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  • Essay / The issue of class and race in the United States

    Race matters and it is even more important at higher income levels. Class does not protect minorities from racism. African Americans make up the largest racial minority, Hispanics and Latino Americans make up the largest ethnic minority. But what about Asian Americans? We don't hear much about them. Usually, statistics about class and income inequality are false misconceptions, with research and media reports constituting a narrative that Asian Americans are economically successful and achieving the so-called American dream. Research indicates that “Asian Americans are the highest income and best educated…” Although the richest Asian Americans earn the most, the poorest Asians are always below the poorest whites. What is crucial is the fact that the income gap is largest among Asian Americans, compared to all other racial groups. Most people in India, Malaysia and Bangladesh work in what we call the “informal economy”. They work in restaurants, nail salons, salons, street vendors and are either taxi drivers, truck drivers, etc. We don't hear stories about these people working in the informal economy and being intimidated or harassed by small business owners because of their race. We don't hear about these groups who have been fired from their jobs or rejected for doing certain things because people think that 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 Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay A year ago, in the month of November, I was with my cousin looking for houses to buy. We reached a specific house, my cousin knew he wanted to buy this house whatever the price. He had visited the house several times, but had not been able to tour 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 a distance, you could see the sign with very large letters reading “HOUSE FOR SALE”. As we rang the bell and waited about 2 minutes, a man with pale skin and blue eyes, without stopping to greet us or show us around, blurted out "Sorry, this house is no longer for sale." It was something unexpected, but my cousin and I thought: maybe he was right or 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 usual but since my cousin kept asking questions, the final answer was not what we expected. He told us that he saw us through the window and that the only reason he didn't want to sell the house was because he immediately concluded that my cousin was economically disadvantaged because he had the looked brown and that brown people were generally poor. My cousin tried to tell him it wasn't true and even told him about his income. Even though it wasn't what man considered high, he still had means to pay the money. However, he didn't care how much money he made. He was only worried that my cousin wouldn't be able to afford the money if he bought the house. The man also yelled at us saying we didn't have.