Between the Lines

Random reflections from the youth in a juvenile correctional facility.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

The Human Spectrum: Where do you draw the line?

The Human Spectrum: Where do you draw the line?
http://www.understandingrace.org/humvar/spectrum.html

When we assign people to groups based on skin color or other physical features, we lose information about who they are as individuals.

Has someone ever made an incorrect assumption about you based on preconceived ideas? How did that affect you?

Do you think "race" is a good way to group people?

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Yes, because it made me not want to tell anyone I'm Italian. No, because they shouldn't judge someone just because of their color. DM

No, because it might start a problem that people do not need to have and it might make someone mad and do something that will get them in a lot of trouble. Also you shouldn't judge a person by their color. RM

No, I don't cuz all people are the some color doesn't matter. Someone has made incorrect assumptions about me because of my tattoos and I just had to prove them wrong. They affected me by lowering self esteem and low faith. But I did it for myself. DG

Yes, I felt like I was being labeled by the way I looked and dressed. It affected me because I wasn't treated equal. No, because people would get treated unfairly cause of their race. NB

Yes, they thought because I was white I was a hick. It made me wonder if people were gonna treat me different. I don't think it is a good way to place people because all people are different and some who are different skin color are even the same. NM

Yes, someone once told me I won't amount to anything because I am black. Yes, because it gives most people a little bit of comfort knowing that they have a group of people to have acceptance and can be around. HGB

Yes, I just let it go cause I know the truth. I think it is easier and a good way cause people with their own race know a lot more about each other. There are usually good things to that. DB

No, because you really wouldn't understand each other. You could probably be sure of one thing in common - that you are the same race, but inside you are all different. You could be black and have the same personality as a white person, so no, I don't think you should group people by race. AF

No, because you're judging someone before you get to know them. (example: he's black so I don't like him). If you group people by race you'd never get to meet different people of different race. ME

No, people accept me for who I am no matter what. No, people should be able to be with people from other race groups. We are all the same. CH

Yes, people from other countries have the majority of their race. If we try and mix the races up and the groups we might have chaos. MP

I don't think so because people would start to fight a lot. AV

When I go to court and people see me in handcuffs they think that I might harm them if I didn't have cuffs on or something like that. OL

Yes, they thought I was going to be a dummy because of my skin color. No, because the insides counts of a person. DD

Yes, I felt disrespected. No, because everyone is unique in their own ways. Everyone has their different ways in life. DS

I was always thought of as just an African American, but I'm Puerto Rican and Black and my great grandmother was white so I was pretty angry when I was confronted on me being Black. I don't think people should be in groups because of their incapability or defaults every one that is human should be in one group. JR

No, I think people should all be the same because it's true everybody is all the same. People in this world do not know the real thing that is happening. AW

Some people think I'm not going to be anything because I have been locked up and that's low I think. TW

No, because it turns out to be a war and no one would get along. HG

No, cause everybody has personality and color can't tell it and cause it really does not matter. JM

No, I don't think race is a good way to group people cause some people may take it offensively. JC

Yes, they have. It made me mad because they thought they had me all figured out, when they didn't even know me. Yes and no, I say yes because most people in a race have similar likes and dislikes. And I say no because every individual is different. TG

I don't think grouping people is a good thing to do. People are always judging people by their race. So that is what I think. Yes, I have been called the 'N" word. LW

No, they should be grouped by personality. JM

Yeah, I've been called Mexican a lot when I'm Puerto Rican. It's not an insult but it makes me feel further away from who I am and my true roots. I do not believe "race" is a good way to group people. It's a lot better when we're all just people, not that white kid or that Rican kid, we all have names and we're all our own individuals. JT

No, I never really experienced that about race, but I have been labeled as a criminal. I don't think race is a good way to group people because others may find it offensive. DP

They asked if I was Mexican because of the way I look, but I am from Guatemala. No, because race is nothing but heritage. It doesn't describe how an individual is. NM

No, race is not a good way to group people because it is racist and prejudiced to do that. RR.

That got me locked up because the cops were looking for a black man my height and ended up finding a gun on me. No, because I never killed anyone and I am black. CB

I don't think grouping people by race is good because people sometimes judge people by what they only see and group people by that. MR

No, because everybody should be grouped the same just like a black, white, Hispanic person. DJ

To tell you the truth I really don't care what race you are as long as you are real. CC

Yes, it made me feel mad. No, because that way you never learn who the person really is. MB

No, because some people might think that we are racist when we group them. Like the Jim Crow law and the segregation. It's just not right and fair to do that. Everyone should be treated equally, no matter what race they are. CG

Race is a bad way to judge people because we all are alike no matter where we are from. ER

No, especially since a lot of people are multi-racial. TM