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It amazes me still
that in 2016 when we think that we, as a country, have progressed, we
immediately get backhanded with events that prove us wrong. Watching the
video and reading the chapters has only further proved my points that White
America are the oppressors and the rest of the country are the oppressed ones. I
am looking forward to finishing Privilege,
Power, and Difference because it would give me an insight into what the
mind of a white privileged man processes when it comes down to issues that do
not regard them but they still manage to come up with an unsolicited opinion. I
realize that he acknowledges his privilege which makes me more comfortable reading
it seeing that he has respect for minorities and active problems pursuing the
community. I liked how the book and the video made connections with the issues privilege
brings; they both made points on how easily privilege can silence the problems occurring.
Since power and privilege go together, problems frequently happening in lower
classes and low-end communities are often muted and rarely addressed. Thanks to
younger generations and the power of social media, issues are more than often brought
to light and something is usually done to fix the problem. On Twitter I follow
a variety of social justice accounts which help me become connected with others
around the country and even around the world that speak out about issues
affecting them directly and the community around them. In the video Junot Díaz
addressed the idea that there are two types of worlds existing today: the official
world and the real world. In the official world, nobody talks about social
issues and the problems affecting society, and everyone continues to live as if
nothing is going on. Then in the real world, we acknowledge the erasure White
America is doing to the cultures of minorities and the existing problems. I tend
to see this a lot especially in my environment. Immigration matters is what
matters to me the most, especially right now with bans going on, and there
seems to be no promising plans for immigrants in politics anytime soon. Here we
have a country that we seem to present ourselves as, how we imagine ourselves, how
we project ourselves, and the reality of America. Immigrants tend to see this
country as great with much potential for them and their families, but White
America has drastically changed these views. I cannot think of anything that I
like about this country or about the policies being enacted; all I can think
about is the change that everyone will endure. Díaz stated that he believes
that minorities should be the ones to make a change, but I believe we have been
fighting for far too long; I’m not saying that we should stop rebelling at all,
but some type of change must come from the inside. It was the white elitists that
prematurely placed this country in a position that benefits no one; not the
minorities.
Hi Melanie!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! I agree with you—I’m really enjoying Privilege, Power, and Difference because of the unique perspective we’re going to get from someone who could definitely be considered a dominant figure in our society. I liked that you touched on the power of the technology. I watched a video that someone else included with their blog post about how the Internet is a place that serves as a breeding ground for hateful thoughts and messages, so it’s encouraging to know that it’s also a place where people can spread powerful ideas and give a voice to those that have been silenced. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that change has to come from the inside—there is only so much minorities can do when they are continuously silenced (not that they should give up!). Like Johnson said in Privilege, Power, and Difference, it is the privileged that have to do something. I am happy to see some of our current politicians, even those that are white males, speaking out against Trump’s recent changes. Hopefully, these people will serve as an encouragement to other politicians and even ordinary citizens with power and privilege that have been hesitant to speak up. I hope that enough people raise their voices so that the U.S. can be a place where everyone feels like they belong and that they have an opportunity. Thank you for your post and the issues you brought to light!
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ReplyDeleteI also recognize that the fight for equality must come from within. In the wake of recent events, the shoulders of social justice advocates are now burdened with a most critical battle in fighting for equality, and against the narratives placed by the oppressive groups that are now in the most powerful positions in the nation. The newly appointed president recently enacted an immigration ban, a ban to prevent Muslims from entering the United States traveling from a group of certain countries. In just the past twenty-four hours, the acting attorney general stood up against the administration despite following the norm for a difference of opinion. Yesterday, Sally Yates submitted a memo to not enforce the Muslim ban. She stood up for her beliefs against the president and his executive order. She was willing to sacrifice her position for what she believed in. She found it unconstitutional and against the law to apply a ban against certain types of individuals. Rather than following the norm and resigning her position, she spoke out. It wasn’t but four hours after the memo was sent out that the president fired Yates. He got a new acting attorney general to rescind the memo and enforce the order. Along with the marches, the protests, and the defiance of our senior government officials, through our diversity we must unite together to prevent the oppressive acts brought down by the new white house administration. It is unfortunate that our process to fight and remove the ban is slow and tedious, going up through the district courts.
ReplyDelete