race

1)

I honestly never really thought about my race as a Caucasian until about middle school when we started to talk about slavery and bringing Africans to America to be bought and sold as slaves to be used as free labor. That is when I learned about the racial inequalities between Whites and African-Americans in the United States. Another instance is when I learned about the Trail of Tears and how Native Americans were forced to relocate to the west of the United States. This is when I learned about the unfair treatment towards the Native Americans and how the Whites exploited them. I do think that naming matters because people can identify with others who are like them and who they are by making a connection. This has never been an issue with me because when I play with people online and chat with people in different servers, I am unaware of the person's race and the idea of what race they belong to never comes to mind and has never been an issue for me. When socially interacting with people of different races, I do not consider us as different.

If a group of people are offended about how they are portrayed by the naming or the image of a particular mascot, then that is something that, as a society of diverse individuals, we must address. If it is hurtful to a particular group of people, then changes must be made. Tradition or long standing policy is not a reason to not consider changes being made.

2)

As an Asian international student I have to make some different noise since I feel this topic is forcing me to give out some stereotypical reaction. I have to say that I never received any racial discrimination or unfriendly treatment under racial tone since I've been hear. I know my fortune gives the credit to the democratic ideology which deeply rooted into the ground of  little New Paltz town and the whole New York state. But if anyone expect me to say something like "I feel I am oppressed under the white privilege" or " I've been insulted because of my race" to help building the kistchy (in other word, cliche) atmosphere then I have to refuse (after all, I'm not the resident of this country, there's no way to complain that I don't get my deserved right to vote).......But I understand there must be many people getting insulted and injured with the regard of race in the place I can't see. 

Cameron's idea that "we are named by others and we are named by ourselves" show such a separate situation that minority group is isolated and disconnected with the outside. The majority is unwilling to listen and learn how does the small group of people truely think and feel, they just judge them, standing in their own position, depicting a demonized picture for people different from them.

Naming is a way to firm an existence in our  mind. Naming is an action to finish the objectification. A nickname reflect your feeling and opinion toward someone or something to some extent. When you are being called by" Black, Chicano, "or "Asian", you are affording a ready-made picture that might not ture. You are being interpreted to a personality that might not you. It does affect, affecting everyone, regarding to race.

In the American Indian Mascots case, naming could disgrace the personality and self-esteem of American Indian people, keeping mentioned themselves that they belong to a uncultured, primitive and fierce race.

3)

Other than always being aware of my differences in appearance, the first time I learned about my race wasn't really an experience, it was more so of just learning to fill out that I am “white” or “caucasian” on a test or some other reason like that. An example of names being effective in judgement, simple names like “Mackenzie” or “Amy” is assumed to be a “white girl” name and similarly, whereas complex creative names like “Imani” or “Aliyah” are assumed to be black girl names. Another outside example is how names can also determine judgement on resumes. Numerous sources show statistics that a male name on a resume would be looked at over a female name. For example, according to a news.com article, “In large companies (over 500 employees), 62 per cent of hiring managers said it was extremely probable they would interview ‘Simon’ while only 56 per cent said the same about ‘Susan’.” (https://bit.ly/2TqyrQo).  Alongside this, I know of a girl named Kyle that when asked why her name is Kyle, she tells a story of how her mom was thinking in terms of the future, purposely for getting jobs. In these cases, names definitely coincide with inequality in gender and race. In acknowledgment that this judgement exists, I for one do not have the heart to be one of these people to judge off of someones chosen or non-chosen name. Therefore I believe that there are others that are like me, and with this comes cases where judgement does not always happen.

In addition to how naming can affect an entire racial group, such as American Indian mascots, it comes along with stereotypes and slang names given to describe people of these stereotypes. According to Cameron’s article in the textbook, she is angered by the stereotypes that white people have given her in her lifetime. She shares her stories and expresses why she now feels this way towards white people and I am sure she is not the only one with these agressions and racisms. One story that upset and striked me was her halloween story about how one mother did not give her candy after learning that she was American Indian. This is so hard to believe if it were happening today. She explains that racisms of other racial groups can come from t.v., and I can't even see this being taught on television either, that it is okay to deny candy, or opportunities in the larger sense, to anyone other than one’s own race. It’s terrible that she feels traumatised in a world with those who do care but just not come across the right people, I’m guessing.

Lastly, touching on whether or not it is appropriate or not to have Native American mascots; now knowing that the relationship is not the best, it is somewhat "dancing on the line" but I would not say its crossing the line. I am one of the people who believe that mascots are chosen to represent strength both mental and physical. Why would a sports team name themselves after something they think is "comical" or "weak" or something they would make fun of.. if it is supposed to represent their team.

HOW WOULD YOU FOR EXAMPLE :

The first time I learned about race was on a test as well. I had no idea people were categorized into different race groups until then. Because of my family being interracial I never realized how race was separated. Emma you point out an important statistic. People are judged based on their names. Like you stated, many jobs will not look at or hire people who have "different" names or names based on their gender. Males are more likely to be hired than female. I think this is unfair because people don't get to choose their names their parents do. People shouldn't have to suffer because of something they don't have a choice about. I also agree with you based on the Redskins. Mascots are suppose to being something positive for the team and the Redskins have a negative connotation towards them because of it.

4)

I believe the first time I became aware of my race was when I was around 4 or 5 years old. I remember my childhood best friend (who is half black and half white) and I were watching Remember the Titans. After finishing the movie, I cried and apologized profusely to my friend because even though I didn’t have an evil bone in my body, I still looked like the villains. Flash forward to middle school, my friend and I were both equally obnoxious, loud, class clowns. During one of our incidents, we may have caused a little bit too much trouble which resulted in unequal punishments for the both of us. My friend was sent to the principal and was subsequently written up. Whereas I only got a talk from my teacher in which she said something along the lines of “you shouldn’t stoop to the level of hoodlums.” Looking back on these experiences, I realize now how my skin tone gave me privilege in comparison to my childhood friend. As outlined in the Omi and Winant readings, in the US there is a certain “racial etiquette” which dictates how certain groups are to act in accordance with the dominant group’s belief. This clearly has profound impacts on how and why students (and people) of color are punished vs whites. Furthermore, names can also impact how society and individuals view groups of people. In relation to Cameron’s essay, the name that her grandmother used for white people had a negative connotation, and rightly so. The names that are placed on groups of people have implications for how society views and treats them. For example, black men have been labeled as thugs which is mirrored in the media in so that black roles in movies are predominantly criminal or malicious in character. The dominant society has equated Native Americans to being both brave and savages; a strange dichotomy. This then diminishes their culture and is transcribed into caricatures and mascots. Moreover, the argument that these racist practices “honor” them is simply ludicrous. If whites and non-indigenous people actually want to honor indigenous practices then maybe they should replicate the Native Americans’ respect for the land.