Racial Privileges and Inequality in Modern American Society

Racial Privileges and Inequality in Modern American Society
Student’s Name
Institution
Racial Privileges and Inequality in Modern American Society
The review essay below follows a personal survey I took to understand myself in typical American society. The survey helped me understand myself in various aspects of life, such as social and economic aspects of society. Another important theme explored in the survey is the issue of race and racial characterization of American society. I am of Asian descent but have lived in America for the longest time of my life. I have blended with the local people such as the whites, the African-Americans, and even the native Indians. However, despite the extensive interaction with the various races, I still prefer to live a lonely life or find people of Asian descent. This situation clearly indicated that I have not fully blended and accepted the modern American way of life. This was a clear surprise, as I thought that my life in the country was as normal as everyone else’s.
My Initial Reaction
The review surprised me with some of the unexpected thoughts and perceptions that I hold of society. At first, I was not sure that the review would help me understand myself or society better. After all, most of the issues seen in society had become a norm, and I had not reflected on many social issues from a qualitative perspective. But, nevertheless, I was shocked to find how different my Asian culture differs from the whites’ and African-American cultures.
One surprising thing about myself is the fact that I am often with people from diverse races. Therefore, I have learned to live and relate with diverse people. I find no difficulty in relating with other people, and they hardly have issues relating with me. However, I find it weird that the media and the society at large do not appreciate the effort made by the Asian community. It seems like it is never enough whatever the Asians living in America do for the country.
I recall taking some effort to integrate with the local people, that I once decided to get close to a group of friends. Most of the five friends were white, and two were African- Americans. I found that the whites and the African-Americans could often disagree on what to do on weekends for fun in the groups. The disagreement would extend to the spots to visit based on the culture noted in these places. Often, the majority of whites in the group would win the arguments. As Heidenheimer (2017) explained, the whites often feel entitled and their preferences superior to their counterparts. As just one person of Asian descent, I found it hard to cope or even raise an idea of what I felt was nice for the group or myself. I ended up giving up on my friends because I realized that they were imposing things that I did not find funny or interesting.
The effort I make to fit in the western culture is immense. While at school, I once tried to join a voluntary community activity, where we engaged people in the community to talk to them about the adverse effects of drugs. However, the reception by the local people was not great for me. Many people that I engaged snubbed my effort, and some responded negatively to my talk. All the negative reaction was major beca...