You experience life through a smaller lens based on life experiences

• where they’re from
• upbringing
• religion
• peer encounters
• sexuality

According to scholars at the Frameworks Institute, framing is how people make sense of and process information about the social world by developing mental shortcuts. These shortcuts derive from our prior experiences (including second-hand experiences) and shape how we see the world. These mental shortcuts rely on “frames”, or small sets of internalized concepts and values that we use to make meaning out of unfolding events.

  White Racial Frame 

1. Racial Stereotypes (a beliefs aspect) 

• Who has power? Who makes the stereotypes?
• People of color internalize this White Racial Frame
• “He chose to whiten himself and his company because he would maximize his success” -Frank, a CEORacism in the PoC communities creates tension and hate.

2. Racial Narratives and Interpretations (integrating cognitive aspect) 

• News reports of a black man looting and two white people finding food during Katrina.
• Depending on who is giving the narrative, racial stereotypes and language

3. Racial Images (a visual aspect) and language  

• White men with guns > colored people with guns
• Terrorism as a brown-only occurrence. Timothy McVey of the Oklahoma bombing.
• KKK
• In the fight for unity and human freedom, the same people who demand equality and freedom are branded dangerous and evil.
• Yul Kwan told he wasn’t “the image of an American hero” on Survivor

4. Racialized Emotions 

• People of Color are angry, irrational, and overemotional.
• White people are painted as angelic and logical.
• Emotional disconnection between oppressor and oppressed. No grasp of reality between cultural lines.

5. Inclinations to Discriminatory Actions 

• Remarley Graham
• People are primed to make these ideas a reality when it’s a false idea.

The Material Reality

Material racial inequality exists among so many qualities of life, wealth, income, property ownership, unemloyment, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, healthcare access, poverty rates, educational attainment, etc. We are actors in a system and while individual people may not have extreme ideas, the small ones add up to a general racist society.

Counter Frames

1. White crafted “liberty and justice” frame.

a.   Relies on language within American constitution and how it applies to the oppressed.

b.   Neo-Conservative Right uses this to support a Reverse Racism argument

2. Anti-oppression counter-frames of Americans of color
   1. Well developed by black community
   2. Lack of a counter-frame within APIA community because we lack a common understanding of history.
3. Home-culture frames that Americans of color have drawn on in developing their counter frames.

Comfort of living in a community where people come from the same place.

Clashes with mainstream American culture.

The “Diplomatic” Method: Try having an intelligent conversation, or even a heart-to-heart. Suggest some readings that may enlighten them.

The “Boundaries” Method: Set clear boundaries with your friends. If they cannot respect them, retaining a “close” friend that thinks it is acceptable to demean you, for any reason, after you have explained that their actions are hurtful, is not a friend worth having.

“This Ain’t My Job” Method: It is a burden to try and convince people that racism exists. It is not your job to convince them because hegemonic ideology will contradict your points, making them all look illogical. Walk away.

All in all, I was disappointed in the workshop. I know that the speaker was unable to make it and ECAASU did all that they could to adjust, but the opportunity to discuss and really dissect white supremacy and racist framing in today’s society was squandered. The anger and frustration that I know bubbles in our community needs a way out, and I was hoping that we would be able to light the spark that starts the fire that will lead to real and tangible CHANGE. Instead, crucial topics were glossed over, racial stereotypes and police profiling was briefly mentioned, and the pictures that could have ignited great conversation were pointed at and then passed over. When addressing the Pete Hoekstra ad, the elements of fear mongering and using Asians as an indistinguishable people were not mentioned whatsoever. It’s extremely important that we tie these racist acts to the violence of the past and present. What about the attacks on students in Philadelphia? What about Vincent Chin? Danny Chen? Senseless violence and brutality deliberately aimed towards people of color as a result of white racial framing? I’m sure that this could have been something spectacular and unforeseen events occurred.