RadioRaheem84
13th September 2010, 20:41
I work at a community college bookstore and practically our entire revenue is through financial aid. Students come in with financial aid and purchase everything from clothing, laptops, cameras, food, and occasionally a textbook. The majority of the students that use financial aid are African American and if one does not have a class analysis of the economic situation that their community faces, one can quickly adopt a right wing racist attitude.
Working here you become skeptical of the various scams some of the students will try to pull on you, you begin to adopt a skeptical attitude toward their plights, you begin to judge people by their walk and dress. It is a perfect example of how racist attitudes foster in society.
One cannot be prejudice though as even though there are people who take advantage of the system, not only are they few and far between, there are those that are really using the system to better themselves. But I can see how race, economics, and class all intertwine to deliver a one-two punch to a class analysis and materialist perspective. It gets difficult because then you have to factor in culture and the pervasive attitude of lashing out against authority.
Do you condone it or excuse it because of systemic oppression these minority communities have faced?
Or do you challenge it too?
How can one discuss it without giving any ground to the right wing?
Working here you become skeptical of the various scams some of the students will try to pull on you, you begin to adopt a skeptical attitude toward their plights, you begin to judge people by their walk and dress. It is a perfect example of how racist attitudes foster in society.
One cannot be prejudice though as even though there are people who take advantage of the system, not only are they few and far between, there are those that are really using the system to better themselves. But I can see how race, economics, and class all intertwine to deliver a one-two punch to a class analysis and materialist perspective. It gets difficult because then you have to factor in culture and the pervasive attitude of lashing out against authority.
Do you condone it or excuse it because of systemic oppression these minority communities have faced?
Or do you challenge it too?
How can one discuss it without giving any ground to the right wing?