Caitlin Thomas

Journal 9
I never took into consideration, until this year, that race is a social construct. I initially was
introduced to this idea in my Anthropology class last semester and have been interested, and
passionate about it sense that time. By watching the Youtube video Race- The power of an
Illusion, my new beliefs were reiterated and given further support. The video explains that
humans use strictly physical features to classify what racial category one falls in. This may be
hair texture, darkness of skin, and the shape of facial features. However, these things vary within
each race. Not only do people use race to divide people, they also call upon race when
looking at measures of intelligence and athleticism. The video explained that there are no
genetic markers that define race. The written article The Power of Illusion explains that while
race is not real, the racism that it breeds is very real.
The reason races were created at all is to make a hierarchy based on skin color. We still
see this hierarchy, or privilege, based on race. Not to mention, the hierarchies that exist
regarding class and gender. When these things are intersected, for example with a lower class
Latina female, things simply are made that much more difficult do to the low ranking she has
on various scales. The Youtube video titled Intersectionality further lends to this idea, as
explained by a black woman. She not only addresses the intersectionality of being a black
woman, but also being a lesbian. She addresses how in some circles, bringing in aspects of
your discrimination may be confusing and irrelevant to others. For example, talking to
heterosexual white women about the struggles of being a black lesbian only allowed her to
relate to them on one aspect of her multifaceted discrimination.
Media is not guilt free in the perpetuation of these white patriarchal capitalist ideals. In
fact, it is simple to see how media encourages these ideas when looking at film, television,
advertising, etc. With the fairly new adoption of social media, these marginalized populations
have been able to finally voice themselves after being muted for so long. With movements such
as Black Lives Matter, and He for She, there has been attention drawn to the inequalities
one faces when they are not at the top of there racial, gender, or class food chain. These sorts
of things also have allowed people with privilege in any aspect of life to reflect on the ways they
are benefitting from these man made differences.
I doubt that if Luby wasnt a UCONN student, her open letter would have been
published, let alone given the attention it was given. The fact that she is part of the community
she is criticizing makes her argument more appealing and somehow more valid. Had Luby been
of another race, I believe the feedback she got would have been more severe. The comments
would have not only been about her gender, but also the stereotypes accompanying her race.
She wouldnt have been simply a woman looking for something to complain about but also
wouldve been pulling the race card.