Damaging Effects of Social World on People of Color

Even though many are unsure or aware of what it really means to have a culture, we make claims about it everyday. The fact that culture is learned through daily experience and also learned through interactions with others, people never seem to think about it, until we put ourselves in that situation, in which we become aware we are different. There has been a lot of common racial profiling with immigration and the police being brutal. Their effects on the social world can be seen experiences from society, to media representation, and lastly, to how I have come to view my own sense of identity.

In an everyday life, we rely on policies to protect us from any harm and they have to be able to promote justice and fairness in our communities. “It occurs everyday, in cities and towns across the country, when law enforcement and private security target people of color for humiliating and often frightening interrogations and searches without evidence of criminal activity and based on perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion”. It is believed that people are scared to get stopped by a police officer without no criminal activity being made. Lately, there has been a lot of things happening for example, this past week, a worker from UPS got hijacked and he ended up dead. Many thought it was a poor decision on how the policmens thought it was a good decision to put many innocent lives in jeopardy. Clearly, I do agree they could've made a better plan to take action in a place that was not surrounded by other people and knowing there was someone being hostage. In this situation it is seen that the police is the one to blame because they shot the innocent without hesitation and “knowing”. Another example would be a former officer, Guyger, who shot an innocent African American. “A white woman who had just finished a long shift at work, was on the wrong floor of the building”. It understandable that she was tired, as we can all relate on how tired we are at the end of the day, weather if it was school or work. She was in the wrong apartment building, didn't notice her door number which should have been 1378 indestad of 1478 which brought her into thinking someone was inside her home. While she opened the door, she saw a African American man sitting on the couch while eating ice cream and thought he was burglarizing her home. Little things like this affect everyone because he was not doing anything wrong just enjoying his day. It specifically looks like any police officer has a type of hatred between other type of race or a specific race. They end up saying in court that they feel guilty, they should have not done it but they are set free without no consequences and it makes it look really bad because those innocent people that die, their family has to fight for justice or feel betrayed.

Immigrants also tend to be struggling with this type of issue. Immigrants seem to be tossed around while Democrats tend to argue about if immigrants have spent many years in the United States, they should be permitted to apple for lawful status. Immigrants, legal or illegal, have been criticized and branded by not only restrictive laws but also white society. Many people have negative opinions about immigrants and expect them to have it the worst for them. “They complain that immigrants are taking their jobs and taking advantage of the opportunities that the United States offers”. In some ways immigrants have worked more to help the economy in ways that we might not see. “American workers aren't eager for many of the jobs immigrants are willing to take”. Immigrants don’t mind working for low wages because it is better than nothing, they go all out of their way to make sure they are making money somehow. Companies tend to hire people that are well educated and have a degree but don't realize that there are other people that don't have the same education or degree and are willing to work more than any Americans would like to. A work environment is only if you can survive it without any complaints, and from what I know and heard immigrants tend to know complain because they would rather have a job and keep it for a while, in other words Americans would do anything in power to not keep the job having in mind “Finding another job is easy”. Regarding all the employment issue, there has also been an issue in which a disability man is being detained for three days in an immigration facility. “The ACLU said in a statement that the documents it released show Grand Rapids Police Capt. Curt Vanderkooi “racial profiling” and mocking Ramos-Gomez”. Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, a former Marine who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, was seen as a Latino with a sounding name, caught the attention of an officer who contract ICE. This all happened when he set a small fire, pulled an alarm and invaded on a helicopter at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. During his interview, the officer realized he had “mental issues” but was confused on the passport if he was a U.S Citizen and a Vetran. With so many investigations and Ramos-Gomez being detained make it look really disrespectful knowing he was a disability man and a veteran. Just because we have a Spanish name or last name, technically we are immigrants and it isn't right to be treated like that. It just makes us have a different perspective on officers and they tend to ask themselves why we hate them. They just don't see the damage that they put families to go through at all.

Finding my own sense of identity can be hard in this society with so much going on. I sometimes find it hard to be myself during work because of the fact that sometimes my accent comes out when talking to other people. At work I tend to talk to a lot of customers with different race, at first it can be so overwhelming because in reality, even if they tend to be rude, you have to deal with it. There are days in which I am having a nice day, enjoying talking to so many customers because they feel confident with telling me their stories or being aware of the surroundings. I personally love meeting new people it warms my heart that is why I believe it's the little things that make us scared to show around other Ethnicity. Media representation has been one of the biggest influences going around because so many Latinos have accomplished things, but it can also affect others in ways that can be hurtful. Everyone struggles to find their own identity in the society while trying to fit in with everyone else. It can be hard at times because we try to please others with our culture or make it more about them to see that you are interested. Through media representation has helped me overcome my fear of showing my true self and understanding it a little more. Even though I am not all about culture because I believe everyone is different and has their own stories, it has made me be open about it with other people. I love hearing other people go on about their culture, it makes me feel some time of happiness for them. They tend to feel comfortable and it should be that way. Sometimes blaming society on how they world system is made makes it harder for us to gather together and be friends with one another. Growing up and attending college for a while now, I do understand the power that the media has in reinforcing stereotypes and maintain the racial inequalities. It is the reason why people have chosen to be surrounded by others that have the same ambitions as them or that are well educated.

Nowadays, race and ethnicity are superseded by classism. People of color have a harder time than white people do and it affects everyone's life experience. Even though there are laws, the laws are not being taken seriously and they should have it reinfoced again but stricter. Throughout our childhood we are taught not to judge a book by its cover, for most of us it's easier said than done. Growing up we have this importance of understanding the differences of other people and showing respect no matter their race, being stopped by the police on your way to an everyday activity, soon to find out all because of your skin color can have the biggest impact on the way things are being seen surrounded by you.