Topic > The Issue of Class and Race in the United States

Race matters, and matters even more at higher income levels. Class does not protect minorities from racism. African Americans represent the largest racial minority, and Hispanics and Latinos constitute the largest ethnic minority. But what about Asian-Americans? We don't hear much about it. Typically, statistics about class and income inequality are false misconceptions, with research and media reports concocting a narrative of Asian Americans who have been economically successful and have achieved the so-called American Dream. Research states: “Asian Americans are the highest-income, most educated…” Even though richer Asian Americans earn more, poorer Asians still lag behind poorer whites. What is crucial is the fact that the income gap is larger only among Asian Americans, compared to all other racial groups. Most people from India, Malaysia and Bangladesh work in what we call the “informal economy”. They work in restaurants, beauty salons, salons, street vendors and are taxi drivers, truck drivers, etc. We don't hear stories of these people who work in the informal economy and are bullied or harassed by small business owners because of their behavior. competition. We don't hear stories of these groups being removed from jobs or refused to do certain things because people think if they're Asian and not privileged, they won't fight back. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayA year ago, during the month of November, I was with my cousin looking for houses to buy. We reached out to a specific house, my cousin knew he wanted to buy that house regardless of the cost. He had visited the house several times but had not had a complete tour of the house. People kept telling him to come back because they were sure they would get a tour of the house the next time he came. Even from afar you could see the sign with very large letters that said: “HOUSE FOR SALE”. As we rang the doorbell and waited for about 2 minutes, a light-skinned, blue-eyed man, without stopping to say hello or take us for a tour, blurted out, "Sorry, this house is no longer for sale." It was unexpected, but my cousin and I thought that maybe he was right or that someone had already bought the house. However, my cousin decided to ask the man why the house is no longer for sale. The first answer was the usual one, but as my cousin kept asking him questions, the final answer was not what we expected. He told us he saw us from the window and the only reason he doesn't want to sell the house is because he quickly came to the conclusion that my cousin is economically disadvantaged because he looks brown and brown people are usually poor. My cousin tried to tell him it wasn't true and also told him about his income. Even though he wasn't what the man considers tall, he still had ways to pay the money. However, he didn't care how much money he made. He was just worried that my cousin wouldn't be able to pay the money if he bought the house. The man also scolded us, saying that we don't belong here and that we shouldn't be able to own homes or businesses. Furthermore, he said that people of color are considered weak because they are disadvantaged and do not have the right to fight back or make their voices heard. Overall, we were automatically placed in the disadvantaged category due to the color of our skin and our habits. To calm our conscience.