Pedram Peddy PPI Rahmanian Speech 7Intercultural Communications Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Race as Class Summery In the article

Race as Class, Herbert J. Gans presents a well rounded overview of the following crucial topics Race, Class, and Status; The Historical Background; African-American Exceptionalism; Some Implications; and The Multiracial Future! The Race, Class, and Status sub-heading explains that the skin colors and facial features of different races, when arranged hierarchically, resembles the countrys classand-status hierarchy; whites are on top of the socioeconomic pecking order as they are on top of the racial one, while variously shaded nonwhites are below them in socioeconomic position (class) and prestige (status). The Historical Background sub-heading explains that the United States initial holders of cultural and political power were mostly WASPs (with a smattering of Dutch and Spanish), and they automatically assumed that their kind of whiteness marked the top of the class hierarchy; the rest of the population was moved further lower the acceptance ladder of Race as Class! The African-American Exceptionalism sub-heading explains that the latter race is the only population whose racial features are not automatically perceived differently with upward mobility! Regardless of educational level, African Americans remain as visibly black to whites as before; even though a significant number of African Americans have become middle class since the civil rights legislation of the 1960s, but are still segregated from most nonwhites. Time is also healing this bitter defect of human kind! The Some Implications sub-heading explains that the conventional wisdom and its accompanying morality treat racial prejudice, discrimination, and segregation as irrational social and individual evils that public policy can reduce but only changes in white behavior and values can eliminate. This is a working progress, because things are improving. Also, the President of our current and most powerful country in the world of The United States of America is an African American! The Multiracial Future sub-heading explains that one trend that encourages upward mobility is the rapid increase in interracial marriage that began about a quarter

century ago. It is further developed that children born multi-racially are helping eliminate the current quintet of skin colors. In my opinion, this is still not the best approach because there is a reason we all look different, and the mission of life is for us all to love and respect each other, while residing side-by-side with different skin colors.