Segregation In “At A Slaughterhouse, Some Things Never Die”

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Segregation in “At a Slaughterhouse, Some Things Never Die” Charlie LeDuff’s article “At a Slaughterhouse, Some Things Never Die” investigates jobs at Smithfield Packing Company, a slaughterhouse in Tar heel, N.C. It depicts the strong segregation between races and the jobs they are hired to do. Also, it shows how creating a segregated work environment makes for a segregated lifestyle and belief system. W.E.B Du Bois "Double-Consciousness and the Veil"(Goodman & Ritzer 2004) portrays the invisibility of black America and the separation between whites and blacks. His theory could help portray not only the separation of whites and blacks, but also the separation of whites and other races. There are also other theories, such as conflict theory, standpoint theory, and labeling theory, that provide reasoning to the segregation at the slaughter house. The workers in the slaughterhouse are African American, Native American, Hispanic and Caucasian. LeDuff talks to three main people to get their views on the slaughterhouse. The first is Billy Harwood, a white inmate who takes a job at Smithfield to save money for when he gets out of jail. The second is Wade Baker, a 51 year old black worker who takes care of his mother. Third is Mercedes Fernandez, a 26 year old Hispanic woman who is an illegal immigrant. All three work on the cut floor where the carcasses are cut. Racial categorization in the slaughterhouse is frequently (though not always) based on pheno-typical differences; that is, differences of facial characteristics, skin color, and so forth. Double consciousness is the sense of looking at one’s self through the eyes of others. Mainly this focuses on how blacks constantly perceive themselves in negative terms through the eyes of white society and in positive terms through the eyes of the black community. Du Bois argues

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