All three episodes of “Race”-The Power of an Illusion demonstrate how the concept of race is a made-up invention in recent history. However the series also does a brilliant job at explaining how this social construction has still left wounds and created oppression for many people. This week’s episode “The House We Live In” we learned about how because of race many of us consciously and more commonly unconsciously create beliefs about people we meet based on their physical appearance. It’s a sad reality, but truthfully many people believe in the stereotypes that we have been conditioned and quite honestly “brainwashed” to believe. We are all victims of the system, whether it be true oppression, or through the ignorance of our privilege.

  One example of institutional oppression that comes from the film is when the film mentions how immigrants have to fit into a post racial society. This was very interesting to me, and I plan to involve the conversation around immigrants in my final paper topic. I especially find this interesting because of my own heritage. My family has not lived on this continent for very long, and I wonder how some of my scrappy ancestors had to be classified into a mold all while facing religious and ethnic discrimination that didn’t previously exist in my families native country. This topic is fascinating, because it is a huge part of the story of America. 

  Additionally I think that institutional racism is inflammatory to all of this country’s inhabitants. All of us who live here and immigrate here are forced to fit into a racial mold that is foreign to many of us. The concept of race is honestly so absurd. For example, the United States has a racial checkbox. The options are usually very broad and not very personal to an individual’s ethnicity or culture. For example being from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East all count that person as White by US standards. This inaccuracy does not fit the reality of many people who are from these regions. The racial idea is very confusing and limiting in my opinion.