Matthew Sirois
2/28/18
Schultz
LIB 133
777 word count
Exploring Ethnicity in Best of Friends, Worlds Apart
Prompt #2
Race and ethnicity, in theory, go hand in hand with one another. To most you are a certain race depending on your appearance, this is based on where you come from; whereas ethnicity is a cultural point of view, this can also be affected by your ancestry, somewhat tying the two together. Although in the United States, at a federal level, it is hard to differentiate between the real definition of race and ethnicity. In the article “Best Friends Worlds Apart”, Joel Ruiz starts referring to himself as Afro-Cuban, only after taking residence in the United States. When he and his friend come to the United States from Cuba, they both realize very quickly that the racial inequality is prominent in southern Florida. Consequently the two friends are pulled apart based on the social construction that defines someone based on their skin complection. He struggles with being seen as black, but acting as a Cuban, which ends with him in an uncomfortable situation.
Throughout history there was a pretty clear line between races up until recently; ibun the past whites, blacks, and other races were kept apart in communities. In, Commentary on the Meaning of Race in Science and Society, Freeman writes, “In the 1700s, Blumenbach was credited with classifying people into African-American, Caucasian, and other racial categories.” (Freeman) Since interracial families were frowned upon until recently, people didn't have to worry about how they refer to someone’s race. As many others in today’s day Ruiz faces this problem, except he is not only pushed away from whites because of his dark skin, but he is pushed away from African Americans for being Cuban. Although he and his friend live less than 15 minutes away from each other Ruiz says. ''It's like I am here and he is over there… And we can't cross over to the other's world.'' (Ojito) Because of the way people see each other in the south, Miami specifically, Ruiz has to try to fit in with another culture that he isn't a part of, being forced to make life altering changes to his everyday life. Looking as if he were African American hasn't helped Ruiz adjust, he is even targeted as Ojito says, “… blacks are outsiders in this racially charged city, the scene of some of America’s worst race riots.” (Ojito) The experiences Ruiz faces are product of hundreds of years of social inequality between people of the white race and all other races. He as a dark skinned Cuban gets rejected from both the African Americans and whites in Miami; therefore he refers to himself as Afro-Cuban in attempt to better fit in.
This is not the only circumstance in which something like this can be found. In the article, “Are Asian Americans Becoming White?”, by Min Zhou talks about how the Asian immigrant population may be getting cultured to American ways. She specifically says, “Most Asian Americans seem to accept that “white” is mainstream, average and normal, and they look to whites as a frame of reference for attaining higher social position.” (Zhou, p. 35) She talks about how children being born in America, even second generations, are almost indirectly pressured to fit in with the white culture around them. These children quickly lose fluency in their own language, and are seen to for interracial relationships and eventually mariage between mostly white people. Although they seem to be more accepted in the community of whites, Zhou continues to say,“The truth is, no matter how American you think you are or try to be, if you have almond-shaped eyes, straight black hair, and a yellow complexion, you are a foreigner by default… You can certainly be as good as or even better than whites, but you will never become accepted as white.” (Zhou, p. 35) This is the same problem that Ruiz faced when he came to the United States. Both Ruiz and Asians living in the United States have found that no matter how you look, act, or think about yourself, there is an underlying fear that they will not be seen as American because of the color of their skin.
Although the United States of America are a land of fair and equal treatment to all, it is clear that fair is almost never equal. As we have seen Ruiz and many others face the fear of being judged because they look a particular way. These minority groups are almost solely divided on the way they appear at first glance which leads to social injustice. We see peoples lives being affected by others’ beliefs and hate, which keeps the social imbalance steady as it is, instead of resolution.
Citations
-Zhou, Min. “Are Asian Americans Becoming ‘White?’” Http://Journals.sagepub.com, www.bing.com/cr?
-Freeman, Harold P. “Commentary on the Meaning of Race in Science and Society.” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, American Association for Cancer Research, 1 Mar. 2003, cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/12/3/232s.
-Ojito, Mirta. “Best of Friends, Worlds Apart.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 June 2000, www.nytimes.com/2000/06/05/us/best-of-friends-worlds-apart.html.