The Myth of Race

Eric A. Watts and Robert Wald Sussman are successful authors and known for their passages. They both write an article that explores how racism being used and the origin of racism. "The Color of Success" is an article written by Eric A. Watts, and "The Myth of Race" written by Robert Wald both articles explore the history and the modern day of racism. Eric A. Watts explores how the black community destroying themselves by calling success, study or wants to progress in schools and having jobs considering as "acting white." In addition, Wald Sussman explores how science shows the fact that racism is not in human nature it’s a learning behavior.

In the article Watts express how The black community victimizing themselves. He uses examples from his childhood education when many of his black peers would call him out for "acting white". Anytime he in a group of black speaking proper English and want to study or want to succeed in school and speak properly, they would consider him as “ acting white”. Wald explores the fact how people been thaught and how to interpret and understand racism. For the past 500 years “ we have been told that there are very specific things that relate to race, such as intelligence, sexual behaviors, birth rates, infants care, work ethics and abilities, personal restraint, lifespan, law-cohesion, and even brain size.” In Wald Susman article he demonstrates everything Watts friend think of him been to them by society the moment there was born to this day. We learned that some races are better than others because we are born into a racist society and our life ordered by this structure. Watts experience racism from his own race and confused by it.

Furthermore, One of Watts friends stated that "Justified dropping out of school and failing to look for a job on that basis of one factor: the cold, heartless, white power structure". These statements about his friend are used to show his reader that many Blacks exaggerate the racism that discriminates against them and uses it as an excuse to act victimized. Black people creating racism among themselves because going to school, looking for a job, is considered as ‘Acting White’. Society makes them believe success in life is white people thing, not black. Robert Sussman explores how race emerged as a social construct from early biblical justifications to the pseudoscientific studies of today. Racial prejudice and intolerance based on the myth of race remain deeply ingrained in this world. His friend believes just because the white man looking them down so, therefore, it gave him an excuse to not try and find a job at all. With these kinds of mindset, black people would never be able to elevate. If you can not be successful unless you believe that you can be. In the article, Watts also share a story of how his friend thought crack was the only options he got in life because they didn't believe in any other options.

Based on Sussman article, Biological races do not exist and never have. “ I am not going to dwell upon all of the scientific information that has been gathered by the anthropologists, biologists, geneticists, and other scientists concerning the fact that there are no such things as human biological races.” Sussman attempts to prove that ‘race’ is a biological reality and racism is a cultural invention. Eric Watts confronted the idea of people of his race being preposterous. He shed a light on how people can be stereotypical and prejudice. When mentioning studying to someone he knew, Eric was derided as "acting white". Watts finds his friends view of him as ‘acting white’ is offensive, and how people state of mind sounds ignorant and seemed so poor. His friends were acting stereotypically toward him because they felt that his "valued- hard work, initiative, articulateness" did not fit an African American student.

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