Please read pages 17-18 in the handout you received in class today (this is also part of the pdf file that is available on firstclass). After reading this excerpt from "The Sweeter the Juice", please answer the following italicized prompts in the comment section.
You should have a good idea of what "racial passing" entails at this point in the course. How do myths and misinformation about "race" explain the practice of passing? How does the fact that thousands of "blacks" have successfully passed as "whites" reinforce the idea that "race" is a social invention rather than a scientific description of human differences?
Shirlee Haizlip believes that "passing" was a way for members of her family to deal with the legacy of slavery. To what extent may "passing" also be a mechanism for survival during the years of the Jim Crow laws (laws that isolated and humiliated African Americans)?
Let me know if you have questions.
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- This passing is a social act, because it is not based on family, genetics or other family-based reasons. People do it so that they can get what they want without causing a problem.
ReplyDelete- You can get what you want without causing a suspicious scene. If you look white, you can pass yourself off as white and go into a store or theater etc. It just makes life easier. This passing should be used only when "desperate times call for desperate measures".
Misinformation and myths about race explains the practice of passing, because race isn't something that really exists, technically speaking. Because of the stereotypes tossed around regarding specific races, people assume that because of their skin color or cultural background, they are not going to be seen as someone capable of carrying out a task, as opposed to the superior "race," white people. Furthermore, because people feel this way and feel inferior, in order to give themselves the (unfair) advantage that whites have, those who can pass as a race superior to what they really are use it to their benefit. Because society acts in an unfair and unjust manner and considers whites to be the better race (although this is not as outwardly expressed today as it has been in the past), people who can flex this advantage are likely to use it.
ReplyDeleteDuring the times of the Jim Crow laws, it was common for blacks to use passing as a means of survival. In their case, because their lives were at stake during this time period, they simply had no other choice but to try and blend in with the predominant white race. By doing so, they were ensuring their survival, which was more important than heeding to whatever race they were classified as being a part of. In this case, passing can be seen as an acceptable mechanism, because it is based upon a life or death situation.
If race had any true base then passing would not be possible. To construct an idea about an idividual based on broad preconceptions is proved false and wrong through the success of the "passers". Passing in of itself is a method of gaining privileges which are only denied out of racism and close-mindedness. Advantages to being white should really be advantages for all and passing just brings those benefits to people who should have them regardless.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to pass as white in the era of the Jim Crow laws is a method of avoiding some of their harmful effects. It would free the passer from the fear of lynching or other skin-color based mistreatment. The persecution is avoided by passing as white in a time where being black meant hardship and prejudice.
Because people so firmly believe that "race" entails certain characteristics, it is possible for people who are exceptions to those "rules" to pass as another race. This reinforces the idea that "race" is not actually a scientific description, because there is no difference between someone passing as another "race" that would identify them as passing.
ReplyDeleteDuring the years of the Jim Crow laws, "passing" could not only give people classified as black the privileges enjoyed by those classified as white, it could protect them from lynching, perhaps allow them to vote without harassment, or allow them to use white-only facilities (like Pinky riding on the white section of the train).
I dunno, I feel like I’m saying this because I’m white, but to me race doesn’t seem to be all that important. Or at least it isn’t very well defined. Or it doesn’t exist at all. Race is based on how other people see you and how you see yourself. And I agree with Ryan – if race actually had any basis, passing wouldn’t be possible at all. The only reason why people can pass is because others base their assumptions just on skin color. I think that passing is okay so long as you’re not lying blatantly. If you’re passing because strangers mistake you for being white, then that’s the fault of the stranger’s stupidity, not yours. This shows that there is absolutely no scientific description of human differences in race. “Race” is just based on people’s perception of you. But it is also based on your perception of yourself. I think that it is, in some ways, acceptable that the sister married a white man without telling him that her family was black. If she truly saw herself as white – based her “race” on her skin color rather than on her family – then she is white. But she should NEVER turn her back on her family because they look black.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else has said, during the years of Jim Crow laws, passing became a mechanism for survival and a way to level the playing field and gain the unfair advantages of whites. But not for entirely selfish reasons. The sister who married a white guy had white kids who would have all of the advantages of white people. Maybe to her, passing was a way of ensuring that her children would have a better life…and isn’t that what America is all about?
There are so many myths and stereotypes about people of different races, so when someone does not fit into one of those categories they are able to pass as another race. The fact that so many people have been able to pass as a different race really diminishes the idea of race. If there were actually major differences between people of different races then people would not be able to pass. There is no scientific basis behind race, it is just an idea that was made up in society to classify people and make certain groups feel inferior.
ReplyDeleteIf people were able to pass as white when the Jim Crow laws were happening, it was a way for them to be safe in an unequal and prejudice filled society. It would have given African Americans the same rights/opportunities as white people (rights that they should have had anyway) and protected them from unfair laws.
Passing shows that race is a social invention because it's based purely a person's looks, and not their actual heritage. That way, many lighter-skinned people with black ancestry can pass for white, and various other people can pretend to be from different places than they actually are.
ReplyDeleteDuring the years of violence against blacks, anyone who could pass as white could survive... As long as they weren't caught by white officials. If a person could pass, they could have better treatment, use better facilities, and maybe even get a better job. Also, they would have a more fulfilling life. It was what they had to do to escape slavery or beatings or general discrimination.
There is no set definition of what makes a person a certain race because race isn't something that actually exists, or has clear boundaries. Because of this it is not surprising that people use passing to their benefit. There are some people who might be passing and not even know it, such as the woman who found out that she was black only by reading her birth certificate.
ReplyDeleteOften we say that your race is determined by the color of your skin, but in Pinky, we see that Pinky's race is not determined by the color of her skin, but by the least advantaged of the races of her heritage. It is completely arbitrary to choose to group people with the least privilege, it's not scientific.
For any person who could pass during the years when the Jim Crow laws were in effect, passing made their life much safer and easier, and passing was and acceptable means to get privilege that should be awarded to everyone as Zora said.
Although there is no set definition of what defines a person's race, common characteristics and practices are known for certain types of races. People who appear to be another race can easily pass as the race that they look like, because they can just adapt to the characteristics of that certain group. Due to the fact that there are so many myths about different races, the line is so blurred that passing can be a very easy thing to do.
ReplyDeleteBecause the line is so blurred in regard to race, groups of people cannot truly be identified from another. This eludes to the fact that race is simply just a social invention because people want to categorize and separate groups as inferior or superior. Humans have been using race as an excuse to hurt others in the past, that it is natural for us to think of people in the terms of categories. During the time of Jim Crow laws, passing would be a means of survival for a black person because it would make their life much easier and safer. Because blacks were being humiliated by these laws, they would do anything in order to escape them, even if it meant giving up their race.
There are many myths and a lot of misinformation about race, which allows people to pass as a different race. There is not a universal definition of race, which makes classifying people based on race up to the person. Race is based on looks and subsequently skin color, so people are able to decide what race they are if they have a different skin than those around them. Because race isn't clearly defined, it shows that race is a social invention rather than a scientific one. Many people have been able to pass for something they aren't. Pinky was able to pass as white because her skin was so light even though most of her relatives were black. I would agree with Alex that it was ok for the sister to pass as white and not tell her family the truth because she saw herself as white. Our race is determined by social standards: how we view ourselves and how others view us. During the time of Jim Crow laws, people definitely passed to survive and to escape inequality. Passing as white person even though one was black made people's lives better because they had more priveleges and could make the lives of their families much better.
ReplyDeleteOur society has created so many stereotypes and places everyone in categories based on what? The stereotypes are only based on what we are taught when we grow up.Who questions that knowledge when your innocent to the facts? Race has been built up by generations of this stereotyping and as Priscilla said, theres really no set definition. We place people in groups based on the stereotypes we know and grew up with. So If a person looks like they fit into a certain group people will automatically place them there. Since most stereotypes are bsed on apperances it is easy to pass in our society, even if science says a person is another race it doesn't matter. Passing can be used to its benift without people knowing because our nature to judge people by apperance is so automatic, that no one looks any deeper.
ReplyDeletePassing as another race during the time when Jim Crow Laws were used help people survive by making life easier but more importantly safer. It also made a way for many people to get the privlages that everyone should have like Priscilla and Zora said.
The misinformation about race has caused the practice of passing to grow, because people so often put people into categories, and race is one. Because there is no distinct line that defines one race from the next, people can “pass” as one category while still being in another one. As “blacks” pass as “whites” it shows that race really does not define a person, because a background of a person can’t put them into a distinct category scientifically.
ReplyDelete“Passing” was a mechanism for survival for “blacks” during the years of the Jim Crow laws because without passing, these peoples’ lives were at high risk with everything they did. Passing gave so much more protection throughout the everyday lives of these people, but I’m sure it also started to wear away at them because it meant giving up, or at least covering up a part of their identity, culture, and history.
Race is definitely a societal issue based on appearance, created by humans. The fact that people who are actually mixed in ethnicities can pass for being the more "privileged race" is enough proof. If people actually knew what their races were they might have a whole different opinion of them than what they see on the outside. Appearance is a major trigger of human treatment of one another. if you look certain ways you can have more options and better treatment, or you can be humiliated and targeted. I think passing can be both positive and negative though. In the time of the Jim Crow laws it is definitely a positive thing. It helped many people survive because they looked white, like the "better" race. That was a harsh time when skin color meant everything. However, in times such as during the reading "Plum Bun," I think Mattie and Angela's situation was very different. They were using their passing for certain advantages. Not only that, but other members of their family couldn't have the same advantages they did, and the pair still went out and enjoyed their outings despite knowing this.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't in class and I can't find the thing on firstclass. I still don't really get that website. Sorry
ReplyDeleteMyths and misinformation about race explain the practice of passing because they show that the judgments are untrue as they only are based on physical appearance. People considered black because of ancestry who appear white and are able to pass are accepted by whites and believe they are capable of anything until their ancestry is revealed and all previous judgments are dissolved and they are viewed automatically viewed as stupid or inferior. Racial passing proves that racism is a social intervention because when blacks appear white they are seen for their personalities and accomplishments but when they are viewed as black they aren't given a chance to prove stereotypes untrue.
ReplyDeleteThe frequency of "blacks" passing for "whites" reinforces the concept that "race" is a social invention and not a scientific description of human differences because society decides what race someone is depending on their outward appearance. It doesn't matter what your backround/heritage is, if you look white, people will assume you are, and treat you as if you were.
ReplyDeleteDuring the time of the Jim Crow laws, I am sure racial passing was used as a survival mechanism for many light-skinned blacks. Using their skin tone to their advantage, they could avoid many of the terrible laws of isolation and humiliation.
People grow up being taught the differences between races. Much of what they are taught are actually stereotypes, however, they believe these myths to be true of all the members of one race. Upon seeing another individual, people generally classify them by gender, age and race. They then apply the stereotypes to the person. People only apply the stereotypes to the individuals to which they fit. So if someone thinks a black person is actually white, the person perceiving them will assume that they have the white stereotypes. Race is a way for people to identify others, so the only part of your race that really matters is how others perceive you. This can be different from your actually "race", or ethnicity. I disagree with ryan who said that if race had any true basis, passing would not be possible. For example, a girl can pass for a guy, and there is not question about a scientific evidence of people being either male or female. I don't think it is a bad thing to identify people by the color of their skin, we do the same with hair and eye color etc. What is bad is applying stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteDuring the era of the Jim Crow laws, people with lighter skin were given advantages. So any one, even with black relatives, would prefer to lead a life with the privileges society was granting the white people.
Myths and misinformation about race explain the practice of passing since these "race" are based on social judgement and not a tangible scientifical judgement/explaination.
ReplyDeleteAnd the fact that many "black" pass as white shows that it is made up socially and based on individual judgements-not some clear cut scientific way of passing them as black or white. As the name implies, "passing" is something that can slide through, since there in no clear cut line in the social judgement of whether one is black or white, on a scale/gradient, any light colored skinned black can slide into the white. And it is up to the people of society to decide whether or not they can pass as white. Unlike the scientific way (which there is none...genes does not show a difference among race) of "you are either A or B"
I never heard about the act in passing as long as i lived in europe. passing for another race? it was hard to believe that this was something pretty common in america - and i had no idea that it exists/existed.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand it shows, just like many people before me posted, that racial differences are based on physical looking or the impression this physical difference has on others and not social or even scientific background. This is actually a huge fact that should be in everybody's minds. Actually i think its hilarious. people, born from blacks just looking lighter skinned pretend to be white to have social privileges. if it wasnt such a serious topic that caused and still causes grief, violence and social tensions one could laugh about it... maybe in some hundreds of years.
Anyways, if it is "good" or "bad" to pass or whatever isnt the important thing in my opinion. often times u cant do everything right if u want to stay alive. for example, i think it is a shame that so many people in austria and germany were just bysteanders to the mankind's greatest atrocities, but if u think about it, u would have think to yourself, what would i have done if i was in their position or skin.
thats the same with racial passing. i think it is strange to pretend to be another race, but during some times of the american history, during the jim crowe laws it seemed to be the only way of living a normal life. in my opinion i tihnk we should be proud of what we are, but if it threatens your life to say that you are black although u could pretend to by white, ... why not? if it saves live it is fine with me. i would have done it, too, probably...
The act of passing reinforces the idea of 'race' because it just points out more differences between people who have light skin and people who have dark skin. When people who are classified as 'black' can pass as white they saw it as an opportunity to fit in with the 'superior race' and this just encourages the idea that having lighter skin is better.
ReplyDeleteDuring the years of the Jim Crow laws 'passing' had helped many people who were 'black' but could pass as 'white' through life. If they could pass as 'white' then they would get the advantages that go along with having lighter skin. They would be able to get a good education, get a good job, ect. They also wouldn't be harassed by the 'superior race' because of the color of their skin.
Race is something that people create. The fact that so many people with black heritage have passed for white proves that society defines race independently of what is biologically real. Race, for the most part, is based on a single physical characteristic: skin color. However, skin color comes in so many different shades, and can not be put into clearly marked categories. Different societies define race differently, and it is generally impossible to determine a person's heritage by simply looking at them. The fact that people are able to pass as a race they are not proves that society's method of determining race is faulty, unreliable, and not necessary. It is simply people's way of trying to claim superiority or dominance, and is not based on truth.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that 'blacks' can pass as 'whites' reinforces the idea that race is a man-made idea because it encourages the fact that out-ward appearance, or skin color, is more important than who you actually are. Race is something that everyone in our society bends to fit their own needs. Whites use it to get more privilages out of life. And to 'pass' as 'white' just cements the idea of white privilage even deeper into the next generations' minds.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with passing-even during the Jim Crow laws-is that it's a double-edged sword. While it does give 'blacks' a chance to have white privilages. It also allows the cycle of envy and power-lust to continue.
As stated previously, race is a way that society defines an individual, a perception supposedly separate from any biological evidence. Race can include more than just skin color, but also eye color, facial structure, stature, body shape, ect. Because race isn't something that is based on our judgment, individuals who carry certain traits may have the opportunity to pass as a race that they or society consider to be different from their own. The fact that so many blacks have passed as white just goes to show how race is just a way that we try to generalize a person's look.
ReplyDeleteEssentially racial passing occurs when an individual forsakes their "true" race/heritage to live or act under the pretense of another. A person may pass because of the belief that they could have more freedom or privileges than they would otherwise have. Passing doesn't get rid of racial categories. It simply pushes it into a corner to be ignored, and there are still countless other individuals whose physical traits forbid them from passing.
Passing to be part of another race can certainly be viewed as a survival tactic. It's a way that individuals may seek to better certain aspects of their life: e.g. personal security in the case of the Jim Crow laws. By going against what they felt was their actual race, racial passing wasn't just a life convenience, but a desperate attempt to try to build the opportunity to live a healthy, happy life.
Since "blacks" are able to pass as "whites" it shows how "race" is a social invention rather than a scientific description of human differences, because there are not set groups to categorize people into, the groups are artificially made. A person can decide wether or not they want to pass for white of black, their genetic make up will not help or prevent them from doing it either way. Many people believe in the myths about certain races being smarter or superior to others, leading to the desire for "passing" to be possible.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Jim Crow laws, some blacks were able to avoid public humiliation by "passing" for white. Since white people were clearly treated better during these laws, the appeal for blacks to pass as white was much greater. They would not have to deal with the discrimination based solely off their skin color.
Stereotypes and misinformation about "race" leads to "passing" because it is what enforces it. I agree that "passing" makes more differences amoungst blacks and whites. "Passing" reinforces that race is a social invention because people chose to acknowlege what race they want to embrace and making decisions such as this doesn't have any scientic background.
ReplyDelete"Passing" was a mechanism for the Jim Crow laws because if you were light skin you were able to get white privileges and escape black hatred and murder. I do agree than there was a negative because when those who "passesd" disowned their African American heritage thus strenghten white power.
-CANDiCE
Because passing is possible, it's clear that race is a creation of society, a figment of the societal imagination. When people of one race can be labeled by that of another by accident, it seems foolish to even give race that much weight -- why define a people by their physical characteristics if those characteristics are not definitive of that race. It seems illogical.
ReplyDeleteIt is understandable why those who were able to pass used the opportunity to their advantage. In a time when a thing like race was such a deciding factor in a person's life -- not just a matter of comfort, but sometimes of survival -- a person will take as many advantages as they can find. I think certainly passing can be a way to survive, especially in a time and place where racism was so prominent.
The fact that “blacks” can pass as whites” reflects the idea that “race” in itself is a social invention rather than a scientific description of human differences because people judge “race” pretty much solely on appearances. It’s like the saying “never judge a book by its cover” – well that is exactly what people are doing when they assume your race. If someone looks to be white, then that person will be granted the privileges of that race and others will treat them that way without knowing anything deeper regarding their true background.
ReplyDelete“Passing” was most definitely a mechanism for survival for several of the lighter skinned people during the years of the Jim Crow laws. Sidestepping much of the discrimination and lack of privileges, those lighter skinned people could use their physical appearance to their advantage.
Myths and misinformation about race explains the reason for "passing" because it gives false ideas about superiority of races. If scientific evidence backed up the reasoning of one race being superior to another, racism may be considered justified by some people because the explanation would be, "well thats what we are as humans we can't change that". However, since this is not true, race is something we as humans have created socially that has no true foundation. People of one race passing for another is allowed to happen because this...there is no DNA test people have to take to define their race because that would not support anything.
ReplyDeleteDuring the time of the Jim Crow Laws, "passing" may have been a way of survival because of the way that African-Americans were treated during that time. They were treated horribly and harshly; so being able to pass as a white person would be beneficial to many people living in that time period because it may have saved their lives.
Race is a social invention, based upon how one defines themselves and how others define them. With that said, you can conclude that race is subjective, just like any opinion. It has no biological basis, and so there are no clear boundaries from one race to another. There isn't anything that can truly classify anyone as any race, and so "passing" occurs.
ReplyDelete"Passing" was practiced by some as a method of survival, or at least as a method of attaining justice, by light skinned people who had African American ancestry. It was favorable for them to "pass" as white because all of the sudden, new opportunities, priveledges, and rights became available that had not been available to African Americans otherwise.
The fact that many blacks have passed as white only backs up the idea that race is imaginary. The myths and stereotypes about race are not consistent for the whole group of people. This leaves room for the people the stereotypes do not cover to pass. Especially when one member of the family can pass when an other cant. This just proves further that race is imaginary. Two very similar people but one may have traits of a stereotype and the other does not, out of all of their common genes only a few can change how society looks at the.
ReplyDeletePassing is a legitimate way to survive during Jim Crow Laws. If you can pass and it might save your life, why not pass. Even if you are the only one in your family that can pass it is worth separating your self slightly from them in order to reassure your safety. The way that they are treated when they pass it the way they should be treated as a human being. In this sense they are not even swindling their way out of anything.
Myth, misinformation, and prejudice tell us that a person's worth is somehow inherently linked to the color of his/her skin, the structure of his/her face, the legacy in his/her blood -- that this arbitrary designation called "race" is a valid meterstick for measuring a human being's value.
ReplyDeleteThe tragedy of American history, then, is the long and rich legacy of racial discrimination and violence. During the era of Jim Crow laws, for instance, passing probably became a mechanism of not only of acceptance, but survival: to be "black" was to be isolated, humiliated, and targeted; to be "white" was to be privileged and accepted. No doubt, many perpetrators of racial injustice truly believed they were well-grounded in science or morality; all the more tragedy, that so many brilliant minds, and entire generations, were misled by society's unfounded prejudices.
Appearances are only skin deep, transient and having absolutely nothing to do with who a person really is. Large numbers of "black" people have passed as "white", which underscores the fact that "race" has no grounding in reality: the color of a person's skin does not determine how he/she thinks, feels, or acts. Society's collective delusions, rather, are what put such ideas into our minds.
Racial passing is possible because the term race is more of a social intervention than a scientific labeling. We label race by what we see physically, pertaining to facial structure, eye color, hair color, and etc. We cannot determine people's ancestry by blood from a glance. We may guess at them; but that's also just assuming from physical appearances.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that some light skinned 'blacks' passes for 'white' shows that race is only physical. It's weird that in a country that boasts meritocracy, racial diversity, and individual freedom, there are 'racial passing' for the benefits of white people (Or sometimes the minorities). It's surprising, when you look at it at a detached perspective, how we all have the same DNA save for .01%, and yet discrimination, race, and racism all derives from that difference.
Racial passing just solidifies the idea that the stereotype is imaginary. The color of a person's skin is the only thing that seems to matter in racial passing. Discrimination comes from the difference between different skin colors. The fact that many black people can pass as white people clearly shows that the only difference is skin color which should not be a big deal at all. There is no other difference besides what it visible to the eye. I find it understandable in certain circumstances why people pretend to pass for a race that they are not if they feel that a race has certain advantages but I also feel that it is stripping them of their identity and who they really are.
ReplyDeleteMyths and misinformation about race explains what "passing" is because it gives people false ideas about race, what race they should be, which races have negative connotations to them and which ones have positive connotations. People have believed these myths for ages and continue to, and if they are not a race that is accepted widely, but by their appearance it seems so, they will pass as that just to get on with more priveledges in life. It's easier to do that than to explain that they actually aren't the color they look, and they are actually 3% of something else. The fact that thousands of "blacks" have successfully passed as "whites" shows that to us race is not actually someone's specific DNA, it's only what our eye can see, and how we judge what we see. Passing is also a way of survival, especially during the civil rights era, and the Jim Crow Laws. For example, the woman we learned about who lived in Louisianna and recieved her birth certificate that said she was African American when she has always thought she was white, changed her life. She could have looked at that and not cared. But she has had many priveledges all her life that if she then started telling people she was black, (in that time era), she would lose a lot of those priveledges.
ReplyDeletetest
ReplyDeleteMyths and misinformation explain the practice of passing, because race is essentially a human created issue. No matter what color skin someone has, they are still born with the ability to breathe. Skin color has nothing to do with the very basic abilities given to humans. The fact that thousands of blacks have passed as whites further proves that race is a social invention, because they were treated differently due to the color their skin appeared to be. This shows how biased the opinion of race can become, one person may appear to be white to someone, while that same person could appear to be native american to another. So passing as one race or another has more to do with how other people see that person instead of how they classify them-self.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMyths and misinformation give people of a certain race reasons to pass as another. Although all are to be treated equally and considered human beings, many still refer to misinformation to create certain discriminating stereotypes. Many blacks have passed as whites due to their own social invention of their race. Especially during the time of the Jim Crow laws, blacks probably found it helpful to consider themselves white so they could escape the humiliation and ridicule. Passing can help to extent of saving lives.
ReplyDeleteDifferent people feel different reasons as to why they should try to "pass" as white in society. Most feel that they want to no longer be a subject to racial discrimination and wan the chance to experience privileges. There are different interpertations as to why people may be passing, because in one person's eyes someone could be Indian and in others they could be American. It is never certain who is passing and who is not, and it its a personal decision as to how each person classifies themself. The only true difference is in the skin color of these people, which shows the little difference between the races when you take a deeper look. During the time of the Jim Crow laws people must have found it easier to pass as white then to be an African American because they were treated unfairly and did not have near equal rights.
ReplyDeleteCertain races have more benefits than others, and some people take advantage of the fact that they can pass as a different race to reap those benefits as well. The fact that people are even able to pass as a different race provides proof that race doesn't really exist; there's no concrete proof between racial differences, so people can get away with it. If they look like one race, then no one can say, "No, you aren't!", because there's no way to actually prove it.
ReplyDeleteBlacks could escape the Jim Crow laws by pretending to be white, if they had light skin; in that way, they weren't included in the group that faced the worse end of segregation. They gained the benefits of whites despite the fact that they were black, and avoided the worst of racism.
The practice of passing is created because of all the myths of race. Race creates a barrier between different people and allows there to be a certain dominance to certain "races." Therefore in passing a person is allowing themselves to go from the fortunate lifestyle to the much more fortunate. Because they feel that, that will give them the upper hand in society. It reinforces the idea that it's a social invention because when we think of a black person "passing" it's a triumph. They are doing it to help better their lives. If it wasn't that way then "passing" would mean nothing and people would just be living their lives. Passing during the time of Jim Crow laws allowed blacks to be able to maneuver around the laws. They had many restrictions on them but by passing they could just avoid them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that many people, myself included, initially believed that race was not a "socially constructed entity" but rather what someone's ancestry really consisted of. The difference between race and ethnicity has simply not been nailed down in my head well enough. People are mislead to believe that what they are seen as if more important than what they truly are. This is why people probably practice passing. If they could pass as white people, why would they risk anything by trying to end slavery? But at the same time, their roots trace back to people who still may have been slaves. If you could pass as a white man, white men could not "justify" owning you as a slave and Jim Crow laws could not openly belittle you.
ReplyDeleteI believe that race is something that people have come to classify poeple in a large indiscriminate group. For example some one could be from kenya and identify with the kenyan culture but they are just reffered to as black. On standerdized tests and voting registration you have to classify yourself under one of these races. In the ethnically diverse world we live in today how can someone possibly classify themselves under one word that can describe where they come from and what they are all about. Race is a human invention that is used to put a widely diverse group of people under one word.
ReplyDeleteMyths misinform because they make stereotypes about races. For example, asians are bad drivers. The idea of passing, is that one person may actually be black in skin color, but since they do everything with white people, and they act as their friends do they associate with the white race. As their are so many more white people in america, many blacks are one of a few in their school, so they end up passing as white because it is what they know. The idea of them passing as white means race all the more social then scientific, because it shows that even though people have different colored skin they can still be just like someone who is of a different "race".
ReplyDeleteAt one point passing could have easily been a way to survive the Jim Crow laws, because by becoming similar to white people, blacks may have been more accepted in their communities in some situations