Kallee Weisel

Christina Ivey

Communications and Culture

1 February 2018

Communication- Understanding culture in communication

One statement in chapter 1 Communications: A Cultural Introduction page 7 of the Comm and Culture textbook

“ I don’t even see color. Race Shouldn't Matter”. Though common this sort of statement is also complicated. It represents someone's efforts at best, someones efforts to live a life where racism (and, apparently race itself) does not affect personal choice. This communications choice- the decision to say that race is unimportant- is often an effort to build alliances and fight racism…..”

This quote caught my attention because, race feels like a constant part of conversations these days. And I have such weird feelings towards it because the idea of feeling like something becomes different in a relationship once race comes into the conversation. I have personal experience with being the single white girl in a group of black girls and everyone made sure I knew that I was the white girl. So it always has been a sore conversation for me because I have felt a sense of insecurity and frustration when situations like that happen. So I have always found it frustrating that race gets brought into the conversation or relationship. But after reading this chapter I have realized that race in a conversation has so many different things it can be used for. When someone states “ I don’t even see color. Race Shouldn't Matter”. As a person who hasn’t had to think about the color of their skin anytime I go anywhere it is no problem for me until I get judged about it. But realizing that any of my black friends, certain places they go could cause them trouble or danger just by the color of their skin. Hasn’t really been something I have thought about in that way. After reading this line I am realizing so much about race, and how we use it in communications. Some people use it to judge others, other people use it to prove similarities between each other or to connect. I realize now more than ever that race in the context of communication doesn’t have to be something negative or that has to be a worry to talk about. If you are with the right people whom all understand and accept one another it can be an amazing conversation.