Blog 5: "The Emotional Power of Racism" By Trainor

She says that she "argues against prevailing views of student racism as arising from a need or desire to protect or gain white privilege, or as rooted in ignorance of systematic oppression or lack of exposure to difference" and "the most important human encounters are those that cause anxiety and even anger" (83, 85). I completely disagree. My point is this: it starts at home. Family life and parental influence has a huge impact on the mentality and world-view of the students. It might not seem like it, but that is where the 'systematic' part of racism begins. The sense of privilege and ignorance that certain families promote through generations is what results in discrimination of all forms, not just racism. No amount of racial literature is going to make a person racist unless they were already influenced by it at home. It makes no sense how non-white characters in literature expressing their feelings and experiences could possibly cause a student so much anxiety and anger that it leads them to be racist, unless that student is already so self-absorbed in their own existence that they cannot find it within themselves to empathize with the life experience of someone different. Hence, the privileged existence taught at home portion of my argument, and the root of racism. As a final thought, I understand that many people say racist phrases, and it does not mean they are racist as Trainor points out at a certain point. People say things like "that so retarded" or "asians are bad drivers," etc. Yet, it would not hurt to actively try to curve that language as well instead of excusing it as I feel that Trainor is basically doing in her writing.