Race

Remember when 'race' meant who could run the fastest? That perspective has changed a lot over the years; now 'race' means the different kinds of people in this world. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Indian - you name it, there's a ton of people like that around the world. A few days ago in class, Sal asked us to categorize different types of balls and put them in whatever category we wanted. I, (being the traditional boring person I am), decided to categorize them based on size - smallest to largest. While putting the balls in their right place, I heard Sal say something about how each ball could be used differently in other countries. For example, in America most people use a baseball to play baseball. But in some other countries, it could be used as a softball. Hearing this made me think about how each country isn't the same. When I was younger, I thought each country was the same and everyone had the same customs as the U.S. However, I was proven wrong. I thought it was really interesting when Sal showed us an article about different races and how each person could have more than one ethnicity. Talking from personal experience, I have a friend who's half Norwegian and half Irish. The first time I met her, I thought she was Polish. We became very close as the year progressed and I was glad to have a friend who isn't only Caucasian, Asian, etc. The first time you meet someone, you automatically think, "they're white", or some other ethnicity - I know I was like that, and sometimes I still am; I just assume that a person a general ethnicity. When we played a game based on people's race, it was really interesting and entertaining to see what one person could be. I know for some of them I never expected. For example, (talking from personal experience), the first time people see me or meet me for the first time, they assume I'm either: Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. Truth is, I'm actually a full Filipino. Now, seeing as my skin is so light for the average Filipino, people would think I was lying. A regular Filipino would be very very tan. When I was younger, me and my family would go on vacation every summer and I would go swimming whenever I got the chance. I was really satisfied with myself because I'd look so tan! But as I grew older, I became lighter and lighter. It kind of amuses me how people assume that I'm a certain race when I'm not. A wise friend told me to never assume things; they could prove you wrong. This unit opened my eyes, because now I know not to judge people based on how they look on the outside.