An Assignment from the Desk of Mr. Plasker

The country has grown a lot in the past 60 years.  Computers have become the main source of communication.  Telephones have not only lost their cords, but also become small and mobile.  However, technological advances have not been the only field to flourish.  The country’s acceptance has also grown by leaps and bounds.  Nowadays, companies are run by people of all races.  Minorities can walk down the street without the fear of being harassed or worse.  For the most part, all people, regardless of race, have an equal say.  So the country that exploded slavery is now has equality as its motto?  I think not.  Our country has come a long way since the days of slavery, of that there is no doubt, but there are still plenty of exhibitions of racism, regardless of the laws given to all men and women.

            Most of the racism seen today is subtle.  A sideways glance here or there.  A slight step away from somebody on a line.  There are plenty of instances of racism going on everyday that people don’t always recognize.  Neighborhoods, for example, are often dominated by one particular race.  Realtors have even admitted to choosing different neighborhoods to display based purely on the race of the shopper.  In an article on race, the author said, “Cab drivers are often more likely to stop for a white or affluent looking person than one of color or low income. This is most likely because the cab driver is looking to earn extra money through its rich guests” (Richmond 1)  This, itself, is a racist statement.  The author is making the assumption that a person of color is going to be less affluent than a white passenger.  The fact that the cabby is looking for the most money (a practice that cannot be criticized from a business point of view) has nothing to do with the race of his fares.  In fact, in an article designed to point out racism in the country did just that, albeit inadvertently. 

At other times, however, racism can be blatant.  Recently, comedian Michael Richards went off - while doing a stand-up comedy act – on an African-American heckler, spewing racial slurs and offensive comments.  He had now joined the club of pariahs that includes popular and often controversial radio-talk show host, Don Imus.  Equally as blatant is the shocking statistic that African-American males are roughly ten times more likely to be stopped and hassled by police than white males (Jones).  These heinous outbursts and statistics rear their ugly heads every once a while to remind us that racism is not a thing of the past.

Although our country has made great strides, people are still being persecuted for their race. Nobody should become so comfortable with the topic of racism to think that it does not still exist.  

Read the following blog, including comments.  Your mission is to continue the argument with a blog post of your own.  The post does not have to answer the original question.  You may use a topic brought up in the comments as well.  Refer to the following while writing your post: 

- John's Blog (Immigration's Affect on the US Economy)

- My Delicious site (Contains multiple links to websites regarding mexican immigration).

- Listen to the following debate on iTunes held by students at Wake Forest University (Immigration: Recasting the Debate - Podcast). 

- This article found on EBSCO (An interesting article regarding the present immigration situation and Obama's plan for immigration).

- Students also may choose to respond to one of the quotes from the novel (below).  

"For a long moment, they stood there, examining each other, unwitting perpetrator and unwitting victim" (Boyle 8).

- Shows how hesitant Delaney was after hitting Cándido.  Obviously, Cándido was shocked that he was hit, but just as shocked and taken aback was Delaney, who didn't know whether to rush the man to the hospital or to listen to the immigrant and leave him near death on the side of the road.

"The coyotes keep coming, breeding up to fill in the gaps, moving in where the living is easy. They are cunning, versatile, hungry and unstoppable" (Boyle 214).

- This is Delaney's take on immigration.  Handling his guilt with anger at immigrants, he compares them to animals and then calls them an unstoppable force.

"…Well did you ever stop to think what happens when they don’t get that half-day job spreading manure or stripping shingles off a roof? Where do you think they sleep? What do you think they eat? What would you do in their place?” (Boyle 146).

- Once again, displays Delaney's nativism.  He is clearly trying to rally other people to his cause because if others agree that the immigrants should have been there, he thinks that will exonerate himself of the inner guilt he feels.

"They were joggers, nonsmokers, social drinkers, and if not full-blown vegetarians, people who were conscious of their intake of animal fats. Their memberships included the Sierra Club, Save the Children, the National Wildlife Federation and the Democratic Party. They preferred the contemporary look to Early American or kitsch. In religious matters, they were agnostic" (Boyle 34).

- This quote acts in Delaney and Kyra's defense.  It shows just how "good" these people are.  Given this quote, one could ask, "How could such good, community-minded people possibly be related to such a heinous crime?"