Everybody is Somebody: Journal Prompts on Identity (video short)

Identity matters.  It matters in the real world. It matters very much when it comes to violence and abuse.  A person's sex age, race, he...

Identity matters. 

It matters in the real world.

It matters very much when it comes to violence and abuse. 

A person's sex age, race, health status, education level, and ethnicity greatly impact:

• Their risk of being victimized
• Their access to effective help  and resources
• To what degree people will blame them for the crime and violence committed against them 
• Whether or not changes are made to protect them and people like them in the future
• The level of empathy and compassion that the public will afford them
• Which stereotypes are likely to be applied to them as a victim
• The cultural expectations placed upon them as a victim
• What systemic tools people will make use of to keep them silent

Hope This Helps

I happen to like the way that Chris Drew Ph.D explains it on this page on HelpfulProfessor.com

Commenter:

“Race is a biological classification based on a person’s genetic makeup.”

That is a garbage statement with no basis in reality. You should be ashamed of yourself for peddling such garbage under the guise of helpful education.

Reply

Chris Drew Ph. D:

Medical science might challenge you here – we use biological race as an indicator to determine risk factors for many diseases. 

Here’s a source from the national institute of health that might be of help – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737365/

You may be approaching the issue from a postmodern perspective, and if so, I cover that in my article on the “social construction of race” – see here: https://helpfulprofessor.com/social-construction-of-race/

While there are socially constructed beliefs wrapped around the term “race”, there are, of course, biological facts of race. 

If you deny this, you might want to ask Rachel Dolezal how that turned out when she – a white woman – tried to claim she was Black.

Upon Reflection

Why do you think that some groups of people are more liberal when it comes to allowing people to claim membership in their group?

10 Facts about Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls (flipbook)

NOTE: This is not a definitive and exhaustive list. A victim's location, language, accent, social status, last name.....nearly anything can impact their experience as a victim. 

Still, we bring awareness to what happens to victims who face these obstacles too because it is clear that our "leaders" have forgotten.