or belonging to a lower social class. When I think about the poorer people in my areas that I went to school with, I feel pretty confident is saying that most of them were white. Of course I know there is a disproportionate amount of blacks that are poor compared to white but I just think that the assumption is rather small minded but then again so are many assumptions.
In concern of the article I found it rather amusing. Not the content was humorous or anything it was more the way the author went about it. I liked the statements that “black is in” and about how black is now in charge and controlling the A list. I mean I do believe that is the way things seem to be shifting. There really is more black people on the A list than ever before. I have no problem with it either in fact I kind of embrace it. I thought it brought about a good point about Obama and the first family sort of heading the whole thing. I never thought about it in that way and once I read that it really seemed to make sense. I mean if there is big changes in the white house it was only a matter of time till those changes, in attitudes towards racial groups would change too. It is almost like the acceptance of power of a black American president is starting to trickle down. Its starting at the very top with the first family and now moving down to the high class, A-listers. People seem to be more and more comfortable with African Americans in places of power and the first indicator of this was of course a black president. I hope this tricking down affect keeps going, spreads and spread quickly because this type of attitude and acceptance is the start to ending racist attitude and misconceptions in this country. It will allow people to come to the “race table” and start talking more and actually making progress instead of just being friendly.
I also think that this article needs to speak more to the impact of class on the distribution of wealth, so I agree with Steve. It is a fact that through nepotism, and bigotry the rich get richer and the poor continue to get poor and it doesn’t always have to do with race or color. This happens in countries all over the world. However it only serves to complicate the situation and cause different sides to point the finger at each other because human nature has unfortunately throw race into the equation. I completely agree with every word of that part of Chris Rock’s routine and there really isn’t much I would tell him about the number of black Americans in the upper and middle class. I think that if anything there are slightly more wealthy black people in the United States than he is suggesting, but he has the right ideas as to why African Americans more so have richness instead of wealth. This is a comedy routine so he is not always supposed to be politically correct. He needs to exaggerate a little to actually be funny, but I think that his message hits home and sinks in to most people. I think the comedy is a great outlet because it affords many people the opportunity to view the stances of individuals of a different race, have their eyes opened to stereotypes and ignorance that we all hold in our hearts in a safe environment, and laugh at our own narrow-mindedness and stupidity. Chris Rock is speaking from his own experiences about what is going on in different communities and it really hits home that richness is separated from wealth by wise management. I think that this, along with systematic discrimination and nepotism in the country are the reasons why not just blacks, but Asians, Pacific Islanders, Latinos, and all other minorities have not been able to uplift themselves to the plateau that many white Americans are at. I think that it is a shame that “rich black people” is a novel idea to many people’s ears, and I am including my own ears as well. I have never really given this specific statistic a lot of deep thought but I didn’t really now that fifty percent of black people are middle class in the US. This is just another result of media portrayal of our people and the institutionalized racism that even we, the oppressed, willingly take part in every day. Actually hearing statistics like this really brings the message home that we all need to never prejudge. We can never guess at the social statuses of anyone in the world, whether the be white, black, brown, red or yellow. There are plenty of needy and destitute Caucasian people in the world as well. That is why this is a continuous process of unlearning stereotypes.
“There is a national assumption that black Americans are, as a collective group, poor.” I’m not sure that I agree with Sam on this point. In my own experience as a middle class white male living in a small town I have not encountered this. When I was young there was a plot of land behind my house at least 50 acres in size that was undeveloped. As I grew older the “woods” vanished and houses sprung up. The view was ruined and games of capture the flag were seriously downsized thanks to our new neighbors who happened to be largely Black or Latino. Their homes are both new and larger in an area where real estate values had been soaring for more than a decade. The point is that these families are likely better off financially than my own and many of them are black or brown people.
Of course the statistics show that minority groups are not as well off financially and I’m not trying to dispute that. My point is that in my own experience when I see a black person I don’t automatically think of them as poor. I think it is interesting however that a minority might look at a white person and automatically think that they are rich or have things better. This was made all too clear in class following the video about the white woman who walked 10 miles to work every day. A black female student responded that she was surprised because she had never met a poor white person. I could not believe that was possible. I don’t mean to attack her but the comment is a great example of the divide that exists between races in America.
Whenever we talk about race white people seem to be responsible for the lack of interaction or desire to improve race relations. But shouldn’t it be a two way street? How could this girl have never met a poor white person? One explanation is that she is from an affluent community and went to a private school I suppose. But even if this is the case she now attends Penn State and poor white students do exist. On a larger scale it made me realize that we’re often just walking around in our own bubbles. As a black female it’s probably more comfortable for her to not interact with white people.
At one point in class Sam talked about the need for white people to feel comfortable voicing disagreement with minorities. It made me think about a discussion I had with my brother over break. He is a freshman at a different college and is taking a class on race right now as well. His teacher is a black woman and he says the class is basically an opportunity to bash white people and make white students feel responsible for all the problems in race relations. I asked him what he meant and he said that for one she claims that black people cannot be racist. Obviously my brother hates this class and I doubt he will take much from it. The worst part is that I have had similar discussions with 2 other friends about race classes at their universities and their stories are eerily similar. It would seem that the emphasis on race classes at the college level would have racial harmony at heart but how can that be achieved if students have experiences like my brother?
I think this article is greatly exaggerating the increase in power that the elite African American population is currently experiencing. Just because Obama is president does not mean that everyone is going to want to make new black friends and that being black is the new “it” thing like the article says. I do not think that America’s history of racial inequality can suddenly disappear now that we have a black president. If this article is true and black celebrities are in high demand at social events, this will probably wear out just like any other social fad. The article makes it sound like black Americans are being invited to all of these prestigious events just because it is “cool”. If this is so, the trend will not last because what is cool this month is usually “out” the next month. I feel that it is very wrong of white Americans to suddenly jump on the band wagon and decide that they need to make new black friends since everyone else is doing it. And as a black American being invited to such events, wouldn’t you feel used? These people only want to be seen with you because of your skin color, which is no better than being discriminated against based on your race. This trend will probably lose its novelty as Obama’s term progresses.
I wonder if Hillary Clinton had been elected president, would female celebrities be in high demand on the social scene and would America be experiencing a wave of female empowerment right now? Or, does the election of a black president completely outweigh the significance of having a female president? It is silly to think that America’s stigma against people of color can so suddenly vanish and even reverse. Even if white people are suddenly inviting black individuals to all of their parties and such, it is not because their views of other races have suddenly changed. I think only time can truly mend racial divisions and with each future generation, the gaps between people of color and whites seem to further shrink. I predict that these white people who suddenly want to be seen with black Americans will move onto some other trend in the near future.
I find it sad that white people generally think they have so little in common with blacks. As Americans, we all share a lot in common despite skin color, especially in the current economic situation, which has really leveled the field. Since Obama’s campaign and election, however, it seems like white people suddenly are seeing blacks in a whole different light, like they did not realize that people of color like Obama even existed. I would say that post-election, whites would say that they think they have more in common with black people than they would have said pre-election. Of course this is a good thing, it is just sad that we needed a black person to become president before many Americans could relate to people of color.
To me, the problem with racism starts with this article and even more with Chris Rock’s shtick. As Americans we are aware that there are many different classes in America. Some people got to them by privilege and others worked very, very hard. This article and blog made me very mad. I am very sick of people giving themselves and others excuses. I come from a family where my father had to work very hard to get to where he is. For other people, I may seem poor because I live in a city. But, no I am not. I am a middle class citizen. The black people I know gave themselves excuses. My high school was predominately white. On more then one occasion, I’ve had black friends come up to me asking for money to buy lunch. When I said no, they replied with, “its because I’m black.” That right there is an excuse. Why do they think I have more money than them? My father’s boss is black. Not once have I ever heard him say it was because of affirmative action. This man worked hard to be where he was. For Chris Rock to come out and say that white people are wealthy and black people can be rich is absurd. Comparing Oprah to Bill Gates saying she can’t have enough money as him is ridiculous. Again, I believe it is an excuse. I am not saying there is no white privilege in the world, but for the majority of white people, they worked for what they have. I say the same thing for African Americans and every other race. The ones who are driven will succeed. And what about affirmative action being taken too far? A black or brown person will get into a university even if they are not academically qualified like a white person because the university needs to fill a quota. Also, these students are given scholarships because of their race. Where is the fairness in that? In that sense, America is giving these people an even bigger advantage over white people and yet there is still debate over why black people succeed. In America, there are many white people who aren’t even middle class as well. Take Tammy from the documentary we watched in class for example. In her video she had to walk 10 and a half miles to work at Burger King. Where is her white privilege? And as for the article about more blacks in Washington D.C., I believe that people are looking for any excuse to show that just because we have a black president, there will be more black people. Everyone seems to forget that our last President, George W. Bush had Condoleezza Rice as his Secretary of State and Colin Powell who was a first generation American born in Harlem to Jamaican immigrants. I feel as though people seem to forget these things and make excuses for people who did work hard to get to where they are just like every other race.
To say that all white people have money and no black people do is just ridiculous. The thought that bothers me is when people say that white people do not understand what it means to be poor because only black people have truly ever been or are “poor.” Once again, this is a ridiculous statement to make. The fact is that poverty can affect anyone at anytime; poverty does not care about a person’s race or heritage. Poverty is a large problem in the white population as it is in the black population. When talking about the issue of poverty in America, the real topic should not be who has more poor people but what can be done to help all the poor people regardless of race. Now I would like to comment on what Chris Rock had to say about money. He begins by differentiating between being “rich” and being “wealthy.” I agree and understand what he means by that, but I did not like how he gave white people exclusive rights to all the wealthiest categories. It is absolute bull when he states that there are no wealthy black people, and to prove this he talks about Oprah. However, that seems a little off to me since Oprah happens to be a billionaire. Yes Bill Gates is more of a billionaire that Oprah, but how does that speak for all white and black people? I would consider both of these people wealthy. Most people, when thinking about rich black people, would think about rappers (probably after Oprah though of course). However, according to Rock they are rich and not wealthy. The strangest part about all this is the fact that Chris Rock is shouting about how white people have all this money, when we all know he’s sitting on a few stacks. I want to know why a rich black man is complaining about how colored people have no money. This does not really make too much sense to me, especially while I sit here as a white boy wondering why I’m not rich or wealthy. I am white, should I not have money? When stated that way, it is pretty obvious what a crazy thought it is. I am simply a middle class white boy who actually has many non-white friends who are middle class and above. Granted, I do have non-white friends who are lower in class, but I have white friends with the same status. I look at situations of class more as characteristic to different cases rather than a function of race. To get an idea of where all the world’s wealth was residing, I looked up the world’s wealthiest people. Chris Rock initially seemed correct as the first two wealthiest people were indeed white (the first being Bill Gates). However, the third wealthiest person was actually a Mexican. More color in the top ten included two Indians and a Spaniard. Further contradicting Rock’s statement is the black man I found on the list. He is actually wealthier than Oprah and has a net worth of about nine billions dollars. Mohammed Al Amoudi was born in Ethiopia and is known as the wealthiest black person in the world. Although it is true that the wealth list is not flourishing with black people, a person can still find a few. In addition, the list is scattered with a mix of white and colored people. These colored people may be Indian, Mexican, Asian, or any of the many others found on the list. Also, these white people do not just come from American, but are from all countries throughout the world. All I have really been trying to say is that no one can say a certain race has all the money. Any of these “rich” or “wealthy” people have money beyond my wildest dreams and I am a white male. People in poverty should not be classified by race, but rather simply helped in any way possible.
To be honest, the information and current trends presented in this article did not surprise me very much. Although I do not know that much about politics and the inner-workings of Washington, D.C., I have always just assumed that it is dominated by old, white men. It also comes as no surprise then to hear that, outside of formal dinners and meetings, black and white politicians did not mingle, up until now. With the election of Barack Obama as the first colored president in the history of our country, it makes sense that these white politicians are now vying for the attention and acceptance of their fellow African American colleagues. However, I would like to think that this move towards integration is not only a way for white politicians to feel more politically correct (after having accumulated their one or two “signature black friends”) but more of a step in the direction of true acceptance and equality between the races.
It is true that in this country the majority of black people are viewed as being poor. While Obama’s election was viewed as a huge victory for people of color in the United States, it should also be seen as a huge victory for every single person of every different color. In a time where the most predominant African Americans rap about abusing women and spending money carelessly rather than urging young children of color to become leaders in our society, black men in D.C. could be the role models the children of this generation so desperately need. While white children may not relate to Obama in the same way black people might, the fact that they will grow up in a country governed by a man of a different race will hopefully promote tolerance from a young age and begin to carve a path towards the day when race will truly no longer be an issue.
With regard to Chris Rock’s stand-up act about wealth, I thought it was interesting how he acknowledged the importance of “rims” in African American culture. While he was using this information as a joke, I think many white people in this country do think of the ways in which black people spend their money as being foolish. I can honestly say that as a white female, I cannot wrap my mind around the thought of dropping $75,000 on a diamond encrusted necklace or a huge watch and I am sure many white people would share in my confusion. It seems to me that perhaps white people and black people simply view wealth in different ways, although I do not know how to account for these differences. Maybe someday something will change to close this gap on riches and wealth between the races.
Money has always put up a divide in our society. Whether you were born into a wealthy family, or became well established on your own, money has always been a big determinate on how you are perceived. I thought Chris Rock’s standup was hilarious, and also very true. It is most often the case that white Americans inherited money from older generations in their family and rich black Americans worked for their money and became prosperous by being hard workers. That's not to say that this is always the case, but more often than not, this is true. Historically, black Americans never had the privilege of being born into money, and have had to work their way up to the top. As for white Americans, a lot of families have had a history of wealth throughout the generations.
I know what Chris Rock said was meant to be a generalization of what some people see when they look at these two groups, but it is very stereotypical to think that all white people invest their money and black people often spend it the instant they make it on frivolous things. This may be the case in some situations, but what people do with their money is not based on race. But Chris Rock is right in his point that it’s what people do with their money that defines whether they are wealthy or rich.
In the “Say Hello to My New Black and Brown Friends” article, it discusses how just now, black people are dominating the political social scene. I find it funny that people would even look at this situation and even notice the difference that is taking place. Being a white American, I might be biased in my opinion that I don’t think I would notice that white people have always dominated this social scene. Maybe if I were black, and I attended many of these events, which were predominately white people, I would notice the lack of black people in attendance. But the fact that this is such a hot topic right now is a little strange. I mean, obviously people notice the skin color of others when they see them, but this shouldn’t be such an analyzed topic.
The fact that our President is part black, is a change that I think most Americans needed, and hopefully will be a big eye opener to many who doubted his abilities, just based on arbitrary factors, like the color of his skin. I believe that Obama has the power to change the attitudes of many people who didn’t give him the credit he deserved. I know he is in a tough position right now, governing a country in the midst of a recession, but I know change is coming, and he has the power to do so.
I LOVE CHRIS ROCK!!...He’s outrageously hilarious and speaks the truth. Many people would think that all the things he says are just to make people laugh, but what really makes him funny is the fact that he speaks the truth. The clip about “wealth” in America may sound crazy, but if you think about it, it’s kinda true. Now we all have different views about wealth in America and the fact that billions of people aren’t even close to the wealth that poor people have here, but what Chris Rock said about the distinction between wealth and rich is shockingly accurate. When Chris Rock said that they’re some rich blacks but there no wealthy blacks, I get where his statement is coming from. The wealthy are the one’s that have the final say and have complete power while the rich have the money but don’t have the wealth that gives them power. The clear majority of the wealthy are whites and they share their wealth with other whites and it goes on from generation to generation. Though this may sound as racism or nepotism, it’s a great way of staying in power. I liked the fact that Chris Rock said that the blame is not all on the whites because it isn’t. Now obviously, not all blacks spend their money unwisely, but it’s pretty funny when Chris said that blacks use money to buy jewelry and rims. “I got some toasters sittin on 22’s nigga…look at em nigga…they spinnin’ nigga, they spinnin.”
The whole thing about Shaq being rich and not wealthy is pretty intriguing. You would think that Shaq is wealthy, but the guy giving out the checks is white. I wouldn’t be shocked if the CEO of a major Hip Hop industry was white. He’ll just be lingering in the background, nobody even noticing him, but he’s the wealthy one.
The problem I really see is that people see blacks and brown people as being poor because of, once again, the media. Many times, you see blacks being shown poor and uneducated. Yes, they’re many poor blacks, but they’re many wealthy blacks as well (not according to Chris Rock obviously). But you don’t really see many wealthy blacks shown in the media unless they’re on MTV or something, which is a shame. Think about it. They’re only a couple of shows that really show that blacks can be just as wealthy as whites such as the Cosby Show and Fresh Prince. And what about Latinos and other races of color? I don’t really see any shows or programs that shows them being wealthy. Why is that? We must not forget the media plays a HUGE role in how we think and how we view things in the world.
We can argue about this all this all we want, but here’s the thing. Someone has to be at the top, which in this case are white people. When group is in power, it’s expected that they distribute their rules and their ways amongst others, which is happening as we speak. Whether we like it or not, that’s just the way it is.
Chris Rock’s stand up was hilarious, and unfortunately, even though he was joking around, quite a few of the topics he hit on were reinforcing many stereotypes held about black people. Money is new, and therefore it is blown. He isn’t “talking about rich” he is “talking about wealth.” Rich is monetarily based only, and won’t disintegrate into thin air. Wealth is stable. Wealth is power. And black people aren’t used to that sort of power. The same way that the black community might feel about their new money is how historical white Americans felt back in the days of oh… let’s say the Titanic. There was old money versus new money even then. And it wasn’t a matter of what color your skin was. The old money perceived the new money as being much more frivolous, and it was certainly looked down upon to be newer money. The issues between new and old money are seldom talked about publicly. Chris Rock is able to say this because he makes people laugh when he does so. Not just anyone could be so candid about his or her comments. Both Chris Rock and Sam preached the same thing to white people, which I found interesting. They both said for whites not to take all the blame in this situation. I think too often the race card is pulled without looking at the entire situation. As far as the article went, it is interesting to hear about the gradual changes being made in the social scene. I would never really think of this because I would imagine (so to speak) a party is a party, everyone who is anyone can come. No race preference etc. That is probably naïve. One thing that stood out to me in this article was a quote by Hilary Rosen: "White people could use a little wake-up exclusionary experience," said Rosen, a CNN contributor and a high-profile lobbyist for almost two decades. "It's kind of great that black people are in charge and white people are worried about being in -- when it's been the other way for so long." To me, this just reinforces white vs. black. Don’t get me wrong, it most definitely is great that this scene is becoming more and more integrated, but something about this quote rubbed me the wrong way. It is so pigeonholing. Us silly white people, needing to open our big blue and green eyes to the blacks and how they’re taking over? Really? That isn’t the message that should be put out. The message so be an encouraging “look at the progress we’re making, black AND white.” That’s just my opinion. This makes it into a competition, and we should be progressing, not regressing.
After reading the article about the A-List African Americans, it made me proud to know that African Americans are rising and becoming wealthy. I feel the same way that Chris Rock feels about “Rich” and “Wealthy”. Black people as a whole sometimes tends to get a hold of a bit of money and squander it on miscellaneous material things. White people on the hand get money, invest, and let their money work for them. Chris Rock is right, black people get money and buy rims and grills that cost extreme amounts of money and end up with next nothing after it is all said and done. I am very happy to see there a few African Americans have taken the right path and made good choices with their money and have become wealthy. Wealth is something that can be passed down from generation to generation, being rich can be changed over the course of one night. When I think of A-List wealthy people, I think Michael Jordan, Oprah, Samuel Jackson, etc. These are African Americans who have obtained wealth and planned on keeping it. They not only help themselves but they also help others. Investing in his or her friends and family will help everyone in the long run. Helping those close to you will help you in the future. I feel as though white American has grasped this concept and are continuing to use it to become wealthy.
I definitely feel as though white privilege still exists, but now with more black in places of power, it is evening out just a bit. Even though the article says black people are in the control of the A-Lists now, I don’t believe that to be true. There was an example of an A-List dinner in which 20 of 2,000 people there were African American. That means one percent of the people in attendance were African American. It is better than nothing but still a minuscule number. African Americans are on the rise but still have a little ways to move up the ladder in regards to being in control of the A-List.
I do look in disgust at some rappers and others who live these ostentatious lives and after a year or two have nothing to show their success. Instead of squandering their wealth, why not just invest the money in their community and those closest to them. I have seen people obtain riches, open businesses and hire people close them so, they not only make money but, everyone around them benefits from it. All I am saying is for people to look at the big picture instead of here and now. The wealthiest people make money, keep, and make it compound into more money. Rich people just have large amounts of money for a short period of time. I think that African Americans get rich but not wealthy. This is because of the bad choice we make when we obtain large amounts of money.
This article does not really change how I feel about African Americans because I have already been exposed to the different economic classes of African Americans. Although, some of them may be poor some are in the middle class, and there are others that have a lot of money, and their amount of liquid assets exceeds the amount of some white people. I know that not all African Americans are poor, and I also know that is very ignorant to classify a whole group into a category because there are usually several deviants, and as was pointed out in the Chris Rock clip Oprah Winfrey is rich. Now, she may not be as rich as Bill Gates, but she is really doing her thing, and I love that DIVA.
I actually agree with what Chris Rock had to say in his clip because there really are no wealthy black people, they may be rich like Oprah Winfrey but they are definitely are not on the same level as Bill Gates. I feel like Sam provides the explanation for this by saying that the different racial categories are all started at different starting points and all have different routes to go through to reach their destinations and some are more complex than others and as a result some persons in racial groups are not able to make it to the end, some are more battered when they do arrive (figuratively speaking), and as a result arrive without all the success in comparison to others. The idea of white privilege is made evident when Chris Rock mentioned that there are no wealthy black people, because black people are one of those racial groups that are started at a line farther back and that have a far more complex path to endure, and white people have it easy just because to they are white. Not to say that, all white people have it easy because there are definitely poor white people that are trying to progress but are not able to so either. Chris Rock also mentioned that money is new to black people implying that black people are “neuvoriche” , which I believe is true. That is why when some black people come into money they lots of big expensive cars, with rims and all the bling bling. Instead of making more astute investments, but this all has to do with factors and forces outside of their control. That is what society tells black people to do and this is clearly illustrated in the media and music videos. As a result, when black people do come into money they often times, just waste their money on useless things, but not all of them act in such a manner. There are some that spend their money wisely.
Ok, so number one, no matter what, Chris Rock makes me laugh really hard. He is just a very funny guy. Number two, whatever topic he talks about has SOME truth to it and the humorous way he presents these topics make people sit up and listen. Now, not all black people who get “rich” go and blow it away on rims and jewelry and not all white people with money are set for the rest of their lives, but the fact of the matter is that Chris Rock brings up these topics so people can TALK about them. Some people need this material presented it Chris presents it to take it into consideration, but at least they are taking that step, right? I mean, one of the biggest things that Sam has said that has stuck with me is that in SOC 119, you don’t need to really DO anything to make a difference, sometimes you just have to listen and pass on what you’ve heard or strike up a conversation about a topic that you wouldn’t usually talk about. Wealth and money is sometimes a harder thing to discuss then race because like Sam said in class, you can’t really tell someone’s “economic level” by just looking at them and then, without knowing, you can offend someone that you did not mean to offend. In my discussion group this week, we talked about being a “professional” and how we will all have to kind of step it up when we go on interviews for jobs, but do people that are a different race than “white,” have to “tone it down” even more? I don’t know the answer to that because I am a white female. The only way I can relate is through gender- do I have to act a certain way in interviews because I want to become a professional woman? How does a professional woman act? And after getting hired, is it then ok to “let loose” and let co-workers in on some things that you wouldn’t exactly advertise in an interview. I am really looking forward to getting into law (my chosen profession), but sometimes I think about how hard it is going to be to give up some of my college “habits,” but I am just hoping most of it is going to come with maturity and time. I think I got a little bit off topic here, but it has not gotten any easier to see the world through another races’ eyes. Either way, the most important thing I’ve always been told is to maintain your sense of self and be who you are. Is that harder for people of color? I have no idea. Damn, this ethnocentrism.
When reading the article from The Washington Post, a particular line caught my attention and made me chuckle: “Certain hosts are suddenly grappling with a new reality: They need some black friends.” It’s funny how now that a black family has entered the White House, white people are all of a sudden on the search for black friends to remain “tied” to the IT events and occurrences and the continued sense of belonging. Needing black friends? First of all, it typically disgusts me when people feel they “need” to be friends with certain people, no matter the case. For example, I’m not and have never been a supporter of the notion of buying into an organization to obtain a certain group of friends, if you know what I mean. Along similar lines, white people now need to have black friends? Hmm. It’s funny how in a lot of cases up until very recently, black people never seemed good enough to be friends with white people or included in their social circles. To be fair, this isn’t the case for everyone everywhere, and I do understand that. But for many whites, it just wasn’t the norm to go out and become friends with black people, for whatever reason. So now that white people are seeking out black individuals to befriend, I can’t help but role my eyes. Has the fact that we now have a black man as our President changed who these black people are? Not at all. So what makes them more worthy of befriending now than in the past? How superficial. Though I am glad that the black population is finally making their mark on the world, I do not agree with some of the sudden “shifts” of attitudes that white people have taken on. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy that many white people are becoming more accepting and including of black people, it’s just the grounds that these decisions are made on that bothers me. Why couldn’t we have been big enough people to do such things before? Why did it take the election of a black man into Office for us to see that so many others view him, as a black man, to be “okay,” so therefore we are more secure in viewing the people of his race to be “okay”? Then I have to stop myself at feeling bitter toward the shallowness of many white Americans and remind myself that it really isn’t all of us, and again, I know that. Also, I can’t slap progress in the wrist. Yes, it may seem crazy that it’s taken us this long to welcome black people into our circle of friends and actually want to be seen with them at social functions, but it can’t be overlooked as a positive and progressive thing to be proud of. It was just very upsetting and somewhat shocking to me to read that some people are finally coming to grips with the reality that they need some black friends. In my opinion, I just can’t come to terms with the fact that people of a different skin color ever weren’t good enough to be friends with in the first place, but now all of a sudden…we need them? I desperately think we need to abandon our views of color and begin accepting people for who they are as human beings.
Even though there is a national assumption that most blacks are poor, we have to realize that the struggles and conflicts they go through are very depressing. Not even blacks but poor people in general might have gone through difficult times that depict where they stand now. Especially in the economic crisis now, people are using smarter decisions and looking out for themselves. So lets look at college students also who are using loans to pay for school. Are they considered poor or are they looking out for their parents since they have done so much already? During Dr. Richards class, the video he showed on how Tammy lived her life could have had mixed opinions. The fact that she has to walk ten miles everyday to work shows that she is not giving up. In fact, despite having three kids she appears to be fond of her life with their love and support. While Sam, asked us to interpret how colored and white people feel about her, it was clear that there were mixed opinions. It seemed most people didn’t care about her because they have interpreted her as “white trash” and it was her fault for making poor decisions. On the other hand, people are compensating for how she appears to be happy. I feel that money is a major factor for people but when we have too much money, it can harmfully depict that individual as greedy and making poor decisions. Regardless of race, many people around local communities and cities develop fundraisers or offer food to the homeless. This clearly shows that even though it costs money to operate these fundraisers, the most important thing middle class and some upper families want, is to show people more opportunities in life. In my perspective, I can’t imagine the fact of wearing the same clothes or having no money to even help my family. My parents were divorced since I was eight years old and during my childhood, it was very difficult for my father to find a new house. Now all he cares about is watching me graduate and obtain a successful job in the hospital. In this situation, I looked at how the determination and the love from my parents, shows that you can be happy despite the circumstances around you. For the lower-class families, they feel that love from family members will always be the same of which it should be. We cannot interpret poor people as a diverse group because most of them work harder than other individuals just for the fact that they can survive. While watching Chris Rock’s video, it seems that he was stating a point on how the government has treated different ethnic groups. If we are still compiled by the fact that people are to be treated by factors such as money, then it’s clear to say that we are in a crisis in terms of poverty.
Money is definitely a very sensitive topic of conversation. The minute anyone brings up money or any issue having to do with it, people usually become very tense. Especially in today’s society where almost everyone is struggling and for the most part money and wealth have become the main topics of conversation at the dinner table. Now we all know that in most cases money does equal power and very often, it can in fact “buy happiness.” I completely agree with Chris Rock’s comedy routine in which he discusses the difference between wealthy people and rich people. There is clearly a major difference between old money and new money. However, with that said, there are plenty of white people who came from nothing and eventually rose above and earned a lot of money, becoming “new money”. There are also plenty of black people who were born wealthy, making them “old money. After reading this blog I immediately thought about the discussion we had in Tuesday’s class about wealth and poverty. After watching the video clip of the poor woman and her sons Sam asked us to give our opinion on their life and situation. I distinctively remember one student commenting that she did not realize there were white people as poor as the family we saw in the video. This comment, in my opinion, was very interesting. The girl who commented happened to be African American and I found it very surprising that she thought this way. I guess I was surprised to hear this because although race and money are definitely relatable topics I know that there are very poor white people and very poor black people. I also know that there are very wealthy white people and there are very wealthy black people. However, going back to what Chirs Rock said I definitely believe that there is some correlation between black people being rich and white people being wealthy. The beginning of Sam’s blog mentions an article that discusses the upper class parties in Washington DC. The article states that now that there is a black family in the White House these formerly “all-white” parties are becoming more and more racially mixed. This, in my opinion, is a very good thing and something that is long overdue. These people who are attending this parties, whether they are from old money or new money, are able to attend these parties because they made something of themselves. However, I have to ask myself the question, would as many black people still be invited to such high society functions if we did not have a black president in office? I hope the answer is yes but to be honest I really don’t know. Like we mentioned in class, it truly doesn’t matter what race you are when it comes to poverty. Poverty does not care whether you are white, brown, black, etc. It still affects everyone the same way.
One of the comments from The Washington Post was, "You see those 'What's In and Out' columns every year? With Obama and the first family in town, arguably being black is in” This is a shocking reality to most people of color and for others it isn’t new information at all. But for those who are just receiving the cue, this truth is way older than yourself. As stated in the blog, there are many black Americans who are members of the middle class but the picture painted doesn’t depict this because of brainwashing control from who is on “top of the mountain”. So, people of any race, but specifically minorities, remain ignorant just as they are of the concept of poor white people. But on another note, the idea of who has an abundance of money normally is projected to the white corner with the exception of those people of color with some celebrity status. Where would I even place these black and brown A-Listers on the privileged continuum? Right next to the single Native American mother living on a reservation with her four babies. Chris Rock wasn’t trying to make his audience just laugh when he referred to these A-Listers as just being rich instead of wealthy, he was trying to unleash truth. I know it may seem taboo to think that this idea of wealth is merely “hereditary” but, honestly speaking, it is. What these black individuals don’t realize is that one day they themselves are going to shut down and not be able to do the things they do to make their money. Once that happens, what could possibly happen to their families and future generations to stem from them? Those that constantly spend their money on foolish things like multiple expensive cars, fine dining, and costly clothing have nothing to set aside and grow their riches from. When our society realizes that wealth isn’t just quick money and that it actually takes a psychological and financial investment, A-Listers will begin to take these thoughts into consideration. In fact, I can assume that many people of any color with a lot of money will even deeply evaluate and criticize whether or not the choices they make can sustain them for living on this planet! Either way, Chris Rock definitely made it easy to see how we can mix up having money and then being wealthy particularly when talking about race relations.. His examples of black A-Listers buying rims and white A-Listers dedicating money into a Wal-Mart was very shocking across the border on account of it being true for the a majority of minorities. With no hesitation I would commemorate him for saying what he did because I’m aware that “political correctness” doesn’t exist in his vocabulary.
You know what, I like Prof. Richards, but I am becoming a little irritated. I understand that he has no ounce of white guilt in him, but come on. I do not understand him sometimes. It is like one day he all for self-determination, and nothing can stop you if you have the drive and ambition regardless of your race, and then another day he is like, “Stop acting like racism does not exist, because it does.” I am confused. So what that black people are making it on the A-List!!! I understand that not all black people are poor, and many black people are hovering in the middle-class, but what does that mean? Every race has people in every class; the only problem is how many people they have in every class. First of all, half of my family, if not more, would be considered middle class. I live the middle class life. It beats being poor but it is nowhere compared to being rich. It is not even a comfortable lifestyle. Everyone in my finally finds themselves at a roadblock at one point or another at least once a year. How many rich people can say that? Not many. Their problems are not the same as people of the middle-class. The middle-class is a set-up. My mom is in crazy debt because of her putting me through Penn State. We do not approve for certain grants because they say she makes too money, so that forces her to have to get loans. So whatever extra money she has goes right back to our wonderful government. WTF!!! I appreciate being middle-class because I am not poor, but I hate that it is thrown in my face, and I am told that I should not complain. That’s B.S.!!! African-Americans have gone through so much in this country, and their blood sweat and tears have contributed to getting all those “African-American” A-Lister’s on that list. Just because Hollywood and D.C. are seeing more Blacks with green, does not completely erase the history of my African-American ancestors. This is why I am angry. Yeah, there are Blacks with money, and there are Blacks without it, but just because Blacks are finally climbing up the financial ladder does not take away from the fact that many of my fellow African-Americans are not struggling. And I could care less about your argument that states that there are poor White people too. So what!!! I bet you if you sent two poor people, one White, the other Black, on an interview, the White person will get the call back, and this is proven by institutionalized racism. And yeah, Chris Rock is right, us Blacks do waste a lot of money. We buy things that satisfy us for the time being. We tend not to think about the future. One reason is because we were not taught good money managing skills, which many Whites grow up with up. This is not in all cases, but it happens very frequently. I am not blaming the lack of Black success on the White man, but I just want Whites all around the world to know that Blacks ARE at a disadvantage, and to make it to that A-List, we have to work twice as hard as Whites. DO NOT FORGET THAT!!!!!
As I mentioned a bunch of times in class discussions and also in previous blogs, I went to an extremely diverse school. I would have to say that about forty-five percent of the school was white, forty-five percent of the school was black, and the other ten percent was mixed with Indian, European, Russian, Asian, and so on. My school had kids that represented about seventy-three countries world-wide. My school was a Philadelphia public school. There were a lot of black kids. The common stereotype is that black people are poor. I would have to say that I strongly disagree with this. In my high school, I saw kids from all different races. I saw poor black kids, poor white kids and poor Asians. I also saw wealthier kids of these races also.
Look, poverty is a problem that we ALL have. Black or white, it does not matter! When I read this article, I was surprised that more black people did not go to more of these events in the past. Could the previous presidential administrations be racist? I would like to get to the bottom of this. And now with the election of Barack Obama it is quite evident that more black people are invited to these events and fundraisers and such. There is definitely a trend in this data. On a side note, I love to see the collaboration of black and white people in every aspect of life. I especially admire individuals who have a boyfriend or girlfriend of an opposite race. It is a colossal step in the abolishment of racism all together.
I love Chris Rock. I have seen this comedy, “Never Scared”, routine over ten times in my lifetime. “I ain’t talkin bout rich, I’m talkin bout wealth.” I had no idea there was actually a difference between these two words. But now I seem to get it. “Rich is something you can lose from a crazy summer and a drug habit.” Wealth is evidently passed down from generation to generation. Now, do I agree with when Chris Rock says that there are no wealthy black people in America? I don’t really believe that. That is a huge overgeneralization. Everyone spends money on things that make them happy, aka rims. I believe that “white privilege” can most certainly go hand and hand with “A-List” celebrity power. A-list celebrities can do anything they want. It does not matter if they are not white. They do not need any white privilege. These people have as much power as anyone with the “white privlige. Also, in response to Rock’s shtick about losing your richness, I have to agree with him. You always hear in the news about how celebrities lose their money. They once had it all but now crumbled to the ground. Spending money like it is going bad is a human characteristic. Everyone can be a victim of doing this. It has nothing to do with race!
As we discussed in class earlier, white people reached the top of the mountain first, and for many years, other groups faced apparently obstacles in trying to obtain the same resources as whites. Whites were able to become affluent and wealthy during their reign on top while others clearly struggled as a result of many rules created to allow whites to be on top. Fast-forward to 2009, and we now have a black man in the most prestigious and powerful position in the world.
The socioeconomic divide between blacks and whites is also taking a step in the right direction. Yet, as Chris Rock says, whites are characterized by wealth. This means that whites were able to pass down their money and assets from generation to generation. This would be the “old money” especially seen in prominent areas like the Upper East Side in New York. The majority of black people with a large sum of money acquired the money by becoming rich concluding their money is new money. I personally enjoyed reading the article about high-level blacks mingling with whites in D.C. It’s about time that minority groups can be seen on the same level as their peers. It really gives everyone hope that any person no matter what his or her race is can be on top. When reading the article, the first thing that came to mind was Washington D.C. is a predominately black city. I thought, “Why haven’t these dinner parties and charity galas been dominated by blacks prior to President Obama’s inauguration?” The answer is simple; Washington has a large black population, but many of these black people lack power, affluence and political gain. D.C. is all about getting ahead for yourself. Ultimately it just means becoming close with those who can propel you forward. The article states how former Presidents Bush and Clinton brought prominent individuals from Texas and Arkansas to Washington, as these are the people who propelled them to the presidency. Likewise, President Obama benefits by his fellow black and brown people as well as the Chicago elite. These are many of the people who funded his campaign. Clearly the cities are the place where minorities are climbing to the top in terms of socioeconomic class.
Unfortunately, the time where black and brown people lead parties and social scenes in rural areas is quite a ways away still. For example, my neighbor in my hometown was doing work on his deck over my spring break. While taking a walk, I heard his radio turned to the appalling Rush Limbaugh agreeing with the racist remarks he has about our President. Clearly we still have a long way to go.
I think this article is an example of how stereotypes still control people’s way of thinking. The author of the article made it seem as though it is unusual to see rich or wealthy black people socializing with the most elite of the country. I actually can see where Chris Rock is coming from when he talks about the difference between black wealthy people and rich black people because there is a difference. There is a stereotype out there that white people who have a lot of money are wealthy and therefore pass down their riches to their children thus giving their children that “head start” in life. White people are stereotyped as being “smarter” with their money than blacks because they invest their money more than black people do. This makes it seem weird to many white people who have this stereotype to see black people “mingling” with elite white people. Many may even think that the only reason they are even mingling in the first place is because Obama is black and he is inviting all his “black friends” to events like this. However, this may be partly true because who would invite these black A-Listers to these events if Obama did not? I don’t think they were invited when Bush was president so our president being black is also a major factor. Regardless of the reason that these black A-Listers are being invited to such events it doesn’t change the fact that these blacks were rich long before there was a black president. It is just that they weren’t all invited to such places until Obama invited them. Obama is helping white people realize how alike they are to blacks. How there are rich blacks and middle class blacks just like there are rich and middle class whites. It is new to some white people but it is a point that needed to be expressed.
Although, when I think about white privilege and compare black A-Listers to white A-Listers I do not see them as equals. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of a white rich person is that they must have inherited money from their family. However, when I think of a black rich person I automatically think they somehow worked their way to the top or they are an athlete or entertainer. I guess I subconsciously think the same way as Chris Rock because I automatically assume blacks cannot be “wealthy” but only “rich”. I must assume that if blacks were to have money that they would not invest in such a way that their children or children’s children will benefit from the money years down the road. It is possible that since most rich whites invest their money more than blacks that white children are more likely to be born into money or inherit money and have a head start in life. that head start in life is then seasoned with small acts of white privilege throughout their life that makes becoming wealthy themselves much easier than their black counterpart.
When I think about this time that we are living in, I think that we are all privileged to be able to see how our world is changing. Our first black president means that we are all forced to look at race a different way. It’s a good thing, but there will also always be conflict and someone will always be unhappy. It comes as no shock to me that black Americans who were once unknown in our society or who weren’t “invited” to the elite a-list parties are now being invited to all the social events. Duhhh! Its almost as if now that we have a black president its “ok” to have more black people at these gala balls and elite social events. I feel like before Barack Obama was elected into office our country was slowly trying to integrate black people into the high political positions in our country. But now that we finally have a black president theres no need for integration. After all, the most powerful man in our country is black. I guess I am considered “normal” as learned from our Soc 119 class. I am a white/Caucasian woman. I have the “white privilege.” All I can say to that is… whatever! I’ve never really noticed this privilege although I am well aware that it exists. All I can say is if I were black I would feel outraged (in fact I kind of do after reading this article). I guess it just doesn’t seem right that NOW it’s ok for more black people to be invited to these events. But it also makes me wonder about the white people at these parties. What are they thinking? I mean they’ve had black people at their events before but now that it seems “acceptable” to have a larger majority of black people at these parties, is it a genuine invitation or is it required now that we have a black president?
In terms of the whole assumption that black people are all considered poor, I believe that this is in fact a very well accepted belief among a majority of our population. It is also similar to the idea that all drugs and drug dealing involves black people. Honestly I don’t think this perception of black people will change in the near future. Not trying to be a pessimist or rude or an asshole but its not like drugs are going away anytime soon and still the perception of drug dealing is associated with city settings and who lives in cities? Black people. This of course is the assumption of most people. Honestly I believe it’s all a perception based on lifestyle. Black Americans and white Americans misunderstand each other.
In our society, there has always been segregation not only formed a persons race, but by different social classes, and almost anyone could tell you that unfortunately money does equal power in this country. After reading the article about the blacks and whites mingling in Washington D.C.’s high level social scene, I thought it was interesting how the writer points out that being black is “in”, and that this trend can be credited to Barack Obama holding down the Presidential office. However the way I think of it is that Obama can really only be acknowledged for mingling the upper social class of Washington D.C. If you look back to before Barack Obama had his name on the Presidential Nominee ticket, you can credit many artists from the music industry such as Jay-Z, Usher, or 50 Cent for starting a “black trend”. Maybe adults of such high class in Washington D.C. weren’t exactly these singers target audience, but they definitely gained a large number of followers who liked the idea of the crazy bling and ghetto talk that made them seem cool. Now, although it may not include the same characteristics of the owning 100 pairs of Nike dunks or expressing thoughts with explicit lyrics, but Obama is bringing that same black trend to the White House and the higher class of Washington D.C. that had not been reached before. Finally the fact that the White upper class has always been the dominant source of power in Washington is changing. The Chris Rock video that was also apart of this post was absolutely hilarious, but true in so many ways. I totally agree that there is a huge difference in being rich and wealthy. In high school, I actually watched the same short documentary about “Tammys Story” that we watched in class the other day, and after it we watched another documentary that I’m pretty sure was in the same series but this one was showing the lifestyle of a WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant). When Chris Rock was talking about being wealthy it immediately reminded me of this clip and they way it had first introduced the concept of Old vs. New Money to me. It was a perfect way to show how old money really is what equals wealth. I feel like the meaning of “being wealthy” goes along with having high class as well as a lot of money, but the meaning of being “rich” doesn’t go along with the same idea of such class, but just more the idea of having a lot of money. I think that in the same way we are finally beginning to change our ideas of racial segregation and power in this country, we need to begin to change our ideas of social class and power as well.
First off I would like to say that I am proud of how far African Americans have come. I am happy knowing that, yes, although racism is still there, it has lowered so much. This article, I find interesting. I find it interesting because its not like Black people all of a sudden became rich and powerful overnight. I agree its like the new hit thing. Since Obama has become President, black is popular. That’s understandable. And this could change a lot of peoples thinking. Racist Grandparents for example. They will almost be forced now to accept African Americans as equal. I think that this article will prove to them that the time is finally here. There is no level difference between black and white. I think, however, if other cultures were depicted on magazines like these A list African Americans, it would also help advance their status. Everyone knows the media tells us what is popular. If they showed A list Latinos and Asians, those minorities would be seen at a level playing field more too. After watching Chris Rock’s segment, I also have to say that I think that White supremacy is fading away. It is a thing of the past. Equality is the “new thing”. People are looking beyond color more now. It is proven by the pictures of the African Americans on the A-List. The people in the article have more power than me. I white. That says something doesn’t it? I think Chris Rock should find some new jokes because his aren’t accurate anymore. And it is not like they have been accurate before the magazine came out. Things have been different for a while, this magazine only shoves it in everyone’s face (in a good way of course). Maybe this magazine will prove that both white and black have A-listers, middle class, and poor. We can’t just show one part of a race. We need to show all. And that goes for other races as well. There are many rich Latinos and Asians, but somehow whites are still depicted above the rest. That is simply not the case though. My only concern is that at some point when a white person is in office, that black will not be “in” anymore. And I don’t mean on the pictures of magazines. I hope the stature of African Americans stays where it is and does not go down again. As long as that never happens, this is a great move for African Americans. We are already seeing the effect of having bi-racial president of the United States. Now we can see the growth in America, from a racist one to an equal group.
In America the more money you have the more power you have. Wealth and money is what drives America. There are many wealthy white people and some rich black or brown people I’m not sure whether I can call a black or brown people wealthy after Chris Rock four minute clip. There are also many poor white people and may poor black or brown people. I think wealth in America is not evenly distributed. Even though Chris Rock distinguishes that been rich and wealthy is two different things most people might not agree with him I kind of do. This is because wealth is what you inherit from your family and rich is that one person just got more money that what they grow up with. But I do not think that white people that have a lot of money are considered to be wealthy some of them might grew up poor and made a lot of money through their job or whatever. I would not call all black or brown people are just rich some of them are wealth as well. But the numbers might have big difference but say all white people are this all black people are this in different categories is not right. I also disagree how he said that Oprah is just rich. I am pretty sure she is one of the top rich people. She might not have inherited her money from her parents but she has enough money for herself family and friend even others to feed. Oprah has a whole empire of things she does beside her talk show that is bringing in lots of money for her. I just don't feel like she needs to be or is worried about losing her money and I don't agree with the comment that one person left saying she is worrying about what she is going to eat the next day. I also do not agree how he said that all brown people when they get money they spend it on rims and cars and all white people invest their money. Yeah some people love to buy rims but that is just people not just black people. There are a lot of white people that are rich that buy rims or shiny cars. There are a lot of black people that invest their money just because we see some black athletics with their jewelry that does not mean all rich black people want to be loud and shiny. There are a lot of black people that are rich and spend their money wisely. That invests or budget their money. I’m pretty sure there many black and white people that do good with their money and do horrible with their money. I think Chris Rock was only saying that because he was trying to make money by degrading others.
In response to what someone said about white people’s money being “old money” and black people’s money being “new money,” I feel that applies to both white and black peoples. I would say the majority of rich white people today have what we consider “new money.” And white people are recognized for that too. In “old money” communities, rich “new money” white people are looked down upon. As if there money doesn’t count. This can tie into a number of different things that we have been talking about in lecture. First, we can connect it to the “Redneck Games” and the “White Trash” story of Tammy. If one of those people somehow found oil, in the middle of nowhere Ohio one day, it is safe to say that they would get a lot of money, and so called, “strike it big.” This does not mean that all of a sudden they have exquisite taste in fine art and wine. But it does mean that they have tons of money, that they did not have before, to spend. They aren’t going to spend it on microbrews, they are probably just going to buy a lot of Bud Light. They might live in a big, fancy, house. But I can promise you that house is not going to be filled with fine oriental rugs, they are going to fill it with what they are used to. They have the money, and somehow they are going to flaunt it. Actually, I wouldn’t even say flaunt it. They aren’t trying to prove something to anyone, or trying to make anyone jealous. Just as I don’t believe that the black people mentioned in the article are trying to flaunt their wealth. It’s just, when you live restricted by money, there are going to be things you want to buy, but you can’t. When you have money, you are going to want to buy those things. This also ties into what Sam said about talking about class rather than race. If we stepped back and looked at rich and poor things would be a lot different. People would also be much less likely to judge before they know the whole story. Because more likely than not, you cannot tell what class someone comes from or how their family got there. I think a majority of white A-listers “flaunt” their money just the same. I believe it’s safe to say that most of them came from a more restricting financial situation than what they now find themselves in. So it is no wonder they are spending their money buying things for themselves and family which they could not buy before. This issue I believe has more to do with backgrounds and class than it does with race.
The difference between being “rich” and being “wealthy” as Chris Rock puts it in his clip seen in this weeks blog is a difference which can be confusing at first, but Rock, with his comical and somewhat crude storytelling, makes it clear. People who are rich have money which is more commonly referred to as “new money”. This form of wealth is acquired by someone in their lifetime, where as “old money” is passed down from generation to generation. Black and brown people for the most part were not allowed to accrue wealth in past generations because of racism and the inability to get jobs and social status where they would become powerful in society. Today’s modern black people who are rich have become so from the ranks of professional athletes, musicians, actors and other forms of entertainers where their work appeals to people from all walks of life and all skin colors who are willing to pay to see them perform.
Today the majority of black and brown people reside in the middle class, the same middle class where much of the white population in America also resides. This shows that the stereotype of black Americans being poor and living in poverty is not true. Almost as many people who are in poverty in this country are white as are black. The stereotype that may have been perpetuated in past decades and centuries is becoming obsolete today as more blacks and browns move up into the middle and upper class.
The old money wealth has been passed down from generation to generation, they own homes on “Martha’s” aka. Martha’s Vineyard, they belong to country clubs that cost more than most people’s salaries to join, they have a rich family history that is full of wealth and they are proud of it. This type of old school money does not occur with black and brown families for the most part because until the latter part of the 20th century most black and brown people were not afforded the opportunity.
This new group of wealth accruing black and brown people is developing in major metropolitan centers where much of the wealth is centered. People that were ignored in the upper social classes until recently are finding themselves now more commonly invited to events only for the upper echelon of society. I think this trend will continue and get even stronger with our black First Family. Being black is in now for the first time in history and I believe we will see more black and brown people moving into society’s upper class. And as these people get richer and accrue more wealth they will go from voting for Obama to voting for the Republican candidate because they want to keep more of their hard earned money. Where the democratic candidates have typically been in favor of taxing the highest income earners and giving a break to the lower groups, republicans tend to have the opposite view, and this explains the reason why many people with wealth and money are republican. They want to keep their money.
In the United States of America, money is directly linked with power and privilege. It is really sad but absolutely true that the money in our country is unfairly, and COMPLETELY unevenly distributed among our people. Wealth has been an issue that now has become correlated with race and looked at based on one’s race. Whites and Asians are statistically the wealthiest people in our country, then blacks, then Latinos, then Native Americans. Although, these standings do not always hold true. Not all white people are on top, not all Native Americans are poor. Most blacks are in the middle class, but some are extremely rich and some are dirt poor. As seen in the article, there are many African Americans who have more money than the average white person will ever see.
There are many black Americans that are richer than rich. The Washington Post article says, “Blacks have gone from barely being on the list to being in charge of the list.” This statement shows that the statistics are changing and it is not so “black and white” (pun intended) anymore. Not all blacks are below and in a class lower than white people, not all whites are rich and in power. Our president, Barack Obama, is black and in power of our whole country. We all know that in order to be president of the United States, you need to be qualified, but just as important- extremely wealthy. I know that it is obviously still true that there are struggling black individuals that are living in poverty and cannot move forward or higher on the ladder of success. But at the same time, there are those black Americans that are moving to the top faster than ever with millions of dollars in their pockets. Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Shaq, P. Diddy, the list could go on forever…
Chris Rock’s comedy act not only made me laugh, but also made me realize there is a difference between being rich and being wealthy. I always thought that these two words were synonyms. Chris Rock says that these black people who have money are rich, and the white guy that signs their checks are wealthy. Rich is about having money, and wealthy is about being successful. Chris Rock says that the difference between rich and wealthy is the way the money is obtained or inherited. Wealthy people have their money passed down to them, and inherit large sums of money by being born into a wealthy family. On the other hand, rich people spend their money on flashy things rather than investing it to pass down to future generations of their families. This is a good point but not all Black people with money are “rich” and white people with money are “wealthy.” Once again, there is no way we can generalize and say this. Some blacks that have money may invest there money to pass it down to their family members, and some whites may go out and spend it on “bling bling.” All in all, the money in our country is so unevenly distributed. Although, when looking at the distribution of money by race—the money is slowly, but surely becoming more spread out across races.
My initial reaction to the article was that I thought it was kind of funny. Like just because we have a president that is black now for these presidential parties and balls they find it necessary to invite more black people and be friends with black and brown people. Didn’t they realize before that the cabinet and the people invited to these parties didn’t represent diversity? Maybe they did but didn’t care to change that. I also found it interesting how at the end of the article Vernon Jordan’s wife states how optimistic she is and that she believes it will indeed change over night. I think that is a little too optimistic. I think it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the new president and if he, or anyone, will approach the issue with these new A-list members being invited to more functions on probably the main basis being the color of their skin.
As for the video clip of Chris Rock, I thought that he was hilarious probably mainly because his comedy I find something you can’t not laugh at. I don’t necessarily agree or disagree with what he said because I think he made some good points but at the same time there are some things I don’t think I would have said if I were him. He mentioned how most/many white people are born with money, wealth, and power whereas black people usually work their way to the top. I agree with this statement but also disagree. This is not always the case. Many white people work their way to the top as do black people. Likewise, black people are also born into money, wealth, and power. I guess it is more likely for white people to have these advantages because of “white privilege”. Another thing that I keep thinking about is what does it matter what people do with their money. Regardless of where it came from, if they worked for it or it was passed down through generations, it is THEIR money. What does race have to do with spending money and how it is spent? Maybe people of certain races buy similar products but I don’t see how that relates to classifying someone as rich or wealthy. I think that both white people and people of color occasionally purchase ridiculously expensive items for no reason but who cares it’s their money they are spending not ours. I’m not sure what I would say to Chris Rock if I were to meet him. I would probably want to ask him what his real opinion is about whites and people of color. Maybe to see if there was any truth behind the jokes he was saying and what he believed, or if it was all strictly comedy and maybe he feels a completely different way about it.
So I think it’s interesting how Chris started on drugs, and it sounded like that was going somewhere. Then he latches on to this whole “not talkin’ about rich, I’m takin’ about wealth” idea. He must have said it at least six or seven times. And then he went on and on and on… besides being a little boring in its repetitiveness, this really won’t help race relations.
But he does have a point. White culture, being the dominant culture in America, has pretty much taught us that whites are rich, we’re the ones who are on top, so we spread the word as to who should be on top. Us. Okay, so this is sounding a lot like what Sam said in class. Let’s see if I can go somewhere else with this…
Going back to Chris’s drug thing, I think part of the reason why drugs are so expensive is because they’re illegal. People can charge more money because of the risk they’re taking and make more money (if they can get away with it) than they probably would if drugs were legal.
But like the magazine at the beginning of the article states, there are wealthy black people, they can get wealthy, but I guess Chris Brown in a comedian, not a sociologist. In any event, I’m sure there are more than a few colored people who feel the same way Chris does. That it’s mainly if not totally the white peoples’ fault that they’re not as wealthy as us.
Personally I’m not surprised to find out there are wealthy black and other colored people. Before this class I had just assumed that richness or wealth was just a social class, not a racial one. By that I mean wealth transcended all race. Although now I know that’s not entirely true, I still think that there’s nothing strange about people of color living privileged lives.
I wonder if some white people look down on rich people of color who don’t go out of their way to help poor people of their own race. For some reason I feel like a lot of white people when they hear people of color complaining about their low social status would say “blame your rich cousins, they’re the ones who aren’t giving you a hand up” as if it’s their duty because of their race. Now I know that’s really dumb, because there are so many rich white people who aren’t looked down on at all if they decide not to give their money away and yet it’s considered a really big deal and really nice of them if they do decide to give some money away to help other people.
To start out, it is utterly ridiculous to say that white people have tons of money and black people have very little. When I hear that all the black celebrities, athletes, and political figures come to mind, along with all the African-Americans I know in the work force who raise their children in a wealthy lifestyle and send them to private schools. To say blacks are poor would be a stereotype, and a shoddy one at that after I just named plenty that are wealthier than myself, as I am part of the middle class society.
Poverty affects all races. I am bothered when people of certain races say things like “White people do not understand what it is like to be poor”, or “My ancestors in Africa know poverty.” Okay. Do you know anyone related to you in Africa? Do not lay the situation on them. And, really, you have never seen a poor white person? Well, open your eyes. Poverty is all around us, and with the employment rate as high as it is, the lower class is going to be expanding. The people on the cusp, regardless of color, will be falling out of the money they once had.
Now for my thoughts about Chris Rocks video… I, personally, found it slightly offensive. I hope he was performing in front of an entire black audience, or the white people should get a full refund. He is complaining about how whites are wealthy? Does he mean this by we use our money in sophisticated ways instead of buying “bling”? Well, he, being someone who I would consider “wealthy”, seems to be very misinformed. Oprah uses her money as one of the richest people in the world in sophisticated ways. Yet, Eminem, another rich American, buys “bling”. How can you separate race into categories when considering income and status? “Rich” and “wealthy” are interchangeable in my mind. I do not know if it is this way for everyone, but I have never imagined these words any differently. I think that Bill Gates and Oprah are most definitely on the same level.
Moving on, how would one consider President Barack Obama? He is currently the most important American. Be it he is not 100%black, he is not 100% white either, and I would consider him wealthy, sophisticated, and of high status. Obama is a man I respect from his successes to his failures. He leads a stressful life, but leads the country with his best intentions thriving and learning from his mistakes. I would love to hear what Chris Rock has to say about our President!
I am a white American, but that does not make me any better than any black person… I am neither wealthy nor poor, but how does this place me about the black family that lives down the street who is in the same economic status that I am? All in all, people of different classes should not be classified by race. Money is not everything.
In reading the article on the topic of wealth and Black Americans, I thought it was very interesting to read. I saw some good points mentioned in blog and comments from other students. I think it is true that there is a good percentage of Black Americans that are middle class. I do believe that wealth is disproportionately disputed amongst Blacks and Whites. I can see why some blacks could think differently just based on what they have grown up around. Black people only talk based on what they see even though they aren’t completely knowledgeable about how wealth is distributed amongst races. If you’re raised around nothing but poverty or poor Black people, what else can you account for? I know just from my own personal experience, I was raised with the same mentality. All the Black people I saw on the streets or some that I would meet were always lower class, living from pay check to pay check, or just flat out poor. Coming to PSU was when I learned that Whites make up a higher percentage of people who are poor. I didn’t know or learn this until now just because I was going off what I saw. I guess that could count as a possible explanation for why some Blacks may think the way they do regarding the issue. Now the video Chris Rock was funny, but some aspects of it were true. Some Black people who are middle class and are wealthy or whatever you want to call it, don’t know how to save or manage their money. They are not used to having money so waste it on materialistic things that they have always dreamt of buying but could never afford. I am not sure if I agree with the statement that there is a difference between wealthy and being rich. I thought they were very close in meaning but maybe there is a difference. Maybe Chris Rock was correct in using the example of being wealthy is like being the person (white male) that signs Shaq’s (Black male) check and being rich would just be Shaq. I guess I am unsure about the difference between wealthy and rich because of the examples he uses in the video. I do agree that wealth is passed down through family. I guess becoming rich is something you acquire throughout life and is something you can lose within a short time period. I am not sure. I do agree with Sam’s statement that racism continues to affect the life chances of people with dark skin who live in America. I think this statement contributes to why there are so many poor Black people and will continue to play a factor.
After reading the Washington Post article I could not help but think to myself why it was even written. I think that the notion black people were once not worthy enough to enter the white house, and now since Obama is president there is now a diverse group. I highly disagree that the fact Obama became president has any effect on the diversity of the white house. This idea of “blacks have gone from barely being on the list to being in charge of the list” is silly and also offensive to people of color. What is the statement portraying? Is it that people of color were once not welcomed at these events since there was never a black president before? It’s a strange notion to think about and I do not believe it is true. Did anyone ever stop to wonder if more black people are invited to these events because they are merely friends and people Obama requests to be there? Clearly, people like Magic Johnson, Gayle King, etc. are people Obama would like to honor at his events. I do not understand why this article was written in the first place. I can not imagine anyone writing an article about whom George Bush wished to invite to certain events and examining how much diversity there was. I did not like this article because if I were a person of color I think I would be offended. It basically implies people of color did not have the power to be honored at these events. Obviously, before Obama became president, there have been black people attending honorable events although there was not such a big spectacle about it. Many people just simply did not even think about the various races that were attending. One portion of the article that I did not understand was when Bob Johnson stated, “some of the problem is rooted in economics.” I’m not exactly sure what Johnson is trying to insinuate but if I had to guess he would be implying that before people of color were not economically stable to attend these type of honorable events. I strongly disagree with this because it is obvious that many black people hold positions of power and prestige and go on to become extremely successful.
It is not hard to notice that during the Republican administrations that Washington’s social pages were overwhelmingly white, but I also do not believe it is something many of us should over analyze. I do not think it stems from racism, just the mere fact of the friends, family, etc. that our current and previous presidents wish to honor. Overall, I did not like this article and also believe it was over analyzing a simple situation.
Chris Rock was right in his definition of wealth and riches. Wealth does not exactly depend on how much money you having coming in on your paycheck. Real wealth refers more so to property, investments, and capital that can be passed down through generations. Chris Rock was right on point with the idea that riches are transient. Having wealth is better because it will be there when the money runs out. Apparently the nation’s wealthiest 20% own over 80% of the nation’s wealth. This uneven distribution of wealth is why our democracy is faulty. Those with more wealth have more power in this country; and that is not a true democracy. The majority of these wealthy people are of the white majority. But now, our nation’s figurehead and face of power, is a black man. And now being black is “in”. The Washington Post article stated that since we have a black family in the white house, the high-level social scene is changing. Hosts of these parties now want black friends and are inviting black lawyers, politicians, and other upper-echelon blacks to parties that never sought their attendance before. This is quite shallow, but it is welcome change.
It is unfortunate the nation as a whole see the black majority as mainly poor. Even if about 50% or more of black Americans are middle class, why is there this assumption that blacks are poor? Chris Rock in comedic fashion stated that money is new to black people and that this idea of “new money” leads blacks to spend the money as frivolously as they do. There is validity to this claim, but it is a stereotype that applies to more than just black people. Who wouldn’t want to treat themselves to the nicer things in life if their success allows them to, especially if they grew up not being able to afford those luxuries? The difference comes in what different people define as a luxury. It is true that some blacks see shiny rims, jewelry, and expensive clothing as a luxury. But this is not true for all blacks. The media just portrays blacks as having poor money management skills. And the blacks we see in the media are typically in entertainment. Some whites think buying antiques and boats are luxuries. Regardless of what the luxury is, there is a selfish mentality. And the truth is that blacks do not have much to show for in terms of wealth. The black community should spend their riches to establish wealth. Nepotism is one way of accomplishing this but it still withholds selfish ideals. If we share our wealth, than we can ensure that the power is in the people rather than a select few.
I read this article while talking with my roommate who happens to be black. I do not perceive all black people as poor. I do however believe that many people do think this. I feel this way due to the fact what many people see on the news and hear about involving black people is mostly negative. You either hear about the wealthy and successful black people and the poor one and ones who commit murder and other crimes. We never hear about middle class black people. My roommate watched the Chris Rock video with me and told me many of the things he said were true. She felt black people tend to spend their money on things such as rims, where white people are out purchasing real estate. I do thing what Chris Rock is saying has some truth to it. I feel as a society we do perceive black people as rich and never wealthy, while we see only white people as wealthy. I feel it is this way because when we think of wealthy as a society we think of the family as having tons of money and it has been passed down for generations. I think while some black people do have money I do not see their families passing it down from generation to generation. I see individuals becoming rich during their lifetime. Maybe I see it this way because it is what the media shows and I have never seen a different perspective.
The areas around where I live are bad areas and are mostly black. While where I actually live is what others would call a “nice little white community”, the surroundings are terrible. There a many shootings in the areas around. Areas such as McKeesport, Duquesne, Munhall, and Homestead for example. My father will not let me drive at night in these areas. There are many school shootings and robbery and other crimes. This is what we hear about on the news, so it makes us believe that this is what happens when there is a community of black people. If all this crime happens how can these people be wealthy? Is what people would think. One of the nearby walmarts has one of the highest crime rates out of all the walmarts. My roommate told me there is communities with all blacks that are very rich, which she said she is surprised to know. I have learned a lot from talking with my roommate about race. I have never lived with a black person before now. Not that I was opposed to it, it just never happened before. I am very glad I have had this opportunity. I feel it has been every helpful for me to learn about something I have never be exposed to.
I think it is very exciting, yet a little skeptical, that these ‘privileged’ parties Washington parties have become more diverse with the election of president Obama. It’s good to have diversity in Washington, because this is a diverse country. Although this is a welcome change, there’s still many other races left out. What about the number of Asians? Hispanics? Native Americans? There’s still a lot that needs to be done in order to call these parties more diverse. Also, in my mind, it should not take the election of an African American to the White House in order for these changes. It’s not like these African Americans who were never invited before just suddenly became wealthy. Why weren’t these people ever invited before? Clearly there is some form of racism involved when you have 2,000 white men and women in attendance compared to only 20 African Americans.
As for the video of Chris Rock, I don’t necessarily agree with what he had to say about the differences between “rich” and “wealthy”. I find Chris Rock usually to be a very funny comedian, and a lot of times I agree with what he has to say. I understand that he may have a point because of what we see portrayed by the media, but I do not think it is the case. It is true there are definitely a lot more wealthy whites than African Americans in our country, but you can not necessarily stereotype these people and say “wealthy” whites build Wal Marts and “rich” African Americans buy diamonds or extravagant items. Rich individuals are going to do what they please with their money. Just because they are a certain race doesn’t mean they’ll waste all their money or use it to benefit others.
To wrap things up, I want to talk about a quote from the blog. “There is a national assumption that black Americans are, as a collective group, poor.” I can definitely see where stereotypes like this come from. Living in Philadelphia, there are many neighborhoods within the city where the population is predominately African American. These neighborhoods are known to be poorer than many other neighborhoods in the city. As a child, I would even agree with the quote from Sam. The things I saw or heard of either from the news or friends led me to believe that African Americans were poorer than whites or other races. Even today in Philadelphia, this could be mistaken to be true. But now that I am in college and have more life experience, I know this is totally false. There is always going to be people in our world who go along with the stereotypes they learn. Personally I am not so sure about how these stereotypes can ever be overcome.
When reading Roxanne Roberts and Krissah ThompsonD.C.'s High-Level Social Scene Now Mingles Black and White by Roxanne Roberts and Krissah Thompson, I have to say I was a bit confused. In the article they point out how black people all of a sudden are a higher interest in our society. Black people are getting invited to parties, functions, and events from people they barely knew due to our new president. Are they saying that white people are getting a taste of their own medicine? Sam said that “This has absolutely nothing to do with affirmative action, by the way, and everything to do with using connections to make more connections and cashing in privilege to gain more privilege.” Once again I’m shown that working hard and doing better in life is only part of what gets you ‘ahead of the game’. The real way to get to the next level is by connections. Sure, you can work as hard as someone else does, even more so, but that does not mean that you will get that job, promotion, or raise. I look at what’s going on in the A-List society and can relate it to the middle class working group now. If what the article says is true, then a lot of people are getting high listed/ important jobs that they would not have been offered or thought of before. Positions are being opened up in the government and more and more black people are being able to fill in the empty slot. Ex: in the article they talk about President Barack Obama’s best friend now newly named White Houses Senior Advisor. I believe that this sort of this is going on exactly in all of our society. Our economy is not doing well at all (a point everyone knows). Barack Obama is spending more money, in just one year, than over what all our previous presidents spent combined! This is a startling statistic and on top of this jobs are limited; people are getting fired or let off because of the economy making this a scary time to live in. My sister is a junior at Penn State and I know from her experience that interns are scarce to none. So how do people get jobs still? Nepotism and connections. It’s all about knowing someone higher up who can lend a helping hand.
One thing I do believe is that people in general think that black people do have less money compared to the average white person. Why do people think this? Sam points out that “half of all black Americans are middle class -- which means that those in the other half are either rich or poor.” White people are poor too. I think what Chris Rock had to say was funny, but not true. Many Black Americans are wealthy and do much better than the average white American in this country. I think we as a whole need to stop thinking about this stereotype, and perhaps it will change. Thinking negatively is not going to help us reach the next level of equality.
I grew up in a mainly white suburban neighborhood about 10 minutes outside of West Philadelphia, and the point brought up in “Say hello to my new black and brown friends” about a national assumption that all blacks in America are poor reminded me of some of the people I grew up with. All throughout high school the thing to whenever we were bored was to go to Pat’s and Geno’s Steaks in the city, but to get there we had to go through some poor neighborhoods. The people living in these neighborhoods were almost all black which only contributed to the stereotype that all blacks were poor. Some of the kids I went to high school with were not very well educated and mainly listened to what their parents said about race or a bad experience with a person of another race. My high school consisted of about 1200 students, and about five percent of these students were black. In around tenth grade my high school had a problem with a few students who came to the school but didn’t live in the area which was eligible to attend the school. It was found out by the school district that a few students had put down relatives’ addresses that lived in our town even though they lived in certain parts of Philadelphia so they could attend the school. As soon as this happened all I would hear from my white friends was that the poor blacks were trying to sneak into the better high school. I am a pretty logical thinker, but I found myself looking at every black student in the school and automatically thinking that that person probably didn’t live in my town, and was probably from a poorer neighborhood than me. I think the reason why this stereotype is given to all blacks is because in the past, blacks were discriminated and put down much more than they are now, and some people just can’t let go of certain stereotypes. Chris Rock also brought up a very interesting point about the definition of being “rich” and “wealthy” and how blacks can’t be wealthy. He said that white people who have money are considered wealthy like Bill Gates, while Shaquille O’Neal is considered rich. In some cases this may be true, but the education of Bill Gates compared to Shaquille O’Neal is also a big factor. If he were to compare a white person such as Eminem who doesn’t have much education to an educated black man or woman such as Barack O’Bama, I would say that the white person is rich while the black person is wealthy. To me, this is just another stereotype, because obviously there are people of every race who spend their money wisely, and to me that is being considered wealthy.
Yes there is white privilege, yes the government was basis and primary white before Obama, and yes that is not the case anymore, but that is just common sense. It’s not something I didn’t already know. I’m glad Obama is about brining everyone to the table, but there is still work to do. Nowhere in the article did it talk about Asian, or Latino, or Native Americans businessmen and women being invited to these Washington parties, so obviously there is still a long way to go. Maybe it’s just my skeptical view on things, but I don’t think Obama’s election will really do all that much to change race relations as a whole in this country. It’s sad to say, but I think white privilege still rules and Washington people are into trends and right now it is a trend to have “black friends” because Obama is in the White House once his term is over whether it be in four or eight years I’m not sure that all of those black and brown people who are now being invited to those political parties will continued to be invited when Obama is no longer President. For things to truly change in this country the everyday person needs to change. The normal person needs to open up their mind to the issue of white privilege and race, but it’s the everyday person who really runs this country. It’s their voice as a group that can make sure this inclusion that Obama speaks of becomes permanent and not just a fleeting trend, but without their change and support this time will only become a bright spot and one of those nicer times or better days that we so often hear the older generations talk about.
As to the wealth part of the conversation, it’s true that the typical white person thinks of a black person as poor mostly I think because that is the image that is portrayed to them by the media, but that is starting to change. Just a few weeks ago I saw a report on ABC news about the wealthy black men in American and true they may not make quite as much as Bill Gates as Chris Rock states, but the businessmen, athletes, and music artists that they spoke of make millions of dollars every year money that I consider makes them wealthy. As a whole the people in this country are not that wealthy. The wealthy only make up one percent of the population, so no one that’s “normal” white, brown, black, or otherwise can relate to them as a people. The image of wealth is changing for blacks I think in fact if you asked me to name someone wealthy I wouldn’t say Bill Gates first I’d say Oprah because while Gates as more money I think Oprah as more recognition in the American community and therefore has more power which in my eyes is better than wealth because you only get more wealth when you have more power.
On a random note I completely disagree with Chris rock in the sense that Oprah is not a wealthy individual, know I don’t know the statistics for sure but she has to be one of the wealthiest African American women on the planet, so by no means is Oprah just rich but extremely wealthy; multi billionaire status. Being a African American male I really have as much as experience as you may have with the upper echelon of black culture, the only way I was ever exposed to any kind “high class” black culture was the same way most middle class Americans are; the media. Now I do agree with Chris Rock in the sense that when a person of African American descent gets a large sum of money their more prone to spend on material things rather than saving or investing as in cultures. I really don’t think this a big racial thing though, I think it has more to do with your cultural surroundings. For example, people who grow up with nothing, or in a lower socioeconomic status are constantly surrounded by things they can’t buy, people with higher socio-economic status, and media that glorifies everything they can’t seem to get, so naturally people who grow up in these circumstances are more prone to spend, just because they haven’t really ever had the privilege to. Now I’m not saying that all black and brown people grow up disadvantaged, but that’s really all I’ve ever had exposure to. Think about it, how often do you ever see or hear through the media about an African American person successful in starting their own business, or working their way up through the corporate chain. The majority of the successful black people viewed on TV are athletes, actors, and rappers, there are your occasional success stories such as Barrack Obama or Oprah, I just feel like BLACK privilege isn’t portrayed anywhere near that of WHITE privilege. Now as for how these people live, I really have no clue at all, but I doubt it really could be that much different than that of someone from the ‘Alist” white community. I tend to think that when black people make it on the Alist or become wealthy they never really forget where they came from. For example, when most athlete’s get their first signing bonus when signing that big contract, they tend to get something nice for themselves then take care of their mother, or the people who helped raise them. I believe that the more money you earn, the more segregated things get racially. There isn’t a big population of wealthy black American’s to begin with, and then on top of that the “Alist” wealthy american is ruled by Caucasians. I really have no clue all I have to go off of is what the media feeds me.
In reading the article, it was cool to see that the events of our most important people are getting to be more and more multiracial. In my mind, as a white woman, I could almost bet that a lot of the rich black people in the group worked a hell of a lot harder than some of the rich white people in the group to get where they are today. Not to say that whites take advantage of the system and get whatever they want, but all in all it was probably harder for the blacks to even get the jobs they eventually did to make all their money.
I usually don’t often think of black people as rich, however, if someone were to ask me who I think some of the most successful people are in Hollywood, sports, or any other type of media, I would say that a majority of these people would probably be black. I know Chris Rock would not define these people as wealthy. He wouldn’t even consider Oprah wealthy. Since this was part of a comedy skit, I could only hope he wasn’t completely serious. Yes, Bill Gates is ungodly rich, or “wealthy” as Chris Rock would say, but Oprah also has a lot of money and has done some pretty good things with it. I feel like he is making this comparison of Bill Gates killing himself when he wakes up with Oprah’s money meaning she has much less money than he, is because black people just haven’t had as much time to become “wealthy.” They weren’t free to be making great sums of money as long as white people in America have. It is reasonable to say that this maybe why. Yes, they still do not get the “white privilege” that still exists today, but all in all I believe that society is getting better about treating people equally as long as they are qualified.
I also believe that the term “wealth” is based on what you do with your money. If you spend all your money on new cars, “bling,” and clearly unnecessary things, I would not consider you wealthy. However, Oprah, who often spends her money to help people and give back to the community, to me, is a wealthy woman.
However, I guess why I do not think of black people commonly as being rich is because of all the poverty I have seen. There are certain parts of the town I live in that I would not like to see my worst enemy live in. And, by no coincidence, are the majority of these people black or Hispanic. I can only hope that eventually our mind sets will change and we will not think of race when we think of wealth. It really makes no sense at all.
It’s amazing to me how much this Presidential election has done for us as a nation. Of course the first thought is that we have a black president just a couple decades after the civil rights movement. Someone said that something they didn’t think about until the election was coming closer, was that he can tell his children, grandchildren and even himself that being a President is no longer a dream, it can become reality. Knowing that is great to me. Now the social scene is benefiting from our new president. I have mixed feelings about that. I mean it’s great that Obama opened the door for African Americans to be invited to the really important events and not just dinners or fundraisers. I think that all the famous blacks should take advantage of it. But then again I feel like some and a very few are taking advantage of him. Since he was the starting person who showed everyone that it was a time for change, All blacks jumped on the ban wagon and are going to get their name in the social scene because their black. In the article it basically said black is in. Now many white people don’t feel comfortable without knowing or having a black person around them.
There are many very important African Americans that are very successful. I know the initial picture of African Americans is poor and living in the projects. Many of us that live in the projects are actually not poor. I hate that that has to be a stereotype of African Americans. I know a stereotype of white people is that they smell like bologna. Why can’s we have something like that? I rather smell weird than have an instant social status. I know many famous blacks or wealthy blacks that have their own money and take care of themselves. I also get irritated that other blacks that are not as wealthy as others get mad at the wealthy ones and say that they are “selling out”. People are just mad that they are not in the same position.
Obama showed us and made us believe that we can be anyone we put our minds to. I really hope that people keep the dream or hope alive and continue fighting for top jobs that may have not been there before. I can see a great future for us African Americans. I am very happy that African Americans are coming on the scene more. I plan on being a famous lawyer and I would love my name to be on the scene. Now I don’t’ think that I have to work as hard to achieve my goal. I have to be my own person and not fall into the average rich African American but I do plan on being better than what is expected.
This entry was really interesting because it dealt with more than just the issue of race, it dealt with the universal issue of societal class. Class separates everyone, regardless of race, and it is something that affects our lives in both obvious and not so obvious ways.
I would classify myself as a member of the kind of mid-middle class (redundant, I realize). My family is definitely not rich, but we have never really struggled too much with money, and my parents are able to support me, at least until I make my own money. I know that I personally don’t feel like I have a lot in common, in terms of interests or experiences, with society’s elite, regardless of what race they are. I will say that I've never really stopped to think about how I view upper-class people of color compared to white upper-class people. I guess in general, upon initial encounter with white people of my same social class I feel like I would have more in common, culturally, than I would with a person of color. I think this would be slightly different if the other person was a societal elite. Regardless of their race, I would think that I would not have much in common with them.
I do see how race complicates our way of relating with each other. And that race, coupled with power and wealth, could make an even greater divide between people. The rich and powerful have those two things in common, but there is probably still a cultural divide based on race, even if the differences are pretty insignificant. It is possible that these people have very similar backgrounds and pedigrees (Ivy League-educated and so on), but the color of their skin may make automatic divides. These divides are the same ones that keep different races in the middle and lower classes apart. They are not insurmountable, they just require people to step out of their racial comfort zones.
The Obama administration is unique and historical in many ways. Influential African American people, not the traditionally white majority, make up the “in” crowd at fancy parties and such. I am sure this is a welcome change for some, and others it puts them in a new and slightly awkward position. Hopefully this new administration which is supposed to be full of hope and change will inspire a new unity between the groups, and allow them to understand their similarities, not focus on their differences. They are society’s elite, with whom only a miniscule proportion of society can relate. They should get over their discomfort with race, and realize just how lucky they are to be in their positions. I am well aware of how race complicates things, and the very way we interact with people, but to me I find it harder to sympathize with this discomfort when talking about the richest and most privileged people in the nation.
Looking at the media today you really can only find black people portrayed in two ways. You see the poor black people on the news, living in “the hood” getting, either shot or arrested for doing drugs or you can see the rich rappers on MTV throwing around their money. Unless you are watching BET you probably won’t be seeing many black people portrayed as middle class people. Only seeing people shown in certain way makes it that much harder to comprehend or believe that there is anything different especially when it isn’t something you come in contact with in your everyday life. The majority of people know at least one person that is black, but if you are not close to them and have no need to know about their living situation you probably don’t which is when people begin to assume things. After being pounded with images of poor black people it’s hard for people to think anything different. It’s obviously not fair or right but many people are very ignorant because they can only work with the little knowledge they have. So even though 50% of the black population is middle class it’s not usually seen in everyday life and for the people that do see it probably see that person as an exception and not the norm because of what has been drilled into their heads. When I take the rich black people into consideration I will always think of that as a small portion of the black community but I would do the same with any race when I consider their wealthy. So when I think about that in the aspect of white privilege I’m not shocked by the rich black people. While in comparison there are probably many more rich white people I feel like there are a large number of rich blacks as well. White privilege is probably the reason for those statistics but white privilege doesn’t mean that only whites can prosper. To say that there is no white privilege because there are rich blacks doesn’t make sense because there are exceptions to almost everything. White privilege makes it harder for people that are not white to get further but it doesn’t make it impossible just by looking at a ratio of rich white to everyone else it should be easy to see that.
With regards to Chris Rocks act, I wouldn’t say anything to him. There is nothing wrong with any kind or comedy (if someone is saying they are going to make jokes it’s crazy for anyone to get offended…. They clearly stated they’re making jokes and they don’t get their material from nowhere), most of the time it’s only funny because it’s actually true or what most people think is true. However I do think that this is the kind of thing that led people to believe what they do. He clearly focus on rich black people one of the more common groups people see, and I don’t think that he should change his act to make people realize who is actually out there I think the news and shows and other media should do more to accurately depict all people and not just how some people want certain groups to be seen
“I aint talking ‘bout rich, I’m talking ‘bout wealth”. Chris Rock uses these words a lot in this sketch, and I have to agree with what he is saying. Rich just means that you have money and are financially sound. Wealth means that aside from that money, you have properties or enterprises that keep you motivated, and keep a steady form of riches coming in. Wealth is owning your own corporation or business, and knowing that tomorrow it’s still going to be there. Chris Rock used the analogy of Oprah to Bill Gates. Oprah is RICH and Bill Gates is WEALTHY. Oprah has money and certain things like her production company HarpO and her book club to keep her going, but Bill Gates has Microsoft.
The whole idea that the majority (which is 51% minimum) of black people might be poor or upper lower class or rich lower middle class, most blacks are in the upper middle class. It’s just a stereotype that we have placed on the black community. White people as a whole don’t get to see the upper end black version of society. We are so over exposed through pop-culture and just by our own experiences that we can only assume that every black person we see or meet is going to be “poor” in some aspect. They are definitely more poor than the white people are in the nation.
I would definitely tell Chris Rock that he has it right when he says there are rich black people, but no wealthy black people. Let me ask a question. When was the last time you heard of a black or brown or Hispanic owner of a very well known company such as Microsoft, or Pepsi Co. or anything like that. I honestly never have. I’ve heard of black and brown CEO’s and managers and what not, but those people aren’t wealthy. They’re rich. They have the monetary influx they need. It’s the people above them that write out paychecks, set stock prices, whose name is attached to the product or service provided. These people are wealthy. When you think Microsoft you don’t think the black CEO who runs everything from a tiny little cubicle. You think Bill Gates. His name is associated with Microsoft, and anything branded Microsoft, Bill Gates gets a cut of the profits. That CEO doesn’t.
Oprah is rich. Oprah has money to live large like a Caribbean Princess, but her name is junk. Her wealth level is non-existant. What’s her wealth, her book club? Once she is dead it will still carry on, but in a new direction under new direction. Wealth can be carried on throughout the generations such as family corporations and business. When Oprah dies, her company and everything she’s done dies with her.
The rich are known, but the wealthy have power.
To be completely honest, when I hear the word “black” I connect it to being poor. This generalization has permanently influenced my thinking towards race relations and the struggle to break through the great barrier. I am taking this class to help me get rid of these stereotypes and generalizations that are constantly being reinforced by society. Since Obama became President, I feel this is a huge step towards integrating the races and proving me along with many white Americans the notion that there are many powerful, rich, and intelligent black people.
Regarding the article “DC’s High-Level Social Scene now Mingles Blacks and Whites”, I find it fascinating how Obama has created a strong influence which changes the whole outlook and face of politics. Until Obama became President, I never realized that the number of people in high positions that would attend these Political social events are primarily white. I feel that by including some diversity within these social events, it can alter people’s perspectives and thoughts towards race along with political stances.
I feel that it is important to have individuals from diverse backgrounds because they will have a completely different outlook and are capable of providing insight from another standpoint. A white political leader naturally can’t completely understand the hardships and struggles minorities in America encounter in their daily lives. By having black people in office, they will be able to share their experiences and connect to a different population than ever before. On the other hand, I do not feel that other socio-economic class are being represented by this integration. From personal experience I graduated in a class of 800, with only five black classmates. Today this number has slowly increased but is not where it should be. However, with the “A-listers” interacting with each other it could spark change for the lower classes.
I hope this integration in politics and political social scenes is just the first of many steps towards improving equality in the world. At the same time I feel there is only so much one person such as Obama can do to change the minds of people who are racist or prejudice. This act of integration needs to be a collective act on both ends. This means white people in America need to admit to their ignorance, and open up to the pain and hardships black people endured in history and even in their daily lives today.
I am hopeful that this gradual change of politics and their social scene will slowly seep out into the world and help improve the racism that still exists today. I am hoping that I will be able to learn and grow as an individual in the sense that I will be able to eliminate the thoughts that have been instilled in me since childhood.
The controversy over people thinking that most blacks are poor, I feel streams from the idea that blacks started at the bottom and remained there for a very long time. They were white peoples slaves, thus white people felt as if they were better than them. But why does this idea remain, it has been years since the so called “end of slavery?” Blacks have paved their way up the economic latter, for instance Oprah started with nothing and is now one of the richest African American women. We also have a current black president. So if times are changing why can’t the thoughts of our nation change?
It seems as if the idea that whites are better than colored people is such a pressing issue that research shows even colored people are starting to think it. For instance, we watched a clip in class of a study done on little children with a colored doll and a white doll, and the children repeatedly picked the white doll over the colored doll. Some colored children were so bold as to say that they liked the white baby doll better because it wasn’t black. It kills me inside to hear stories like that. Is there something we can do to help because I want to stop these horrible ideals of society to expand to more minds? I think I’ll start when I graduate and teach to tell the students that they all are equal and they can be whatever they want to be. If they want to be the richest man or woman on earth they can. And now since Obama has paved the way they can fell a greater opportunity of even being the president of the United States of America.
While canning for Penn State’s Dance Marathon, THON, I have experienced a variety of people. Many would be surprised to know that the rich people often give slim to nothing. I once walked through a neighborhood of mansions and thought that I was going to make so much money, but I was extremely wrong. Instead I got houses where the people didn’t even come to the door and just talked on their intercom, and I walked out of the neighborhood with an unfortunate thirty dollars. On the other hand, it is the blacks and Latinos that give the most money. I have experienced Latinos where their window didn’t work so they would open their door just to give money to children with cancer. It is terrible to bring race or economic status into donation giving, but I feel like it is interesting because it goes against what many would think.
So may Chris Rock is right, and may be Sam Richards is right, being white has privileges. We whites don’t even realize it but not matter what we do it is not a reflection on our race. We never have a constant reminder of our race and it is rare that our race would hold us back.
It is good that Washington is inviting black people to their “A-list parties” even if it is for the wrong reasons. What needs to happen for this to be more than just a passing fade is there would have to be more black people as CEOS and senators. This will transform black people from only being able to be rich to instead being wealthy and truly powerful. That would lead to instead of having a white men being the elite oligarchs of our society to black and white men (it would be cool to have some more women CEOs also). That would improve race relations but not class issues. For true change to happen on both class and race fronts a lot more government control of corporations would need to happen. If you just taxed that crap out of people that made more than 10 million dollars a year and also cut our military spending in half, we could create programs for every social issue that we Americans face. We could have universal health care, good schools, and clean cities. This would also allow more money for the more people which would allow them to buy more things and stimulate the economy. If black people didn’t have the burden of paying for all those medical costs and better schools, then this would eventually lead to better jobs and more power. There would still be problems with race but hell with all that money the government could pay for race relation projects everywhere.
I thought it was a good point that sam brought up that just because a black elite is getting prestige and power does not mean that that will translate to the majority of black people. All of those rich ass whole s at that party in the Washington post article don’t give a flying fuck about poor people. They are stuck in the mindset of meritocratic individualism, or a complete free will mentality as sam would put it. You get what you deserve and you deserve what you get. Everyone in that party is justifies to themselves why they are so rich and the rest of everyone isn’t because “They earned it”. They worked harder were just smarter that mother on wealth fare supporting four kids with three jobs. One of the big things we have to do in this country is throw away the illusion that we live in a classless society, that there are not structural boundaries between classes that prevent people from making it to the top.
Another way to get black people more wealth is to throw out this two party system and get politicians out there that actually speak for what black people are interests are. This goes for more than just black people, democrats and republicans just don’t speak for what the vast majority of Americans want. Partly because the vast majority of Americans want a lot of different things and we need politicians that can talk from an array of different perspective with a vast number of different ideas and then we need them to democratically pick out which ones are the best ideas to face the innumerable amount of problems Americans face, especially the even bigger problems we will face in the near future.
It is funny to me that people still associate African Americans collectively as poor because half of the black community is middle class while the other half is either, rich or poor. For so long the media has portrayed whites as the so called “rich” race while blacks were pegged as the “poor” race. Even though coverage of poor black and brown people tend to make more headlines than poor white people they do exist more than you know. In the clip we watched in class showed a woman who most would consider “white trash” living in a dirty and run down trailer with her three sons. She works at Burger King, has to walk ten miles a day to work ( rain or shine) because she does not have her license (let alone a working car), and wears her Burger King uniform practically everyday. Is this what you would call “white privilege”? Privilege, as far as race is concerned in society today, is not something that is innate within because of the color of our skin but as rather is the hard work of family members before us that have worked to have that privilege. For example, Michelle Obama, before becoming the first lady, did not become a successful lawyer making six figures a year by not coming from a privileged life. Michelle was privileged to come from a middle class family that could support her going to Princeton University to get an Ivy League education to later become the successful lawyer she is today. As opposed to the woman from used in class was one of twenty two children who was lucky if she received a high school. She would consider being “privileged” would not being evicted from her trailer. While having a discussion in class one woman raised her hand (who happened to be black) to comment on the video saying she had never seen a poor white family. However, the truth to the matter is that there are poor people, black, brown, and white all over America as there are middle class and rich people to. Additionally, before watching a clip from Chris Rocks stand up routine, I thought being privileged also equates with being wealth, however after watching the video made me question myself. In regards to the Chris Rock stand-up he talks about the difference between wealthy and rich brown and black people saying wealthy will set them free. I said to myself this couldn’t be possible. There has to be wealthy black and brown people. He later went on to say “Shaq is rich; the man signing his checks is wealthy.” After thinking a lot about this statement I would have to say I disagree. Shaq along with other wealthy black people just as Oprah and etc, have created empires for themselves. Saying that they are rich but not wealthy I feel degrades all of their wonderful accomplishments. So to say that there are no wealthy black and brown people is absurd to me.
What bothers me most about this article is people are acting like now that there is a black president, black people are finally set free and have so much more power and influence now. This is just offensive to all the wealthy and powerful black men who have remained in the background for years like the founder of BET Bob Johnson and Oprah Winfrey. These people have money and power, the only difference is that now they are being invited to MORE White House events than before. Oprah met Bush when he was in office and attended one of his dinner parties. Why would she ever want to become friends with the Bush family at that time though? Washington is a very diverse city and contains many powerful people of color. To make it seem like now it is becoming more diverse is making it seem like African Americans won a civil rights movement. One of the main messages of Obama’s campaign was to integrate more of the “common people” into Washington and I think he has done a great job at that so far. However he is choosing a significant amount of more minorities to bring to the power front. I fully support him in this congress has been run for centuries by old white men and it is about time that it is more reflective of the “new America” and the changes the country has underwent in recent years. I do not think that the wealthier African Americans are now being used as ploys, I just think that the atmosphere is much more welcoming for them at this point in time and people are definitely reaching out more so than ever to them. Also another thing to remember is that the black community tends to be much tighter knit on average than the white community. So for it to seem as if black people care more about poor blacks should be natural. Also since there is this new wave of minorities in the “power circle” of Washington these issues are all new now and receiving a lot of media attention. I think that this new concept is hard for some Americans to grasp and it is been getting wild media attention. The reason for this is that people who do not agree with what is happening what to gain as much knowledge as possible and people who are in support of what is happening for the first time in history also want as much information as possible. I have to say that I agree with some of Chris Rocks comments. It is funny what he is saying but true. In reality there is no “old money” which is what he means by wealth that is African American. The Vanderbilt’s, Hearst’s, and the Johnsons and examples of wealth and power in America they are all white. Granted there are no African American families with this status yet, but I think that in the very near future there is going to be many more families of African American descent that have obtained wealth, it will just take longer than it has for the whites because of the obvious reasons in history.
I read the article on the high-level social scene that now mixes in blacks. It always sounds funny (and rude) whenever people say that they now have to have some black friends or expand their group to be more cultured. If I were in their position though, I would feel the same way and probably think about doing the same thing. I would feel like people were judging me for only have white friends and would think that I think better of white people or that I’m not open-minded enough to reach other to other races/ethnicities or groups of people and get to know them. Well, maybe those people are right; maybe I do need to be more open-minded to the bag of trail mix that represents our country’s cultures. I’m not sure how I feel about just inviting politicians of color randomly to a party – it seems a little to forward and public; on the other hand, it would be a good way to socialize and really get everyone together.
Why weren’t black people coming to these events before? Were they not invited or were they choosing not to come? In the article, Debra Lee’s reaction included the though, “are they just using me?” That would be one reason why just randomly starting to invite people of color would be weird. Blacks would then think that whites aren’t being sincere and might just be using them, putting on this fake front or picture perfect world of everyone being together and equal. However, people should not make any assumptions give people the benefit of the doubt and go for it. We got to start somewhere and it’s unfortunate that these events have been primarily white or segregated before, but there’s nothing to do about the past.
Something to note is that the people that are invited are the ones with important job titles, regardless of race. Though there are a few of color and diversity. Why is that? Well, that things us back to class when we talked about determinism vs. free will. We don’t know what kind of backgrounds people are coming from and if they have an advantage by what they grew up with or not. I agree with the article when it says that a lot of professions do not have enough diversity in them. I do believe within time that things will change. I also think that some of it will come and already has come with President Obama being elected. Though diversity is the main goal, it will be impossible to get rid of groups of a certain race or culture sticking together in certain situations or environments.
Most white people believe that all people of color are poor, but that is not true. Most are of middle class. I must admit though whenever I see another black person, I tend to think that they are not rich. It’s just how people today think. It is empowering to know that blacks and African Americans are climbing the social ladder, and are becoming more prominent in the D.C. area. The Obama family is starting to change the way that society looks at black people. Before the Obama’s, black people rarely were invited to social events and there was not a lot of black prestige in D.C. There is a white supremacy in the political circle. When the white prestige hosts social events or parties, it is mostly white people that are in attendance. But to be politically correct, they invite the black prestige to the events. This makes me upset and angry because they are inviting them to be nice and to make themselves look good. If I were in this situation, I would rather not be invited, than only be invited because they felt guilty or if it was for their personal gain. The black people that are in attendance at these parties tend to stick with their own kind, or they have small talk with the other white people. The white people at these parties most likely recognize the fact that there are few black people; but they choose to ignore it because they do not like to talk race because it is an uncomfortable subject to talk about. But black people do realize this, and they can’t really do anything about it. Society has been this way for a long time. Black people were scarce in the political circle and at social events and when they were invited, they were left out and no one really talked to them. This result is partially due to the fact that this is how society runs, and also there was not much diversity in Washington D.C. So if there is little to no diversity, then how can we expect people to be comfortable talking about racism when they have no exposure to this very touchy subject. Politics is not the only profession where this happens, unfortunately it happens everywhere. Now times are changing, and it is the reverse of what used to be. Now the white people are the ones that are not popular for a change and they are probably starting to realize how bad black people had it and still have it today. Once people start realizing this, they will be hopefully become more open to discussing different racial issues. Once both white and black people are comfortable talking about race together; the line between racism will become smaller.
I agree with Sam about this article and the way it portrays the fact that Blacks are considered poor. I feel as if Blacks use this as a way to get ahead in life. Those who make it to become rich, tend to say something along the lines of overcoming the stereotype. Now, they may no longer fall under the “typical” poor black person, however the majority of those who become wealthy did not grow up within the lowest class. About half of the black population in the United States is actually middle class, which compares to the percentage of Whites in the middle class. There are obviously many poor white people in the world, and when compared to the percentage of poor black Americans, they are quite similar. So why is it that in our society we automatically think that Whites are predominately rich and Blacks are predominately poor?
The only reason I can thing of is because of our past with slavery, and how many blacks use their history to make many of their arguments about race today. I don’t like how many African Americans use their race to make people feel bad for them, however Whites are just as bad. We use our race for superiority, and I completely agree with the fact that the white population is afraid that the black population could eventually take over. I mean we already have a black president. But honestly, I think that if whites are more open to other black people’s point of views, and judge them not on race, the majority of the world can overcome racism. But it must go both ways; Blacks must move on from the past and live life in the present.
From the article “D.C.'s High-Level Social Scene Now Mingles Black and White,” Rosen states that, "Most whites don't like to talk about race” when she is the only black woman in the room at one of their dinner parties. However in contrast, when the room is filled with other Blacks like Rosen, race is a common discussion topic. Her husband states, "They are not afraid to say what they think." I think this is true to an extent. I feel that a lot of white people are afraid to ask questions about race to minorities. I think that it actually has a lot to do with not taking that step to make Black friends, to make Asian friends, to make any minority a friend. Various people like to stick to their own “type” but what they don’t know, or even try to figure out, is that by having a lot of different types of friends, it really broadens their perspective and can make them a better person.
The article “D.C.'s High-Level Social Scene Now Mingles Black and White” in Sam’s blog “Say ‘Hello’ to My New Black and Brown Friends” shows just why it is such a big deal that the president of the United States of America is black. It is because now that the president is black, it can be considered “cool” (for lack of a better word) to be black and to have black friends and colleagues. As the article stated, white politicians are now seeking out any black person they know because white people are just so cliché in politics now. It’s like when you’re in elementary school and you have a ham sandwich, pretzels, and an apple for lunch but everyone else has a lunchables. All the white politicians’ white friends are the ham sandwiches and the black and brown people are the really cool nacho or pizza lunchables. Debra Lee wonders in the article if she is being used for being a powerful black woman. However, I say to her: human beings use eachother weather their black, white, green, or purple. All the white people who used to be invited were being used for whatever feather they had in their cap and you will be too. Sam also talks about stereotypes about black (and all other non white racial groups) people. He says that most white people think that the majority of blacks and all non whites are poor. When I think of black people (and really try to make a blanket definition of black people) I have a stereotype but it’s not what you would think. My own stereotype is that all black people (and most other minorities) have gone through so much and faced many brick walls in their lives. Because of this I assume that they are always the most interesting and cultured and strongest people in the room. In other words, I always think that black equals cool and if you’re black and you’re not cool I’m confused. I totally forget that some black people grow up in black neighborhoods where they don’t race racism and they are just as white bread and weak willed as the rest of us. There is no blanket personality for any race, ethnic group, or religious group. I found Chris Rock’s skit to be very shortsighted. He claimed that there will never be wealthy black or brown people in this world and that it is just not possible. However, his definition of wealth is Bill Gates. However, there is only one Bill Gates in the world and because his place is already taken in the world and he is white, of course no black person will ever be him. No one except for Bill Gates will ever be Bill Gates.
In our society money has always equaled power and I do not think that will ever change. Money sets boundaries between the classes, stereotypes between the races, and the powerful from the normal citizens. Chris Rock’s act on Wealth really makes you think about why mostly white people are the wealthiest. The reason white people are at the top of the ladder is because it goes back generation after generation, but I don’t necessarily see why that is the white persons fault. If my parents were extremely wealthy because wealth was transferred to them, obviously they would transfer that wealth to their kids. And yes it is really annoying seeing all these extremely wealthy people just getting their parents wealth and then all of a sudden they are famous (i.e. Paris and Nikki Hilton) and many other people, which also proves that wealth equals power. If the Hilton sister’s parents’ weren’t as wealthy as they are, do you think the sisters would be as wealthy as they are now? No probably not but that is just how it works, why would a family pass their wealth to random people when they can keep it in their family? Many black families are getting rich because they are working extremely hard and I think it is a stereotype that all black families just waste their money on stupid things like rims, televisions in their cars, etc. There are many black people who do waste their money but there are many white people who do the same thing. To be honest, I really couldn’t get into this article this week because I just don’t understand why rich people or wealthy people have anything to complain about. Oprah can live her life with no worries financially just as Bill Gates can. So who cares who is wealthy and who is rich if you can live your life financially worry free? And this wouldn’t be a problem if the black community had the same chances as the white community did because everyone was on equal footing, then no one would care who is just rich and who is wealthy as long as everyone had the same chance to make the money. Now that Obama is our president I am hoping that our country sees that black and brown people have the same potential of being great with power and that this inequality diminishes. When I read the article “D.C.’s High Level Social Scene” it was a little disturbing to see that only now, after President Obama, is in office do the black and white A-Listers start to mingle. I never really thought that it was a problem before I read that article but clearly the a-listers of different races had separate lives, which is sad. I’m glad that this change occurred now instead of never but it shouldn’t have had to take having Obama in the office and having one of his mottos be inclusiveness. The change in office for our society is changing a lot of aspects in our everyday lives and I hope it continues to change for the better.
Rich vs. Wealth
Although it’s easy to laugh at Chris Rock’s jokes, I’ve always truly enjoyed listening to him, because not only does he make jokes, he speaks very seriously (in a highly humorous way) about social issues. In this clip, he compared being rich to being wealthy. White people are wealthy and black people are rich. He says,
“I’m talking about wealth. Wealth is passed down from generation to generation. You can’t get rid of wealth. Rich is some shit you can lose with a crazy summer and a drug habit.”
He also compares Oprah Winfrey’s money to Bill Gates, which I found interesting. Many people would consider Oprah to be wealthy rather than rich, but according to Chris Rock’s point of view, Bill Gates would be miserable just having Oprah’s money. It’s interesting to hear Chris Rock’s standup because many things that he says a white person may have never considered in the past. I never thought about white wealth vs. black richness. I never even made the distinction between being wealthy and being rich, but I guess it makes sense to think of wealth as being passed from generation to generation, working to keep the white people who have it in the upper-class. Many rich black people have made all of that money they have on their own, rather than passing it through generations of family.
Once again, this shows me how it’s easy to believe you’re entirely open-minded and thoughtful on many issues, but instead, being white and privileged seemingly blockades me from thinking about things that don’t pointedly affect me.
This brings me to what we talked about last lecture concerning what people have thought about and things that have never crossed their mind. So far in this class, I have been bombarded with thoughts I’d had previously, but twisted into something entirely new. I’ve found that I don’t think outside of the box quite as much as I thought I did. I’m surprised each and every class by something Sam says. Something that I should have known, but did not, simply because of the direction I was looking at it from.
When I listen to comedians talk about racial issues, I learn something from them each time. Who says comedians can’t be teachers? Truthfully, everyone around you has something to teach, regardless of whether or not it is riddled with vulgar language. Sometimes I find my best learning experiences to be through humor. It invites you in, and helps you let your guard down. Still, you leave the experience actually thinking about what was said. Perhaps it was said like a joke, but it is a personal struggle. I hope that just as many people who laugh at comic’s jokes truly think about the content of what had been said as well.
I agree with what “Steve” said in his post about the upper class changes being a good thing. I think that many people associate “A-listers” of many categories ,from entertainment to politics, to be white. It does make me wonder, though, is it the media that puts this idea in our minds that black is associated with poor and white is associated with middle class or rich? You can’t listen to a rap song without listening to the rapper talk about “the hood” and all of the struggles. I’m sure this is true for many people, but there are white people living in those areas, as well. I think that the rap industry paints a false picture that the majority of people of color grew up in poor, rough areas, and the rest of the world is jaded by it, especially my generation because it’s what we listen to and see on TV. Obviously predefined racisim plays a big role in these assumptions also. I believe that many people who proclaim that they are not racist would even associate black people with poverty without even realizing that they thought that way. But again, these are all stereotypes. What Chris Rock was joking about in the video clip was funny because it is a stereotype. That is what race jokes are based on: stereotypes. Although we see many famous black people who flaunt their money so to speak, there is a world of difference between say Denzel Washington and Lil Wayne and they’re both famous. It’s just the industry and acting according to what sells. I think it’s awesome that we have a black man as our president and I think that it is going to change many things in the social scene, especially in politics, which should be balanced – not heavier on one side by either whites or blacks, or Asians or Latinos, whatever the case may be. I found it interesting in the article “D.C.’s High-Level Social Scene Now Mingles Black and White” when Debra Lee talked about being invited to parties and other events by people she doesn’t really know since the November 4 election. I would be offended if I were her, or anyone else in a similar situation, but at the same time maybe this will open the doors for people to meet one another and make connections. I think we are definitely on our way to racsim becoming scarce and stories like these not even being published because it would not be out of the norm to have the black and white political scene intermixing. Obama being elected is basically a foot in the door for a change in all social scenes and it’s going to keep changing until there is no rich or poor assciation with people of color.
After reading the latest blog posting entitled “Say ‘Hello’ to My New Black and Brown Friends”, I disagree with the statement that when I think “black” I am more inclined to think “poor”. I have to admit however, that when I think “black” and “rich” I am more inclined to picture an athlete or movie star than someone in regular society with a lesser publicized occupation. It is far easier for me to think of Denzel Washington or Lebron James than a prominent black doctor or lawyer living in close proximity to me. I think that this can be blamed partly on me coming from suburban Pennsylvania, only having 2 black kids in my entire high school, and then coming to Penn State, which is over 80% white. I, along with many of my friends, have not been exposed or introduced to enough people of color for that image to become recognizable. I think this is where our state and our university get a bad reputation. I hear so often people from outside of PA bashing us collectively. People consistently are claiming that other than inner-city Pittsburgh or Philly that we are a bunch of redneck hillbillies. I have even experienced a band from Texas performing in the HUB asking if we drank “corn-beer” in PA. That’s right, someone from Texas calling Pennsylvanians a bunch of hicks. I know that if everything else in my life remained unchanged, but I went to a high school and university where the ratio of black to white students was evenly distributed, my entire outlook on life would be different. Staying close within my own race for most of my life, not by choice but rather by lack of other options, is why I think it is so difficult for my peers and I to open up and speak freely at the race table. Everyone is so worried about how they will be judged by others around them that they need time to carefully strategize how the words will leave their mouths and then pray that they are interpreted in a way that will not offend anyone. I feel that the only way to successfully get past this phobia is to be exposed to race relations at an early age, by befriending and communicating with people of other races, reaching a level of familiarity early in life, and asking important questions. This would facilitate so many things later in life and allow more honest and open conversation to flow when it will definitely matter much more. This class has definitely played a role in preparing my mindset for a lot of conversations that I will undoubtedly have in my life with people of other races and I am thankful for that.
After reading the article “D.C.’s High-Level Social Scene Now Mingles Black and White”, it is interesting to see society’s perspective on the new elite. It does not come as a surprise to me that there are rich Black people in America, however, now that the President is a Black man, these individuals are more recognized. I think that this might come as a bit of a shock for the White elite community and American society as a whole, that are not used to seeing as many elite Black people at events like the presidential dinner parties.
There are general characteristics attached to different races. For instance, White people are usually thought of as well of, with no economic struggles. In contrast, minorities (Blacks and Latinos in particular) are often thought of as lower class and more likely to be in a financial rut. While statistics show that these two ethnic groups are on the lower scale of the economic tower, I think the fact that a lot of Black people are doing well too. With such notions that Black people are poor, it is definitely less familiar for society to see them at the same event as a Bill Gates or Donald Trump.
While the faces of the “A-list” are becoming more colorful, I think that they have a certain responsibility to represent Black people in a positive way. I could definitely identify and agree with Chris Rock’s funny skit. Black people are in one of the lowest tiers of economic status, yet, they are in the biggest bracket of spenders. Instead of investing the money, a lot of Black people, rich and poor alike, spend it on the latest fashions, technologies, cars, and other material desires. In one sense, it is enjoyable to have nice things, and why not if you can afford it, right? But in the other sense, a person should think about the bigger picture. It is not logical to spend all of the money on materialistic things when it could be put to other things.
Now in contrast, there are a lot of rich Black people doing very smart things with their money. Big CEOs like Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, and Diddy are huge power players for the entertainment industry and all have invested in many things that has lead to wealth for them. This also follows suit for many Black athletes and entertainers as well. Not to mention, a lot of them are big leaders in organizations to give back to the community.
I think the shift of people of color being more in the forefront shows how much America has evolved over time. Years ago, the thought of Black people having such prestigious roles in America would be unheard of. Today, they are slowly getting recognized for their capability to be just as good as their White counterpart. Unfortunately, there are many more strides to go in order for their to be complete equality and recognition.
Our beliefs are entirely shaped by what we are raised to believe as truth. Discourses within specific cultures or races drive our knowledge about the world. As a white person who grew up in a suburban town, I had minimal encounters with people outside of my race. We had maybe four black kids in my high school. Not only is that number a shame, but it is contributory to false beliefs about other races. I just never really thought too much about the socioeconomic class of black people. The ones that went to school with me clearly had some money. But outside of school, the only black people I made any contact with were the ones I drove past while driving in downtown Philadelphia. Those were the poor ones. And I also saw black people on TV (Oprah, rappers, etc.). So besides my four classmates, I was largely unaware, if not just unexposed to the idea that a middle class of black people existed.
Networking is everything in this world. Cold calls don’t get you ahead of the pack; knowing someone in a position of influence does. And who do we hang out with; generally, people of our own creed (race, religion, class). When it comes to monetary success, wealth often flows less freely than we may suspect. Chris Rock talks about why black people can never really achieve the “wealthy” status, and instead can only really ever get “rich”. Even if a white man and a black man earned the same amount of money per year, Rock says this classification would remain true. This is because to be wealthy, one has to take part in a white spectrum of the economy (the central system of finances is run by Wall Street execs, of which I’m sure a majority are white). But the black man would rather invest his money in his own community. He’d rather spend money for things that matter to him and affect his people. While Rock’s joke about black men only spending their money on rims for their cars is clearly a bit of a racist generalization, it has some truth to it. We follow the social norms of our respective social groups.
With Obama in the White House, the social scene in Washington has changed. As his campaign was run on a model of fairness, equality and inclusion, the people invited to events has taken a turn off-road. According to the article, being black is “in”. The Obama family is drawing attention to the existence of a black middle class, which is an amazing thing if for no other reason than I love that Barack really does represent change in some ways! Obama’s bringing black people into the social and political spectrum of Washington serves a greater purpose than simple exposure. It puts more black people in positions to have access to the political hierarchy. I love the comment that a CNN contributor made: “It's kind of great that black people are in charge and white people are worried about being in -- when it's been the other way for so long." True that!
Alright I am not going to lie, I am part of the national assumption that black Americans as a collective group are on the poorer side. That is just the way I grew up though. It has really nothing to do with the truth of the matter. I grew up in a primarily white society that is primarily middle class the high class. However, the town right next door was a mixture and the poorest part of the town was primarily black people, so that is how I can to believe that most black Americans are poor. However, I know that is not the truth, and I know that race does not necessarily determine your social class. When it comes to white people feeling that they do not have any thing in common with black people, I do not necessarily feel like that is the truth. Honestly, I feel kind of stand offish while meeting certain black people because I feel like they assume that all white people are racist and I hate how they try to put the white guilt on me. I had nothing to do with what other white ancestors had done and I am not part of that so get over it. Some think they have it so hard because of what their ancestors went through, but they do not realize what they are putting innocent white through because of the bullshit. Do not try to make me feel bad because of something that I cannot control, I honestly do not care.
When it comes to the statement, “Moreover, these black A-listers probably care about black people in need just as much as white A-listers care about white people in need” I believe this is true for only certain people. There are people out there that would help the neediest person no matter if they share their same race or not. There was something about Opera saying that she would not give money to THON because Penn State is not diverse enough. However, what does a school being diverse have to do with helping little kids of all races with cancer? Is that her being racist in a way? Or is it her just being selfish? I do not know. I just think that Opera would rather help people of her own race before she would help people that are in need.
Being privileged, to me, has nothing to do with your race, but it has to do with how you may have grown up and how hard you are willing to work. Any body could be an A-lister, no matter what color they are. Someone should not feel unease about their privilege because I am sure that they have worked hard to earn this privilege and that is not something to be ashamed of. Black and white probably have a lot in common as long as they are willing to drop the racist crap and get to know the person for who they really are, not just the color of their skin.
This is ignorant, but I didn’t realize as much now, that there are rich black people out in America until I saw Baldwin Hills. It was kind of a reality check, and a cop off of MTV’s “The Hills.” But I believe that for such a long time, America has focused on how citizens of America struggle each day. In particular, it veers toward African Americans because it’s been a struggle since entering into this country. Chris Rock has spoken on the issue of black people spending money before, pretty funny actually. Honestly, in a lot of cases, it is true. I’ve seen people spend money like it’s nothing. And then a few days , complain that they’re broke. I wouldn’t say that money is new to African Americans. But, what can be bought and the power you have once you get some cash is fairly new. I feel like it wasn’t until recently that it’s been depicted in the media of having gold chains, having all of these beautiful women around you, people up your ass constantly because you can purchase something. All these ridiculous clothes, expensive-ass cars, all of that stuff is new. And I believe it’s becoming increasing more significant because that’s all you see in the media. And the people you see these material things all have money, for the moment. I wish that as much as they publicized all the riches that these celebrities gain, they could look at the connections and networks they’ve formed, the fundraisers and community service performed, the programs and foundations they’ve made. However, steering back to the new “A-list”, I really appreciate seeing a more diverse upper class. It shows that this country is evolving into something new. We cheer for change and these are like the beginning stages of what we voted for. However, we need to make sure we understand as a country that these are beginning stages and there are a myriad of obstacles that we will overcome over time. Hopefully, every citizen understands that the newly elected president was a big step, and that stereotypes and all of the problems currently occurring cannot be changed overnight. With all of that said, I believe that each “race” should help each other out with our new President. I’ve heard too many times people saying “Obama will fix it, he’ll solve that problem”. Along with Obama working to resolve some issues, we as a people need to continue to help ourselves. People need to look to be more punctual and have a more open perspective to other people. Particular with the group of people I identify with, the stereotype of black people not being punctual or uneducated should be cleared away. Everyone needs to better themselves in order to make a better America.
From this article I feel that a step is being made that should have been taken a long time ago but with the President of the United States being black new standards are being upheld. There are many ‘black and brown’ people in America who have made great accomplishments but it seems that they often are not given adequate credit for these achievements. They may receive some sort of awards for what they have done but how often are they placed on the ‘A-List’. When I say A-list I am thinking of the ‘high class’ people who are mentioned in this article that get invited to events that have to do with the President. The article stated that these previously overlooked members of society are now being invited because of President Obama’s focus on inclusion. I think that although it is sad that it took this event in order to have inclusion, it is a wonderful thing because now hopefully these people can make a point to show others that they deserve this privilege. I do think that it is unfortunate and unfair that black and brown people must often prove that they belong in a situation that has previously been dominated by whites but I think that is just how our society is and you have to work with it. It is events such as Barack Obama becoming President that will help our country less ignorant about people that they don’t often have much association with.
In regards to the A-lister whites and A-lister minorities I think they both can be equally ignorant about people of their own race that are far less fortunate than they are. I’m not sure if I would call a rapper such as Kanye West or Biggie an A-lister but using these cases as examples I think it is different than saying that they care a great deal about people of their race that are poor because that is what they have worked from. They have a greater understanding of the struggles that poor people are facing but I don’t think they feel any greater responsibility to aid those in need. This goes the same for whites, if they were once poor and now have made their way to the top they probably have a greater understanding and possibly empathy towards those lesser off but the probability of them doing something to help is slim in my opinion. And those who are born into wealthy families (whether black, brown, or white) are completely ignorant that poor people even exist or just could care less. I understand that that is a very pessimistic view but until we start caring about our fellow human beings there will constantly be people left behind to fend for themselves without the proper means.
While it goes without saying that changes would be taking place in DC, some that would have to do with race, others that would not, this is not one that had ever crossed my mind. Having worked in DC last summer, I was at numerous events that politicians, lobbyist, and other high-profile “DCers” attended. I had not taken notice of the issue of race even though the presidential election was on everyone’s mind on the hill and the issue of race was also floating around even though it was not spoken of nearly as often. As we spoke of in class, white people often don’t think about race in such situations and I fall guilty to that as well. When in a room full of people of mixed backgrounds, I am ignorant to the fact of exactly who is surrounding me, unless of course I am in the one that is in the minority, then it is hard not to notice. This change is not and should not be at all surprising though. If a president of another race had been elected, the same thing would be occurring; people of his or her same race would be more present and in attendance at political functions. Peoples’ backgrounds follow them and others embrace it as it becomes what’s “in.” All the cowboy hats and boots at Bush’s events? They wouldn’t have been worn by all in attendance had he been from the Hamptoms.
After reading this, knowing what the DC culture once felt like and taking this class, I look forward to being back there and taking note of changes that have been made, things that have remained the same, and things that I would expect to change. DC is an unusual place where people are always trying to get ahead and use someone to help make that change. I hope that these changes are beneficial to race relations for the right reasons.
On to Chris Rock… Hilarious. (Although I couldn’t stop picturing him as the donkey in Shrek which was a bit distracting.) What he said makes sense though. When I think of “old money” I picture white men on some big old beautiful farm house in the south. I don’t think of Africans or Mexicans in some big old beautiful house. It had never occurred to me that people of different backgrounds are just now accumulating their wealth, or as Rock would put it, their “riches.” I am curious to see how long this will take to change though. To see how long money must be in a family and passed down through these families of races other than white before it can be considered “old money” and “wealth” which will eventually happen I would assume. Only time and money will tell I suppose.
I guess I didn’t really realize it, but I have found that when someone speaks about the poor in America, people often associate Latinos, Native Americans and African Americans with this sense of poverty. Even I have found myself associating Mexicans or Puerto Ricans as “grimey” or dirty, when in reality there is no actual fact to base that judgment on. As it turned out these minority groups, and most notably the African Americans have about just as many wealthy people as poor. In fact, once you think about it, a large percentage of celebrities, in particular professional athletes, are African American elites. Oprah Winfrey for example is considered to be the most influential and one of the most wealthy celebrities in the world. I don’t think it’s completely accurate to say that all of a sudden due to Obama’s inauguration, that all powerful whites are trying to befriend equally wealthy blacks, but it is safe to say that blacks are becoming slightly more powerful. As Sam said in class, I don’t think that whites are intentionally racist, it’s just a matter that most white people aren’t immersed in racism or don’t seem to realize it around them as well as blacks. For this reason, having a black president only helped to make whites realize this difference more and embrace it. In response to Chris Rock’s stand-up act, I would have to agree and disagree. Although funny, I feel like he is somewhat incorrect in saying that the reason for drugs not being legalized is because the police want to keep blacks in prison. Although I’m unsure, I feel like arrest statistics for drugs between races is relatively comparable. In response to the difference between wealthy and rich, I feel that it is inaccurate to say that blacks are rich but not wealthy. I feel as though there isn’t much of a difference between wealth and being rich. For wealth I for some reason associate it with inheritance and being rich from earning it through yourself. With that being said I find it just as likely to be wealthy or rich for a black person as it would be for a white person. In fact it is kind of aggravating to hear people of color or minority groups complain about how much worse off they are or how hard they have it when statistically a large percentage (50%) are pretty well off. Maybe now that whites are becoming more “accepting” blacks won’t be as likely to play the victim and there will actually be peace among all races. It’s refreshing to see both races grow as the tides change throughout America, and hopefully this trend of racial equality will last for a long time.
First, I would like to highlight a point that I found very interesting from the article “D.C.'s High-Level Social Scene Now Mingles Black and White.” I think everyone can agree that the new group of appointees and Cabinet nominees is a very diverse group of individuals. But the point that this article brought up that is not really something I have thought about in the past, is how Washington is a city “where professionals work side by side by day, but socialize separately at night.” Although (as the article states) this trend of socialization is beginning to change as a result of Barak Obama’s election into office, I find it a little ridiculous that this shift hasn’t already taken place.
I can definitely see where Debra Lee is coming from when she asks herself “Are they just using me?” To some extent, I think this is possible, but at the same time I think that once this trend of “segregated” socialization has been broken (whether initially for personal motives or not), the Washington elite will not go back to its more segregated nighttime social scene. Eventually, I think that there will be a shift from including a diverse group on an event list out of propriety to doing so because they choose to. Also, I think that because Americans view these influential individuals so highly, the rest of America will begin to follow their suit.
Peggy Cooper Cafritz points out a very important issue that makes true integration harder to achieve. According to her, “true integration requires a mix of generations, race and class. Unless you address all three, you are not addressing the core issue. The core issue is people feeling comfortable with each other." I think that this is a very important idea that reminds us that we need to be patient with this process. We are headed in the right direction, but these changes will not happen overnight (or maybe not even in the next few years)
I also think that there might be a slight risk that this shift to a more diverse Washington elite group could just be a “fad.” Although I hope that this is not the case, I question whether Washington will go back to a more segregated social nightlife/group of Washington elite after Obama leaves office.
Moving on to Chris Rock’s video comparing being wealthy with being rich, I found this video funny as well as relevant. I think Chris Rock does a good job showing the idea that having large amounts of money is relatively new to black people in the scale of the entire history of the United States. I think we can also draw a comparison between the trend that Chris Rock points out about how black people spend their money as if it were about to rot, with a similar trend between rich white people in the 1920’s.
As always in the world if you have money and connections you can get anything. Money is power. No race relations have not changed overnight and never could. It takes time. The woman who stated this is thinking a little ahead of herself I think. Obama has a lot to do with this change but what about when he is no longer president? Will the white A-listers still make their guest list as diverse?
The idea that black equals poor and white equals rich is a common way that most people look at these two races. Many of the upscale African Americans are not able to say that they were born into the life style they hold now but instead they can say they have gone from rags to riches. Although these two races did not gain this high social status in the same way, they often share the same ideas once given their status. Why should they care about where they came from in the ghetto? They most likely feel that if they were able to get out then so can the other blacks from their neighborhoods. And why should the white A –listers care if the black ones don’t even show interest in their own people? They shouldn’t and they don’t.
Chris Rock’s main point was being rich is not the same as being wealthy. He gives examples of how white people are wealthy and black people are rich. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines rich as having a lot of money or valuable possessions. From the same source wealth is defined as abundant possessions or resources. The definitions are relatively the same, so why the big deal in relation to black and white people? The one difference seems to be that wealth is old money and rich is new money. Chris Rock having money himself feels that whites have a privilege. He does not take into consideration the middle class or poor who are way lesser off then himself. If he having money is complaining about how the white people have more, how does he think lower class blacks look at white upper class? Chris Rock did have a point when he spoke about the way black people who have money spend it compared to white people who have money. It is very funny that blacks feel the need to spend extravagantly to prove that they do have money. Wealthy white people do not flaunt their money instead they invest it or save it. But who is to say that black people cannot be wealthy? There are successful and wealthy black people who spend their money responsibly but not many.
All and all I have come to the conclusion that if more black people decided to change the way in which they spend money they could be wealthy also. In order for race relations to improve the blacks need to change the stereotype to work towards making America more equal and eliminate the racism that comes from the number of poor black people compared to white people.
White is rich, while black is poor, is a common analogy/assumption that is made by people every day. However, this is definitely a stereotype, and although it is sometimes true, it is not always true. There are many exceptions. It is great to see Barrack Obama influencing the power of color, as now there are more black people being invited to important political parties, something very rare for blacks and usually common for whites. But with Obama, the roles have been sort of reversed, if you will. Many blacks are getting new opportunities that they have never experienced before. This is very big for our country and the national perception of money and color.
But usually, when people describe someone with money, someone wealthy, most people will immediately interpret this as a white person. Although this is obviously unfair, Chris Rock makes a great case on why this is the case, in which I totally agree. Chris Rock says although there ARE RICH black people, they are no WEALTHY black people. He says white people are wealthy, while black people are rich. The media plays a major role in reinforcing this common stereotype every day. For example, Chris Rock using the hilarious example that Shaq is rich, but the white man who signs his checks is wealthy. Although this is one minute example, and does not represent the entire nation, the media helps to portray this. Many famous athletes, musicians, and comedians are rich, and many are black. In fact, most of the best athletes, musicians, and comedians are black. As a result, the public, with the help of the media, follow the lives of their favorite celebrity (who happen to be black). This allows the public to see how these celebrities spend their money, which is typically carelessly, buying flashy items such as cars, houses, and jewelery...thus creating this "rich" image for black people.
Even enhancing this image even more, is the TV show on MTV called MTV Cribs. This is a show that takes the public on a tour through the house and cars of famous celebrities, and the majority of these celebrities are black, and the "flashy/rich" image the Chris Rock is referring to is enhanced once again. However, this is definitely a stereotype that should be avoided. There are many white celebrities that are very flash and have the "rich" image, and there are many black people that are wealthy and invest their money. Black people have created an image in which they enjoy their luxury items, but this is not the case for ALL black people. If I had money, I would love a huge house and a fancy car, and I'm white. But I don't have money.
I agree that even though black people are being invited to parties, money still has not brought them close to as much power people have in white societies today. Money has always been known as power. I also agree that being rich is different from being wealthy. In Chris Rock’s video he is talking about being wealthy and being rich. He picks fun at black people for being quick spenders. I laughed at the video and I’m sure everyone else did too. He is not meaning to be judgmental; he is trying to be funny. I noticed that people of the same race find it easier to make fun of themselves. Like in class, when we watched the Asian guy make fun of himself. It was so funny, but I think it would have been different if it was a white or black guy making fun of them. But them again we saw a video of a black many making fun of white people. I think the overall message if that people need to quit being so up tight about things. They need to learn to laugh at themselves. For example, I was the only white girl who hung out in my group of friends. I got picked on a lot, but I didn’t get angry. I knew they didn’t mean any harm. I know that there are some instances where people are trying to be mean and racist, but people need to know when that is and not to freak out if what a person is saying is not trying to be mean.
Going back to Chris Rock’s video, how black people spend their money and how white people spend their money is completely different. This can also go differently. For example, anyone, black or white, who comes into “new” money is going to be quick to spend it because they are not used to having much money. They are going to buy shoes, jewelry, cars, houses. Anything they can get their hands on, whereas if you have “old” money people are not quick to spend it because they know what its like to have money already. I’m not saying this goes for all people who come into money, but it happens to most. People want to flaunt their new money and show it off. Is that a bad thing to show off new money? I don’t know. I don’t know what I would do if I got money. I would probably flaunt it because my family isn’t made of money. I would be excited to have money I can just spend. But I would also probably put some into a trust fund. Sometimes I just wish I could win the lottery and then be set for life. I know that sounds kind of ridiculous but it is the truth.
I believe many people can learn a lesson from the Chris rock video, both African Americans and people coming from white decent. Wealth is something that a person acquires over time. When I hear the word rich I think of people with material goods and someone with big bills burning in their pocket. The only thing I do not agree with in the Chris rock video is that only African Americans spend money on “worthless” things. My family and I have known many people that have come from rags to riches and gone straight back to rags, and most of these families were white. Anyone can blow through money in this day and age. The article about the A-list celebrities kind of puzzled me. Should we be happy that African Americans are getting their time to shine or should we be upset that it took having a black president in the office to make a change? When reading that only 20 out of 2000 guest at a party were black made me open my eyes to white privilege. White privilege is huge and now a generalized term. I feel like people accept white privilege and move on. I think it is great that the United States African American elite are finally getting the recognition they deserve. I would just like to know how people of color feel that it has taken so long. I agree that people of wealth like to surround themselves with other people of power and wealth but why have most of these people not chosen to cross the color line. The other topic I would like to mention is the fact that Americans views one who is poor and who is “wealthy” are so distorted. In all truth when I think of poor people I think of urban cities. After being in class and learning that this is truly not the case really got me thinking. Many white people seem to hide the fact that they are below the poverty line. The media today has also done a great job of portraying African Americans to be the people getting hit the hardest. There are many wealthy people in America and if you asked me to walk down the street and point out the wealthiest person I could not do it. Wealth to me is colorless; people who are rich flaunt their money. In my experience the people with the most money have always been the ones living like normal middle class people. I am excited that African American money and white money are integrating, I just feel bad that it took so long. I think that money is money and you’re really smart if you can hold onto it in this crazy world. I believe that old money is phasing out fast and I think it’s a good thing.
The presented article and the excerpt from Chris Rock evoke a range of thoughts in me. Obviously, they are contradictory, so which one is right? Do black people not, as Chris Rock puts it, have “wealth?” Is it perhaps more likely that he is exaggerating about the problem of wealth for comic effect, as the article highlights how black people who obviously do have “wealth” are being included into the social and political structure of our ever evolving governmental system? What can we believe?
I feel that the issue is moot. It is true that many blacks, or at least the highly visible ones, flaunt and waste their wealth while many whites, again the visible ones, invest their money to make wealth. On the other hand, many whites don’t save or invest their money at all and many blacks do. There will always be people that save and people that don’t. This isn’t a race issue. This is just human nature. Some will be inclined to save and some will be inclined to spend. With that said, it is also possible that black culture and perhaps a black philosophy of “My ancestors didn’t have this money, so I should enjoy it to make up for lost time,” makes it more likely that a rich black will only remain rich and never become wealthy. Similarly, for the past hundreds of years, whites have seen other whites invest and control their riches and create wealth, and will be more likely to strive to attain that. Obviously, many blacks will also have seen this cause and effect relationship, which pokes a hole in the argument, but then why don’t more do it.
Or, as shown by this article, perhaps they do. Blacks seem to have been creating wealth for at least as long as whites. The issue here is that they aren’t nearly as visible as the ones who flaunt their wealth with useless purchases. Everyone pays more attention to the rich guy buying drinks at the bar compared to the wealthy guy who owns the establishment. Because of this we only pay attention to them and ignore the others. Also, perhaps because of racism and white privilege, they were never really included into the political insider life, which further pushes them behind the scenes. Though, even this could be largely incorrect, as it is entirely possible that it has taken the time since emancipation until now for blacks to obtain enough wealth to compare and compete with whites who had a significantly larger amount of time to build wealth. After all, why should any of the previous insiders consider someone who can’t carry their weight? Perhaps the larger part of this insiderism is simply and only the magnitude of the power they carry. Having a half black man as president is perhaps the last little prod forward that it took for these “newcomer” insiders to equal or surpass white insiders.
After reading the article you posted, and watching Chris Rock's stand-up, I started to think about "old" and "new" money. Old money is money that has been passed down through generations, while new money is exactly that - new. It is more like acquired wealth rather than wealth that has been handed to you from your parents. In recent decades, old money has definitely become a new concept to African American individuals. Slavery was not so long ago, and it was since then that they had to basically start from scratch in order to attain money. Although many White people may have been poor immigrants and started from scratch as well, a large majority of others have been privileged for generations. Many Caucasians probably cannot even trace back to the roots of their wealth, but believe that they have worked for it. As a Caucasian individual myself, it was not until I really started to think about how I have come to this point in my life that I realized I really have been privileged. While I was worried about keeping my grades up to simply get into Penn State, I’m sure other individuals, namely minorities, were thinking about how they were even going to pay for college. I think Chris Rock was speaking for many Americans’ attitudes when he said that White people are wealthy and Black people are rich.
I think that many Americans believe that African Americans do not know how to handle their wealth because they see them flaunting jewelry and material possessions in rap videos and on TV. What people need to understand is that for one, many Black people have not had money for long enough to acquire old money. In addition, these are only African Americans that are in the public light. There are plenty of prosperous Black individuals that are not in the limelight. These people are most likely the ones that know how to handle their money. That is not to say that Chris Rock was not right in the point he was conveying. We often do not considered minorities wealthy in the Bill Gates sense. Luckily, now that Barack Obama is in power, I believe that this may be the beginning of Black people actually being considered wealthy. There are probably plenty of CEOs and big business executives that belong to a minority group; however, the numbers are in no way comparable to the number of Whites that hold these positions. Obama puts a face on wealthy Black Americans, and I think we will see more and more of them gaining status and esteem in our society. Oprah will no longer be the face of prosperous Black individuals. We will begin to look at wealthy Black people as more than just celebrities, which is what Oprah essentially is. We will hear about successful businessmen and women, which will in turn change the public’s perception of wealthy minorities.
After reading the Washington Post article about integration and all of that good stuff, I think the media blows everything out of proportion. A main reason why racism is still a “big deal” is because the media makes it a big deal. Who cares if Obama is friends with more black people than past presidents? It’s only normal for people to be that way. It seems like people of one race always flock to the same race without even thinking about it. I think that full integration is extremely hard to achieve because white people have dominated the government since forever. It will slowly integrate over time as the United States continues to evolve but thinking that it will happen with the snap of the fingers is ludicrous. I think that in the government and in every business, the person with the best skills should have the job regardless what race he or she is. I think people worry too much about hurting other people’s feelings. It’s all about connections. That’s how a ton of businesses work, it’s how the music and movie industry work, it’s how the government works. If Person A is friends with Obama, and Person B is the best economist in the world, Obama would look extra hard at Person A because he has a relationship with him. It’s just human nature and it’s built on trust. It sucks in many ways, but a lot has to do with chemistry. Just like a good sports team, you need every player to contribute for the team to win. It goes hand in hand with the government. Maybe Obama doesn’t want a “star player” because he has someone else who is very qualified and can be trusted.
Off topic of the article, I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in an area with about 10 black people, but to me, I thought Penn State was very diverse. I never really talked to people of other races because I never had the opportunity to. Penn State gets a ton of criticism for not being diverse enough and honestly, Penn State can’t help it that it is located in the middle of Pennsylvania. There are people from all over the world that attend Penn State which many smaller colleges can’t say the same. Like I said before, people should stop worrying about integration and should worry about the best candidate to be a student at Penn State. I don’t think it’s fair if a Pacific Islander gets into Penn State being one of the worst performers in his high school class, but gets in because of his skin color over someone else who did really well and deserves to be at Penn State. This is exactly the case with my roommate. I love him to death, but he shouldn’t be here. He says that all the time. Okay, that’s all I got. That’s my rant for the day.
I found this article to be very interesting. I read another persons article about the same topic, and they seemed surprised this article was written. While I agree that the focus of the election and the “A-Lists” shouldn’t be race, realistically, they are. It was bound to happen that because there is now a black president, people would be acting totally different about diversity. Most of the big-wigs in Washington, D.C , prior to Obama’s election probably did not care about the poor, whether white or black. But it almost seems like the general thought is, most conservative politicians, and it almost seems historically, that they are portrayed as being elitists, and some even closet racists. That would not shock me, however. The thing that seems really annoying is that now that theirs a black president, people are now going out of their way to invite black people, who some don’t even know. Personally, if I were one of the people getting invited by some old-money white guy, I would be totally suspicious about their motives behind this. It almost seems like now, because diversity, and racial relations is the hot issue, that all the white people in Washington, who were so used to have a “white out” in the political parties, are now searching for what seems to be nothing more than token black friends. I think that they are doing this out of fear, thinking that “wow, if we don’t start showing we are able to co-exist with blacks, we may be black balled as racists and lose our positions. I think this just shows, that we are nowhere close to being equal, regardless of who we have in office.
Now, I don’t know any of these people. I have no idea about their motives, or what they are even thinking, so that is just a theory. But, it does seem strange that as we have a black president now in office, that all of the sudden the guest list is becoming more diverse. Maybe before the invitations were lost in the mail? And as far as the Chris Rock goes, I found that hilarious. I find him to be one of the best comedians, because even though he makes a joke, you can read deeper into his comedy and see real social issues. For instance, his comparison about being rich and wealthy I feel is dead on. Sure, you see a rapper walking around with a diamond watch, but the fact of the matter is, somebody sold him that watch, as well as probably thousands more to other people. And the people in the record industry are making way more off them, than you could ever imagine. There are people who are rich, for example a friend of mine I consider “rich” he has a huge house, and a million dollar apartment in downtown Manhattan. When I got in there I thought “Damn, this kid is loaded”. Then we took a walk to the Upper East side and saw what “wealth” was about. Older people with ridiculous penthouses, driving the nicest cars like it was nothing. And not even them, I would consider wealthy. People like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have more money than they could ever possibly spend. Ever. You hear all the time about millionaires losing all of their money in stocks, or something happening and becoming poor. But the wealthy, will never be poor, ever. They have so much money, that their children, grandchildren, and even generations down will also be rolling in cash. What are the odds of a rapper or football players grandchildren to be living large? Families like the Rockefellars, Vanderbilts, etc. Have been wealthy for generations, and still live lavish lifestyles, even though the person who gained this wealth has been in the ground for a great while. That, is just my opinion though.
In contemporary society there are many influences that lead us to stereotype the African-Americans as being poor. Whether it be rappers spitting rhymes about their tough upbringing in the projects, news outlines showing more crimes committed by blacks than others, or the pictures of most homeless individuals being black that influences us. Is this the medias doing? Most likely yes it is.
However, being a very media conscious youth, why did I never pick up this point of view as a child? Yes you could argue that I grew up in a town with only two black families and graduated with no colored peers and that this is how life is for miles and miles around my town. But still, I watched CNN with my grandpa, morning news shows with my mom, and the local news with my dad. I will admit that there probably were more black criminal shown, yet when I think of a criminal I picture the white man that shot the two state troopers (one of whom’s daughter I played against in sports and new to a certain point), or the white teenager who murdered my dad’s friend and his wife, or the white husband who stabbed his white wife outside of my school when I was six, or the white judge’s white wife who stole more than $500,000 from my town’s Water and Sewer Authority which she worked for. These are the criminals I picture, not the ones you would think I am presuming?
As far as saying that blacks are poorer than whites, I never picked up that point of view either. This is probably one reason I tend to just shake my head a lot in class. I simply do not share these stereotypical point of views. Maybe I am naïve, or maybe I am just lucky. In our last class I had to do all I could to not just yell at the people who say that they have “never seen a poor white person” or gasped at the video of the “rednecks” and Tammy. Why? Because that’s my town to a certain point. I grew up with one of my best friends living the welfare apartment complex by our falling-apart town pool, seeing classmates parents working jobs at the next town’s McDonald’s, being the school lunch lady, and working at the local one screen movie theatre (all at the same time). It was not seen as uncommon for kids to drop out and help their families. This is life, their life, these are my friends. Yes my family is “comfortable” and so are my closest friends’, but that does not mean that we looked at our less fortunate peers as lower than us. In fact, we never paid attention to it, sure I’m guessing that you might read that and think “yeah right,” but it is the truth. It is what we grew up with. I just want people to open their eyes and deal with it.
As far as Chris Rock goes, I laughed at the video. Why? Because he is a comedian and a good one at that. However, I would like to know what he thinks of Mohammad Al Amoudi, the wealthiest black person, who happens to be from Ethiopia and is worth $9 billion.
I am proud to see our society accepting a change in the upper class and a black president. Maybe other's views really are changing for the best.
Well first of all, I have to say “thank you” to Chris Rock for providing me with almost four and a half minutes of laughter. But on the same page, I would also have to worry about telling him that because I am white. I am allowed to think that the jokes against black people are funny? Does that make me a racist? On the other hand, I did laugh at the white jokes, so maybe that evens everything out.
Being that I’m not black, I don’t know how much of his skit is actually true, but I can assume that a good portion of it is. For the most part there is a difference between “being wealthy” and “being rich,” but I don’t think it is fair to use those terms to differentiate between white and black people. I guess the general assumption is that most wealthy people are white, but there are wealthy black people, just as there are poor white people. People with “old money” are typically white, while rich black people usually have “new money.”
I think it is also important to look at power and influence with the money that people have. For example Oprah and Shaq both have more money than they could ever need, but look at the differences in which they use that money. Another example is President Obama. He isn’t terribly wealthy, but look at the power he has. He is the leader of the free world, and that has to count for something. I understand that this is just one case out of millions of others where the white person is dominant, but if nothing else, it shows that a black person can be more powerful than a white one, even with less money.
This thought ties in well with the article about the Washington DC’s black society. The article emphasizes the fact that black are gaining wealth and power in the country, and it is important that white’s take notice and respect that fact. I think it is a good thing and another positive effect that President Obama has brought to our country. It is important that the country’s citizens start to become more equal in terms of wealth and power. Although I do understand that Obama is just one person and these are just several blacks in a nation of poor individuals, I feel that it is definitely a step in the right direction. It just goes to show how much our country has progressed over the years.
I really liked the quote “black is in” and feel that is a significant part to include in this discussion. Although I am white, and being white has been in for hundreds of years, I am for equal rights. I am happy and think it is about time that blacks can be proud of being black.
Before I even saw the Chris Rock clip, I read the blog entry and when it asked about the difference between wealth in white society and wealth in black society, I immediately thought of what Chris was saying about black people buying rims and jewelry. Not that white people don’t buy extravagant things, but I just notice in the entertainment world that it seems to be a part of the culture that black rappers entertainers are always wearing millions of dollars worth of enormous jewelry and driving the snazziest cars. It is especially apparent on shows like MTV’s “Cribs”. It seems to be a trend that the white celebrities featured have quiet wealth and definitely buy extravagant things without showing it off, while the black celebrities have a “the bigger, the flashier, the better” mentality.
However, this lifestyle is only apparent in the Hollywood realm, specifically the music genre. I can name countless black actors (Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, etc) who don’t seem to have all the “bling” that rappers and R&B singers. But with that being said, is it really a race thing? The overwhelming majority of rappers and R&B happen to be black. Maybe it’s just a cultural thing in that specific music community. It’s become almost a competition for who can have the biggest house or home theater. I think it is definitely a stereotype that white people are so conservative and smart with their money while black people just spend everything they get on lavish things. It may seem like this in the media (and probably from the point of view of Chris Rock, who happens to be in the Hollywood bubble), but the vast majority of black families I know treat their money the same way white families do. Especially in these hard economic times, black people are just as concerned about budgeting their funds as white people are. And comedians as a job have to use stereotypes in order for their material to work, so I don’t think anything he says should necessarily be taken as some sort of statement on the socioeconomic status of every black person in America.
I also don’t think it’s fair to assume that everyone assumes that black people are poor. When you mention “poor” or “homeless” to me, I think of an old white guy in a subway station, begging for change. My mom is a social worker and she said that most of the families that she helps that are on welfare are white, yet all the families pictured in the welfare pamphlets are black or Hispanic. The media definitely enhances our idea that black people are much much poorer than white people, but I think most of us understand that it’s not entirely accurate.
The assumption that the article displays the idea that a prevailing majority of Americans believe black people are poorer than white people is a stretch, and a broad generalization that could be gathered, but not immediately supported, by the article. Expressed in the article is not that black people are gathering power in actual business settings, but rather that their reception in social settings is becoming more positive. Based on the reaction expressed in the blog post, it appears the article was taken to refer to the primary phase of structural assimilation, which deals with informal integration into workplaces, educational institutions, or political bodies. In contrast, the secondary phase refers to informal integration into friendship circles, private clubs, etc.
This phase, the secondary, is what the article is mainly dealing with. Surely if the article had been written a month later, it would have made mention of Attorney General Eric Holder, who is, along with his wife, referred to as a common name in the Washington D.C. social world, and his comments in regards to America’s inability as a whole to integrate on the secondary level despite integration on the first. The article, however, is showing just that. It asserts that people have always been invited by job title (and connections), not race and sex, and promotes that, with the election of President Obama, connections are being made with more black people in high places than in previous presidential terms under white leaders.
What changed, then, is the issue of comfort, which is what Attorney General Holder was referring to, and what is mentioned at the end of the article: “The core issue is people feeling comfortable with each other.” If, as is stated in the blog post, the black population in America does have a noticeably larger poor population in comparison to the white population, then the issue cannot be that a prevailing number of white Americans believe black people are poorer, because it was another assumption of the post. The event happening in Washington is that black people are becoming more well-connected, in part through President Obama, who came from a city which hosts a number of powerful black individuals, and the white population is beginning to, finally, commit to full structural assimilation of the black population. According to this article, Holder was proven wrong before he even spoke.
However, the article may be more optimistic than it should be, as it seems more prone to listing names of prominent black figures as opposed to actual examination of the situation. White privilege, in response, is a concept that needs to be immediately done away with, and anyone who would have difficulty integrating “A-list” black people into their thinking would probably be the same type who believes the Confederacy won the Civil War. As for Chris Rock, he cannot be taken completely seriously because he is, after all, a comedian. It is very apparent, however, that he is pointing out those cultural traits evident in the black population that may be contributing to disproportionate distribution of wealth between the white and black elite. Seeing as the white population is still the dominant group, many other explanations could be offered.
The first statement that caught my attention was that the national assumption that black Americans are an overall poor group of people compared to white people. I honestly can admit that I am guilty of thinking that stereotype. It is a subconscious thought that I never realized I had until reading this just now. In class a statistic was put on the board I can't remember it exactly but it was of something like 40% of poverty in America is white and 60% is black, brown, red, or others. Black people are also more connected to the word poor than middle class or rich, and I agree with that as well. I hear poor and black people used together way more than either of the other classes. This is a bad thing, I have no explanation for why that would be and I think it's wrong even though it probably will stay that way for a long time.
Chris Rock is hilarious. He also is in my opinion a great race relations speeker. He brings up great points about race and even though his material can be viewed as racist, it is an eye opener some times and could help people with race relations. I would love to see more from him in these blogs, I think he has great stuff to say. "If Bill Gates woke up with only Oprah's money, he would jump out the window." This made me laugh because it is so true. Bill Gates has so much more money than Oprah who is one of the wealthiest black persons I can think of. White people are greedy and would not at all be satisfied with that change of money. Even though she has enough money to never do anything again and spend money all day, Bill Gates would kill himself if he lost his fortune.
The topic of wealth vs. being rich was an educational topic, I liked his description of how you can't lose wealth it goes generation to generation. Rich, you could lose that in a summer with a drug habit! Then he got to how black people are new to money and spend it like crazy. "Tvs on in the back seat of the car but no one is in the back seat." I agree that black people generally spend money on unnecessary things. Rims on your car when you can't pay rent? Hmm... I have seen that too many times and I just shake my head. I would rather drive a bad car and not have to worry about if I will be evicted because I cannot make rent. But if that is what makes them happy, I am not affected by it so whatever.
Money has always equaled power for as long as people can remember. The more you have the more power you have. More recently money has also started to equal success. You either used it to get into a good school or to get straight into a good job doing what you wanted to do. People who start out poor usually stay on the poorer side of things and people who are born into money tend to stay in the money. I do not consider money to be a black and white thing I personally think I see as many rich or poor black people as I see rich or poor white people. I was a little confused by the one girl’s comment in class that she had never seen a poor white person. It maybe where she lives or where I live but I see them everyday. I work in a food store and I find that I see an equal amount of people coming in and using food stamps or WIC or just struggling to get all the money together. I was talking to a poor white woman over break that is fighting to do everything for her family. I also did notice that some of the things that Chris Rock said were true. Working in a food store, I notice that black people are more likely to spend money on everything and anything. Black people are most likely to spend on more expensive food if they can. They will but the prepared food instead of making it themselves without the tax. I wish it never had to come down to a money thing with blacks and whites. I guess I can agree with the idea that money is almost new to black people because they have not had as much as white people for so long but I do not agree that, that is the reason that black people will spend money on the 22s and the bling/ jewelry. There has to be another reason, it is almost like flaunting it, but who knows.
It is great that we have a more equal representation at political events now. It has been a long time coming. I do feel though that as the years have gone on it was coming to this anyway. Even if we did not have a black president I think as the years went on we would have come to a more mixed showing at the political events. As they say, what now is the minority will in 2015 be the majority, so I believe it would have to be like that sooner than later, but I could not be happier that is happened now. The country was in need of a change. Whites through out history have had the power and the wealth as Rock said but it really is now time for wealth, power, and politics to be split evenly or fairly.
When it comes down to it, I think the article goes along with my views very well—not in every way, but in many nonetheless. As much as I hate to admit, I can think of several times where I didn’t originally consider hanging out with a black person until something about them intrigued, caught my eye, or forced them to come into my social circle. I can’t remember a time when I’ve purposefully decided not to hang out with or invite a black person to an event of any type, but I’m sure I’ve done it anyway.
I think it is distasteful that, just because we have a black president, the D.C. big shots suddenly feel the urge to expand their circle on inclusivity. At the same time, it’s about time equality—however abstract it is in this case—showed its face in Washington in more than history books. If these are the initial steps to a more supportive and welcoming Washington, then I say go for it. I’m also hopeful that Washington is only the first stepping-stone to other areas. I don’t know where or why all the top parties take place, but I’m assuming there are imbalances at other non-political parties.
Chris Rock makes some good points. There are rich black people but, the way he compares it, the truly wealthy are white. However, being a middle class white person, it’s a little hard to call the Oprahs, Denzel Washingtons, and Shaquille O’Neils of the black community “unfortunate” or even to say they are only rich, not wealthy. Sure, Bill Gates is wealthy, but he made unique advances in technology that have transformed the world. The three black celebrities I mentioned are talented and get paid because of it. If Bill Gates had been black, he’d still be incredibly rich. Now, one could argue he wouldn’t have had the means in his upbringing to develop the various technologies if he was black. Ignoring the “ifs,” if we’re going to pick on the inequalities of black vs white, let’s not go for some of the most fortunate black people in the world. Let’s talk about the black people in our country who struggle specifically because they are black. The poor come in every color, so we can’t pick on black POOR people. The rich come in every color, so we can’t pick on the black RICH people. Instead, if we’re arguing disparities between black and white, focus on how these people are different just because they are black.
I feel the article did just that. They questioned why the black people are suddenly welcomed into the world of political affluence. These people were already (BASICALLY) equal in affluence, and they were now bridging the gap of inequality to influential equality.
I think that many people give in to the popular, widespread belief that most black people are poor because of societal stereotypes. These stereotypes can be seen all over pop culture. For example, when you watch a movie, how often do you see a white family living in an area with gang activity, drugs, and poverty? How often are black people seen on tv driving a new Porsche or Mercedes as opposed to a crappy old car compared to white people? The “projects” are more often than not highly associated with blacks and other people of color, especially Hispanics.
It is interesting that people see it as “in” to be black these days because of the Obamas being in the White House. I hadn’t ever thought of it that way before, but I guess it does make sense. If prominent people hosting events and parties did not include a significant amount of black people before, they might now be afraid of being seen as racists even though that may not necessarily be the case. It also makes sense that more blacks would be invited to events hosted by the Obamas than events hosted by previous white presidents. It is not necessarily that presidents in the past were racist or did not want to invite black people to social events. It is quite possible that they simply did not interact with many black people and simply invited the people who they were most acquainted with. Plus, and I don’t mean to give in to stereotypes of poor black people, there are less famous and politically prominent black people in the country than there are of white people in the country. This is due to many factors, and some of it is probably racism, but there is also the undeniable fact that there are less black people than white people altogether in the United States.
I love Chris Rock. I think he is one of the funniest people I have ever seen in my life. And with this particular skit, I think he makes a good point. Compared to whites, people of color are very new to being rich. And I completely understand his views of the differences between “rich” and “wealthy.” Because he is doing a comical skit, Rock of course pokes fun at certain things, for instance when he says that black people waste a lot of money since they are not used to having an abundance of it. But even though he is being funny, he does make some legitimate and real points. Wealth being passed down from generation to generation and continuously being added to with more and more money is a very different thing than, say, an athlete making tens of millions of dollars a year but coming from a non-wealthy family.
This article and journal makes me think about the lecture in class that we were talking about poor white people and people feel about them differently. Like one of the girl said, it wouldn’t be surprised if that family is black or brown because we kind of expected them to be poor. I don’t find this comment racist or anything because it’s more like stereotype people. From Chris Rock’s video clip, it is true that wealth and rich is different thing but somehow related. I mean you have to have a lot of money in order to become wealthy or rich but the key is how you spend that money. When I think about rich, I think of someone with a lot of money and spend money to have a luxury life style such as fancy house, car, and go to expensive restaurant. Rich people might be rich for a short period of time until the money is gone but wealthy people will always stay wealthy. Wealthy people know how to make money but rich people only have money. Now when I related rich and wealth to race, we often see white family that became successful in business and they are wealthy. As I said earlier that we often think of blacks as poor but how about those successful black celebrities and professional athletes? They are very rich and have a lot of money but they are not wealthy. When they get older, the money they made when they were popular going to be gone. In the “Say Hello to My New Black and Brown Friends” article, it discusses how black people are dominating the political social scene. I feel like since Obama became president, people start to talk about race more. We can see the change that blacks are becoming wealthy and more powerful in political area. It is a good thing that United States is becoming more diversity. To answer Professor Richard’s question about white privilege, when I look at black A-listers I don’t think about being black privilege or anything. It has to do more about their wealth and being rich and powerful. I feel like white privilege is for every white person no matter how rich or poor, it will help them somehow. It is still exist in today’s world but some might not see it. For people of color, to get the same privilege, you have to be wealthy and powerful.
First, I want to respond to some of the things that Chris Rock said in his comedy skit, starting with the quotes, “Wealth will set us f***** free,” and “Wealth is power.” Not only do I disagree with this intellectually, but morally I have a SERIOUS problem with advocating that to ANY group of people. Is this not the same notion that is responsible for almost ALL corruption on the corporate/political stage, as well as being the very same motivation John Doe has to rob a bank? These notions are contextually different, but conceptually the same.
Granted, some of this distaste may be a result of my personal vendetta against speaking in absolutes (as I don’t believe in many) HOWEVER; this kind of thinking only serves to perpetuate the idea that accumulating wealth is the answer to social inequality. Unfortunately there is some truth to this notion in the sense that having wealth demands some amount of respect, and can be passed down, but ultimately I don’t feel as though the solution to inequality in America can be solved by handing out wealth.
The more I think about Chris Rock was saying, the more I feel that for what he is advocating to be accurate, we would have to live in a society based around something more like socialism than democracy. It is my belief that there is, on some level, a very sinister racism at the heart of most inequality issues that is bred and bound to every member of society subconsciously their whole lives. Ultimately, this leads me to be hesitant to accept arguments like Chris Rock’s at face value.
Alternately, I think that the article in the Washington Post is really interesting, and shows me that the white world is legitimately concerned with this change of pace. What is even more interesting is that the article is associating “in” status with power. Ironically, I’m not sure how much “power” is granted here, when in reality we still only have one black senate member.
Perhaps the most strikingly accurate assessment of D.C. in this article came from Fred Cooke Jr. who commented that whites and blacks worked together because they had to, but ate/partied in different venues throughout the area. This observation is really very telling of the way America is, and has been to date: racism is slowly disappearing outwardly, but realistically each group will continue to exclude the other in most cases. Is this not what this article is pointing towards on a larger level? The implication that perhaps whites may be “out?”
Ultimately, I think that if nothing else, the event is bringing these issues into consideration, and demanding the attention of a nation who has by and large been pretending they don’t exist for longer than I’ve been alive.
I actually think it’s funny that now that we have a black president, all these white people in power feel like they need to start mingling with black people, like it’s something they never would’ve thought to do before. I mean, I think it’s great that black people are becoming more prevalent at these previously white dominated parties, but I feel like this is only so because the white people feel obligated. I personally don’t associate black people with being poor. I don’t really know why; most of the black people I know now are pretty poor. But I also know a decent amount of poor white people, so I guess that’s why I don’t associate one whole race with being poor. Also, I absolutely hate Chris Rock. What he was saying wasn’t funny and it didn’t really make sense. The difference between wealthy and rich is race? Is that what he’s getting at? I had to stop watching after a few minutes because he’s so annoying. But yeah, I really don’t think there’s a difference between a rich white person and a rich black person. I don’t think race and class are that closely related. Like when we watched the video about Tammy, Sam tried to make it about race when I really don’t think it was a race issue in any way. I didn’t understand why we watched that video because to me it has nothing to do with race whatsoever. Race and class are so different, it’s not fair to talk about them simultaneously. She’s white. That’s one point. She’s poor. That’s a completely different point. The two are not related. I suppose to those who relate being black (or of color) to being poor it IS a race issue, but for me, it lacked a point within race relations. And as for those white people who said they felt more connected to her because she’s white: what the hell?? First off, if you’re going to say you connect to her, why does her being white make her easy to connect to? I feel like to be able to connect to her you need to have some sort of experience or encounter with the lower class. I, personally, have always been well off. Therefore, I do not connect with her. I sympathize for her, but not because she is white. If she was black or brown I would still feel the same way. Being white has nothing to do with her situation, so I don’t understand why you would feel connected to her just because she’s white. Do you feel like because she’s white, you feel like that could be you? And if she’s black, that could never be you because you aren’t black, so you could never find yourself in the same situation as a black person because you are so different from them? I don’t know I guess this concept is just lost on me.
Personally, it’s difficult for me to think of black people as being of the same social class as many white Americans because I grew up in a small town where people of color weren’t considered to have the luxuries of many of the middle class people of the town. In fact, not one face or name comes to mind in the 20 years that I grew up in my small town when I think of a wealthy person of color that I grew up with.
Naturally, going from that environment to University Park completely blindsided me because of the diverse cultures that make up the student body. Even when I spent my first two years of college at the Fayette campus, I still didn’t meet too many people of color period, let alone wealthy people of color. I had to alter my perceptions of people of varying backgrounds because I knew almost nothing about their culture or beliefs system. Instead of considering the similarities between my world and theirs, I was focused on the differences.
This is nothing new; as I’m sure pretty much everybody who takes this class would share my feelings on this subject, whether they would say so I’m not. But now we get into the subject of race and wealth, which is probably one of the touchiest subjects concerning race. Because we as a society believe that “wealth” is synonymous with “success”, we tend to define people regardless of sex or culture by how much wealth they have.
It’s for the reasons I mentioned before regarding my own background that the concept of wealthy black Americans is foreign to me. I’m not really sure how to respond to it, except to maybe give them a pat on the back and say “Good for you, I’m happy for your success.” I’d like to think that I’d say the same thing to anyone who’s achieved such success, but the fact that the person I’m congratulating is a person of color puts a different spin on it for me. I’d suppose my basic reasoning for this would be because I figure that they, in some form or another, they overcame some obstacle due to their race that I as a white person would not have to face. Whether or not that’s actually true, I’m not sure, but that’s my basic instinct to assume that it’s true.
I almost feel a need to apologize for my way of thinking. In a way I almost admire a wealthy person of color more than a wealthy white person because in the back of my mind I feel like the wealthy person of color had to work harder to achieve his success. That’s probably not fair, but it’s how I feel. While I believe that anybody regardless of race is capable of achieving wealth, I hold wealthy people of color in higher reverence, but am borderline ashamed to say so. Maybe as I’m exposed more to wealthy people of color, my perception will continue to change. I hope it does.
One of the most difficult decisions a child needs to make in their early years is determining who to invite to their birthday parties. They do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but also only want to have the cool people at their party. If they invite one wrong person it could turn their party from fun to boring and if they invite the one right person they can take it from a fun party to one that everyone is looking forward to and talking about. This early childhood decision does not change later in life when those in power have to determine who to invite to their VIP parties and events. Up until recently the list of parties would have a few minorities on the list, but would primarily be made up of rich and powerful white couples. With the electing of Barack Obama as President and his diverse appointments to other positions, the types of people at these events are changing.
This diversification is greater than just being invited to parties. It represents the concept that connections are being made within people of power, which will cause more diversity in the future. The phrase, “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” fits perfectly into this situation. Previously, many minorities held the same knowledge, concepts, and ideas as white people ,but could not get into the inner circle to be placed into the position to use their knowledge. The inner circle is just another example of white privilege that us with white skin take for granted. Now, just as the article explained, the inner circle is expanding and all people have a greater chance of getting in, because those at the top are becoming more diverse.
Although I feel that Chris Rock is an extremely funny comedian and has had impact within the black community, I did not completely agree with his clip on the difference between being rich and being wealthy. I feel the concept behind his jokes were good, but unless you stop and think about what he is truly saying, all you get out of it is that White people are oppressive and Black people spend their money on crap. I feel it is irresponsible of people like Chris Rock to speak of political issues in the manner he spoke about them. He is right when he tells jokes that represent the fact that the majority of those in power and who hold the wealth are white, but this does not mean that all are. His argument declined as he spoke, going from strong in the beginning, to weak when he was speaking about Oprah and her being rich and not wealthy, to a complete joke when saying that Black people just spend their money on useless crap.
It’s strange. This article came off to me as a gossip column at best. I think that Bob Johnson’s quote at the end was very enlightening. He makes a good point about people relating on the grounds of a “deep commonality of interests.” We wouldn’t expect anyone to spend time with someone else who shares no similarity in interests whatsoever.
I guess at its core, this article is asserting that white A-listers are now associating with blacks more than ever before, but only because of Obama’s position and the color of his skin.
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"White people could use a little wake-up exclusionary experience," said Rosen, a CNN contributor and a high-profile lobbyist for almost two decades. "It's kind of great that black people are in charge and white people are worried about being in -- when it's been the other way for so long."(quote)
What a horrendous frame of mind.
If anything, this article demonstrated that it is money and social-status that control most of what goes on in our country today. In the end, I don’t want black people or white people “in charge.” I thought the whole point of this experiment was to make sure we put qualified people in charge, but people rarely ever seem to talk about Obama’s competency anymore.
To be honest, I really could not care less about the shallow, high school dramas being played out on a multi-million dollar scale of power and position in the D.C. “clique.” I am sure that if our president is smart enough to become the president, then he will be wise enough to select the right people for positions in the white house and that devious whites trying to be “in” will not succeed in there plot to take over the world (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist).
But seriously, what is this article trying to get us to believe?
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To get back to the intelligent thing that Bob Johnson said at the end, I agree with Sam that a nationally perceived difference in wealth would be a crippling thing to race relations. If half of all blacks are middle-class, then, based on Johnson’s quote, relationships between most blacks and whites should run smoothly. Yes, they may have differences in history and even culture (this exists even within one’s own “race”), but they would be able to relate to the daily struggle of making the best decisions possible with the income at one’s disposal.
As humans, we definitely seem to relate more on the grounds of what we do or what kind of career we are in or what we are passionate about in life. Throw two accordion-enthusiasts into a room and I’m pretty sure that; regardless of race, religion, or native language; you will hear the sweet sound of love and acceptance…via accordion.
This article made me think about whether or not we have truly shifted into a new era of social integration. The article addresses that some politicianse are only just now starting to invite black Americans to the huge social gatherings. Is it because they want to be seen as more diverse? Is it because being black really is “in”? Is it because people have been truly influenced by the charismatic Obama as a symbol for black Americans and have had a change in their thoughts on black Americans? One person even commented that it might be the idea of “Oh, now I have my two black friends, so I can feel good about myself, and not have to find anymore”. I bet that everyone has their own motive. One thing I do believe, however, is because this has started, it will continue, and that is going to make a positive impact no matter what the motive is. Simply the fact that people see the diversity will even subconsciously take the example and lessen this stereotype that all black people are poor. Just seeing the most recognizable people in the media, including both politics and pop culture, will break down barriers. I think it will even have an impact on institutional racism eventually because subconsciously, we all absorb what is occurring in the glamorous lives of these people, and now, diversity is occurring. Obama was the symbol of change for black Americans, and that’s exactly what’s happening now. He was the first example of a black man who could come into presidential power, and now others are flowing into the political scene, which is even more encouraging. Ultimately, the subjects of the media set the trends, and I think that this trend, despite the motive, will be very influential on others even if it takes a couple of years for it to show in the common population.
As for Chris Rock’s skit, he’s a funny guy, but some of his arguments just didn’t make sense to me. Granted, it’s a comedy skit, but I didn’t buy the idea of having a difference between wealth and riches. Shaq is rich… he is also wealthy. Now that he is rich, he has just as much power as any white person to invest that money just like Rock referenced, into a Walmart or what have you. I didn’t like his reference to how black people waste money buying expensive things like brims for two reasons: 1) He is supporting a black stereotype that a lot of black people probably don’t want white people to hold against them. Yes, some black people might do that, but just as some black people are loud, not all black people are loud, and those who aren’t don’t like the stereotype (As one of the girls in the video from class explained, she has to go out of her way to prove the stereotype wrong.) 2) You can’t say that it’s the government holding black people from getting wealthy if black people have the opportunity to get wealthy (in his definition of wealthy vs. rich) and just waste it. I also found it interesting that Rock referenced drug trafficking as a black thing. Again, I didn’t like this for two reasons. 1) Statistics show that it’s white people doing the majority of drug trafficking, so his claim that the government wants to keep black people from making money off of drugs is shot. 2) He is supporting a stereotype that is the reason for blacks being suspected/arrested for drugs more than whites despite the fact that blacks are the minority of traffickers. For comedy, Chris Rock is hilarious, but I take his social commentary with a grain of salt.
I think that article about the changing social scene in D.C. is very interesting and has a lot of good points. Obviously the fact that the new first family is black has had an enormous effect what America’s perspective of race and power. Obama has brought many of his fellow African-Americans into his inner circle, which means more and more blacks coming into power. This is something that white are not used to but like Vernon Jordan’s said at the end of the article, “Once change takes place, you can’t go back. That’s the great thing about it.” This change has taken place and I think we will now see much more integration at high-end social and political parties. We need to move out of our realm of comfortableness and into the realm of integration permanently. As far how I think about Black Americans when reading this article, I don’t really find it shocking or different to me. I think I understand that while yes race and class can be related, it’s not the case for everything. There are many poor African Americans but that doesn’t mean that it would be so alarming to see a lot of A-list African Americans. It would be silly to think that whites would hold all power in this country forever and ever. Black people have only begun to make their mark on their part in society and will continue to show America that it is completely normal that they can rise to the top as well.
As far as Chris Rock’s stand-up routine about Black “wealth” versus “rich”, I think I can sort of comprehend what he is trying to say. He says that money is new to Black people and that they tend to waste it away on material things such as “rims”. While a lot of black celebrities, like Shaquille O’Neil who he mentions, and 50 cent, spend their money on these types of things, there are undoubtedly wealthy black people out there who do spend their money wisely; they just aren’t in the limelight for everyone to see. I would agree that there are probably more white “wealthy” people than black “wealthy” people, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. I think as more blacks move into the political scene, the more wealth we’ll start to see for blacks. Also, I think that Black “A-listers” care a great deal about other black people in need. Look at Oprah who has given so much back to the black community. She started a school in Africa for young black women to give them the proper education, which will lead to more opportunities for them. There are many other Black celebrities who are involved with charities and giving back to the community. Sometimes this just isn’t broadcasted for everyone to see.
In any society, wealth is not evenly distributed. Different social classes are based on individual economic status and not solely on race alone. There will always be the gap between the rich and the poor. As we discussed in class, the starting line will never be even between races in America. White power will always have an effect on enabling whites to have a head start on the rest.
Chris Rock offered a different perspective on the differences between being wealthy and being rich and the fact that even successful black A-listers and celebrities aren’t considered wealthy, but just “rich”. This is true in some respects for African Americans do not have a long history of wealth or membership in the elite class of “old money” in America. Many A-listers are looking for immediate gratification of their desires for material things that they have never been able to afford prior to their newly acquired money and therefore may not be so inclined to look to the future and benefit of long-term investments and savings. Greedy to fulfill their own desires, their money isn’t spent for the greater good of mankind and therefore they aren’t making a great impact on society. Simply accentuating the glitz and glamour of their profession, they continue to support the American ideal that success and happiness is only complete with the accumulation of material things while the many tragic dramas of their lives prove the opposite.
In a capitalist society, the people who have made it to the top have made it there because of their competitive nature, desire for success, some degree of greed, and unfortunately by stepping on other people to get to the top and to be the most powerful. Generally speaking, their lives have not been about caring about others, even if they are of the same race. Isn’t it a great reversal of philosophy that Obama seems to have been elected to the most powerful position in our country by reminding us of our moral responsibility to bring up that bottom and to take care of those in need?
Prior to the election of President Obama, the majority of black elites were not invited to the high profile social events. Parties in Washington D.C. were about 1% black and now those numbers are changing for the better. President Obama is bringing a positive change to the division of color in social classes. We aren’t as aware of the minority members of the wealthy class in our society because the white members have dominated the scene for so long. What a great opportunity to make a social scene more fascinating with the inclusion of new faces and perspectives. If integration occurs in the highest class where social segregation has been practiced for centuries, perhaps it will filter down into the middle and lower classes as well. People will always be separated by their economic status, but hopefully in time race will not separate us. Hopefully people will eventually be able to ignore race when choosing their friends, and we’ll be able to find more commonalities among all of us, rather than differences due to color. These changes will not occur simply over night. Integration of races, especially in the elite class is a positive step because these are the people who have the greatest resources to make an impact on the standard of living of all members of society.
When I think of wealth I really don’t think of difference between races. Money is the same across all people no matter what their skin color is. Money is an essential part of living. We need it to survive and to meet our basic needs. Black people are not just rich but they also have wealth just as much as White people do. I think it depends on the how you spend your money not the race of the person that is earning the money. When we look at music videos we see a lot of entertainers with jewelry that cost more then my college education around their necks. Some people think this is only thing black people do is spending their money on materialistic things and don’t invest their money on other projects. When you look at some cases this is the only thing some people are exposed to. They don’t see the other things that black people do with their money. Most back people were raised with nothing. When they grow up and they gain their wealth, they want to buy things they didn’t have when they were growing up. The only difference is some people invest their money into other things and others spend their money on materialistic things. The Chris Rock video was really hilarious. Especially the part when he said “Shaq is rich the guy that signs his checks is wealthy.” When I was listening to Chris Rocks comments, I was thinking to myself, “What’s the difference!!!!” If you think about it there is no difference!!!!! Both men have money so they are both wealthy!!!!! This video really makes you see that some people even black people think there is a difference between the color of people’s skin and money. They’re not seeing everything and everybody as the same. When we look at people such as Oprah Winfrey or look at the accomplishments of Madam C.J. Walker, we see how these two women took their wealth and expanded on their empires. They made names for themselves and earned millions of dollars in their lifetimes. Madam C. J. Walker was the first black female millionaire who gained her wealth in creating hair care products for African American women. Oprah Winfrey is the first black female billionaire who is the owner of a production company, magazine, host a talk show and created a school in Africa for girls. Rich and wealth applies to all people. There is no difference. Black people as a group are not poor. Some people just like to spend their money on different things instead of investing it into other projects. Black people are not just rich and White people are not just wealthy. Money is money and it is all the same no matter if your Black or White.
Throughout the course of the year we have talked about the uneven distribution of wealth among different racial categories, and it’s been proven that the majority of blacks are equal to or below the middle class line which has seemingly been the case for years, certainly as long as I can remember. Despite, as it says in the article, that it’s now “in to be black,” I feel like this will not help the middle class and poor blacks. I understand that the President and new face of our country is black, and there are many celebrities and wealthy blacks with power, but the recent mingling between “high level social scenes” is doing nothing to help the poor and middle classes of both races. Personally I don’t care if blacks and whites are or aren’t “mingling” in the upper class. I don’t think it’s a big deal that they are coming together and going out to parties together; I feel like it would be a bigger deal if they came together not just to converse but to actually get things done. Using their wealth and star power to get things fixed together should be the ultimate goal. This is definitely a step in the right direction but until they start working together to help middle class and poor people of all races, it’s not worth any good.
As for Chris Rock, he was hysterical as usual. I really enjoyed his little bit about wealth versus being rich and how those terms have been tagged to individual races. I think Chris is dead on in his act; how black people are rich and not wealthy, whereas white people are wealthy and not rich. Technically they are the same word, but socially they have different meanings that Chris Rock gets to the heart of. Black people feel like they can become rich, and buy fancy things and potentially lose all their money if it’s mishandled, like Rick James. White people on the other hand are wealthy and they are born into wealth and can never lose it. I disagree with the idea of black people not being able to become wealthy and white people always being wealthy but for Chris Rock’s comedic purpose I don’t think he was trying to be exact. He was just trying to make a point and get a couple laughs.
I found this article that was in The Washington Post very interesting. I cant say that I was shocked or surprised by what happened, and how black is “now in”. This article shows us just even people who have the power, and we would think have all the free will in the world, are still affected by those invisible strings and factors which control and determine their actions. We now have a black president so all of a sudden everyone wants to have a black friend. With a black president and his family moving into the white house, it brought a change to what was considered the “normal” thing in D.C. I just wonder why it is that when a person of color gets power or is in control, white people feel the need to get themselves a few colored friends. But if Obama was not black then the number of blacks or browns considered, as being “in” would have most likely not changed at all. The numbers went from very few to a large amount, now the black people have the power and they rule the “party” scene or the “in” crowd. This makes me think if black is now “in”… then does that mean that being black was a bad thing or not accepted at all?
It’s not the first time, and I doubt it will be the last time that we see something like this happened. The first time I actually noticed something similar to this was when I played soccer for my high school team. I went to a school of almost all white students, and the white students dominated all the sports. So a couple of friends and I joined the soccer team and when we started to lead the team and win all the games, all of a sudden everyone in school seemed like they wanted to be best friends. It didn’t bother me at all because I was already friends with a lot of white kids, but I always wondered why all of a sudden they all acted like they knew my brown friends and they had known them for years. Then again a similar thing happened when our schools team was lead by two of my black friends, again everyone in school felt the need to get a black or brown friend. But I am willing to bet that no one ever stopped for a second to think about what was going on, this is mainly because I don’t think anyone really cares all that much. Or maybe some people really dont see what is going on. Whatever the case the may be, “black in now in” and I guess “brown is now the new black?”
After reading the article in this blog, there were numerous thoughts flying through my mind. One of these thoughts was the way the author expressed the idea that white people only “hang-out” or socialize with black people whenever it is necessary or required. The author talks about how, with a black president at the reigns for the first time ever, this country, primarily its politicians, must find ways to “meet” and become friends with more politicians that are black. She goes on to make the assumption that these white politicians are only doing this in order to network themselves and have a broader reach among the political world, and that means expanding out to the newest community of politics – the blacks. Furthermore, it seems to me that the author is pointing out that there are still white supremacists in the government. Sure, having a black president in the White House is something that has never happened before, but that is a sign of change.
Another point I would like to discuss concerns the belief that all blacks are poor. Chris Rock jokes about this, by saying that, indeed, there are rich black people, but there are NO wealthy black people. After watching his tirade, it is easy to point out that he obviously sees a very wide barrier between race, primarily white and black. He believes that black people are poor, or at least not wealthy, and the white people are rich, wealthy, and greedy. Now it is understandable that he probably embellishes his anger and rage because by the looks of his audience, most are black, and therefore, he needed to gain their approval and the best way to do that would be to target the white population. However, in the grander scheme here, clearly there are black people that are wealthy and successful at what they do. Additionally, Chris Rock uses the example of Shaquille O’Neal and his agent (assumed to be white). He provides several stereotypical comments in this example, including the black person love of cars and tire rims. But overall, was his portrayal and beliefs here actually correct? I would say, absolutely not. There are blacks that are successful and wealthy. They are not all poor. There are more poor white people than there are poor black people. But it seems that if he’s saying it, as well as other comedians and media outlets, people will continue to make the assumption that all blacks are poor and not wealthy.
Will this belief ever change, though? Well, I believe that the best way to answer this would be the last quote from the article presented in this blog. Vernon Jordan is quoted as saying, “It will change overnight…Once change takes place, you can’t go back.” Whereas changes concerning racial inequality are impossible to change overnight, they do change and will continue to change as we move on in this world. A black president in the White House is just one change, and now that that has happened there is no going back; we have overcome extreme racial barriers and will continue to do so in the future.
I grew up in an area largely white, however, about two blocks from my house was also a very large black population. Where I lived is one of the more wealthy areas in Pennsylvania, the Main Line. Throughout my childhood I was always around and friends with many blacks. Blacks I considered my peers, not only in age, but in class, wealth, etc. Reading the article on the social status in D.C. makes me think about the black people I grew up around and where they would be placed on the ladder of social status. The black population near me is largely middle class, with only a few poor people, as well as some rich ones. However, while we were of the same class, it was still different to see ineractions of blacks and whites when it came to social scenes. For me, throughout high school it was never uncommon to see blacks and whites go to parties together, hang out at each other’s houses and even date. It was just the type of area we lived in. But, what this article really made me think about was why I rarely saw blacks and whites interact socially as adults. For whatever the reason, it was much more common to see children interacting socially then to see adults interacting socially. I’m not saying that it didn’t happen at all, but it was a relatively small number of occasions. It just didn’t happen very much. When I look at D.C. I see the differences that are taking place and wonder if this will affect the U.S. as a whole. Of course in D.C. there is going to be some social changes with the most desirable man in town being black, but what about the rest of the country? What will happen in Philadelphia, New York, and L.A.? My guess is that the trend we are seeing in D.C. will not extend to the rest of the country. Unless something happens where the rest of the country undergoes a major change of hear or racial issues, I believe that we will continue to see the same settings we have seen for many years. Blacks and whites will continue to work together, side by side, but when it comes to socializing there will still be that divide that has existed for a very long time. D.C. has become an exception because of who is now in charge and who has the power, but unfortunately, I do not believe that this will influence the rest of the country to follow it’s lead and break down the social barriers that prevent many people from integrating the social scenes. For too long has the country been like this and integration of social scenes is not going to change in just a few months as it has in D.C.
The topic and concern surrounding the Washington Post article did not come as a shock to me. It seems very typical that the hosts of such parties would attempt to “diversify” their crowd once it is deemed socially necessary. In such cases, a scramble to reach out to the influential colored elite in America is too little too late. A half hearted invitation is such a small gesture, but it is definitely a start. The fact that there are powerful, and well deserving colored people finding their way into the limelight will only broaden the scope of opinion and influence within the United States. The more exposure the minority A-listers get to the those who previously impacted the White House, the more we will begin to see acceptance in all aspects of politics.
However, I would say I am more concerned with white society having such skewed views of the economic status of black society. I believe that most of the problem stems from ignorance. It is easier to make false assumptions when they are not in your everyday environment. If white people were able to see that many black people live extremely similar lifestyles as they do, these assumptions would never occur.
On the other hand, there are black people who are guilty of the same offense. In lecture last week one black student admitted to never seeing a poor white person. Based on where this student comes from, they have a certain view of what a poor person is meant look like.
The fact of the matter is, there are poor people everywhere- every race, religion, ethnicity in every country of the United States. People are more likely to sympathize with poor people of their race, thus proving “black A-listers probably care about black people in need just about as much as white A-listers care about white people in need.” I don’t think this is a crime, many people find it easier to relate to someone they don’t know if they are of the same race they are. This doesn’t mean that white people think black people SHOULD be poor, and likewise for the reverse situation. The previous is just a common mindset when encountering people living in different environments than you.
But as the white A-listers will soon come to realize, they have more in common with their minority counterparts than they foresaw. Once these influential people come to this realization, it will trickle down into other aspects of society further broadening Obama’s inclusive aspirations. Similarly, they will see that poor white people are not that different from poor white people. In the long run, only good can stem from the broadening of the elite social circle. There is nothing America can lose by becoming more diversified and knowledgeable about all aspects of ethnicity and race within our county.
When reading the issue of black Americans being poorer than white Americans, this problem is quite the conflict. What I intended to focus on the psychological perspective of grief; the before and after. In doing so, I want to create a hypothetical storyline, giving vivid imagery to those who may not necessarily relate to grasp it in a more hands on approach. And for those of experience, I want them to view others coping mechanisms and reflect accordingly. Chronologically speaking, I want to start at the root of a predisposed relationship. Whether it was a friendship, a marriage, a family member, or a pet, how significant are relationships in our lives? Since death is predestined and inevitable, does existence matter? What about relationships affects our internal emotions? If it deals with family, is having the same blood line enough reason to even build relationships? Then I want to analyze the aftermath of death. The grieving process is a highly multi-faceted reaction to death. Why do we cry? What do tears convey? Is tradition and protocol intermingled somewhere? Does the level of grief depend on the type of death; type of person? Does grief fade? Does time really heal? This strikes me personally because I have previously lost close loved ones in the past and I do know for me that it didn’t cease at the funeral. Life goes on. Some have continuous nightmares, hallucinations, takes prescribed mood enhancers, and looses appetite and more. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was a psychiatrist that created a Kubler- Ross Model from her book On Death and Dying. She attested to the discrete stages of the grief process. They’re listed in order as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I wanted to use this as a reference for controversy and relativity.I think my first approach is to conduct a complete randomized empirical survey on students. In turn, I wanted to find the influence on various religions, cultures, races, and genders and analyze the legitimacy and relevance of them all. I am definitely going to include my personal experience as a backbone for my embellishments, but simultaneously put them to the side to prevent bias of any sort. I do recognize that emotions and development is subjective to circumstance and personality. In giving myself an outline, I would say for the amount of input I seek for this paper to be adequate in my discovery is substantial. I plan on using resources in the library in looking up some more theorists or present and classic day writers that direct their work towards thanatology. I want to also talk with a counselor or therapist that deals with patients and victims of death on a regular and ask about her experience.
I think this article definitely has a point-that being black is in. Everyone associates politicians with people who want to better themselves, people who push themselves ahead of the crowd. They make friends to use them and get votes or pass their political agendas. I do not know what crowd decided that black is back, but Obama’s election definitely was a factor. I do not think Obama alone is the only factor in this trend. But sadly, I do think it is a trend that will fade. High society white people should continue to remain friends with high society black people when it is no longer the cool thing. I am not sure if that will remain true when politicians cling to a new fad. I also think that politicians will not have many meaningful encounters with these high society black celebrities, and will no longer see the point in being “friends” with them when black people are no longer enticing. I agree with the first paragraph of this blog post, that black people are not seen as rich. Even though there are so many black people in the media who disprove this notion, and many people can probably name ten black celebrities very easily, black people are thought to be poor. During Chris Rock’s skit, I do not agree with some of the statements. I think Oprah is extremely wealthy, and I don’t think Bill Gates would be upset to have her money. I understand that he says some things just to be funny, but I do not think that statement has substance. I think the main point in his skit is that wealthy black Americans do not have the power that wealthy white Americans have. He says this is due to the way they spend their money, which might be a correct assumption. When I look at Chris Rock, I see his nice clothing. His outfit in this skit looks like it costs a lot of money. I do not understand what he is talking when he says that drugs will not be legalized because America does not want to make brown people rich. If the drugs are coming from the brown countries, they are already making money. The white people in America are paying for those drugs as the primary drug users in this country. The country’s money is already going across seas to pay those people to ship the drugs here. I thought that drugs were mainly made here. I know that some of the drugs are imported, but a wide variety of drugs are made and distributed in America. Pot is grown in the middle of corn fields. Many apartments in big cities are home to meth labs. The country is already handing money over to the people making drugs, no matter their color.
I thought “D.C.’s High-Level Social Scene Now Mingles Black and White” was an honest reflection of the politics behind these A-list parties. I am not unaware that there are very wealthy and influential black people in the United States, I just don’t think they are exposed in ways that the very wealthy and influential white people are.
What stuck out to me was the fact that black and white people still socialize in different circles. The article quoted Fred Cooke Jr., a former D.C. attorney general saying, “black and white people work together because they have to, but then there are black parties and white parties. There are black restaurants and white restaurants.” The article continues by saying, “in a transient city where people work punishing hours and show up at parties with a “good list” because they “should,” time for real friendship is in short supply.” Ultimately, when people want to relax, “they gravitate to familiar friends and neighborhoods.” Even though I regard this statement as true, for some reason, I still find it shocking. That there are “designated” areas for white people to live, and other areas where black people tend to reside is so unsettling, but so true. This type of segregation holds true for many other areas in the United States as well. Everyone knows where all the Jews live, or the Chinese, or the Indians, etc., etc. In the end, I really do think that people of the same race feel more comfortable with each other. Not that people of one race can’t be social or have friends with other people of a different race. Even at this stage, I think that the relationship can only go so far? But again, I’m not 100% sure.
I though Chris Rock’s video on “Wealth” was hilarious – because in my opinion, it was true. It seems like yes, money in the black community is considered “new money” whereas money in the white community is “old money.” I think the only reason for this is because wealth is passed down from generation to generation (like Chris Rock said.)
I am Chinese and from my upbringing, experiences, and observations I think that the reason why many Asians are so prosperous (while having come from almost nothing) is because we work our asses off! We learn to save, and I think that is something that makes us different from other ethnicities. I can’t count how many people I know who were born and raised in Chinatown (pretty ghetto if you’ve ever been) and make it to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, you name it. We work hard and save our money. We do not put a lot of emphasis on “showing off,” and that’s how we have money.
I think Chris Rock makes an important point. Having wealth is certainly different from being rich. Of course the difference is stark when it comes to differentiating between whites and people of color as well. Unfortunately, in our society, it is not enough to be educated and to have money. One must also have connections. More and more, our society is built upon networking, networking, and networking. What’s even more striking is that with the way that our society is wired; it is much easier to do so when one is white rather than colored.
Many of the people in positions of power are there because of their ability to withhold this power from others. In controlling the market of power, they are able to secure their positions. There are many factors against many people trying to “make it to the top,” and unfortunately one of those is skin color. Oftentimes, these habits and societal positions become rooted in tradition - this is the way things have “always” been, right? This does not mean, however, that things need to stay this way. It does mean, though, that to change such a thing is much more of a challenge and requires much more than a simple gaining of wealth. There are so many factors that go into “making it big” and even white people have trouble in succeeding. How much greater must it be for those of color? They say that America is an a place of great societal mobility, but they forget to mention that it is only so for a certain amount and type of people. Availability of opportunity can only take one so far.
There has been a changing of the tide, however. With President Obama in office, I think that many more opportunities will be open to colored people. But what do I know? I am not colored; I am white. I have never had to experience the adverse situations that many colored people have had to face. I have only heard stories; I have not experienced them. But I do know that there is a vast inequality in our societal structures, regardless of how many strivings we have taken to eradicate them.
I do not have any solutions other than honesty about the way in which our society truly operates. Unfortunately, this is much, much easier said than done. And because we are imperfect people, there will always be prejudices and imperfections in the way that our societies are governed and economies are operated. I wish I knew how to solve the problem and how to fix the inequality that we are so quick to run away from. There must be an open exchange of view and experiences in between all of these groups for any change to occur.
It seems like every time there is a discussion about poor people living in the United States, blacks are always the first race to come up. Rarely are black people characterized as “well off” because of what the media feeds us. The only wealthy black people we know about are the ones in sports, hip hop, television or movies. Until Sam’s lecture on Tuesday, I would have never guessed that the poverty rates of black’s and white’s are almost identical. This is due to the fact that you never see poor white people on television or even hear of them. Yet if you venture out into Central Pennsylvania or rural areas in the middle of no where, you will see dirt poor white people in large numbers.
I grew up believing just what most white people think: that just about all black people are poor. Coming from a wealthy area right outside of Philadelphia, there was not a single black person in my neighborhood. The black kids who went to my middle school and high school all lived near each other in small town houses in what we classified as the “poor” neighborhood. Furthermore, I did not know any remotely poor white kids--only black kids. Nevertheless, many of the black kids at my high school perpetuated this poor stereotype by claiming that the area they lived in was the “ghetto outside of Philly” or even calling themselves “ghetto”. This was not the case, however, for most of them were either middle or upper middle class.
Even though Chris Rock’s stand up routine was very hyperbole, it was also right on point. There is a fine line between those who are rich and those who have wealth. People who are white have always had the advantage of wealth over black people and probably will continue to have this advantage for years to come. It’s sad but true. Black people rarely have ever enjoyed “wealth” because their family was never given opportunity. Just like Chris Rock explained, you will see rich black people today but will also see some of them blowing it on expensive material goods (at least this is what the media perceives) and will not have any leftover “wealth” to invest in future generations. I am not saying that white people do not blow their money on material goods too, the only difference is that you rarely hear about it.
I know for me that this blog was a wake up call. Stereotyping someone’s status because of their race is plain wrong. More people need to become informed to stop this unwavering portrayal of black people being poor. The only way to stop the stereotyping is to start with yourself.
America has always been a nation in which the amount of money a person has determines everything. Those with the most money are in the upper class and have the most power. Then there’s there middle class who makes enough money to make a living off of. Then there is the poor who have no money and barely enough things to get by in life. No matter what the topic is, money has always played a huge part in separating people in our nation. We even saw how money affects schooling in lecture. We saw the graphs of the races who tend to have the most money and also how people with the higher amounts of money doing better when it comes to SAT scores. In my education class I am taking this year we have do excess discussions about how no matter how many ways you look at it, families with more money result in better schooling.
Chris Rock also makes many good points when talking about white people and black people and their financial situations. He talks about how white people have always had money and have chosen to pass their money down to the next generation and so on. He also talks about how blacks get money but instead of saving their money and passing it down to the next generation, they spend it on all sorts of things. I feel that this is not really the case because everyday I see white people who take their money and buy so many unheeded materialistic things.
I feel that the money issue can also be related to the idea of the king of the mountain we discussed in class. Ever since the beginning of America, white people have always been on top and have always found a way of staying on top. Even though a lot of people say that they think of black people when they think of the word poor, I can see where they are coming from. Even though there is a higher amount of white people who are poor, you cannot just plainly look at that statistic. We learned how the United Sates is dominated by white citizens and also about double the number of blacks. With that being said, since white people outnumber blacks, it is because a higher percentage of the black population is poor compared to white people. For example 1 in every 5 black people may be poor and one in every 10 white people may be poor, but since there is fewer blacks in America, they are seen as being poorer when in reality there is more poor white people in the United States.
I feel that people should stop assuming that all blacks are poor without doing enough research in order to state that claim. By looking at the things we’ve learned in lecture, we can see that there are both poor black and white people in the nations and that people need to stop targeting blacks as the poor class in our country.
When I stop to think about the wealth of black people, certain opinions immediately come to mind. Thinking about my first opinions, I would have to agree and disagree with some of Chris Rock’s points. I would first have to disagree with his statements about the wealth of black people. He claims that “there are rich black people, but there are no wealthy ones.” He mentioned names like Shaq and Oprah. When I think of those two, I would put them in the same category of wealth as Bill Gates and Ted Turner. The amount of money they make could go a long way to solving some of the problems in our poorer communities. Chris Rock also made mention that black people “waste all their money on rims and bling.” While this might be true of certain rap stars and basketball players, it is mainly a stereotype that should not be voiced in large social networks. All this does is perpetuate the stereotype to people that aren’t open-minded enough to look at this problem themselves. Oprah Winfrey is the exact opposite of a person that keeps all their money for themselves. She does so much for the black community, especially the poor neighborhoods in and around Chicago. Not only does Oprah help the black community, she also helps a lot of people in need, no matter their race.
When thinking about rich blacks helping other blacks and rich whites helping other whites, I would have to say that an overwhelming majority on both sides could care less about their poorer peers. I think this has a lot to do with the problems we are seeing in the world today. People only seem to care about themselves. While it is always good to better yourself, there comes a certain point where more money will no longer improve your life. At this point, these men and women should switch their life focus to bettering the lives of their peers. The same goes for any of the wealthiest people in the world. I know that if I was in this position, I would do whatever I could to help out those less fortunate than myself. I believe that this mindset has a lot to do with my background. I came from nothing, so I feel that I would help to give someone in a less fortunate position any help I could. From what I have seen, I feel that others in my position have done just that. However, there are many in their positions who are content to support random causes instead of helping their fellow man. If there was ever a time for wealthy Americans to step up and help this country, now would be the time for such an occurrence.
This article was really interesting because it pertains to a lot of the things we have been talking about in class. The idea of white priviledge has vanished in this new world of black privledge, at least in the white house scene.
I find it intriguing how all of a sudden the mainly white politicians and white house social scene have suddenly realized it isn’t all about them. It is sad how it took a Black President for this revelation to occur. Although I am white I think that this article demonstrates how white people tend to drift and feed on those who have the power. It’s kind of pathetic. We as a nation need to follow the message of inclusion that is demonstrated by Obama’s ideology. It’s a fact that black should have always been a skin color that was included in the White house because we are a nation of mixed colors. Why not have a mixed social scene seeing as how white people are not the only race in this nation.
I think was is also really sad is that white people are now just understanding what it feels like to not be included. The woman who owns BET should have always been included in my opinion because of the fact that she represents a huge demographic. She provides movies, tv shows and mutiple other channels of media to a variety of people. She should have always been on the list!!!
This article clearly proves that the white rich politicians and social scene in Washington is very ignorant and is a way fake. It took a black president to make this change happen. What if he hadn’t been elected? What then would you keep to your click and pretend that those of color were invisible.
It’s like Sam says we are playing man on the mountain and now that we are not on the top of that mountain aka social ladder in Washington we are trying to find ways in which to be brought up with those who dominate.
Now I am bashing the white people in the Washington social scene but its not all of them. Majority probably did want change or at least mingled with people of color. That’s the other important thing about race relations, we can not generalize because if we do then we discriminate and thus the vicious cycle continues.
Obama being elected will bring about much shifting and change, this is a fact. The other fact is that it’s not going to be an easy change. There will be rifts and people especially those mentioned in the article will be forced to open their eyes to those people who they disregared in the past.
First of all, I just want to say that Chris Rock’s bit on wealth is not only hilarious, but a lot of it is true. “A brotha would put rims on a toaster if you let ‘em.” That is just too funny. The part I don’t think is true is when he says, “A white man gets wealthy and builds Wal-Marts and makes other white people have some money. A brotha gets rich, he buys some jewelry.” Although it’s funny, I think that he’s generalizing a little too much. I mean, there are plenty of black people who get money and give back to the community, and there are plenty of white people who get money and spend it on themselves. I think it is more about the backgrounds and class of people who get rich rather than their skin color. If a poor man hits a streak of luck and gets rich, his first inclination is going to be to spend it like he’s never had it, because he hasn’t. If a middle class man gets rich, he’s had a little money in his past, and he’s more likely to give some of it back to the community. I’m also generalizing a little bit myself, but I just think it’s more about socioeconomic class rather than race.
On the issue of the other article, I think it’s great that mostly because of Obama, more black politicians and A-listers are being invited to high class parties in Washington. It’s ridiculous that it has taken this long for ritzy black people to be invited to these types of parties. I also disagree with Bob Johnson, the owner of the Bobcats, when he says that this is going to last about a year. I think that as we move further and further from the racism that has ran this country in the past, black people will continue to be included. Even when Obama’s term is up, this trend will most likely continue. I do, however, agree with him when he says that social integration is tough because people like to feel comfortable. It is tough, but the more that this social integration in the highest class continues, the more comfortable black and white people will become with each other. Vernon Jordan’s wife says that it will change overnight, but that is clearly not true. It is going to take some time, but along with the fact that Obama is in office right now, the change will come. Whatever Obama does as President, it wont have any bearing on the fact that his election has brought about a change in the way black and white people interact socially. It has taken far too long, but as a nation, we are taking steps in the right direction.
Most people are very uncomfortable talking about things like race and wealth. People just like to avoid the topic and rub it off as no big deal. Even though, it is appalling as to how wealth and social classes are so far apart between races. The fact that Whites are some of the richest people if unfair. At least Asians are rich too, so one other racial group is recognized. But I believe that is not enough, besides with Asians, they are either extremely rich or unbearably poor. There is not happy medium. Although, all other groups should have the same opportunity to get rich. I believe they do not have the same opportunity though. Like Sam has said in class, slaves were given nothing when they were freed. So it had to be hard to get to where they are now, but if only we had given them something, given them a chance, wealth divides would most likely be different today. Another fact Sam gave proving that blacks were not given the same chance as whites was that companies are more willing to hire white with a criminal record over blacks who have no criminal record at all. Even in the study they had the same qualifications, so to me that is appalling. So it proves how difficult it could probably be for blacks to get rich, because how are they supposed to make money, let alone get wealthy, without the opportunity to even prove themselves.
So I believe, it proves a lot that the times are changing in Washington DC. It proves that blacks are finding their way to the top. President Barack Obama is proving that blacks are not just allowing whites to just take over. We are making more movement than ever to realize Martin Luther King Jr’s dream. Blacks not only are proving the everyone that they are equal. I am not saying they were not, but there are always those racist people out there living in the past. But now they cannot deny it anymore. They need to realize blacks are equal and they are making their way to the top. Now that Washington is changing it is proving blacks are becoming richer and more powerful. They are placing stepping stones for other races to get their chances too. Blacks are paving the way for change, which is what President Obama said. They are making Washington more “inclusive” and the people on top are no longer white. Whites are also not the only rich ones. Blacks are getting their chance too. More are becoming powerful and influential. They are changing Washington for themselves and for all other races, proving change is here to stay.
I, as a young white female, would have to agree with Professor Richard’s assertion that there a national assumption that black Americans are poorer than white people. While I admit it isn’t a statistic that is forefront in my mind, I do think that there are fewer poor whites than black. Until I read this blog entry, I never honestly realized how many rich, important and influential blacks that there are in the United States. To hear that half of all black Americans are in the middle class is music to my ears. I’m so happy to hear that my prior thoughts were incorrect. My family is middle class, so it would seem as though we are all in this together.
I think that the majority of rich people, white or black (so about 90% of rich people), do not care much at all for their own races, or any other race for that matter, in need. I feel as though if any of them honestly cared then they would not be as flaunting of their wealth and would most likely donate a lot more of their time and money to the causes that they believe in.
I disagree with Chris Rock’s shtick about wealth and being rich. I’m not sure when this performance took place, but I would like to think that it hasn’t been in the last five years at least. There are plenty of black people that have just as much money as white people, and I would certainly count them as being wealthy. I never really think about “white privilege”, so I’m just thinking about it currently. Since I’ve never thought about it before, I don’t think that I believe it truly exists. I believe that “rich privilege” exists. No matter which race you are, if you have money, then you can pretty much have or do anything that you want, and have plenty of connections.
Another thing that has helped people like myself ignore these facts is the election of President Barack Obama. He showed that, no matter race and status, people can go as far as they want to go, and do anything that they want to do. Even if it isn’t quite the case, a lot of people no longer look at blacks as an inferior, poorer race. There are so many influential black figures, including musicians, actors, producers, singers and even the President that are showing us these things.
Unfortunately, until race relations improve, all of the things I’ve previously mentioned will continue to grow in the minds of many Americans that are either as ignorant or as unthoughtful as I. Slowly but surely this will begin to change though, as the figures that I previously mentioned become closer to the forefront of American society.
Why is it that when we think of a rich man, we think of a white man? There are many black and brown people that are wealthy, but people tend to think of black and brown people as being on the lower end of the money scale. Yes, people of color might make up a large portion of our poor population, but there are so many successful black and brown people; it’s actually funny that people don’t even think of those people when they stay a statement like that. But why not? It’s almost as if they consider them not of color! It is so crazy. It is as if those people are just a fluke…what?! Those people have gotten to where they are because they have worked so hard to get where they are. Actually a lot of white people probably have acquired—wealth—like they were born into wealth. I am not saying that white people don’t work for their wealth and success –don’t get me wrong; it’s just that probably most of the black people that got to that level of success didn’t have that same wealth when they were younger. They might have grown up in a poor lifestyle. It is actually really frustrating to hear people saying that is won’t matter how hard they work—they won’t get where they want to be since they are black so it’s doesn’t matter. BUT IS DOES MATTER!! If people just give up then they will never get where they want to be—then they will pass this message on to their kids. Like the video of Tammy that we saw in class—this mother is sending the message to her children that the poverty that they are at is permanent. I admire this woman for having so much will power to do everything she is doing for them, but it is so important to pass the message to her kids that they still have a chance to have a better life if they work really hard.
The video of Chris rock was absolutely hilarious! It’s so funny that sometimes people actually think that because of all the stereotypes they see every day. In the media all people see on channels like MTV are those rappers that have those chrome rims and lots of bling---and I guess everyone has seen their fair share of black people with bling and grill just in their every day lives. I don’t see how this relates to obtaining wealth—yea they like to show that they are rich but who cares. It is not a crime. They have worked hard and just want people to see their wealth. It’s like a medal for their success.
I come from a Philadelphia suburb, so watching races mix in a public venue is not something out of the ordinary for me. I went to a large and multi-culturally high school and had plenty of non-white friends. What struck me the most is how a black president being the dominant face of power can change the colors represented in a social gathering. It seems that now all of sudden these black “A listers” are getting the attention they have always deserved.
Since I am from the Philadelphia area, I saw plenty of middle-class non-white people everyday. It wasn’t odd to me that these people had the same jobs and lifestyles as my family and the families of my friends. I did however, like most white people, think that a majority of black people lived a poorer lifestyle than I did, which obviously a huge misconception. I also never really knew what a “rich” black person looked like and most of my friends would joke that a rich black person driving a nice car in Philadelphia is most likely a drug dealer.
It wasn’t until this past summer that I truly encountered black people who were much more wealthy than I am. I lived in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia and if you know anything about Atlanta, it is a predominately rich, black city. I felt inadequate and small sometimes walking around the streets of Atlanta. Black people were all dressed in name brand clothing and drove state-of-the-art cars. I had always been comfortable in my Gap outfits and driving in my Toyota, but for the first time I felt completely out of place. I was pushed out of my comfort zone of being socially acceptable by a high black society.
I wasn’t offended by this revelation and I wasn’t too shocked. It was just different and I actually thought it was cool. It was refreshing to see people outside of the white community who enjoy wealth, especially in the South. It was interesting to see a large city with a huge wealthy black society.
We see it in Hollywood too. Will Smith, for example, is the highest paid actor in the United States. And well, let’s face it, Oprah makes more money than God. Obviously white actors are very wealthy too, but I look at these people who didn’t necessarily come into this world with a lot of money, but they will surely leave it being wealthy.
So, in conclusion, I wasn’t shocked by blacks and whites in D.C. meshing in the same social circle because I’ve already seen it happening in Atlanta. The only thing that bothers me is it’s so prominent now because we have a president of color.
I come from a Philadelphia suburb, so watching races mix in a public venue is not something out of the ordinary for me. I went to a large and multi-culturally high school and had plenty of non-white friends. What struck me the most is how a black president being the dominant face of power can change the colors represented in a social gathering. It seems that now all of sudden these black “A listers” are getting the attention they have always deserved.
Since I am from the Philadelphia area, I saw plenty of middle-class non-white people everyday. It wasn’t odd to me that these people had the same jobs and lifestyles as my family and the families of my friends. I did however, like most white people, think that a majority of black people lived a poorer lifestyle than I did, which obviously a huge misconception. I also never really knew what a “rich” black person looked like and most of my friends would joke that a rich black person driving a nice car in Philadelphia is most likely a drug dealer.
It wasn’t until this past summer that I truly encountered black people who were much more wealthy than I am. I lived in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia and if you know anything about Atlanta, it is a predominately rich, black city. I felt inadequate and small sometimes walking around the streets of Atlanta. Black people were all dressed in name brand clothing and drove state-of-the-art cars. I had always been comfortable in my Gap outfits and driving in my Toyota, but for the first time I felt completely out of place. I was pushed out of my comfort zone of being socially acceptable by a high black society.
I wasn’t offended by this revelation and I wasn’t too shocked. It was just different and I actually thought it was cool. It was refreshing to see people outside of the white community who enjoy wealth, especially in the South. It was interesting to see a large city with a huge wealthy black society.
We see it in Hollywood too. Will Smith, for example, is the highest paid actor in the United States. And well, let’s face it, Oprah makes more money than God. Obviously white actors are very wealthy too, but I look at these people who didn’t necessarily come into this world with a lot of money, but they will surely leave it being wealthy.
So, in conclusion, I wasn’t shocked by blacks and whites in D.C. meshing in the same social circle because I’ve already seen it happening in Atlanta. The only thing that bothers me is it’s so prominent now because we have a president of color.
Going back to the Chris Rock video, wealth is something that is passed on. White people did have a more than decent head start as a race in terms on wealth. The assets are passed down from generation to generation. Not only is money and other worthy things passed down but also social status. Those born into a certain class will most likely stay in the same class during their lives. A person’s socio-economic status greatly affects his or her education and yearly income. In terms of the whole assumption that black people are all considered poor, I believe that this is in fact a very well accepted belief among a majority of our population. It is also similar to the idea that all drugs and drug dealing involves black people. Honestly I don’t think this perception of black people will change in the near future. For instance, White people are usually thought of as well of, with no economic struggles. In contrast, minorities (Blacks and Latinos in particular) are often thought of as lower class and more likely to be in a financial rut. While statistics show that these two ethnic groups are on the lower scale of the economic tower, I think the fact that a lot of Black people are doing well too. With such notions that Black people are poor, it is definitely less familiar for society to see them at the same event as a Bill Gates or Donald Trump. While the faces of the “A-list” are becoming more colorful, I think that they have a certain responsibility to represent Black people in a positive way. I could definitely identify and agree with Chris Rock’s funny skit. Black people are in one of the lowest tiers of economic status, yet, they are in the biggest bracket of spenders. On Chris’s comment regarding the drug war….I sincerely doubt all the prohibition is another tool to keep minorities down. Drug prohibition is plain stupid public policy. As always it comes down to money. The alcohol, lumber, and pharmaceutical industry all lobby every year to keep marijuana illegal. It started in Texas as way to keep the growing number of Mexicans in the population under control. So racism is rooted into the beginning of drug prohibition. This prohibition is doing much more harm than good at the moment. With the drug cartels and criminals running the market there has been many unnecessary deaths. On the home front countless young people are arrested for simple possession (especially black men between the ages of 18 and 24). There are twice as many white users than blacks but the arrest rates do not match. Although the police may be locking up more black and brown people for drugs than they should, it is a total loss in the long run. I believe the last figure I saw was $10 billion per year for the war on drugs that has progressed nowhere. We can thank Nixon for that.
So when I first started reading this article, I did not have much of an opinion on the issue of blacks being perceived as poor or less fortunate than whites. And though I still do not have much of an opinion on this issue (because I did not even realize it was an issue to begin with), it still kind of struck me with a sense of disbelief. There was one paragraph in particular (at the beginning of the article) that states, “With a black first family in the White House and a diverse group of appointees and Cabinet nominees, the all-white dinner party feels all wrong. Certain hosts are suddenly grappling with a new reality: They need some black friends. Overnight, black politicians, lawyers and journalists are hot properties, receiving engraved invitations from people they never got invitations from before. Blacks have gone from barely being on the list to being in charge of the list.” It was just very surprising that some of these white politicians would not normally associate with blacks, unless they were given a reason (such as the first black president). But it made me think, what if McCain (or any other white American) was voted into office during this past election? Would inclusion be such a hot topic? Probably not. I think the reason I did not think this would be much of an issue is because I see inclusion every day here at school and in the media. It’s a part of my daily routine and I thought America as a whole was past that.
However, there was another quote at the end of the article to counteract my “inclusion is part of my daily routine statement. It states, “Integration socially, as opposed to business or sports, is really tough because it involves people's personal lives. . . . Once people get comfortable -- 'I've got my two black friends' -- they can stop. Real integration on a personal level doesn't happen without a deep commonality of interests." So is the inclusion that I see daily only a result of business or sports? Like in the media for example, do news anchors and tv actors and celebrities and athletes only mix with other races because it’s their job? Would they be friends with that person of another race off camera or if they didn’t work together?
If I were to throw a dinner party and invite my fifty closest friends, there would be at the very most two minorities. Why? Because all of my life I have had white friends. Not because I have chosen to only have white friends, that is just how it happened. I have attended predominately white schools in predominately white areas. The people who were around to befriend were white. It makes sense to me that with Obama in the White House, the more black people have a presence in the Inauguration dinner parties and events.
The same “how I made friends” anecdote can be used in the case of economic class. My family’s income ranges anywhere from middle to upper-middle class, as do the family’s of most of my friends. We live in the same areas, participate in the same activities. So again, it makes sense that the black people attending Obama’s gatherings are prominent, upper-class figures. Like the Texans with George W. Bush, they have a more common ground with this administration. They are more invested in the situation; they want to see Obama succeed.
My mom works as a supervisor in the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare. Her clients are all across the race spectrum but a majority are black families, typically single mothers. It many cases, any race, the client was raised in the exact same environment and they start their own life with no attempt to break out of it. Children are being raised without a father figure and little boys are growing up with the impression that they do not need to be responsible. A lot of these negligent fathers are African American and in these neighborhoods, there is a lack of black male role models. The first thing that went through my mom’s head when Obama was elected was that these young black boys now had the ultimate role model.
I would never be so bold as to say that Obama’s presidency is evidence that blacks can accomplish anything whites can because I know this is not true. Minorities will always have to work harder, as will women. There is not, however, the same feeling of hopelessness. Perhaps with the new sense of “Yes We Can,” black families will be able to build the names of prestige that some white families have capitalized on throughout the centuries.
The term minority translates to a smaller number. The ratio between blacks and whites will be disproportionate for the greater part of all of our life times; there is not much we can do to control that. The more black people that show they are just as capable to accomplish greatness as anybody else, the more black youth will set high goals without discouragement.
First off I do think that black people have wealth that is passed down from generation to generation. I know that Chris Rock was doing stand up and throwing some social commentary in there and a bit of exaggeration was thrown in for comedic effect, but I can’t help but feel that with Obama in office there will be an integration of black people into the ultra upper class. Even Oprah is worth a few billion dollars, I know that isn’t nearly as much as Bill Gates but once you reach a billion dollars that has to be considered wealth. As far as the dynamics of wealthy black people being invited to social gathers with wealthy white people I’m finding it difficult to form an opinion on the matter other than that I think its good that integration is being made even though it seems as though its only for political reasons. The article state that black is “in” and a lot of powerful white people are now befriending powerful black people, this seems more a like a fad or suckling on the power teat…Since the teat is now black instead of white. But it is interesting that powerful people of color seem to slip under the radar. Perhaps the media can be blamed for this. I’m not sure if it’s the media directing attention to white people of power more than people of color or because the majority of wealthy people are white and by default there is more of chance they end up plastered all over the internet and television. There is a lot here that I am having trouble understanding or forming an informed opinion on. Back to Sam’s point on how our psyches are damaged by our perception of black people being poor, I do agree with him and normally when I see someone of color, especially at home I almost immediately associate them with a low economic status. However, this stereotype that has developed inside me I feel came from the town I grew up in. About fifteen percent of my high school consisted of black students and I would say about ninety percent of them actually came from low income families. Now this is probable just a result of the dynamics of my town. The town I come from is very interesting. It is an iconic valley. The downtown are is located in the center of the valley and the surrounding mountains are where the suburbs reside. I grew up in the suburbs and I would have to say that nearly all of the black people in the town lived in the valley where all the suburbs consisted mostly of white middle class families. The downtown area is very run down and most of the black students I knew lived in the downtown area. This idea of black and poor going together came naturally to me because that is what I saw everyday. However, after reading this article and through Sam’s lectures this stereotype is being attacked and I’m slowly moving my thoughts away from such things.
Journal 7
It’s kind of bothersome that the blog actually made so much sense over a sensitive topic. Well I guess I should clarify “sensitive;” I mean specifically that it is still a topic on race, so it’s not necessarily as offense as other subjects within the racial matter. Anyway, I do believe it is true that whites definitely overlook the fact that there are rich black people. Oh my god, run to the basements, it’s Armageddon! Come on, it is an overlooked fact, but is it surprising? We should be in the times where who the hell cares anymore about distinguishing between race and wealth, it should already be equal. This is why I feel the human race is seriously flawed and why there is so much conflict. People need to fucking think before they act, speak, or you know what...think before they think too. It’s the twenty first century and anyone can do anything. It still remains however that white people are still looking out for white people, and Asians are looking out for Asians, and blacks are looking out for blacks, etc. None of this means that a specific race is limited to a stereotypical amount of wealth. Just because white people started off as the rich tyrants and we still may be today, doesn’t mean that those minorities, that have the history of being poor or discriminated against because of their low class status cannot overcome any situation of monetary gain.
Many celebrities have overcome these situations of course, but according to the Chris Rock video on the blog, being rich and being wealthy are two completely different things. So basically, celebrities are just rich, the white people running Hollywood or any other entertainment business are the wealthy. When you think about it makes sense. But I do disagree that these minorities aren’t getting anywhere, because they are! Times are changing and lives for all races are changing for the positive side of the spectrum everyday. But when Chris Rock differs riches and wealth, there can be an argument there. Many people distinguish riches and wealth with different things. Riches to one may be actual monetary gain but others may consider “wealth” something more extraordinary that isn’t material. Take Tyler Perry for example…I do think his work sucks, just out him not hitting my personal preferences in my entertainment, but look at it this way – he is filthy rich, selling out everyone of his new movies in theaters all the time even though critics may shoot them down for cinematic value, but he’s making money. His wealth in this matter may be the fact that he is recognized, he always has new ideas, and he was named one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. This is a man that came from nothing and ended up with everything. Whites just need to focus more on those they may usually overlook and understand that stereotypes are not always true and do not always map out the lives of others.
I think that it is true that more black are becoming “rich” and this change can be baffling to people directly in contact with rich black people. Since coming to college, the slightest inclination that black people are always poor completely disappeared. I attended a predominantly white high school, with most of the minorities being Asian. There was only handful of black kids in our school, and I knew that they were upper middle class. My view that black people are mostly poor came from mother who always stated that statement. She worked in Philadelphia public service helping AIDS patients, who again were mostly black and poor. I usually argued with her that her statements were false, but no child can help but take at least take a few of their parents view, even if it is subconsciously. When I came to Penn State, it is sad to say but this is probably the highest number of black people I have seen for a steady amount of time. I know that most black people I encounter on campus are part of the middle class, thus with my real life encounters I have come to form an opinion that most African Americans are middle class. It was not hard for me to form this opinion because I never really grew up with an extremely strong sense that black people are only poor. I can understand though how people of the upper class may find it shocking that if they only encountered white people at the same status and suddenly there is a new race becoming more prominent.
I do not think that the reason there are more poor blacks than rich blacks is because of their capabilities, but rather they were not given same opportunities as the white people. I do think that the reason black people are becoming rich is that that they have more of a chance to do so. I think black people can also be considered the new rich or new money as opposed to rich white people being the old money. This new richness is confusing to many people cause they are not used to such diversity in the upper class. It is true that money is unevenly distributed among the races, but do believe that it is going towards the direction of being more evenly distributed than in the other direction. I know it may seem like a shock that black people are becoming more prominent in the upper tier, but I do believe that more people are exposed to it directly, it will not seem as shocking or strange. The transition of realizing not all black people are poor, and more becoming richer will take some time but I do believe that it will be easier for people to accept this concept than previous obstacles minorities have faced.
I actually find it hilarious that people seem to be acting like black people are the new accessory. I personally find it ridiculous that all these influential and wealthy white people want to befriend black people because we have a multi-racial president now. On one hand it seems like a step in a positive direction of better race relations, but on the other hand it just seems like plain old hypocrisy. If we did not have Obama as president right now things would be continuing on their normal path. I know that it is a good thing that these influential and political social events are becoming more integrated, but i wish they were based on better reasons. Progress should stem from understanding, as opposed to trying to gain popularity. Regarding Chris Rock's video, I found it hilarious. Although I did not agree entirely with what he said, it was still hilarious and pretty true. I did not agree with what he said about being rich and being wealthy. I do feel as though they are the same thing. It all has to do with money; the only exception is that some people know how to save their money better. Chris Rock did not make any sense when he said they were different. I personally use the two words interchangeably. I understand what he meant by white wealth and black wealth. I feel that the difference has more to do with their cultures as opposed to the actual words themselves. I feel that a lot of black celebrities feel that they need to fulfill the stereotype such as the rapper with billions of chains or rims on the car like Chris Rock said. I think that people need to stop trying to live up to what people think they need to be, and focus on what is best for their future. To me it seems that people that become rich need to learn how to save their money because otherwise they are going to lose it as quickly as they earned it. Many people who gain wealth in a short amount of time like some celebrities, whether they are black or white, feel as though they need to flaunt their wealth. It seems as though they need to prove to people that they are wealthy by making a lot of unnecessary purchases. If people could realize that wasting their wealth on useless crap was stupid then people that actually need help could get it. The money that these celebrities are wasting should be put towards good causes. People need to care more, and I do not just mean celebrities. It is sad that these celebrities do not care, well at least not the vast majority. Hopefully before they are on one of those “Where are they now?” shows.
Firstly, I would definitely agree to the first point which was made that when people think about black Americans – especially when people connect them to being poor as a collective group – is hurting. Being brought up in a diverse environment and having an open-mind when coming to the United States earlier for college, I have assimilated a few things when it comes to black Americans – one being that most are poor, and I knew this couldn’t be true without knowing the statistics before judging them. It is, on the other hand, surprising that 50% of all black Americans are middle-class, due to the fact that I did not expect such a large amount to have a well-off type status.
Secondly, when the topic comes about A-listers favoring their own kind could be debatable due to the fact that they might have experienced something unique to others in the A-list which would allow an individual to favor whoever in their own way. I don’t know if this makes sense, but I feel sometimes that the level you are at or were at at one point could mean something more significant to you than your race. And hence, when you find someone in the same level you used to be at, you would feel a simple connection being made already regardless of their race.
Thirdly, after watching Chris Rock’s video – that was hilarious – it did make me realize that ‘money’ in the black community unlike the white community is "new money" not old ‘money’ for the most part. I feel it could be true, but again, without statistics or assurance from the majority of the black community it is hard to make an extreme standpoint. Moreover, the business about money and wealth – I understood where he was coming from and the examples did make sense but spending money could also be spending wealth – if you think about it, investing and purchasing are two different things but they all need wealth to act it out. It is different that black people might like to spend a lot for their luxury and convenience and white people invest, purchase, and try to create a bigger platform for their future generations – but that all comes down to your family and upbringing.
Finally, to basically sum up my points and what I feel about this blog is this idea of nepotism and the wealthy get wealthier and the poor get poorer – which on the whole is true in the major sense but I feel karma, concept of "action" or "deed", has to play a huge role because what you do is what you get – hence the less you sin or the more you do for the better is the more you will get out of life and be happy. Overall – my principle for people to learn is – that they need to open their eyes and experiences things on their own before making an extreme and uninformed assumptions/accusations about anything or anyone.
I really like the article and the accompanying video because it shows how in particular black wealth in this country is often misunderstood and misrepresented. It is true that there are many rich (and when I mean rich I mean those who are in the upper class category who earn five figure salaries and live in salubrious neighborhoods) African Americans who are largely invisible in society’s radar. Also the catch is that they are not merely athletes or entertainers but many are lawyers, entrepreneurs, executives, business professionals, etc. They live in comfortable lives and it is fair to say that they are very much out of touch with the problems that plague the wider black community. Chris Rock’s intelligent illustration of wealth though is what stuck out to me more. His explanation of wealth being passed down from generation to generation is definitely an exact explanation of how you often have the notion of wealthy families like say the “the Carnegie family”, “the Ford family”, “the Mellon family”, etc where say a century or so ago one of the family members got rich say through industry, trade, etc. and retained the proceeds for his descendants.
The thing about Black wealth though is that due to centuries of discrimination, African Americans were definitely locked out of the economic order of the country and thus were unable to participate and in the process generate wealth that could be passed down from generation to generation and thus need not have the advantage that many white Americans had. That is why among other reasons there is still a massive disparity in average family income between black and white Americans. However since the 1960’s the income disparity has decreased largely due to the “making up for lost time” by blacks who have increased their average incomes over the years and have built up a sizeable middle and upper-class.
Though I would like to point out that it appears that many minorities especially black and Hispanic youth that are relatively well off financially are eager to ‘flash’ their status and wealth in particular to white society as an affront or simply to just say fuck you, we made it. You usually see this in hip hop videos (the ‘gold’ jewellery, ‘gold teeth’ expensive cars, and expensive clothes) and with black celebrities and this mentality has virtually crept to the mainstream. The level of wealth and extravagance displayed is mind boggling to say the least (whether they can afford it notwithstanding). I always like to compare the houses of black celebrities and white celebrities on MTV cribs for this reason. The fact that Chris Rock was mocking this image was to show how distorted the concept of wealth is seen in many parts
I would have to agree that most people assume a black person is poor unless they know otherwise. I would like to think that I don’t do this personally but I am not sure that that is exactly true. Like Sam said I know that black people statistically have a lower average income than do white people but at the same time I of course know of middle and upper class people who are black. I think I would probably judge how wealthy someone was by what they are wearing, regardless of race. Another way I would judge someone’s wealth would be how they acted. For example, if I met a white person who was dressed in what looked like old baggy clothes and spoke poor English I might assume that they are poorly educated and therefore lower class. I know this sounds horrible but I am just trying to be honest about how I develop first impressions and while others may not openly admit it I think the majority of people do the same thing. After thinking about how I prematurely decide how much money a person has or comes from I really do not think I relate it to race that much. Although if I met a black person who told me they were from the city I do think I would then assume that they are poor, not that they may live in an expensive apartment in the city.
When it comes to black A-lister’s caring just about poor blacks just as much as white A-lister’s I would have to agree that probably is the most often the case. I especially feel that when people establish themselves from a poor family to making it through college and moving up a class or two they would care even less about poor black people. In this case many people would credit their class standing to how hard they try and the choice they make, not social background. Now when black people do reach A-list status I would assume that they gain more privileges. If it is one thing that can offset someone being a color other than white it has got to be money. When it comes down to it I think most rich people would accept a black man who has a lot of money and looks professional rather than if that same black man had a lot less money. I would definitely group the bulk of if not all minorities into the same group as the black man; I think once someone gains A-list status race certainly fades a great deal. Maybe if more minorities are able to reach higher positions of status then the entertainment industry and government positions can become more diverse so that the public does not make these assumptions that all black people are poor.
I agree with the fact that all across the nation, a hand-full of Americans assume that blacks as a whole are generally not as well-off as white people. I guess it is just a stereotype still given to the African American community as being “inferior” to others. On average, blacks are thought to be not really a part of middle-class or rich, but more so poor. Although there are quite a large number of blacks who are poor, there are many whites who are also poor but do not have the same stereotype as blacks doing about being poor. It could be shocking to some people that actually half of the all black Americans are actually middle class, leaving the other half to be rich or poor. In comparison to white Americans and Asian Americans, there is a bigger number or black Americans who are poorer.
Money and wealth in the any community is something that people generally try to flaunt and show off. Not everyone is as flashy but normally the first thing that people do when they get money is they buy something lavish and extravagant. The reason why people do that is because they want people to see their hard work and time, through the ups and downs, actually pay off- make their accomplishments visible to the public eye. In the Chris Rock clip, “Wealth”, he mentioned about how when African Americans gain wealth or money, they spend it on rims, even on not that nice of cars, and televisions. Its considered a waste factor. I think that saying that is a bit off because it does not apply to only blacks and not all blacks run out right away and do that. There are definitely white Americans, Asian Americans, or anyone in that matter who go the path of spending their money on luxurious and exclusive goods just to give them selves a good name in society. And then there are those who save their money and do quite the opposite of the other group; they live life on a well managed budget.
And Chris Rock raised the question- what exactly is the difference between being wealthy and being rich? He stated that “Shaq is rich and the person who writes his check is wealthy”. He claims there's a difference between Oprah and Bill Gates; I know there's a huge difference in their earnings, but what I do not understand is why there needs to be a different to term to describe their well-being. It seems like Chris Rock was implying that wealthy is a class issue. In the world today, with many being extremely well off and many being dirt poor, something needs to be done to diminish the difference of rich and wealth because it is just leading a life of greed.
When I think about African Americans, I associate them with the college students of this town. Growing up in a small town in central Pennsylvania, I wasn’t exposed to many African American people. Penn State helped to include more diverse people into my life, though the majority are white students and professors. Thus, given my interaction with only middle class African American students, my image of the group only speaks for a portion. All of the African students I see around campus seem to socialize more with other black students. I do not think that is necessarily a bad thing, I think it is simply normal to see people with similar interests and familiarities to hang out with each other. The same thing happens in D.C. amongst the elites. I suppose anyone could argue whether or not the social interaction of Penn State’s students is a bad thing or a natural thing based on the current situations and changing trends of our country.
I do find it funny that now having a black friend is the “cool thing” to do.
“Oh hey, man, your new black friend is really cool. Here meet my new black friend. He’s almost as good as yours.”
I’m sure the dialogue of the new observations isn’t this blunt and straightforward but it stinks that this is being implied. I do understand, though, how white people feel more comfortable and possibly good about themselves for having more associates or interactions. It’s like we finally recognize that some of the segregation and discrimination still exists, and we want to put the actions of change into play instead of just calling attention to the injustices.
I have made a new friend, Jenn, this year. She is black. When I hang out with her, we just jaw each other back and forth then laugh hysterically at some of the funny things we come up with. If race comes up, we make light of our racial differences but in a fun and playful manner. It all just doesn’t seem like a big deal when we hang out. We met because we were working together on a committee. The work led to social gatherings and we shared the same sense of humor. Our similarities have created a friendship.
The same situation is happening in D.C. The elitists are meeting outside of work and finally given the chance to talk and realize the similarities shared. Bonds go beyond just work and race and steps are leading in the right direction. But, like Sam has mentioned, these community is in a high end place where most social gatherings are merely places to flaunt your status. It’s all connected to money. It often feels like everyone in that setting is just putting on a face. These people are wealthy.
Also, Chris Rock plays off a stereotype of black people just buying the newest, flashiest stuff. Perhaps the stereotype carries some truth, though. I was at an amusement park when the iPhone was first released. Two black teenagers running the ride saw someone with the new phone and asked to see it. When they saw how interesting the device was with all the new features, they proceeded to run around the ride exclaiming how awesome it was. My friend leaned over to me and said, “Dude, black people love baller-ass shit.” That just means black people have good taste.
Everyday each race competes in a game of king of the mountain, and for sometime the white man has always come out on top, undefeated for centuries and not ever willing to truly give up the power. 2008 brought a surprise they weren’t thinking about, the election of the country’s first black president, Barack Obama. Now the guy at the top of the mountain has to make some changes to his routine. As of now he isn’t going to entirely relinquish his power but he does have to find a way to make the race to the top more equal or else the white man is going to fall out of graces with the highest powers of the government and then he will fall from the mountain entirely. Times are changing; those on the A-list are now B-list memories and those never on a list are wanted at every function.
So now that white people are witnessing and cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that black and brown people are becoming more empowered socially and economically, why do they still view them as beneath the standard, and poorer? Don’t they see that we are all equal?
I think it’s pretty obvious that even though our president is black, white people are still the majority in most political, social, and economic circles. And while the white man is still on top he is going to continue to believe all the stereotypes that his forefathers taught him, until he can’t anymore. So while I believe that race issues are being mended and given new insight, it will still be some odd years till all colors can live in harmony, as equals. In the article about the racial evolving social circles in Washington, I really enjoyed the point made that now white people are fight to be liked by the popular black and brown people. The fact that everything is coming full circle is quite comical, unless you’re a white person feeling the power being taken out from under their feet, then they probably don’t find it that funny.
However on the whole color equals poor belief, I do not think that when people hear black or brown they think poor, I think that when they hear poor they think black and brown. This is from my own personal experience growing up in a predominantly white community. In my city and I believe in many other’s the poorer areas, the slums, and the ghettos are primarily occupied by black and brown Americans. And because of this the two become synonymous. Given there are poor whites, living in these areas and heavily populate trailer parks, and they are labeled poor and as white trash, but still they hold a higher level in society because they are white.
I wholeheartedly agree with Chris rock. We’re not talking about rich; we’re talking about wealth. Let me ask you a question. If you could guess, how many rich people do you think there are in the United States? Now ask yourself how many wealthy people do you think there are in the US? I guarantee you that the numbers will greatly differ from each other. I love how Chris Rock uses the analogy that Shaq is rich and that the white man that signs his checks is wealthy. You can’t lose wealth. You can’t be wealthy and then just be poor or lose it all. It may take a whole but it would really damn hard for it to happen. When it comes to the quote “A-Listers” that are black or Latino or Asian, we must remember that they are considered that to white people. Now in our own racial circles may differ from what others may think. A first it seems as if they are inviting the “A-Listers” because Obama is now President so they believe that they need to have more black friends. Now I’ll tell you that I honestly believe that if you don’t grow up in the city or better yet a diverse city then you won’t have a diverse circle of friends. There used to be a time that if a black or Latino man was caught mingling with white people then they were either seen as a sellout or seen as having done well for themselves. Today that is much different. Today we see that many diverse group of people have done well for themselves whether it be small businessmen or athletes or actors, etc. when we think of minorities, mainly blacks and Latinos, we think they’re poor. The fact is that when it comes to it, we care more about our own race primarily before we care about others. I believe it’s that same standard held for LGBT. In there own groups they probably have their “A-Listers” and so on and so forth. To say that the wealth of our country is dispersed between races would be making you oblivious to what’s really going on. We want to believe that we as a country are coming together and that we’re getting closer as a people and you know what, we may very well be but then comes those instances like this in D.C. It shows the insecurity that those are harboring towards themselves. There could be instances where some really believe that they need more minority friends. There are those that know they have no problem at all with minority as friends. With Obama in the Oval Office, the popularity circle will change and is changing. He’s started with giving big positions in the White House to minorities not because it was the “obvious” thing to do, but because they were qualified. Sometimes it’s not about wealth and sometimes it’s about the power your name has. I just hope one day that line will blur.
This make me think a lot about how many privileges we as people have. Looking at A-listers and how we would rank them in the “racial scale” make very confused about that. It makes me think about how they have the privilege to do something bigger than what they are already doing. It makes me wonder if people just don’t care or people are afraid of their very own fall from grace with the riches. Although I personally love to hear people opinions on things, I feel like people are going to do what they want at the end of the day. I feel like people can’t always change others but it has to be a personal decision to want to change. Its seem like when some people get money they help with money instead of recognizing that their own voice could more powerful than the money that they throw out to people. All it really takes is a few people to start talking and then those people to talk and so on and on. This week has been a challenging we because sometime when we have opportunities to make changes or do things we do take those leaps. This week for me personally has been one of those weeks for me because I want to make change, but I’m a lazy person. I know there are ways to make positive change, but some people aren’t convinced, but I feel as though it is a challenge. Get off my ass and do something. There are three types of people in this world so you’re either going to make shit happen, watch shit happen, or not know what happened. I feel like everybody got their roles in society and just play it. You may not know the roles but you still have to choose. I feel like you can’t always control things and in a way can’t really ever thing but instead influence change. Steps that we make and the parts that play is the best way to lead to wherever we want to go. Although D.C. has a high rate of A-list integrated star, D.C. also has the highest HIV rate which effect the African American community because the majority of D.C. is African American, but it affects all races. I not trying to say these artist should not be featured in magazines as a title of “strong black actors” but if all you are is just a face with no voice it make me wonder how much power you really have. For instance Jim Brown leaves the NFL to play apart in the community for social awareness. Now it seem like people just do stuff for publicity or to do thing to make people see them as something they are not. We all are affected in some way. Some will win and some will lose but which one will you really be. There isn’t a code of morals and ethics for a lot shit anymore.
After reading the article on “D.C.’s High Level social Scene Now Mingles Black and White”, it is interesting to see how social status in America is slowly changing. Now because we have a Black President, more African Americans who are public figures are being invited to these parties. This also makes me think why just because our president is half African American that now all of a sudden more and more African Americans are being invited. Why wasn’t there a mix of races before? Though this is an example of how the idea of “racism” could be fading away, it’s always going to be around. With this said, I still feel that wealthy white people will always seem to have more power than wealthy black people. Racism is an issue that occurs everywhere and it holds the minorities back from trying to gain that power that seems to automatically be provided to the white people. I think white privilege is a problem because it helps white Americans to move more quickly in the social ladder, as compared to minorities. This idea of white privilege is just as bad as prejudice and sexist. People giving white Americans better opportunities just because? I remember reading an article that was about a study conducted to see the comparison between how many white people get call backs for jobs who were incarcerated and who weren’t, compared to black people who were incarcerated and who weren’t, and their findings shocked me. The results came to be that white people who had a criminal history received more call backs for jobs than black people who had NO criminal history. What does this tell you about our society? The social class system is not fair; there’s no doubt in my mind that these employers automatically chose not to hire the black people without criminal records simply because they are black. This is a perfect example of a way where minorities can’t receive that upper mobility because there aren’t open to as many opportunities as black people are.
In response to the Chris Rock video, I find it very intriguing how he describes rich as being different than wealthy. I never really thought about it until this video, and I do agree with all the assumptions that Chris Rock mentions about black people and money. When black people make a lot of money, they spend it right away on rims or expensive jewelry; Chris pretty much made it seem like black people waste all their money on what they consider necessities rather than investing it or using it for good use. I think one of the reasons behind these assumptions is truly because of how rappers these days perceive themselves in their music and music videos. Think about it, most of them now only rap about having a lot of money and using it to go to the bar to get drunk, bring girls home, and then maybe buy a nice set of rims, maybe a television in the trunk of their car. The media plays a huge role in how society thinks about certain issues and people, but as long as the media and these rappers keep doing what they’re doing, we’re really not going to see a decrease in racism anytime soon.
It is indeed a great point to bring up the fact that the most opinionated people about Islam in the United States are also some of the most ignorant. It's like judging gay people far before knowing anything about their lives. It's like going back to this system where we differentiate people, and the moment somebody from a community makes a mistake, we isolate an aspect about them- religion, skin color, size, and attempt to alienate everybody from that part of the world. Why? Simply because we can. We can alienate them and hence get ahead and be the "good guys" in the bigger picture.
I love how easily people can choose to discriminate and be okay with it simply because that's what the community in general is doing. It is ignorance beyond anything that puts us all in a position to discriminate. A religion does not force you to kill. That is a habit. Habits force you kill. Necessity can force one to kill. Retaliation is a reason to kill. But religion is none of those things. It is true that every religion has its own habits and necessities but religions around the world call for peace more than anything else.
It is ironic that two religions that have very similar roots now fight each other in such a violent way claiming vast differences in their religions cause the problems between them. I think it is about time that people stood up and acknowledged that one bad event does not and should not ruin the image of a whole culture. That religion is never something to be fought over. That most religions tell us to accept each other for who we are and not make any judgments.
It is clear that the events of 9/11 have shaped American views about Islam and Arabs and even those who follow Islam. It seems really strange that something that happened a long time ago still influences our day to day decisions.
There is absolutely no reason for us to be ignorant of the world around us and pretend as if we're on top simply because that is a possibility for us. It only makes our world a worse place and widens the tensions and barriers between us. There is no space for that in a world where we are growing and changing together and when technological evolution takes place as fast as it does we need to learn to get along and help each other out
This article struck a nerve with me. It seems that the social crowd they describe is so fickle and fake. I try my best to not judge people and to treat everyone the way I would like to be treated; but when it comes to this social class – regardless of their race – I judge them. Their lifestyle and emphasis on wealth and power is gross to me. I feel bad for those people, especially if they truly enjoy living that way; and I feel bad for the people they recruit into their social circle: in this case the people of color who have all of a sudden become desirable as “friends.” On the one hand I can I can say that I give those rich white A-listers in D.C. some credit for broadening their group and extending the invitation to people of color. But honestly, if the country had not elected a black president I do not think that would be happening right now. So the way it seems to me is that this integration is for all the wrong reasons; because suddenly, as the article said, “being black is ‘in.’” I guess it is good that this class of people has finally broken down some barriers, even if it is for the wrong reasons, and it would be good if other classes of Americans follow suit.
Chris Rock’s stand up was hilarious. My only comment would be who cares if there aren’t enough “wealthy” members of any class. I don’t think that any person needs that much money. And I don’t think it reflects negatively on a race if they seem to have a lower proportion of insanely well-to-do people. That kind of greed embarrasses me. I find it much worse that there is an association with people of color and low class. Even if the reality of the matter is that a higher proportion of black people are in a lower economic standing.
I don’t really care for the idea of these A-list people in D.C. – or anywhere for that matter – and I don’t care if they are finally opening their circles up to people of color. I would never want to be in that circle. If, however, that is what matters to them – and that is what makes them happy – then great for everybody involved. And I guess it is good, for the people who have deserved to be in these powerful circles and dinner parties and so on, that their race is not holding them back anymore. I hope they enjoy new popularity with these wonderful people. I don’t feel that their acceptance into this upper crust of wealth and power will help improve the association between people of color and lower class. I don’t think it will help anyone but themselves. Oh well, whatever makes them happy.
The article from the Washington Post, pointed out the new wave of privileged members who are part of the upper class society in D.C. The Obama family has made their way to the nation’s capital and with them they have brought their friends and supporters who may or may not be black. It was interesting to hear the names of the prominent black members that already existed in the elite faction of society that was described in the article. One of the people they mentioned said that they had been in D.C. for a while and wanted to help the Obama’s out in their transition to the capital. This quote by the person, made me think that it is probably hard to be associated into the elite culture if you’re a black person. It sounded like there isn’t much of a scene for the African American group in this so-called elite society in Washington. It would be interesting to find out if since the Obama’s moved into town, the culture of elite party goers has grown in the area of African American. As Chris Rock was saying so passionately and irately in his stand-up bit, black people don’t know what to do with wealth. I saw an article on Yahoo the other day saying that Obama had raked in two-point-five million dollars in 2008 from royalties on the two books that he currently has published. Now, I’m sure Obama knows what to do with his money, but it was interesting to see how much value his name has warranted within the last year. It sounded as though through the article that Obama’s status as the president of the United States, has given rise to opportunities for other prominent black people who needed some assistance to step up to the level of aristocratic. These people were well known, but with Obama’s influence and racial status, they have enjoyed a rise into household names. These people probably would have had a harder time going up the ladder with a George Bush in office or McCain, even though they were as qualified as any other person who would have taken that rise.
I think that with the step up in power for blacks, that Obama has displayed, will help lead to a greater upper class of black citizens in the United States. This will be a very good thing for the next generation of race relations because the kids growing up, especially white kids will see that black isn’t associated with poor, like Sam pointed out in the blog. This will trickle on down through the nation and this false perception that people seem to have about black people will not exist anymore. I hope that during Obama’s term he makes adjustments and tries to speak and help the poor blacks directly so that they are motivated to leave their inner city ghettos and aspire for a middle class.
The wealthy or rich (as Chris Rock would describe it) black American is not a new concept. It has just become an evolved concept. It has subsequently changed from the rapper and athlete to the CEO and political heavy hitter. I do agree that the idea and concept of the rich black american, and what was deemed rich and black has changed because of the election of President Barack Obama. There has long been a society of wealth black Americans which would make some head spin. Organizations such as The Links a Washington D.C. based entity have been run since 1946. The Links is black professional female group. Membership is highly selective and it is a group that gives back to the community. When thinking about black Americans it may be difficult to believe that there is a group of 12,000 professional women who are banded together in one organization.
Furthermore, I believe that the statement Dr. Richards said about white a-listers and black a-listers caring about the poor of their respective group does hold some validity. But in the case of black a-listers there maybe more concern for the people in need because most have come from that same position. Many black Americans have been disadvantaged and have consequently achieved the American Dream. This allows them more- so to give back to the community that they came from. But on the other side of the fence many wealthy blacks have not faced an adversity in life and cannot connect with it. It does not mean that the don’t care a rats ass about that side of life.
Moreover, being from New York, it is very easy to get involved with many aspects of ones culture. There is a part of New York City that has long been considered the ghetto and only heavily black populated. But what people fail to realize is that Harlem is up and coming. The classic brownstones are prime real estate. The culture is changing to accommodate more activism and pride in their city. With the addition of museums such as the Schomburg the culture is starting to build. There is also a current television show on BET that chronicles the lives of several high society black individuals. This shows that blacks from Harlem don’t always live in the ghetto and are successful in their own right. If I could speak to Chris Rock I would let him know that I do agree with the difference between wealth and richness. But I think he is wrong on the fact that black people cannot save and would rather spend money on rims and gaudy pieces of jewelry. My best friend’s (note: she is black) parents are both doctors and live in a wealth neighborhood and drive Hondas without rims. Chris Rock must remember that white Americans can do the same thing that black Americans do with their money when they get it.
Being wealthy vs. being rich….what’s the difference? Chris rock said it best when he said, “Shaq is rich, the white guy who signs his check is wealthy.” The movie that was shown in class was astounding. “Which doll is dirty?” Almost 100% of the time they chose the black doll. That was shocking. I can’t fathom ever thinking that, but at the same time is it weird that I it doesn’t surprise me?
When you think of rich in this country you think of white. When you look at the 5richest people in the world, those who top that list are all white with exception the Argentinean. The top of that list is Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, etc. When you think of rich you think of white people, it’s a shame but it’s true. When you do think of a powerful black man there always seems to be a white guy pulling his strings. Colin Powell, quite possibly at one time the most powerful black man in the world was the puppet for Bush. The first time I have seen this not be true is with Barack…so far.
The black-A-listers always seem to be either celebrities or athletes. This doesn’t help the stereotype. When you think of black you think of those who are either athletically gifted or a Samuel L. Jackson. It’s interesting though that sometimes when I hear people talk about some of these celebrities, they say ”O, he’s not really black.” What does that mean? When did black become ghetto? That is what people refer too when they speak about black. It’s terrible.
In the video in class we saw a poor white woman who was honestly the poorest person I have ever seen. When you think of a white person, you think of rich. That’s interesting because about half of the white population is poor. It is unfair to say that only black people are poor. The woman in the movie walked 10 miles to and from work every day. Tell me one person white or black or any other race for that matter that would do that. I bet no one in our class would do that. I know I wouldn’t.
Every race, every nationality, every person goes through something unique. For us to classify who is worse off than the other is bullshit because everyone goes through something different and we cannot know what the other person goes through without being them. For example, I am of Middle Eastern decent. I have on many occasions been sanctioned because of it. I have been stopped at the airports, been the victim of racial indignations, been involved in racial fights, etc. I cannot sit here and begin to think of what those of African descent go through. I have no idea what they go through no matter how much I am told. We are all unique and different and the day we start to treat each other with at the least respect is the day we can start to change.
All you have to do is look at the White House to realize there are a lot of rich black Americans. It takes a lot of money to even consider running for president let alone winning the election. And of course there are hundreds of black professional athletes, actors and musicians who are also filthy rich. If white people stereotype black people as poor, they are just being incredibly naive. And rich white people are being even more naive if they think they are very different from rich black people. Think about it this way, do you think Tiger Woods voted for someone who wanted to raise taxes for the richest one percent of Americans or for someone who wanted to lower taxes? Of course he doesn’t want taxes raised for the richest one percent because he is part of that group and rich people always want to protect their money. I’d even say rich black people have far more in common with rich white people than they do poor or even middle class black people (just look at Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell).
And as far as everybody that’s white is rich, that’s total bullshit. I’m from rural south central Pennsylvania and most of the people I went to school with were anything but rich. The line for reduced for free lunch at school was pretty long and industries in the area have just been doing a lot of laying off lately. I have a hard time listening to people say all white people are rich. I currently have $98 in my bank account, am I rich? I don’t have mommy or daddy’s trust fund to help get me through school and since I don’t have a job yet, what the hell am I supposed to do after graduation? I’m going to be poor. So there are plenty of poor white people out there, trust me, I know.
That said, there is a stereotype that black people are poor and it definitely comes from the media as well as our nation’s slavery past. Think about it this way, who appears more rich, the white person who looks like a slave owner or a black person who resembles a slave? Obviously the white person. Plus, think about Sanford and Son or Good Times, they were black television shows with poor characters. OF course there are plenty of poor white people on television but because black people are perceived to be more inclined to listen to rap music and watch BET, they’re assumed to be poor. Where it comes from I have no goddamn clue, but the next time you think black = poor, think about the white people living in shacks in Appalachia, or the white people living in the trailer park on N. Atherton. There are a lot of poor people of every color, the economy does not see race.
This article was very surprising to me because just yesterday I was in an argument with a friend about this very subject. I suggested that if he was put in the middle of a majorly black neighborhood, he would be paranoid and afraid, insinuating that he was racist. My friend immediately took offense and said that everyone would be. He assumed that that “black” neighborhood would be a dangerous, poverty stricken area. I replied that not every “black” neighborhood is poor, but he was convinced that the average is. It was very frustrating to listen to him. This article was very relieving; reading that fifty percent of black Americans are middle class put me at ease. I feel like there are many people who when thinking of black Americans, associate them with being “poor”. This type of thinking is extremely dangerous to the psyche of our society. This is what keeps racism and stereotypes alive. In my opinion, when a white person pictures a group of black people, they should picture a person much like them, maybe a neighbor; they should picture person they same as them just a little bit darker skinned.
The D.C. social scene article kind of touched a nerve with me. The fact that these rich, white dinner partiers are suddenly scurrying to include blacks who they have never included before just seems wrong. Don’t misunderstand me, the VIP’s should be diverse from the beginning. Blacks should be “included”, not because they are the new in-crowd because of Obama, but because that’s the way it should be. I agree with Debra Lee’s first reaction that she is being used because of her new status. But I guess that being “included” for the wrong reasons is better than not being included at all. As long as they keep their status after Obama finishes his time in office. The high end part of society should start to become more and more diverse, which will help with society’s perception of black Americans as a whole. When it comes to the black A-listers caring about the black people in need, I am really not sure how much they would care. One would think wealthy African Americans would put forth a great effort to help improve the situations of the poorer African Americans. Sam has said in class that the African American community is much more tight-knit than the white community. But to be honest, I really don’t see much of a reason why they would be more inclined to help the poor than wealthy white people would be. They probably have the same type of priorities as the rest of wealthy America. I hope I am wrong.
With wealth comes power, and whites have always been by far the wealthiest race in the United States of America, giving them the most power and influence on the country. Although more and more races are acquiring more money many of them do not reach the wealth that Chris Rock is talking about. Sure some poor families go from rags to riches, and turn nothing into something, but they usually only become “rich,” not wealthy. Wealth means having the type of money to control more than just your family and friends. Wealth means that you can influence and/or change bigger things such as schools, towns, neighborhoods, cities, and even governments. Wealth has power behind it, and that power is mainly still being controlled by whites. More and more other races are getting lots of money though; they are just making poor financial decisions once they get it. If they have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of their lives other races generally start crazy spending sprees on many things that are not need and many things that depreciate very quickly such as cars, clothes etc. Where as many rich white people invest most of their money, and expand and grow how they originally made their money to begin with. White people try to continue to thrive financially, where as I feel other races once they don’t “need” to worry about money anymore, generally stop trying to make any, or don’t work close to as hard to continue. Wealth is also inherited in families by their relatives. The Bush family for example does not need to worry about money for several generations, and their children are literally care free financially their whole lives. When families are this wealthy it is often because the family worked together and owned something big, a large company for example and everyone was involved. When other races get rich it is often through entertainment, athletics, or one member of a family thriving not the whole family. Wealthy white families have a lot of power because they owned and still own many investments and companies that will probably increase their net worth in the future, where as other races are spending their money on things that depreciate, making it harder to reach a point of wealth. Wealthy people pretty much run our nation, and as long as white people control what they control, and manage their money properly like they have been, they will have the power in the United States of America. More and more other races are starting to be wiser as they grow financially, but it takes a lot of money to be wealthy, and it is hard to break on to the influential scene. It is not impossible for a minority to have as much or more influence than wealthy white families, but in the past whites have had all the power, and they still have most of it.
This article is very interesting and something that I would not have even thought about had it not been mentioned here by Sam. It does make a lot of sense though that people are starting to rush to the sides of the black “A-listers” as a status move. If asked to picture the high class Washington society I think I would subconsciously picture a group of older white men sitting around a table smoking cigars. I believe that I think this way because of how the Washington elite is depicted by the media and pop culture. It is definitely interesting to take a step back and think about what the new Washington elite, and the shuffle to get to the top, looks like today.
I think that more than a race issue however, this is simply an issue of wealth, status and power. For the people that want to get to the top of Washington circles, they are now grabbing at black A-listers, simply because they have ties to the White House. However, I believe that it doesn’t really matter who is in the White House, people are going to grab at those close to the President and ride their coattails into positions of higher power. Everything in Washington is a power struggle and position is dictated by who you know. Therefore, with Obama connected to many influential black leaders, the people who are trying to gain “status” and “rank”, regardless of whether they are white, black, or any color, will be trying to gain access into their circles.
The more that I think about it though, the more I see something like this positively influencing race relations in the future. People say all the time that having Obama in office will help the United States transcend racial divisions. While I think that is something that is definitely easier said than done, I believe that an article like this shows that we are making progress. Also, even though people are making friends simply as a power play, it is still diversifying the Washington scene. Some people interviewed in this article believe that the social integration of blacks into the high ranks of Washington will be short-lived however. I think that I disagree with that statement. While I am no insider, I still believe that when people get to know each other and engage with one another socially, lasting bonds can develop. I hope that this is exactly what happens and the high ranks of not only Washington, but cities across the United States, become and remain diversified. I believe this is a trickle-down effect which will create more diversity in the labor market that these black and white leaders are in charge of. The smallest things, like the diversification of the Washington elite, are never really thought about by the general public. But this is just another positive thing that is coming out of the Obama presidency and hopefully it will be able to influence race relations for the long haul.
Chris Rock comments on the difference between white and black people having money are very true. The big difference between us and them is WEALTH. Being African American I can personally say that it does make a difference between families that are wealthy and families that are rich. Most of the money in the country is from families that have been wealthy for generations and most of those families are white. Most blacks in America never really had a real chance to accumulate over generations because of the obstacles that may have been there doing the time a family may have wanted to prosper. The comment that Chris Rock made about Bill Gates and the difference between his and Oprah’s money, I thought was very true. Yes, Oprah is very rich and has many ties that continue to keep her rich her money status is no where close to Bill Gates wealth. The other comment that he made about African Americans that are in the entertainment industry spend their money on that non-essentials of life is very to as well. There is always a story about a new and up coming rapper that will go out and spend their first check and get a “pimped out” car and a huge house. But there are also African American entertainers that have upset foundations, camps, and a whole list of other community change program. The fact that most have come from the poor or lower middle class, they want to see the people in their community have some advantages that they weren’t afforded growing up. Also the fact that blacks in this generation have not been “taught” to save or spend their money is no one fault but theirs. No one should have to teach someone that saving money is important in staining a reasonable life. Now I do think that the Africans Americans from as late back as the 60’s had a reason may not to have enough or the correct knowledge as to how to save the correct way. I also think that the reason white people think “poor” when they think about black or brown people they also revert back to the images that were ingrained in their minds as children. If they have not experienced anything other than what they may have been exposed to earlier in life then they are subjected to only think of those people was poor, and living a hard life. I know when I think of white people I always think of rich and living in wealthy neighborhoods and not having a care about money. But being exposed to different ways people may live I know that that isn’t true. I think that African Americans of the last few generations will look at Obama has a leader and how you should go for your dreams, and may in the next few decades black families will be speaking on how their great-grandfather or mother started a company and now their family is wealthy.
After reading this article, it made me think about the certain stereotypes that get put on Blacks. When many people think of black people, I would say that eighty percent of the time they would assume they are poor. I do not necessarily agree with that. Yes, there are many black people who are poor but there are also a lot of whites and other races that are poor as well. In our generation there are many successful black Americans in Hollywood who are filthy rich. Obviously all whites are not rich, but it is always assumed that whites are wealthier. For example, the video that we watched in class about a lady named Tammy who was struggling. It was sad to see a family like that but a part of me doesn’t understand it. I mean, I know a lot of black families who started off with NOTHING but eventually worked their way up and built a better life for themselves and their family. I mean my parents both came from a different country and had one child at the age of 20. They had no money, no house, nothing but they worked until they could get those things. Now both my parents have great jobs and we live in a nice house and have everything we need. I feel like many black families work so much harder to get to the level of many white families and still then they are looked down on, which is awful.
I agreed with a lot of what Chris Rock said but some things I did not necessarily agree with. He made it sound as if whites did not sell drugs. I know so many whites that sell drugs it is unbelievable and most of the whites that sell drugs are the ones that come from a wealthier family. I think it is just automatically assumed that all blacks sell drugs. Also he talked about wealth being passed down through families. I definitely agree with that. I know many families that are well off and more then luckily their children will be receiving some of that wealth.
We live in a world today, where all that matters is money and I think it is disgusting. Look where we are now because everyone is so greedy and always wants wants wants. We are in an economic recession. I am happy for the A-list African Americans. I believe they deserve everything they have and more power to them for being so successful. Whether people want to believe it or not, blacks do have it harder. I, myself am not black but I see it all the time. Like Sam said in class that one day, just being white gets you so much more than you think. The color of your skin makes a difference in a lot that we do and unfortunately that has not changed much over the years but hopefully it gets better.
It is really funny to watch that Chris Rock video, that I’ve seen multiple times and laughed my ass too, and not laugh once. The more subjects like this I am exposed to and think about the more my views of our society change. That being said, I think this is a really interesting article. I think the quote Doctor Richards pulled shows just how similar we all are. As much as people like to pretend they are different then other races I think money is bigger separational barrier than race. Maybe, with a president of color, the links between race and color will break down a little bit. As this article shows more people of color are already being invited to high class events and getting involved in politics. But what will happen when they get there? We have to wait are see if they will act as the many white politicians in the past who have not done much for the poor in our own country or if they will remember being labeled as a poor person just because the color of their skin. I think breaking the link people assume between color and poverty should be one of our countries main focuses in the future. Doctor Richards is right people don’t try to connect with other because they don’t feel they have many things in common with them when the truth is they are probably not that different at all. As mentioned there are plenty of middle class people of color, but for some reason our societies typical view of a person of color involves little wealth. Maybe it is because of people like Chris Rock. Instead of praising someone like Oprah for being successful and breaking the mold he uses her as a punch line and separates her from white Americans like Bill Gates. How is she any different than him? Granted she doesn’t have just as much money as Bill Gates, but she must be in the top percentile of wealthy Americans. She probably has investments just like Gates and lives a luxurious lifestyle quite similar to his. But still for some reason, at least in the eyes of Rock and many other Americans she just is not the same. Are the guests of President Obama’s party the same? What do people of color have to be viewed in the same way as white people? I believe they got not based entirely on the color of their skin, probably mostly because of who they knew, but as mentioned in the article, the fact that they are people of color and now Washington is noticing it’s lack of color it certainly helped them that they were of color. Isn’t that the same thing as the white privilege whites have experienced for years. We are no different, and we need to realize that sooner rather than later.
I was not surprised at all to read the Washington Post article. Obviously, with a black family living in the White House for the first time, the social scene in Washington D.C. will experience some change. Clearly, the Bush family and the Obama family ran in completely different social circles, and the change in the Washington A-List is a reflection of this. Like it said in the article, when President Bush was serving his term, the people who topped the A-list were those who resembled him and his family. Now, not surprisingly, it is those who resemble President Obama who are “in”.
With the recent election making history as the first time a black man is elected to office, I expected race relations to change at least somewhat. How could it not? Especially because President Obama’s campaign was unlike any other candidate’s in that he appealed so much to the youth, much like a celebrity. In fact, he is more of a “rock star” than many musicians are today. His face, his words, and his message have appeared on t-shirts, posters, etc. While black, or urban, style has always been “in”, President Obama has suddenly seems to have made black style and culture more legitimate. This has not been lost at the A-list level. The success of the Obama family has set an example for other powerful African American families to enjoy more social perks. People who have traditionally been excluded from the elite social circles in Washington have now taken on an air of clout, given their resemblance to President Obama.
As I read the article in the Washington Post and Dr. Richards’ blog, I did not feel surprised at all. I can understand why some white people are feeling shaken up by the sudden shift in social structure, but no one can claim that it was not to be expected. Such a significant change cannot take place – especially in Washington D.C. – without having an effect on the social climate. White privilege, something that may have always played a role in the elite social class of D.C., will no longer be of any help to the white A-list members who have always been at the center of the scene. The privilege is still there, only the white part is no longer required. The black people that were mentioned in the article, those that are super-rich, can undoubtedly be called privileged. Being as powerful as they are requires a certain degree of privilege as it is, only now, their race is finally working for them. Like Dr. Richards mentioned in his blog, these people are at a level of wealth that the majority of white people are not even close to. The fact that U.S. presidents have always been white may have contributed to white privilege, but now that the nation’s hierarchy has shifted, this privilege may extend to other races. African Americans have begun to see these effects, and it is only a matter of time before other races, such as Latinos, Asians, and American Indians experience them as well. I think that this is a good thing.
This article is really very interesting as to me because it touches on various things that have happened in the past with respect to how A-list white Americans associated with Black Americans during especially the Bush administration. Right now with Obama’s election there is beginning to be a lot of change amongst the relations of elite blacks as well as white. There were many elite black individuals well before Obama’s victory yet they were not as well recognized as they are now and I am wondering what the case is against those people and why they were not duly acknowledged. I feel it is just a result of the type of networking that goes on. If there is a wealthy white male who has only been in contact with other wealthy white males and females, the trend is set to continue for a long time. And so is the case of affluent black people. I feel that affluent blacks and whites think for poorer minorities in the same way. Most of them will look down on them and think that they are not pulling their weight when in reality; they are really trying but have not got that break that these people have received. It may be hard to comprehend that these things are the harsh realities of life. People need to spend more time with their relations to poorer people and maybe one day they shall see the changes that they really want. Rather than being ignorant about what is going on around them.
Chris Rock I believe on the other hand is a very funny individual and tells it as it is which is why I like him a lot. He speaks of the way African Americans behave even with the slightest amount of money as compared to white people and I believe he has every right to comment on this issue anyway that he likes. Many African Americans believe that one they have the money they should flaunt it even when doing that is not necessary in a particular case. But it surely is understandable that if they have worked hard to achieve it they shouldn’t show it. But then I look at white folks who maybe a rich as these blacks and how they go about the spending or use of their money. I do not see rich white going around talking about their twenty –two inch rims and the like. Like seriously in my personal opinion is not a classy and reputable way of showing your riches. I think when minorities especially have access to great amounts of wealth, they should have the right mind and the right kind of people around them because most of them usually go about squandering money and eventually end up where they started.
It is a very interesting article but I am not exactly sure that it is saying anything ground breaking. As we have gone over in class numerous times, it makes sense that people would be more likely to help out their own people as opposed to random people. Using the “king of the mountain” example that was used many times in class, it makes sense that people will use their advantages to help out close friends and family. The interesting thing is, why did George Bush and Bill Clinton have no black friends and Obama has a surplus?
I have been cautious in my optimism with Obama for the reason stated in the article. Just because Obama is black, does not mean he is going to address the problems of racism because he may have not experienced them. Although he is black, Obama has never had to deal with the problems of being a poor black man because he isn’t poor. He will be just as likely to snub poor people because like almost all other presidents, he doesn’t have very many poor friends.
I am hopeful that he will enact change, but I am also realistic that it is not in his or his best friend’s interest to do. It will be very interesting to see if Obama is selfless enough to leave some money from lobbyists on the table, and to do the right thing for his country. It has been terrible to see the recent years where our vice president has been making millions of dollars from a company that profit from war. Coincidentally or not, we have been at war for the last five or so years, and we as citizens can hope that our politicians aren’t profiting from this.
We as a country need to come to the conclusion that human lives are not worth a select few profiting. It is completely unacceptable how long we have been in Iraq. Americans are not only dying, but millions of innocent citizens have been getting killed by stray bullets or intentional grenades. It is clear that September 11th was an act of terror unmatched on American soil. But this terrible event doesn’t give us the right to destroy other countries and all of the citizens in these countries.
Going back to racism in our country, I am hopeful that the Obama’s can change the dangerous perception that white Americans have of African Americans. It is obvious that the president is elegant and a great public speaker. Unfortunately, I believe that this is not the connotation that most white people think of when thinking about black people. Barrack can change this and show white Americans that black people are not much different than whites.
I found Chris Rock’s skit to be very funny. In some ways, what he is saying is true. Although it is a comedy sketch, his words are very powerful. Now, not all people may agree with what he is saying, but there still is some truth in his words. And judging by the audience’s response, he appears to be correct in what he is talking about. I agree with Rock that there is a big difference between wealth, and just being rich. Wealth carries on from generation to generation, while rich can be short-lived. Rock goes on to say white people have wealth, while brown and black people are rich and spend their money on diamonds and cars. This wealth is keeping the silver in the white man’s hands. But these statements are just generalizations. Not all white people are wealthy. I guess you could say some white people are rich, and poor too. This is shown in the video we watched in class on Tuesday, “Tammy’s Story”. She is a white woman who was born into a poor family, and still to this day is nowhere near being considered “wealthy”. But those whites who are rich/wealthy did not start out with all of their money. They worked for it. Now, I cannot forget to mention white man’s privilege. This has been brought up in class and has been proven in many studies. White people help out other white people, but I cannot make this generalization.
I also wanted to make a comment about the Washington Post article; I viewed it to be quite stereotypical. It was almost as if it was odd that rich/wealthy black people were blending with white elitists at this gathering. And to make such a statement that there is a “black trend” sounds offensive. And that being black is “in” ever since Obama entered the oval office just a couple months ago. Are white people going to become friends with black people because it is “in”? Now, I am not saying that would be the only reason for this friendship. But to say black is “in” is implying just this. If I were apart of what is the “trend”, I would feel used. (Because trends do not last.) It is a current desire, but will be out not too long down the road. This all just seems very ridiculous to me, that a group of people are a trend.
But I guess I should not just look at the negatives in this article. There is a positive- it is also showing that white people are not the only ones of power in Washington. Times are changing. Our country is moving in the right direction.
Tiffany Hawkins
Journal 7
Say “Hello” to my new Black and Brown friends
After reading the article from D.C. and listening to Chris Rock's stand up on wealth it got me thinking that in a lot of ways what Chris Rock is saying makes a lot of sense. When I think about the black people who do have money most times they did not get it from family or previous generations they made it on their own through music or sports or some other form of work. How ever when you look at white people who have money they are actually wealthy because they have had money in their family for generations on generations and it just keeps getting passed down to the next generation. The way Chris Rock describes wealth versus being rich is really true. When you see some one who has a lot of money but came from a family with not a lot or just enough to survive you know that they are not actually wealthy cause they have not had money passed down to them from previous generations they made their own money and became rich on their own because of their own actions and not their families circumstances. A lot of white people who have money now a days got it because of their families circumstances and their families wealth which has been in the family for multiple generations or has just always been in their family. It has nothing to do with their own actions or choices or any work that they did it was just some thing that was given to them and passed on to them like a so called “privilege.” This helps people to understand how and why there is a thing like white privilege in todays society and something we have to live with every day. After reading the article I think it is really unfair that those people had to wait for a black president and so much more of a black voice to actually be noticed by wealthy white people. I just do not think that because they are of a different race that they should be any less privileged or have any less opportunities available to them than white people. I know that white people may have had a lot more wealth and money in passed on to them but that should not change the fact that any one should be able to create wealth for their next generations. I feel that if some one works hard enough they should be able to make enough money and become rich enough to create some sort of wealth for their family. I just do not see why everything has to be so unfair.
In discussing race relations in modern time, one of the biggest subjects of debate that always plays a part is money. When we talk about African Americans one of the biggest things that must be taken into consideration are the facts of poverty: it is true that African Americans, at least on average, have lower household incomes / overall family incomes. Because of this, it’s easier to discriminate or make prejudice statements without actually thinking the implications. African Americans have the negative stereotype of being poor and underprivileged, but such mindless racism obviously doesn’t account for every African American. In fact, over the past decades we have seen many African Americans in the United States prevail and become successful. It began in 1960’s with the civil rights movement – we saw political leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. rise above and stand for what is right for humanities and people as a whole. We also saw sports figures such as Muhammed Ali dominate boxing which was also a big movement for African Americans. It continued through the 1970’s with the Black Panther movement which also signified change and development for African Americans. To eclipse this all, movement and change in the African American culture can be shown by the recent presidential election where Barack Obama won. His campaign for “change” moved African Americans in our country and Obama truly has become a great icon of black culture.
Unfortunately, above all this change and hope for racial equality in society also symbolizes futility because clearly racism and prejudice is still rampant in our country. Every day we still see crimes of hate and racism in every major city, and even though we have seen some change in the hope for equality, overall the truth remains: racism still lingers. The general public still assumes many of the negative connotations African Americans are associated with: which brings me back to my first point of money. Regardless of all the racism African Americans face, especially in regard to wealth and low income, there are plenty of African Americans setting the bar and setting the standard for other blacks today. As mentioned before, there are plenty of icons and role models in African American culture that leave room for optimism and hope for the future. In fact, Chris Rock is an example of one of these role models – and he brings up a good point in the video. He brings up a good point – there’s a difference between the “wealthy” and the “rich”. It’s how they acquire their money. This can be related to how our country works, which in my opinion is a shame. Corporations and the wealthy rule over the country while the lower class struggles to get out of their place.
OLD I have seen this before. This was hilarious and it speaks the truth I pretty sure I saw this on comedy central in North Philly my senior year of High school. I preached the point of his shitck my whole life. Growing up in an improvised neighborhood the only role model presented to you are entertainers and athletes. I gotten over a million arguments it seems where I agruged in favor of higher education and completion of secondary education as a means of ESCAPING our utter poverty. Others disagreed by proclaiming that entertainers, mostly rappers and athletes were rich and BBall players did not even attend college thank you Kobe. They would use ridicules way of proving they were rich by claiming the amount of diamonds in their chains, the size of their rims, or the amount of advertisement they were featured in as proof. I ALWAYS would count whose paying them, would proclaim what we could all understand buying chain and other ignorant consumer spending habits did not "FLIP" money. I always had the dream of obtaining a tertiary education and I glad I'm here as for my friend who opted out to the entertainment and athletic approach they are still plugging away I hope they reach their dreams. A close childhood friend of mine plays for the Cincinnati Bear cats and I have a friend who was in negotiations with Kosh records, they honestly never wanted WEALTH is what they told me. my friend would proclaim that life in our neighborhood was hard and they were seeking anyway out. I never sought material wealth and still don't, I seek the pursuit of knowledge. At a young age mainly from my Latino perspective other children were pushed by their parents to find a skill not an education so they may have a decent wage out of high school find a girl shack up and from day one begin the rest of their lives. I argued although $12 an hour is a nice wage and a job I really wouldn't mind, I encouraged them to seek CAREERS not JOBS because with careers they would earn more and set their hours. what ever the argument I can concluded it is our mind set trapped in a belief of perpetual poverty, that no matter what we did right or how hard we struggled certain opportunities were not meant for us. I still here proving them wrong.
After reading the article in the Washington Post and watching the video of Chris Rock, I found them to be very interesting. My first thought after reading the article came from something that we had previously talked about in our discussion groups during this semester. We had brought up the topic of why people tend to remain in groups of their own race or background. That is almost similar to what we are seeing in this article. In the article, it stated that when Bill Clinton or George W. Bush were in office, their parties or gatherings were predominantly white, and that there were only a few African Americans in attendance. Then, all of a sudden, African Americans have been placed on the “A-list” for political parties or just parties of the higher class within Washington D.C. This does not surprise me, and it is mostly because it just has to do with who people are comfortable being around. If I had a party, I would choose to have my closest friends and those who I know would have fun at my party, regardless of race, religion, etc. The fact brought forth in the article, however, is that since we now have a president of color, and he may have many Cabinet members who are of color, should whites try to integrate with blacks because of these African Americans holding high positions of power? Or does it not matter what race they are, and simply the title they hold determines who gets an invitation?
While I was reading the article, I don’t know why, but I felt a little upset that people still view matters such as this because of race. I honestly do not care the color of anyone’s skin, and I think that it is fantastic how we finally have an African American President. I think that there may be some feelings among whites that they should integrate with blacks because Obama is black, and because he is now holding the highest position of power in the United States, but I would like to think that his race doesn’t matter. In the case of “white privilege,” I think that seeing Obama in office has leaded me to believe that we are making a move towards integration. Granted, I also believe we have a ways to go, but we’re starting something new. I do not deny that there is something known as “white privilege,” I just never really thought about it before this class. I am a white American, and in my opinion, I think that “white privilege” is wrong, and that everyone deserves an equal chance, but that’s just me.
Finally, I want to comment on the video with Chris Rock. I agree with him when he said that there is a difference between “wealth” and “being rich.” He mentioned that “wealth” lasts for generations. I think that this is fair to say. I also think it was fair to say that “being rich” doesn’t mean you are wealthy. I could be rich tomorrow if I win the lottery, but I would not consider myself wealthy. I thought it was also interesting to hear Chris Rock making fun of the way African Americans spend the money they have, and that’s why they are not necessarily “wealthy.” Maybe it is true that it is “new money” to African Americans, but what does that say about whites. Personally, I would do the same thing with a lot of money as an African American. I would just buy things for myself. Maybe it’s just what I thought about the comments he was making, but I think it is reasonable that “being rich” and having “wealth” can go for anyone of any race. I’d like to leave my discussion with the quote “If I had a million dollars…” What would you do with it?
I never really thought about the social changes that had occurred when Barack Obama can into the presidency. Though I’m not really surprised by this fact, it’s something that has never happened before to the culture of supremely wealthy white culture in government. Racism has always been in our culture wither the American public wants to admit it or not. But I relate this new integration of blacks and whites to homework; the hardest thing to do is get started, once you do, your on your way. Now with a mixed race president, more wealthy black people are being contacted about these parties that occur in this predominately white culture in our government. If I were a one of these wealthy minorities, I wouldn’t be able to take the invites without a grain of salt, knowing that the only reason for these people to wise up to the changing times in this country is something huge to change it, such as the election of the first black president. Now that they have begun to mingle and develop connections, hopefully they are here to stay. All they needed was this kick start to a relationship, to get past the racism that has plagued our country for so long.
I do understand that these people are the wealthy of the wealthy, both the black and white members of society. Most of their interactions and invites to these parties have no immediate impact on my life what so ever, but in the long run, these interactions between the two races will indeed affect me and fellow middle class citizens. It will trickle down throughout our society and hopefully make us more color blind to other races in the future. It will trickle down to our community were people will no longer be uncomfortable to speak about race to others, no matter who they are surrounded by. Hopefully this is the beginning of a time where race is a moot point that holds no bearing to our society any longer.
When listening to Chris Rock’s stand up, he states that wealth will set ‘us’ free. It’s a connection that I can agree with. The wealth of these few black people will allow them to mingle with the wealthy of the white people. This is what will begin the trickle down effect into our society. That’s how I kind of relate his skit to my views. Hopefully this is what our society needs to get past this social divide.
I am extremely excited for the new future our country holds, and hopefully we will show to the rest of the world we are no longer lagging behind other countries where the color of one’s skin does not affect their status in society.
After reading the blog entry for today several different ideas and thoughts regarding African Americans and their increasing rise into positions of power and wealth crossed my mind, and really made me think about individuals like celebrities, athletes, and now our President . Personally I feel this article focuses on black people because our society has certain thoughts and images regarding all different races and cultures. For instance traditionally white people are thought about as wealthy or middle class going through life with little troubles and not having to worry about their financial situations or really anything at all (white privilege). I feel that there is truth to the fact that a majority of upper and middle class people in our country who are not African American have a belief that black people are a majority group that is poor and living in poverty just like Sam mentioned in his blog. With that being said I feel that this article does a good job of opening eyes and letting us view a side of African American culture that many of us have little or no knowledge about at all. It is true that there are a great number of African Americans in positions of power. Now starting with our President who considers himself a black man I believe that the image of black people in our country and society is starting to change. With the election of President Obama our country was privileged to see a shift of power in the highest level of our government. A shift of power from traditional elderly white men who tend to have the same set of beliefs regarding race and religion to a now black President who seems to be very open minded, educated, and accepting of all races and religions. Personally I feel happy and refreshed that President Obama and his cabinet seem to be changing the face of Washington and “A-listers” from the traditional extremely wealthy white man, to now a very diverse group of powerful A-listers. I believe and hope that the emergence of wealthy and powerful African Americans in Washington will allow a great number of African Americans who are middle class the ability to accept themselves and gain acceptance from the white majority of upper and middle class people. I also hope that this shift in power will show poor black people that they do have a chance in life to be successful in their own right. I think Sam’s blog entry for today does a great job of showing people how really the division of our country doesn’t lie in racial issues but it stems from socio economic issues and social class. What I get from all this is that race really is the underlying issue in perspective of social class. For instance the A-listers attending these parties and gatherings in Washington are all of the same social level. It doesn’t really matter that these people are black or white or whatever but it matters that they are in the same social class and setting as the others attending this party. We don’t see any black or white school teachers or nurses attending these parties.
What I can see from the article and this blog is that racial groups are always going to stick together. The A-list African Americans in our society are going to support and help other upper class African Americans. Traditionally the wealthy white man has helped themselves out and used their power to their advantage. But I don’t see these powerful black people helping black people in the middle class or lower classes just like you never saw a powerful wealthy white man helping any middle class or lower class white people. In conclusion I feel that our society will really be racially healed when not only do we not see race but when we don’t see social class as an issue.
I agree with what the Chris Rock clip says, the government keeps drugs illegal so they make money and they can control weather in America. I think when talking about wealth many people of color do not come to mind. I can think of a lot of rich people of color but it is hard to think of a wealthy person of color. Rich to me is having money and you can have a few million but wealthy is the guy writing the checks at the business who has investments and does not think a dime about money and he knows hes not going to ever have to nor will his kids or grand kids or their grand kids. Wealth is not something you can get overnight, you need luck, hard work and more luck in my eyes. To run a business and become wealthy you need more then your fair share of breaks along with way. White people seam to get these breaks more often the people of color, maybe it is because they know other people in business who can get them loans for new capital to grow their idea or maybe it is because they can line someones pockets to get zoning or a change in a law made, whatever it is it seams white people will always have wealth in America.
I think America is changing though, more and more people of color are becoming rich. I think the difference is that rich people, just like Chris Rock said, can become poor before they know it. Rich people often do not invest in the best options and in my eyes rich people often do not have rich friends or people around them that are rich so they don't get good advice on what to do with their money. Wealthy people have wealthy friends who talk about their money. This is true, you can look up any clip of Bill Gates hanging out with Warren Buffet, these two have billions and are very close friends. I found something on Warren Buffet where it said Lebron James from the NBA contacted him and wanted to talk about investments. I think this is a step showing that Lebron wants to build his wealth and keep it, in his family for years and years. I think people of color do not get the breaks along the way that white people do and also they do not invest in the best ways they could be with their money.
I do think races plays a part but also how the person is raised. I think if you do not have money growing up and you get a check for a million dollars you see a brand new BMW with the check not stocks and bonds. I have a family member who was lucky enough to play in the NFL, his check would be for over 600,000 dollars a week. He could of went out and got a new car, clothes, rolex anything. He did not though, he saw and he knew that one day the checks would stop because he could no longer play. He invested and started to build his wealth. He had people around him that told him and pushed him to invest rather then buy a new car or buy his friends a diamond bracelet. He knew that he was very lucky and he needed to invest. Now he does not play in the NFL, he does not get a check for 600,000 the Monday after a Sunday game anylonger. But he does get checks from his returns on his investments. He also has a few nice homes that he invested in and holds as assests. I think people of color do not have the right people around them, they live in the moment and do not always look at the big picture. Its hard to look at the big picture and tell your self to save for the future when you want to live right now and enjoy the riches. You have to have the right people around you to do well and I often think rich people get the wrong people around them and that holds them back from gaining more wealth.To build wealth it comes down to being lucky and hard work.
I agree with what the Chris Rock clip says, the government keeps drugs illegal so they make money and they can control weather in America. I think when talking about wealth many people of color do not come to mind. I can think of a lot of rich people of color but it is hard to think of a wealthy person of color. Rich to me is having money and you can have a few million but wealthy is the guy writing the checks at the business who has investments and does not think a dime about money and he knows hes not going to ever have to nor will his kids or grand kids or their grand kids. Wealth is not something you can get overnight, you need luck, hard work and more luck in my eyes. To run a business and become wealthy you need more then your fair share of breaks along with way. White people seam to get these breaks more often the people of color, maybe it is because they know other people in business who can get them loans for new capital to grow their idea or maybe it is because they can line someones pockets to get zoning or a change in a law made, whatever it is it seams white people will always have wealth in America.
I think America is changing though, more and more people of color are becoming rich. I think the difference is that rich people, just like Chris Rock said, can become poor before they know it. Rich people often do not invest in the best options and in my eyes rich people often do not have rich friends or people around them that are rich so they don't get good advice on what to do with their money. Wealthy people have wealthy friends who talk about their money. This is true, you can look up any clip of Bill Gates hanging out with Warren Buffet, these two have billions and are very close friends. I found something on Warren Buffet where it said Lebron James from the NBA contacted him and wanted to talk about investments. I think this is a step showing that Lebron wants to build his wealth and keep it, in his family for years and years. I think people of color do not get the breaks along the way that white people do and also they do not invest in the best ways they could be with their money.
I do think races plays a part but also how the person is raised. I think if you do not have money growing up and you get a check for a million dollars you see a brand new BMW with the check not stocks and bonds. I have a family member who was lucky enough to play in the NFL, his check would be for over 600,000 dollars a week. He could of went out and got a new car, clothes, rolex anything. He did not though, he saw and he knew that one day the checks would stop because he could no longer play. He invested and started to build his wealth. He had people around him that told him and pushed him to invest rather then buy a new car or buy his friends a diamond bracelet. He knew that he was very lucky and he needed to invest. Now he does not play in the NFL, he does not get a check for 600,000 the Monday after a Sunday game anylonger. But he does get checks from his returns on his investments. He also has a few nice homes that he invested in and holds as assests. I think people of color do not have the right people around them, they live in the moment and do not always look at the big picture. Its hard to look at the big picture and tell your self to save for the future when you want to live right now and enjoy the riches. You have to have the right people around you to do well and I often think rich people get the wrong people around them and that holds them back from gaining more wealth.To build wealth it comes down to being lucky and hard work.
I found this article to be interesting but not that surprising. Politics are very corrupt regardless of what some people believe. Whoever is in power has control over who is part of the government or cabinet for the most part. In the past, the presidents had been mostly all white Christian middle-age men. Therefore, now that the race of the president had changed it is not surprising that the social crowd at white house dinners would end as well. It is true that people in office are supposed to be the best candidates regardless of race or any type of identity. Yet, nothing is really unbiased or not based on mutual agreements or arrangements. It is made up of people who will support the president and are his political allies. The people who arrange the invites make up a list of people who represent the president. It is similar to the fact that when the president is Republicans the majority of the guest would be Republican. The guests are similar individuals. This is shown everyday here on campus at Penn State. Students tend to associate with people of similar backgrounds, culture, beliefs and interests. For instance, is not uncommon for groups of friends to look similar whether it is race or style. Like the engineers or international student may all hang out together. It is just the way the world seems to work. On the whole, people tend to flock to what is familiar.
The extremely rich people of the United States are commonly classified as white. Yet, this is not the case. A lot black, Latino, Asia and many people of different races and ethnicities are very rich. In reality, every race is made up of all different financial situations or standings. Within every race there are people who are living in poverty, though some races definitely do have a higher percent then others. Still, every race has a middle class as well as the rich. Yet, some people think only the white are seen as wealthy. So, when the former white house parties were made up of all white guests that were not an accurate representation. In reality, nothing about these parties is representative of the country. It is mostly based on who is in power and has control over the government. It is no mystery that the majority of the people who hold power in this country are white. So the parties are unsurprisingly white. Yet, now that there has been a major change with the election of a black president the make-up of the government will begin to change as well. This of course will be matched with a change in the social gatherings. It seems like these parties almost symbolize on some scale the make-up of the government.
I have to say that I laughed at part of the first page of the article. The fact that, prominent black members of society are getting random invitations from people, that they have never met or even spoken to, to attend different events, political or otherwise, made me laugh a bit. With Obama as the president, things are definitely changing, and it is kind of funny to me to think that people are getting invited to these things not necessarily because of their prominence or affluence in our society, but because their skin is dark. It is readily apparent that times are changing now, and advancement of the cause for racial equality is stronger than ever. Being black is starting to move from being a hindrance in some peoples’ and most media’s eyes to being something that is less of a factor. I think that as these black “A-Listers” become more popular and powerful within our society, it will be a catalyst for even more social reform in the United States. A woman was quoted at the end of the article, saying that the change will happen overnight. I cannot say that I agree with her, as that is entirely too optimistic for me to believe, but I do think that as this progress continues to evolve, it will start to build up speed and momentum and that change will start to come much quicker and in much larger bounds as time goes on. Another part of the article that I thought was interesting, and kind of humorous was the part that said that now that Obama is the president, all the white politicians are scrambling for black friends, because they do not have any. Just the image of some stuck up white politician trying to befriend an average suburban or urban black person makes me chuckle.
I think that Chris Rock was making a very good point about the difference between being wealthy and being rich. It is definitely true that there are many white people who are wealthy, but not because of their own accomplishments and achievements, but rather because their great-great grandfather hit it big and the family has been leeching off that success ever since. I also think that this thinking can show ‘white privilege,’ as those families are going to be the ones who have all the connections, so that their children can get amazing jobs without even having to go through an interview. But, when I think about these successful black Americans, I do think that they, for the most part, have legitimately achieved their status and money through hard work, rather than accumulating wealth just because Daddy and Grandpa were both multi-millionaires.
I think that the article about how the upper echelon of Washington D.C.’s society is becoming more and more integrated as the Obama administration is taking control of the country. I think the fact that these black people who are now being invited to the parties are very rich compared to most of the white people in the United States is also interesting. I will admit that for most people, myself included, black people are viewed how pop culture portrays them: lots of jewelry, grills, rims on their cars etc. And when people see a black man or woman who is wealthy or successful, people who are both white and black will say that they are “white black people”.
The fact that people associate wealth and success with white people is interesting, but even more is the fact that when a black person is successful they somehow lose their connection with the rest of the black community. Why is it that people feel that in order for someone to really be black they cannot be successful? I think part of the reason is because there are fewer black public figures in American society than there are white, or at least you hear less about the black public figures. I think it is amazing, however, that despite the fact that when most blacks in America are successful they are seen as “white”, Barack Obama is a very educated black person, and yet if anyone ever described him as “white” the public outrage would be huge.
The fact that high society in D.C. is becoming more diverse is hopefully an indication of what is happening through out the country. I believe that most change starts with those who have money, so those who have power, and once they start doing it the rest of the country will follow. The very fact that there are so many well-educated, wealthy and successful African Americans in D.C’s society will be a wake up call to most people, and make them realize that black people can be successful without forfeiting their identity as an African American.
The skit with Chris Rock was interesting, and I do not think that I agree with him. Although Bill Gates is definitely richer than Oprah, they are both in the upper class of society, and to compare their worth in millions of dollars is trivial. He does, however, present a good argument that he thinks that more African American people need to realize that there is no reason that they should not think that the higher class is reserved for white people. Although his message is meant to be positive, I feel that he was saying that the white man is keeping the black man down, which does not help anyone in the race discussion.
I am completely lost by the concept of “Washington A-listers.” The concept of the Washington Post article is decent, but the authors deviate from the original topic when they begin referencing inaugural ball attendees. There were how many million people in DC for the inauguration and dozens of balls. Gabrielle Union is an actress whose work has been sparse as of late and, to my knowledge, has never set foot in a Washington think tank (unlike other high profile Hollywood types, e.g. Billy Joel, Ryan Gosling, Ashley Judd). She is a Californian and attended a National Endowments for the Arts (NEA) ball and was not snubbed. No one snubs famous people, even Kramer from Seinfeld. Also, there was an NEA balls 8 years ago. A comparison would be helpful.
The point is also rendered moot when they reference Oprah’s best friend, Gayle King, as an A-lister. I am sorry, but she is pseudo-famous by association. If Gayle has received invitations, Oprah has somehow bought them for her. Is Gayle probably classy? Sure. Can she hold her own with the likes of Arriana Huffington? Probably. But she did not score the invite by being a powerful or wealthy African-American woman.
That the Michaels Steeles and the Debra Lees, president of Black Entertainment Television (B.E.T.), of the world receive so much respect and recognition, in the press and in D.C. is extraordinary. They should be emphasized. Encourage minority congressman and comment on how the census will be changing boundaries. It is important that the authors note (not in these words) that people tend to appoint or hire underlings of the same race. I would say that they minorities were more open to diversity, but the Obama administration has not actually hired too many Hispanics.
As for the Chris Rock video: Maybe I am in a bad mood, because I usually enjoy his commentary and stand-up, but I found this set repetitive and… unhelpful (?). What is his point? So there are few to no black people in the top .1%. Why does Rock even bother distinguishing between Oprah and Bill Gates? Both are massively wealthy. Yes, wealthy. Successful. Wealth like Bill Gates is absurd. No, I do not know of any famous-just-for-being-rich black families (a white example would be the Vanderbilts), but most “old money” or society families have had their wealth for at least one century. The civil rights movement was not even 50 years ago. Give it time. As for those “new money” outliers like Steve Jobs, if there is a formula for accumulating a massive amount of wealth over 20 years, email it to me first, please. After I buy all my goodies and solve world hunger, THEN I’ll give it to Chris Rock (not that he’s dirt poor and needs it or anything).
The election of a black president was bound to change things. I was not surprised that influential people in Washington are becoming more racially diverse. With the bringing in of a black president more black people are bound to be included in the social arena of Washington. This change is good it will go far to change how people see influential people. Many Americans have this view of power as old white men but as our culture changes and grow that view is also changing. Women came onto the scene and began to hold higher and higher positions. The election brought an abrupt change in the race that was being represented. Pretty soon it won’t strike us as weird that so many black people hold positions of power like how women in high positions of power doesn’t particularly strike us as weird. It is interesting to think that it will be the white people who will be the minority in a party o they will wonder if they will be “in” with a certain social network when its been the other way for so long. This is a major wake up call for many prestigious white. The tables have been turned on the and now they must find a way to coincide with this new America that has been developing under their noses. I’m not saying that we have reached any where near and acceptable point but each step toward racial equality is good and this is definitely a big step. It is an interesting point that Sam brings up. I automatically assume they as a black person they are very concerned about how “their people” are living. But that very well may not be the case. They could care just as much as privileged white care about those white people who are struggling. It does kind of mess with our thinking that a black person is living in a world of privilege a lot of white people can’t even imagine nor will ever be able to live in. The video of Chris rock was a little disturbing. He seemed bitter. He down graded not only white people who have worked their butt off to get where they are but also black people who have also worked their butt off. Those black people who have against all odds gotten to a level of power he seems to deem that not good enough. In his view all white people of power don’t deserve the position they have and don’t value the blacks around them like the white man who writes shacks checks that he doesn’t value shack at all like Shack doesn’t deserve the position he has. All in all I was pretty offended by it. Now I know that white still hold most of the high positions in this country and yes eventually that will change and should change but not by degrading people already in power and saying that they don’t deserve just because they are a certain race.
To me it would only make sense that a higher percentage of the people that attended this social scene were people of color. After all, the president has a say in who attends. Not to mention the people working for him and who organized the party would make a guest list that contained people who have helped him and worked with him. It does not seem odd to me that a lot of these people would be people of color. After all, people seem to gravitate more towards people they have things in common with. Most of my friends are white females that are attending college. I didn’t make a conscious action for that to happen. However, I go to the same places often and live in one place where I can meet people that are doing the same things as me. Today, I think it matters who has more money rather than one skin color vs. another. That isn’t to say that racism does not occur anymore. It’s just to say that money matters more. Being rich means being powerful no matter what you look like black or white, green is the color that matters. Having money can lead to power and having a say in what goes on. It can also lead to connections, which can help people go where they want to go.
There are very rich people all over the world who are many different races and ethnicities. What they have in common is that they are rich. Many have probably grown up in a similar background with similar wealthy families. Just because people of color or white people or any race for that matter share physical traits does not mean that they are by any means alike. I think that the socio economic factor matters a lot too. How much money a person makes. What kind of family background they came from, rich or poor. Also, what type of education they received or that money could buy. Money helps divide people, in my opinion sometimes even more than race.
As for the video, it seems that Chris Rock is wrong about people of color and wealth. At least 50 percent of all African Americans are wealthy as in they are apart of the middle class. He was also was saying that wealth is more than just financial. Meaning that people of color are scene as rich where white people are seen as being wealthy. This seems to have some truth in that most people, when they think of the black population think of them being less wealthy.
In conclusion, money plays a big role in image not just race. People with common interests tend to join together which are usually people with similar financial means and race.
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