The Universal Freckle, or How I Learned to Be White by Dalton (on e-Reserve) - Assignment Example

The Universal Freckle, or How I learned To Be White by Dalton - - - - The Universal Freckle, or How I learned To Be White by DaltonThe discrimination between the white and non-white Americans took its toll in the nineteenth century and crushed the morals of society. Since then, we have seen racism at its climax and then years later, at its crux. Dalton Conley takes us around an emotional rollercoaster drive through the very deep rooted problems of our society, discrimination. His clear cut views and experiences on racial discrimination is a reflection of how deeply our society stands by an imaginary streak that divides us into two and nobody dares to cut through this line.

The different angle to the racial crisis leaves me nauseated at such inhumanity.1. Have you thought of the concept of ‘privilege’ in your life before, if so how?Certainly, everybody of us enjoys a privilege of one sort or the other in our lives. I, for example, have privileges over my servants, who then have many privileges over those living below in the poverty line. Likewise a woman in an Eastern society is more likely to enjoy privileges over their male counterparts since their men maintain a deeper reverence for the female genre altogether.

Thus yes, I have been observing privileges around me all the time.2. Have you heard the term ‘White Privilege’?Yes, ‘White Privilege’ is a term used to identify the advantages the white skinned people enjoy over darker one – in other words: Racism. Throughout the article the writer tries to undo the knots that hold racism and ethnicity together; something which has been validated by the UN convention that “there is no distinction between the terms racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination”.3. How does this concept impact you personally?

Others you know?Though the world today is more evolved and mere colors do not define the privileges we enjoy today, but nonetheless the concept of racism has had a huge impact on the social structure of our society. Since every American stands equal today – as guaranteed by the constitution – the concepts of black and white had been pushed to a corner and we hardly find examples of racial discrimination today.4. What examples from author’s life struck you the most? Why?The most contradictory products of racial discrimination came in the form of the teachers the writer had at school.

At one school an African American teacher dare not cross the line and hit a white child drawing a clear border between the blacks and the non-blacks; while at another a Chinese teacher uses more productive measures and tries her best to blend the class into an equal force.5. What have you learned in this class that you can apply to this discussion?Racial discrimination has always remained a heated debated and a serious problem of our society. Taking into account the writer’s experience with the German woman-shopkeeper, we all should rather pave our way towards unity and stand as one equal force.

Divisions and more divisions only more weakens the society’s foundation and it’s here the famous slogan take its shape from;“United we stand; divided we fall!”ConclusionMere colors shouldn’t divide human beings and everybody, irrespective of our colors, background etc., should stand as one single united force and serve the country by all possible means.ReferencesOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights/www2.ohchr.org/UN. (1965, December 21). International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

February 3rd, 2013 from http://www2.ohchr.org.