During class, we spoke of the Black, Asian, and White racial triangulation and how other races might fit into the field of racial positions. Some time ago, I came across a document that outlines one perception of the evolving racial hierarchy in the U.S. On page 18 of the pdf linked below, Bonilla-Silva maps a “tri-racial system in the United States.” The author also writes that “As Bonilla-Silva points out, as honorary Whites grow in size and social importance, this group is likely to be used as a buffer between Whites and the Collective Black”, and this is very relevant in our conversation of triangulation. The podcast speaks about how Asians are seen as model minorities, and Black people are then seen as the “problem” minorities, and that we cannot let minority groups be pitted against one another. Bonilla-Silva writes that as minority groups move up the chart, they may side with Whites more, turning their backs on “The Collective Black”.
It’s interesting to note how skin color seems to matter more than facial traits in “ranking” these groups of people. It’s also worth noticing that Asians are grouped into different boxes, despite them being from countries near each other. This plays into how Asian cultures (specifically east and south) places a lot of importance on achieving light skin because in addition to being perceived as being more beautiful if lighter in shade, in the U.S., Asians may be perceived as “higher in ranking” with lighter skin.
https://www.law.uci.edu/lawreview/vol3/no4/Jones.pdf
