I still remember when I first saw this on TV. I had a lot of mixed feelings. What the federal government did to the New Orleans people was completely unacceptable. They did not do their job to protect its own citizen nor save them from the natural disaster. Journalists were pleading for more aid yet it didn't come. I saw the images of people living in the Dome with bodies all over the place. I couldn't believe this was taking place in America. It reminded me of a conflict zone in a third world country.
Soon after Hurricane Katrina passed, the battle broke out. One moment I saw people pleading for help and the next moment I saw police officers and soldiers shooting people who were caught looting. It became like the LA riot of 1992. It was like an all out war zone which then brought forth the one major 'problem' America has never been able to overcome: Racial division.
As W.E.B. Du Bois states in The Souls of Black Folk, "They approach me in a half-hesitant sort of way, eye me curiously or compassionately, and then, instead of saying directly, "How does it feel to be a 'problem'?, they say, I know an excellent colored man in my town..."
What took place within early American History has clearly shaped how we view human diversity. Slavery, inhumane treatment towards African Americans, white superiority.. it might not be so obvious these days.. but it has truly left a deep wound in many people's hearts. Although in most of our daily lives, racism isn't something we clearly see or experience. As Americans, we try to ignore the fact that we have this 'problem' but then something always occurs that triggers this 'problem' to come back and it reminds us of where we are as a society. Blacks continue to feel victimized.. whites continue to feel awkward knowing they still indirectly maintain that 'white privilege' within society. This can be clearly seen in Hurricane katrina and its aftermath.
Not only was the looting and shooting taking place, but then Kanye goes on a show to bluntly say "George Bush doesn't care about black people..."with an awkward silence following it by the white man next to him, Mike Myers. Then all chaos break out. Every news station was showing this clip over and over again, people were searching on youtube to see the clip for themselves. People were madly writing comments to each other on forums to express their opinion. Some saying Kanye was a racist towards white people while others saying that Bush was the racist towards black people.
Now, three years has passed since Hurricane Katrina and Kanye's infamous line. Has anything really changed? Nope, I doubt it. We're all still divided on the color line. We can't break this social construct. Why can't we? I mean ultimately, it is we, the humans, who created this phenomenon by giving social significance to this word called race, then surely we are the ones who can truly break it? We can look at an individual and not automatically make assumptions and judgments solely based on his or her physical looks, right?
No.. maybe having racial division is better. Maybe its just a easier and more convient way of living. Sometimes its too difficult and troublesome to always be looking for the "humanity" that we all supposedly share.
OR.. maybe we're all just too scared to face this 'problem' together and to put trust in one another as fellow human beings...
Posted by: Miki
6 comments:
Thanks Miki! I agree that this is till a huge problem that affects us everyday, whether we recognize it or not. There are so many different ways people respond to the color line, some going overboard to point it out, some people trying to ignore or deny it. Some people try to put down or shut out people of a different race, and some go out of their way to attract or impress people of the other race. But do these more complicated dynamics occur in the White House, or in government and politically- affiliated social institutions? I wonder. Because the way policies are thought up and put into play, it seems pretty obvious that ideas are black and white, literally and figuratively. At least in the average American's life, it seems we are trying to work things out, figure things out. But until the powers that be either change their racist attitudes and actions, or the powers that be are changed, it's going to be very difficult for us to come together in that ideal world that recognizes differences and celebrates that, rather than just recognizes differences for no reason.
-Carley
This may seem somewhat random but i can't post a blog on our page i can only look and add coments, do i need to be added to a list or something before i can post?? Please help
yo Zane you gotta sign in as Soka Independent Study. I'll send you the info......
-C
Should we be thinking of racism not only in terms of individuals but also in terms of institutions? Are institutional structures racist? How are institutional structures racist? And what about white privilege? Even though race may be a social construction (as we all seem to agree) isn't there white privilege? Do you know Peggy McIntosh's classic "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"? Here is a link in case you're not familiar with it--
http://mmcisaac.faculty.asu.edu/emc598ge/Unpacking.html
It seems to me that we're seeing some of the effects of white privilege in terms of how the presidential race is currently being played out in the media. What do you think?
--Aneil
I think it is essential to look at the social institutions that are racist. Whether or not each institution is straight-up racist (i.e. law enforcement) or "accidentally" racist (maybe policy-making institutions or schools), the outcome is that racial minorities suffer the consequences. McIntosh's article is a great example of how different the world is for different races. Our social institutions reinforce and perpetuates these differences. So, in the current presidential race it is inspiring to see a Black man doing so well against the odds: racism towards Black people combined with white privelege of his opponent.
Ok so I basically just said yes to everything you asked Aneil, :) but it is good to think about. Individuals make up the institutions but once the institutions are in place it is hard for individuals to break the mold. What would it take for complete social change, to a world where racism isn't institutionalized and a certain people don't get priveleges for the hell of it?
-Carley
That seems to be the important question--what would it take to dislodge entrenched institutionalized racism? As we think of this question it may be useful to think about power. Where does power lie? Who benefits from institutionalized racism? And how does a black man beating the odds reinforce the dominant discourse/notion that our institutions are not really racist after all?
--Aneil
Post a Comment