This week was really intense as far as readings as well as films. We had a lot of interesting conversations about race. Let's start with the Beyonce super bowl performance and Kendrick's performance at the Grammy's. Both were very controversial, but what I want to know is why Beyonce is getting completely ripped apart for it and Kendrick's criticism only lasted a day. Is it because she is a woman and he's a man so society has given him that privilege to criticize?
I am not completely sure how I felt about his performance. I understood it, but I feel like he almost exploited African tribes to get his point across. He had tribal dancers on stage with him and at the end put "Compton" over the continent of Africa. I felt like this was exploiting because there are many different languages, tribes, clothing, etc depending on the location. Did he trace his roots back to a specific area or did he just have these women dancing in "tribal" pieces for aesthetic? This also could have been a criticism as in they have all been lumped together and it does not matter where they are from, and that's why he had "Compton" over the continent.
We talked about Coates and the quote that really resonated with me was being woken up from a dream. It was also interesting to me to read about the talks that he has to have with his son about how to act around authority. Other classmates agreed and said that they have had these talks as well, as have I. That really resonated with me because I did not feel alone. However, it also saddened me because we have to experience these conversations in the first place.
I do not have it as bad as others. I am completely aware of that fact. However, each person's trials and tribulations is important and should not be necessarily compared. When we watched the Ferguson film, there were so many things that happened that made me extremely angry and upset. It also opened my eyes to the systemic racism and oppression that is still very prevalent today. When I hear about people being in jail and not able to get out, etc, I have always just assumed that it was for something extremely legitimate. Now I see that these people are getting $200 jaywalking tickets?! That is absolutely insane. It completely seems like they are the targets of the authorities and they're trying to make money off of them. I now see how it is nearly impossible for them to live happily and how it is almost impossible to escape from that reality. I was definitely woken up from this "dream" and my eyes were opened up to current systemic racism and oppression.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-owens/4-problematic-statements-white-people-make-about-race_b_9212864.html
This is a link to an article of appropriation done by Kylie Jenner at New York Fashion Week that I thought was extremely relevant to this week. She is completely allowed to do this, but when actual black girls do it, they are criticized and deemed "ghetto."
http://www.teenvogue.com/story/kylie-jenner-yaki-ponytail-cultural-appropriation
The Ferguson documentary was incredibly eye-opening for me. We have seen how the shootings of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown have brought police brutality and racial profiling to the forefront of conversation. Getting an in depth/behind the scenes look at what is REALLY going on in Ferguson was beneficial. The system is messed up, but how do we fix these problems when those in power do everything to keep the system working in their favor and disenfranchise those who do not look like them? Will it ever change? We hear about Black Lives Matter and the protesting that followed Brown's death, but we never hear about the $500 tickets for Jaywalking, the lack of crosswalks that would justify having to jaywalk, the debtors prisons for multiple municipality violations, or even the multiple municipality's in general. These instances have occurred for many, many years previously, but were never as widely discussed or even mentioned. One book related to this that I have had on my reading list for months is the New Jim Crow. I am immensely interested in reading how society has transformed its thinking on slavery but with all the racial implications and bias of the Old South.
ReplyDeleteWhile these documentaries shed light on the bleakness of this world, I am inspired and optimistic that there are people working every day to fight these injustices. That someone took the time to make this documentary, write a book, protest in the streets, defend victims in court, run for office and rewrite laws. I hope that I one day can find my place in the march towards equality and fairness in the law.
I honestly feel that the issue is was deeper than making documentaries, and having protest. It's upsetting because I sometimes lose hope for our nation. I feel that racism is so deeply rooted in our history that it is now apart of us. People do it unconsciously. The most I feel that I can do is tell people to be intentional in their thoughts and actions.
DeleteVel, I read The New Jim Crow last semester. While it talks about many of the same issues Coates puts forward in Between the World and Me, it takes a very different approach. While Coates book is more personal and emotionally driven, Alexander's The New Jim Crow is, for the most part, wholly fact driven. However, I think it provided a good base and starting point for talking about and discussing these issues in class. It is easier to talk about something when you know the facts, numbers, and the intricacies of how certain systems of power work.
ReplyDeleteThe Ferguson documentary is something I think everyone should watch. This was, and still is, such a controversial and hot button issue. Many people who try to engage in discussion only know what the media has been showing them, which unfortunately isn't the entire story. I think seeing this documentary would be extremely eye-opening for a lot of people.
I read the articles Kadi posted about Kylie Jenner. I can easily see people dismissing this as "no big deal" or "always trying to make things about race," but what those people don't understand is that those words in and of themselves are microagressions. They are dismissing the privileges afforded to some and the oppressions felt by others. Kylie is what, maybe 18?, so one can't expect her to always do everything right. However, when she does mess up or is called out she needs to use her power and privilege to talk about these issues instead of just shrugging them off.
Oliva,thank you for sharing about the New Jim Crow.I think it's really good to be able to emotionally understand a issue as well as intellectually capture what is happening. I think this goes back to some of our class discusses on the gut and how people make many decisions based on their "gut". I will definitely have to check out that book you are talking about!
DeleteThe Ferguson documentary really touched me. There's something really powerful behind seeing something versus hearing about it. One of the parts of the film that made the biggest impact on me was when the people who were asking for their gun rights to be protected were approached by people protesting/affected by Ferguson. The gun rights advocates were challenged that if they truly were for gun rights they would have been present at Ferguson. This really highlighted to me the hatred, hypocrisy and bigotry that exists. Not to say everyone who is for third amendment rights is morally bankrupt or racist. This comparison reminds me of the Suffrage movement. Were women fighting for the right of all women to vote or just white women?
ReplyDeleteI think the comparison you made Kadi between the Kylie Jenner, white privilege and microaggression was really important. She can be celebrated for portraying "blackness" while others are put in jail for it.
I completly agree with Kadi about feeling like I have been awoken from some kind of "dream" after reading Coates and watching the ferguson documentary. growing up I was taught the only way you go to jail is if you do something really bad. so I have always just assumed that the people in jail have done something really bad to get themselves there. this film however showed me how targeted the Black Americans in ferguson and the surounding areas really are. Everytime they leave their house they run the risk of being arrested. The live in fear of the police which is not what the police are supposed to do. Police are supposed to protect their citizens not be feared by their citizens and that's what is happening.
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