When it comes to race and religion, among other hot topics, things always seem to be swept under the rug. My dad is Cuban and my mom is Colombian. I grew up in Miami, constantly surrounded by other Hispanics. My first language was Spanish, but most people wouldn't know that if they saw me. I'm fair-skinned with green eyes and light brown hair. I look completely different from my mom's side of the family, and yet, they are the people I identify with the most.
This just goes to show that you can't judge people by what you see on the outside. We have preconceived notions and stereotypes about every race, religion, and ethnicity. I'd like to believe that I'm not racist, but the truth is, i am (many of us are). I will admit that I do lock my car doors when i go into "bad" neighborhoods, it's an instinct and I can't help it (yet lately I've been feeling guilty about it). I have not spent much time around people of other races. I went to catholic school most of my life, and the place where I've had the most interaction with other groups of people has been here at FIU.
We're all afraid of things we don't know. That's why this class is important. As journalists we have to be able to talk to all kinds of people, from all walks of life. We must be able to let go of our prejudices and approach things with an open mind. The best way to conquer our fears is by facing them. The listening post experience will broaden our horizons, and better prepare us for what lies ahead.
I was surprised by the online race an religion tests we took last week. In the religion test Christianity came out on top, followed by Buddhism, then Judaism, and lastly Islam. I've been raised Catholic so I expected that to be on top, and I have studied Buddhism, and find it fascinating. I was surprised though that the other two religions were so low on the page. I remember studying them in high school, but my word association on the test was horrible! The test was very accurate though because Judaism and Islam are not religions I follow or that have caught my interest.
As far as the race test, I just finished taking it for a second time and I got the same result: Your data suggest a moderate automatic preference for European American compared to African American. It's fair to say that this is true. I have not been around many African Americans and I've honestly never had a good black friend. There are more negative stereotypes when it comes to African Americans than any other group. We see them daily on the news and have come associate them with crime and all the other number of things we hear and see in rap music and music videos.
The Muslim/Arab test gave me the same result after two attempts: Little to no preference for other people over Muslims. Although I've never really had Muslim friends, a family member of mine is married to a Muslim man. I grew up around him, and so therefore I never held those stereotypes of them , not even after 9/11.
Diversity is important, and learning about all kinds of people is essential for a journalist. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks this way. It's important to give a voice to the voiceless, and many times, these are the same minority groups we have prejudices against. We have to get past our fears. We have to go out and interview as many people as we can and gather as much information, and hear as many stories as possible. Every person is an individual with their own thoughts and beliefs. By getting to know them as an individuals, instead of generalizing them into a certain ethnic or color category, we may discover that they are more like us than we ever imagined.
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