Reflection 6

      The video "A Trip to the Grocery Store" is about a black women, Joy, telling her story of being discriminated by a white cashier at a grocery store. While Joy's white sister in law, Kathleen, went through the line the cashier initiated conversation with her and was warm and happy to her. When Joy stepped up to be checked out the cashier's demeanor changed dramatically. She didn't try to talk to her and Joy's ten year old daughter noticed. Joy decided to ignore it and gave the cashier her check and instantly asked for her i.d to see if she wrote a bad check. Kathleen then stepped in and used her white priveleaged to bring the discrimination to the light. Joy wonders if she would have said anything would it have had the same impact or would she have been that "angry black lady".

       Koppleman would agree with Joy. White people need to use their white privelage for good instead of themselves. If we stuck up for the diverse group then racism might actually diminish. Koppleman states in chapter 8 "if we brought all of the people of color together that would result in about 100 million people. The diversity of such a significant group could be a huge asset for the United States, but racism causes many Americans to have a negative reaction to American diversity". His view and statements tie into the podcast by bring white privelage and discrimination into perspective. There is always going to be both of these concepts in the world, but one can combat the other.

       We can use our privelage to help others by sticking up for the black person that is getting treated different at the grocery store or the Latino family that is being mistreated by someone in line at the movie theatre. Discrimination and racism happen everyday around us and we don't think we can as one person can do something about it, but we can. Sometimes our fear of confrontation prevents us from using our privelage to help others, but if you try it just once you might be surprised who follows you.