Extra Credit: Race: The Power of an Illusion

This movie was basically a movie to shatter all preconceived notions of race. As we grow up, we figure out what race we belong to, and the stigmas, and appropriate behaviors based on that race. We learn where different races live, and how they interact. Mostly the race that this movie, and I am talking about has to do with skin color. People with more melanin, have darker skin, and in some instances, the skin can become really dark, to the point where people decided that this was a race, one that would be described it as being “black”. Skin color is the basis for when we draw the color line between different races.
The fact that we learn these things as a kid is absurd. There are no real differences that we can trace to racial groups. There is no one group of skin colors where every single person has a certain trait. Also, as we progress, we are accepting interracial relationships more and more, making it nearly impossible to judge race, and at some time, or some point it is chosen. In the case of Tiger Woods, his race was chosen for him. If I were to ask anyone what race Tiger woods is, most would say black, or African American. But in reality, he is as much Thai (Thailand), as he is African American. He refers to himself as a Cablinasian (a mixture of Caucasian, Black, American-Indian, and Asian), so not even he has decided on one race. So how can we judge him? Should he accept the black sterotypes, of a ghetto thug, who is involved in gang violence, or mabye a caucasian rich boy, who cares about nothing but himself. Mabye we could catagorize him as a drunk that owns a casino, or a Entrepreneur who owns a black hair product store. When in fact, all of theese negative statistics, and figures, and de facto sterotypes, hold no water. Tiger woods is a champion golfer, nothing more, nothing less, because of his race.
Overall, I agree with this movie. Race doesn’t exist in our society. We, as a people created race, and continue to create it everyday. In the early 1900’s African Americans were lazy idiots, who deserved to work, now some are esteemed as track stars, and gagsters. The most important thing is that our country is slowly moving away from the hurtful stereotypes, and it has a general theme, that everyone can succeed if we work hard.