Capitalism, Class, and the Matrix of Domination

The thesis of Allan G. Johnson’s chapter, “Capitalism, Class, and the Matrix of Domination” is capitalism created white racism along with privileges for the white race.
Johnson begins the chapter by explaining what capitalism is which is making money become a bigger profit out of it. For example capitalist created the sowing machine to create more profit for less cost since the labor workers cost more and took longer to make clothes. He then talks about how money is spilt in the United States. “10 percent of the U.S. population holds more than two-thirds of all the wealth, including almost 90 percent of the cash, almost half the land, more than 90 percent of the business assets, and almost all stocks and bonds.” This is saying that the less fortunate citizens of the country are splitting less money than the smallest group. With capitalism, privileges created white racism due to the enslavement of Africans for their cheap labor. This made the white males feel more dominant than any other race. Even the white males who worked for higher powered capitalists, they still looked at themselves as more superior to a colored person. Once the lower class whites lost their superiority to the colors, this is where the Ku Klux Klan was created. The matrix of domination is having different privileges. You can have privileges in one area but then not have it in another. For example the white male says that an African male is a sex predator. Then women portray the male as a protector and comforter.
What would happen if we did not have capitalism? Without capitalism the United States would not be the power house it is with currency and with their army. Also technology may not be where it is today. If there was not a lot of money then we would not be able to afford all the things we can today to help benefit our country.
I thought this chapter was truthful. With capitalism being a huge problem of why there is white racism in the world. Johnson makes some great points about capitalism and explains to make this chapter make more sense.

Privilege, Oppression, and Difference

In Howard Zinn’s “Privilege, Oppression, and Difference,” the thesis of the chapter is “What makes socially constructed reality so powerful is that we rarely if ever experience it as that” (20). The main point of the argument is that there is no color difference between people but it is how we make it out to be.
As we grow up everyone is taught things differently through their families, friends, and where they grow up. Zinn says, “For all its popularity, the idea that everyone is naturally frightened by difference is a cultural myth that, more than anything, justifies keeping outsiders on the outside and treating them badly if they happen to get in” (13). This is saying people are welcoming to new things that are unknown but once they learn things about them they decide to not like them and treat them terribly. Like the Native Americans accepted the Europeans when they first met with open arms. The wheel created by Marilyn Loden and Judy Rosener, explains physical characteristics of humans but does not explain the personalities. This is a problem because every one has different personalities and is unique in their own way. People are just judging on their looks and not who they are but what they are. Certain words also create distance between liking someone or disliking them. An example from the book being the word disabled. Being in a wheel chair makes the person disabled because they cannot walk but people all the time get their eyes adjusted to make them have better eye sight (18-19). This could be classified as disable but since they are the popular crowd it is not considered being disabled. Privilege is something everyone enjoys when they have them but get angry when they are on the downside of the privilege. One of the main privileges that people say is being male. This is slowly declining and women are on the rise so both men and women have the same privileges. There will always be privileges on both sides that only men and women can have but most will be the same one day.
Why does racism come into play in separate countries? I agree with Zinn saying that when you visit other places you become the outsider. This is because you are new and they are afraid of what actions you may do. This comes from past actions of the race you part of and people usually expect the worst and do not give everyone an equal chance.
I was familiar with much of this chapter. Not all the details but had a general idea of everything that was told in this chapter. I agreed with Zinn and his ideas. It is terrible to believe that the world is like this but there is not much that can be done to prevent this.

Race: The Power of an Illusion; Difference Between Us

In the movie, “Race: The Power of an Illusion; Difference Between Us,” it talks about race being an idea. Race has been attempted to be proven as biological but lack of evidence is stopping that argument keeping race an idea.
The movie talks about race being an idea. Technically it is not biological but it is still real. The idea is taken more serious but by certain people. This is racism and causes many problems in the world. An example from the movie is that African Americans are better than everyone else. They win many more athletic events such as the Olympics and basketball. People have said the African Americans have different types of bodies compared to everyone else. Like I have heard that they have an extra calf muscle and that is why they can jump higher than everyone else. Though it has been proven that African Americans have the same body as everyone else and does not have this extra calf muscle that they have been falsely accused of. The movie says that they are biological because of diseases they carry. They said that African Americans will die off. As we all know of looking at today’s society, they have gone no where and will be here for as long as mankind is.
Why would scientists think that race is biological? Race cannot be biological because we all have the same bodies inside. Just our skin colors are different.
I thought the movie was king of interesting to learn how people thought about how race was created. I personally believe that race is an idea and cannot be biological. The movie made me become more of a believer that race is an idea as well.

Drawing the Color Line

Howard Zinn’s thesis in his chapter Drawing the Color Line, in his book A People’s History of the United States, is that the black slaves were treated harsher than any other slaves were by the Americans.
Zinn argues that blacks slaves were not treated the same way whites were treated. Hugh Davis, a white man had to be whipped for abusing himself because he laid with a African American woman. Another example of this is white servants ran away with an African American salve and were caught. While the white servants received slight punishments, the African American received 30 whips and was branded with the letter “R” for his master. Whites were said to be the more superior to African Americans. Whites were masters and African Americans were servants to them. If the slaves tried to form together the white slave owners would kill them in terrible ways such as hanging or burning.
Why didn’t the slaves unite together since at one point, half of the population was slaves? They could have easily taken over the whites and could have been free. They tried in small groups but it never worked and the white masters would destroy them before the slaves could do any extreme measure of destruction.
While reading this article I felt bad for the slaves. I am against slavery and think it was a terrible thing and is a terrible thing now. The way that the African Americans were shipped over like sardines in a can on a boat was awful to where it killed many of them and it lost them a lot of money since they could not sell them all. In a way it was a lose, lose situation there. I am glad slavery is over and have hopes it never comes back again.

The Temptest in the Wilderness

Ronald Takaki’s thesis of The Tempest` in the Wilderness in the book The racialization of Savegery is that the Irish and the Indians were discriminated against for their race and their civilization by the English.
The English have been said to be the founders of the new land. In school they say that the English and the Indians were great friends and got along nicely. This is all wrong though. The English were nice at first until they learned of the resources the Indians had and where they were located. After intruding on the Indians land, the English became greedy wanting more and more. This caused problems because the English were willing to kill all the Indians and/or make them their slaves. One of their main resources the English wanted was the Indians tobacco which then resulted in a huge massacre between the them. Like the Indians the Irish went through these gruesome acts by the English because the English said that the Irish lived outside of their civilization. The English colonists established laws, “Every Irishman shall be forbidden to wear English apparel or weapon upon pain of death. That no Irishman, born of Irish race and brought up Irish, shall purchase land, bear office, be chosen of any jury or admitted witness in any real or personal action” Takaki says in his chapter The Tempest` in the Wilderness.
My question for the argument is, why shouldn’t the English be greedy and take what they can? If they did not take is over they may have been killed by the Indians and got nothing. They could have risked their life by the trusting them then being turned on by the Indians. Personally I agree with the author’s opinion and that the English should not have done what they did. I think the author’s opinion gives a strong impact on his argument and makes some solid points to show his side.
While reading this I wonder why all this is not told to us when we are younger. How come we only hear of the good and never the bad? It disturbs me the way this land was found but that is how the world is today as well. Not as extreme where everyone is killing each other but people get what they want some way or another. These wants turn into war and that is how the killing occurs. I wish racism did not exist but it is part of life and the world is going to have to deal with it.

Introduction

Hey, I am Kris Giesken. I am nineteen years old. I am a sophomore at Bowling Green State University this year. I live in the Heinsight apartments with my five other roommates. My major is business supply chain management. I am from Strongsville Ohio, a town a half hour south of Cleveland. I attended Strongsville high school. I love sports and I love to participate in them. Currently I am playing flag football and softball. I have played soccer most of my life and is my favorite sport. I have two siblings, a brother named Ken, and a sister named Kylie. I am the baby of the family. I have a dog named Dock. We basically grew up together. I love to hang out and have fun but I also love being lazy and just watching television and movies all day.

Columbus, the Indians, and the Human Progress; Zinn

In the book “A People’s History of the United States,” by Howard
Zinn, I believe is thesis statement is, “When he arrived on
Hispaniola in 1508, Las Casas says, “there were 60,000 people
living on this island, including the Indians; so that from 1494
to 1508, over three million people had perished from war,
slavery, and mines. Who in future generations is going to believe
this?”
I chose this selection because he is saying that the past is
being told from a certain point of view and that view is usually
from the more powerful side of two things. Columbus told the
side of him finding this new world but never of the terrible acts
he had committed in conquering these lands and now has a holiday
named after him. Columbus in his log wrote about how giving and
welcoming the Arawak tribe are. He only sees them for what they
can give to him in benefits for himself. For example the gold
the Arawaks makes for their jewelry, Columbus wants the Arawaks
to lead him straight to the gold imagining huge field of gold.
After finding out there is not that much gold he then starts to
kill the Arawaks for not fulfilling their duties. Today Columbus
is known as a great seaman who found the Americas and not known
for this murdering.
Why was there never evidence about this murdering earlier? Since
he is making this big case about the world never knowing of
Columbus’s rampage on the Arawaks, why did he not bring this
information up to others before this. I think he has a good
point but the world is not always peaceful and war is apart of life.
I felt disgusted while I was reading this. I think that children
should know about the cruelity that the Spartans had on the
different tribes. With the welcoming that the Arawaks gave them
and then being slaved for their resources without peace was
wrong. I also did not like how he lied when he returned back to
Europe and told his king false facts about his findings then had
numerous Indians become slaves for the lack of gold there
actually was. I am great full that Columbus did find the
Americas but did it the wrong way.