Monday, November 15, 2010

Black Women . . .


Do you think black women are degraded and stereoptyped by negative statistics?
Examples:
Most black women are loud and ghetto.
Most black women need welfare.
Most black women drop out of school and have kids too early.

Do you think it's fair that just about every African American woman other than Oprah and Michelle Obama are grouped together and stereotyped negatively?

Do you think it's fair that a black woman can't run a company or become CEO unless the company is black owned? "A black woman has zero chance of rising up through the ranks to the top of a white company no matter how hard she works or intelligent she is."
Do you agree with this statement?

If you view this issue as a problem in our society, can you think of any way to solve it?

Thanks for your thoughts on this!

Martina Harvey (noon)

14 comments:

English student said...

I don't necessarily think this is true. I was in the Navy for 4.5 years and there were a lot of black females who had risen to the ranks of Master Chief (highest rank enlisted members can achieve) and I even met a few that were Captains. I don't know if there were any Admirals, but there weren't a lot of females in that position in general, mostly due to the fact that there are relatively few women in the Navy, and no a lot of them stay in because of familial responsibilities that arise.

Also, I worked at a family owned factory in Gibson City for a while (not a black family either) and the VP was a black woman and the HR manager was also a black woman. I do agree that there is a stereotype towards blacks in general, but a lot of that is because of their representation in the media. Guys like Chad Ochocinco and the rappers boasting about beating bitches and hoes don't help them much. I personally don't view black people in that way because of the great African Americans I have encountered and worked with.

Kevin Farnum (8:00)

English student said...

I think the statement you made is quite a bit overstated. I believe that there are negative stereotypes but they can be across all cultures and people of society. I would certainly not think all black women are loud and ghetto. Personally I know a lot more white women who are loud and ghetto than I do African American women. Statistically speaking there are more white women on welfare than any other ethnicity in America. That's just because there are more white women in America. I don't think most black women NEED welfare, I think the welfare system is broken and way too many people receive it than need it. It is a system that is abused and when people receive it for a long time, I think after a while they believe they are entitled to it. This goes across all areas of society.

I don't stereotype negatively when I look att a black woman no more that I do when I look at other women in society.

I don't agree with the last part of the statement although I do agree with you that it would be very hard to climb to the top of business if you are a black woman.
This comes all the way back into earlier societies where women in general were held at lower tiers in society.

I think that if you have a chance to do some of the things that I think you want to achieve there is no better conutry to do so than in America. I believe that if you think that you can't get somewhere in society or in a company because of a color or a gender then you arlready have a chip on your shoulder that will go against. RRemember we have black women in very important positions all over the states but not all of us (black, white or purple) will not be Oprahs or Michelle's.

A way to solve the problem is to have companies ensure that all employees receive the same benifits and compensation for all positions that are not incentive based, kinda like the military.

Jesse Hill 8:00

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 8:13:00 AM

English student said...

i dont think this is true. women in general are very strong and are becoming more and more powerful in the work place. i think that we actually will have a women president before to long. i belive women are very strong willd and are no diffrent because there a women there a human being and are just as capable as anyone and there skin toen doesnt matter.


tyler farmer

English student said...

I dont agree with with this. Stereotypes are everywhere and about everyone not just black women. I dont think stereotypes are true at all and think people should belive them. Just because there are a few people that act a certin way you cant sterotype all of them.

Scotty

English student said...

Everyone today is stereotyped, we just had a conversation about smoking and stereo types in class. I would have to say I do not agree with you.

Missy James

English student said...

I believe everyone is degraded in their lives in some way or another and if you dont stop thinking about statistics and stereotyping then people will never over come them. plus i agree with what Jesse Hill said.

Jessica Ervin

English student said...

I have to say yes there are people that talk negatively about black women but that is with everyone. Of course it isn't fair but everybody does it. It isn't just towards the black women. I also think that many black women could make it to the top of a company if they actually worked at it. You aren't going to get it just by going you have to do work and show that you are good enough for that spot. Yes some companies may not allow it because they are racist but that doesn't include everybody. So I have to disagree with the fact that they can't make it anywhere in a company.

Falynn Clow

English student said...

In today's world, lots of people are stereotyped, no matter what ethnicity you are. It doesn't matter if they are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or even White. I think it happens to everyone no matter what ethnicity you are. I think that we all judge people, it's something that comes natural to us. Within 2 seconds of meeting someone you make a judgment about what type of person they are. I'm not saying that it's right. I just think that it comes naturally to us. The question is, how do we overcome it.
Jorge Lujano (8am)

English student said...

Black Girls Rock!! But I really didn't need that statement to reinforce my own feelings. Like, I love me. There are beliefs amoung some people who have these feelings and attitudes about african american women. But then the statement to hold true would be 'how well can you know a person?' I dont know or understand the dynamics of a white man. But, I often hear a statement referring to white men in general such as they can't dance or they listen to rock music. These general statements could be true also of black men and women. If we continue to allow the reinforcement of the stero type to be the only example of who and how we are then yes, we are characterized by the negative statistics.

The idea that a woman of color would not have a chance at advancement in a company based on her skin color is ridiculious. If and when I am ready to run a company I will. There will be no glass no barrier that I will not be able to overcome. If you possess the knowledge and the skills neccessary to do the job, you got it!

This issue is only a problem if we allow it to be. In the next 10 years the statistics will be in favor of people of color what will be our exuse for not succeeding then? We can only hold ourselves down.

Tyreis Robinson

English student said...

I think any black woman can become anything that she wants in her life she is very strong enogh to do so. and part of your questions are accurate why others are trying to act like they dont see the actual fact that their are alot of black women who are down graded people just need to not look at it as being about race and discrimination but asa actual facts.

Demario Jordan

English student said...

the african american race period is degraded male and female but yes females have a double negative because they are black and they are females. It is already believed to be a mans world and their are some things in this world that women just cant do and then on top of that they are black and it is just terrible
Chadd Bailey noon

English student said...

Yes I do believe that black women are degraded and stereotyped by negative statistics. No I do not think its fair that almost every black woman is stereotyped negatively black women are just like any other woman is society and should be treated the same but a lot of the times are not and thats sad. No I do not think it is fair that a black woman can't run a company or become CEO unless the company is black owned i feel like it should not be about your race or were you come from but what you can bring to the table.Ive heard of black women moving up in positions in their work place but I will say that it is very seldomly that they do so. Yes I do believe it is a problem and with me being a black young lady myself I believe that we have to come together as black women in order to get things accomplished and thats just something that we just cant seem to do.

Sierra (noon)

English student said...

No I don't think its fair for black women to be grouped together. They are the same as white women and should have the right to do what they want just like everyone else. It doesn't matter whether a woman is black or white, either way they should be able to run a company or be a CEO.

Hillary Moore

English student said...

I do believe that black women have been stereoptyped, but that is a false representation because not all black women are the same you have some very powerful, educated black women, but the public only focus on the negative because that's what make good media attention.

Shannon Adams