Time out, RACE CARD!

"Whoa, man. That's racist!"

I'm sure everyone has heard similar sentences at least a couple times in their lives.

We have finally reached a society where racial equality has improved to a level that people can talk about the topic of race, whether people are comfortable with it or not. Of course, there are certain moments when one person says something that is inappropriate, and everyone feels the need to point out the mistake.


Let's try to flip the table on this topic. If it is inappropriate for a person to comment on other races about their characteristics, is it wrong for people to play the race card to get out of providing legitimate explanations or prove a valid point?


As much as people claim that we live in a post-racial society, it sure does not feel that way. For example, when the current President, Barack Obama was elected for the first time, there was a lot of discussions in regards to the President's racial backgrounds. Some commented that he was not a truly African American because he has a caucasian mother, although millions of people who are classified as African Americans have caucasian backgrounds as well considering the history of this nation.

 The article by Hurtwitz and Peffley discuss a much darker aspect of the topic of 'Race Card' regarding the crimes and stigmas that follow certain minority groups. One part that stood out to me the most is the phrase "group-centric framing." The authors state, "individuals are more likely to base their decision to tolerate such a rally on their support for civil liberties, while they are more likely to base their decision on concerns for public order if the same story is framed in terms of safety."

The statement made sense to me because the whole concept of so-called 'Race Card' being accepted by the society is because we let them to be accepted due to a socially constructed guilt.

I personally am against the whole concept of 'race card' because I believe that this society does not need another socially constructed term that involves the concept of race. If the society truly wishes to move past the racial differences, it must putting so much emphasis into them.