Journal Analysis 1-3
The article I chose is called”The Survival of Biology: “Lessons’ on Race from The Oprah Winfrey Show”. I have not been a huge fan of Oprah simply because I am usually working when her show is on and I did not have the luxury of DVR until it was too late. However, I have always found Oprah to be an intriguing individual who has been an icon in popular culture since her show debuted in 1986. Oprah has been identified as the greatest black humanitarian in history. Her show found ways of embracing the most controversial ideas in an educational and informative way. My article is about one of her episodes titled “Trading Races”.
This article was intended for audiences interesting in discovering the underlying fallacies surrounding the topic of race. This article might also be captivating to avid Oprah watchers. This piece of writing delves into the ideas enveloping the existence of racism. The terminology used in the article would be best understood by individuals who possess higher education.
During this particular episode of Oprah two families were ask to participate in a very contentious experiment. Each family consisted of three members. The families were from two different races, one black and one white. They were asked to undergo transformations to become the opposite race, live in the same house and return to society undercover. The transformation only changed their appearance not their background, ethnicity, or geographic region. The transformation itself was very telling. Do certain physical features define the race of an individual? There are those people of certain races that do not possess those specific physical characteristics. Are they any less apart of that race; absolutely not.
It was recollected that until the seventeenth century race did not identify people. Differences in people were recognized by physical geographic location, language, and lifestyle. The ideology behind “race” deteriorated the older varieties of human categorization. This revelation was eye opening to those people who participated in the experiment.
Some very hurtful comments were said between the two families albeit unintentional. The phrases that were said were thought to be understood with a positive connotation. Very quickly it was realized that they were wounding. The misunderstanding existing in the assumption that all black people liked rap music and thought positively of words considered racial slang. This stereotype created unnecessary friction within the household. The issue was aired out and an understanding was reached by the two families. This is an example of a biological determinate of race. The person identified as a certain race falls victim to characteristics that fictitiously categorize that particular race.
Oprah used her show to open the eyes of millions to the idea that stereotypes surrounding races should not exist. People should be identified as individuals and nothing more. The question Oprah posed to her audience was, “What if you could change your skin color and become a different race?” After reading this article the understanding is that just because your skin color changes don’t mean that you all of a sudden become a different race. The idea of race is made up of contradictions and misunderstandings. Oprah was able to utilize her pop culture status as a respected icon of humanitarianism to inform the public of this prejudice and she wasn’t afraid to use herself as an example in the “Human Race Machine”. This machine was able to use computer software and a photo of a person to transform them into any identified race. Oprah watched as she was transitioned into a person of Asian descent, Hispanic descent, Middle Eastern descent, and Indian descent. Just because her picture was altered did not change who she was inside. Oprah has singlehandedly broken down the walls of racism in a one hour talk show. Wouldn’t it be nice if the rest of the world could reach this same rationalization?
