The Education of a WASP
The idea that racism is a thing of the past is a hard concept todocument, from either side of the argument. Today in America there is moreopportunity, and more freedom to move from one social class to another thanthere ever has been. However, just as there is a "glass ceiling" in somecareer paths that have been traditionally dominated by white males, therealso exists evidence in our country that racism is still a problem, andmust be addressed in positive, proactive terms in order to create trueequality. How we measure and define equality, if there is such a thing,will be the most difficult aspect to developing a strategy to eliminate Written in the mid 1960's, the racial picture in the country wassignificantly different at that time. While 1963 brought court mandatedend to the Separate - but - Equal treatment of black Americans, theattitudes and social prejudices which remained in tact created asignificant glass ceiling, and glass walls, fences, and barriers whichblack Americans were not allowed to cross.
What I learned most from this book, and what I liked most is that whenpeople, get involved, and are willing to leave the prefixed off the wordAmerican, that our society become a better, and more balanced place. When people role up their sleeves, and get involved, the stigma of'victim' is left somewhere in the corner, and we no longer have to wrestlewith labels like "anglo-American, black American, WASP, or any othercultural identity tag that often hangs around our necks like a baggage tagto suitcases on an airport baggage turnstile. The lesson I took from this book isthat we should leave behind the culturally imposed victim status of modern'multiculturalism,' admit that we are all in need, and we all can achieve,and then put our hands, hearts and minds together to benefit the commonsocietal good. Eventually, their behavior caused a demotion and transfer for Mr. It is giving that we receive, and in seekingnew understanding that we find it. However, after becoming aware of some of the prejudices on their Omaha,Nebraska home town, they chose to become active about the racism they saw,and moved to resist its injustices. Her life hasbeen cut out of a magazine, which described the typical American familywith a couple kids, a father who worked and a mom who enjoyed staying home. Overall, the Stalvey's recognizedthat only by becoming a part of the change process could they expect to seereal change in the lived of people they knew, and people they saymistreated. y's book, she lived in narrow, white anglo saxonprotestant neighborhoods for the first years of her marriage. By moving out of an all white neighborhood, and making friendships withfamilies of other races, a person can leave behind their learnedsuperiority attitudes, and assist others to find new levels of success andachievement for themselves. When they resettled, they sought housing that allowed them to live in aneighborhood of varied races and cultures. If ablack American has lived for generations in a poverty stricken situation,by leaving the label behind, he can find the personal courage to reach fornew heights, instead of hanging onto his underclass mentality and identity. Raised in a neighborhood similar to what Lois described in theopening paged of her book, I have not personally been touched by racialinjustice.
Common topics in this essay:
American WASP,
,
Stalvey's Raised,
Omaha Nebraska,
Lois Stalvey's,
Overall Stalvey's,
glass ceiling,
learned book,
black american,
black americans,
real change,
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Acceptance Essays
