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Aristides Garcia
Profesor Malvin
English 115
22 November 2015
Colors Matter
The foolish idea that racism no longer exists today is baffling because the truth is that
racism and microaggressions are very well alive in the 21st century. The harsh reality is that we
dont live in a black & white universe or a universe where the people are colorblind. Colors do
exist, and there is absolutely zero reason for any color to be demeaned by any other color.
Microaggressions are thrown around every day and no matter if they are subtle or obvious they
are harmful to the victims. All three microaggressions; microassaults, microinsults, and
microvalidations are harmful to the communities. Most often seen are microaggressions from a
majority to a minority, but saying that only majorities attack minorities is a lie. As sad as it is, the
truth is that minorities also attack other minorities as well as their very own minority. All of these
attacks and microaggressions from minorities vs majorities and minorities vs minorities are
shaping the way our world works. Anybody can easily say that racism no longer exists and that
colors are invisible to them, but the truth is that microaggressions and racism continue to cause
pain to many communities.
Microaggressions and racism can sometimes be subtle, unintentional, purposely, or
obviously. Derald Wing Sue Ph.D., is a professor of Psychology and Education in the
Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology. In his book, Racial Microaggressions in
Everyday Life: Race, Gender and Sexual Orientation (Racial), Dr. Sue classifies
microaggressions into three more understandable categories. The three types of microaggressions
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Twilight Los Angeles. Rudys grandfather was a gringo hater all his life and that idea passed
on to him. He became a Zoot Suiter and in one occasion was beaten by white cops and he
resulted partially deaf from the strong beating. Hate continues to flow within Rudy not at white
cops, but at the whole race. Rudys hatred is a hatred that could have been avoided.
Microaggressions are always harmful to the victims who experience them. Surprisingly,
there are occasions where the aggressor doesnt even realize that they are being harmful or
offensive. What needs to be understood is that by being clueless about a microaggression still
counts as a microaggression. For example, if a Caucasian person asked an Asian person to
translate Japanese writing without any knowledge of which Asian decent they are from classifies
as a microaggression. The aggressor does not seem to mean any harm, but he causes the victim
harm regardless by wrongfully demeaning their heritage and culture. One of the biggest
microaggressions that goes unseen comes from the good people. These are the people who
claim they cant see colors. These microaggressors claim that races do not exist and by doing
so exclude themselves from ever being involved in any event of racism. The truth is that that idea
is even more offensive than the rest of the insults. When these people make these claims, theyre
pretty much claiming that no races exist and that were all the same just like them. Races do exist
and there should be no reason for the colored people to want to be the same as the rest or a
common race. All people of color should have pride in being different from the majority. Their
heritage and culture is unique and separates them from the rest. When somebody claims races
dont exist they are just bashing the culture of the people and making it seem unimportant. To
better understand take the life of Luis J. Rodriguez into consideration. In his book Always
Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Luis talks in raw details how his life as a gangster
and writing led up to him being one of the most famous and praise writers in Los Angeles. One
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of the biggest problems in the LATINO culture are gangs which is something that is rarely but
most likely never seen in a white American culture. This Latino heritage shaped Luis into the
man he is today. If races were all the same than more stories like Luis would be heard in white
peoples lives. Each races culture and heritage define how a minority grows up and turns out.
Races do exist and they all live differently in certain aspects of life. Microaggressions that
equalize races are just another way of making the races struggle and journey to the top mean
nothing.
The effects of microaggressions are very dangerous to not only the victims but also their
communities. In fact, statistics show that microaggressions are molding the way this world
works. Dr. Sue, Ph.D. who is a respected professor of psychology and has published many
educational papers explains some statistics in his article Microaggressions: More than Just Race,
that demonstrate how are world is being shaped by microaggressions. It is a proved fact that the
entire population of the world is 33% white American Males. With that being said take the
following statistics into consideration. White males occupy approximately, 92% of Forbes 400
executive CEO-level positions; 90% of public school superintendents; and 97.7% of U. S.
presidents The truth is that the 33% of white American males dominate the higher end of this
world. The reason for this is because of microaggressions. This worlds vision is that a white
American male is fit to lead much better than any other race that exists. Now imagine if some
Latino or African American had come to power instead of George W. Bush; there is only room
improvement there. It cant be said that any other races has not done great things as a leader. In
Lo Angeles itself it has been seen happening. Mayor Villaraigosa was considered a very
successful mayor, much better than Arnold Schwarzenegger in my opinion. Microaggressions are
not just recently shaping the world. They have been causing wars and harm to the races for many
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years. Slavery occurred because the white people found it okay to enslave to a race that looked
different from them. The damage that racism and microaggressions cause is unimaginable. In
Anna Smiths 1994 book Twilight Los Angeles, 1992, a collection of interviews demonstrate
many topics about racism and microaggressions. At the very beginning is the interview My
Enemy: Rudy Salas, Sr. (P.1). Rudys grandfather had been part of many racial wars. He became
a gringo-hater as Rudy describes it, and then passed those microaggressive ideas down through
generations until it reached Rudy himself. Microaggressions cause racial borders to be created
because of the emotional damage and hate that it nests in the victims hearts. The damage that
racism and microaggressions cause is too great to keep ignoring.
Racism and microaggressions have been around for a very long time. The 21st century is a
result of all those racial events that have occurred throughout time. The microaggressors of the
past molded the present that is today. Ignoring the concept by claiming that colors do not exist
solves nothing. The truth is that colors do exist and races are not a fairy tale. Every race has their
own cultures and heritages that they live by and nobody on this earth has the right to demean
them for who they are. Colors make races unique and proud. Microaggressions and racism make
colors a bad thing to have and kill the pride that some races might have. The world needs to stop
pretending like everyone is the same. They are not and never will be. Each race lives through his
or her own struggles in life and its where they come from what defines who they become. The
problem is that just because a person is different does not mean they are, as a person, any less
than anybody else. Where there is a will there is a way! If people from two different races fall in
love and want to spend the rest of their lives together than nobody has the right to take that from
them. If a minority works hard all of his life to make it to the top and become somebody than no
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white person or any other race has the right to deny them that chance because of their color. The
rainbow isnt a single color, it only shines bright when all of its colors work together to create it.
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Works Cited
Rodriguez, Luis J.. Always Running : La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. .Willimantic, CT : East
Haven, CT :Curbstone Press ; Distributed in the U.S. by InBook, 1993. Print.
Smith, Anna Deavere. TwilightLos Angeles, 1992. On The Road. New York: Anchor Books,
1994. Print.
Sue Wing, Derald. "Diversity in the Classroom." Comp. UCLA Diversity & Faculty
Development. Tool: Recognizing Microaggressions and the Messages They Send (2014):
1-2. 22 Nov. 2015. Web. <http://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnelprograms/_files/seminars/Tool_Recognizing_Microaggressions.pdf>.
--- "Microaggressions: More than Just Race." Psychology Today. 17 Nov. 2010. Web. 18 Nov.
2015. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/microaggressions-in-everydaylife/201011/microaggressions-more-just-race>.
--- "Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life." Psychology Today. N.p., 5 Oct. 2010. Web. 23
Nov. 2015. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/microaggressions-in-everydaylife/201010/racial-microaggressions-in-everyday-life>.