Sunday, December 11, 2011
Movie Review - River Queen
I saw this movie a couple years ago and I really enjoyed it because it's based on things that really happened. It takes place in the Middle 1800's in New Zealand during the Titokowaru's War between the Maori people and New Zealand colonial forces. The culture of the Maori people is something I find really captivating, It's similar to that of the Mic Mac people in Canada and the Aboriginals in Australia. This movie is about a white woman who has grown up among soldiers close to where the Maori people live. She gets pregnant at a young ago by one of the Maori boys, and 7 years later her son is kidnapped by his Maori grandfather. When she does finally find her boy she becomes engrossed in the village way of life but is still torn between that and her white family she grew up with. As the war becomes more intense, mostly over land ownership and the Maori people not 'cooperating,' the woman must chose a side to stay with her boy who has become absorbed in the Maori lifestyle or to the soldiers and her up-bringing. The story in this movie isn't exactly like the Native people in Canada that we've touched base on in class but there are definite similarities. The Maori people had to struggle with European settlers coming to their country and eventually taking over parts of their land. Many of the villages were asked to sign a treaty that seemed to benefit bot the European people and the Maori, but it turned out they had land stolen and wars were fought. The European of course called them savages and said their way of living was uncivilized. Today the Maori people are very rich in their culture and still have strong traditions. They do struggle and have issues with their government but not like the Aboriginals of Australia and Mic |Mac of Canada/U.S. This movie is a good look into their culture and history and if you know stories of other people (Mic Mac & Aboriginals) then you can see the connections.
Housing Crisis in Wasagamack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JriVUBjkeck&feature=related
This is a video I saw in another class. It has to do with a reserve in Manitoba that has horrible living conditions and the government keeps telling them they will fix it up but nothing has been done. A lot of people don't have running water and they have up to 15, 20 people living in a small home. This is a continuation of what we have talked about in class, Colonialism in Canada. The Native people have little or no resources to better their living situations and the government isn't much help. We talked about the stereotypes of Natives in Canada and how people think they don't have to pay taxes or they may have it a little easier because of their 'Indian status." I didn't really know that conditions in some reserves were this bad and I was amazed that something hasn't been done. The mold growing in some of these homes is very unhealthy, especially for the young children. Hopefully this issue will change, although it doesn't look like it will anytime soon.
This is a video I saw in another class. It has to do with a reserve in Manitoba that has horrible living conditions and the government keeps telling them they will fix it up but nothing has been done. A lot of people don't have running water and they have up to 15, 20 people living in a small home. This is a continuation of what we have talked about in class, Colonialism in Canada. The Native people have little or no resources to better their living situations and the government isn't much help. We talked about the stereotypes of Natives in Canada and how people think they don't have to pay taxes or they may have it a little easier because of their 'Indian status." I didn't really know that conditions in some reserves were this bad and I was amazed that something hasn't been done. The mold growing in some of these homes is very unhealthy, especially for the young children. Hopefully this issue will change, although it doesn't look like it will anytime soon.
Article review
http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/hidden-racism/Content?oid=1072189
This is an article that was in Coast that I came across and thought it was pretty interesting. It was based off of a story by the CBC that reported a Shoppers Drug Mart in Dartmouth locking up their black hair products because "black customers stole more than white customers." This in my opinion is horribly racist and I'd be extremely embarrassed if I worked at that store or was the manager who made that comment. The author of
The Coast article makes really good points. She talks about how it close to impossible to see racism in Halifax, but not because it's not there but because it is hidden, which I completely agree with. If you, your friends or family aren't a 'visible minority' than you often go about your daily business and don't think about racism or that it's going on in Halifax at all. This is until you hear about something like this in the news or a story from a friend and then most people are shocked or appalled, thinking this is strangely out of the ordinary. The author then goes on to talk about the 350 comments left on the CBC article, where a large portion of the people were defending the stores actions. I think most of this comes from the shock factor that Oh no, this couldn't happen in Halifax/Dartmouth so there must be some sort of reasonable explanation.
The author also mentions at the end of her article about Africville, which we talked about a lot in class and also watched a movie. A Black community that was basically kicked out from where they were living to make room for the city's new plan at the time. They were disbursed in two main parts of Halifax but also in Dartmouth and some families left the province, or in some cases the country. This is clear example of stripping people of their rights and in my opinion an example of racist actions. 40 years later it is still a very sensitive subject for many of the older members of the Africville community, which is completely understandable. The damage has been done and in their opinion it hasn't been reversed. Although, there is some movement and progress like the name changing of the road, the construction of a new church resembling the old one that the city tore down in the middle of the night, and also there is talk of some sort of fund, which I'm not too familiar with.
At the end of The Coast article the author gives her own examples of the racism in Halifax. Her first example is of her friend's fiance who is black male and he has not been let into a prominent bar in Halifax because of 'the way" he was dressed. I find this interesting because it has happened to a lot of my guy friends but also this is the first topic on my discussion board, which I did before I saw this article. It just goes to show that the bouncers at these bars in Halifax have done the same thing to many men. To be completely honest, I've never heard of any of my white guy friends not being allowed into a bar, except maybe for the fact that they were too drunk and couldn't control themselves. But if a black male (or anyone for that matter) is in the right state of mind, dressed appropriately (to the majority of people's standards), has money and wants to go into a bar with their friends, why are they so often stopped, discriminated and then told to leave? I've had a friend, on his 19th birthday go to a bar and not let in because his plain white t-shirt was too long. After asking the bouncer how short it has to be and the bouncer not answering him he told them it was his birthday and he just wanted to have fun with friends, still denied. The most annoying part to this is when the bouncer calls another bouncer over and says "her man what do you think about what this guy's wearing?" It feels like they're just doing it because they can and that they're on some sort of power trip. I've often heard from multiple people that the bouncers at one particular bar are racist, it's almost like a known fact. I think that more people should speak out about their experiences with this sort of thing so that the people of Halifax and Dartmouth can know that it does go on, daily, so they won't be so shocked when they hear that one random story and think it's a rare occurrence.
This is an article that was in Coast that I came across and thought it was pretty interesting. It was based off of a story by the CBC that reported a Shoppers Drug Mart in Dartmouth locking up their black hair products because "black customers stole more than white customers." This in my opinion is horribly racist and I'd be extremely embarrassed if I worked at that store or was the manager who made that comment. The author of
The Coast article makes really good points. She talks about how it close to impossible to see racism in Halifax, but not because it's not there but because it is hidden, which I completely agree with. If you, your friends or family aren't a 'visible minority' than you often go about your daily business and don't think about racism or that it's going on in Halifax at all. This is until you hear about something like this in the news or a story from a friend and then most people are shocked or appalled, thinking this is strangely out of the ordinary. The author then goes on to talk about the 350 comments left on the CBC article, where a large portion of the people were defending the stores actions. I think most of this comes from the shock factor that Oh no, this couldn't happen in Halifax/Dartmouth so there must be some sort of reasonable explanation.
The author also mentions at the end of her article about Africville, which we talked about a lot in class and also watched a movie. A Black community that was basically kicked out from where they were living to make room for the city's new plan at the time. They were disbursed in two main parts of Halifax but also in Dartmouth and some families left the province, or in some cases the country. This is clear example of stripping people of their rights and in my opinion an example of racist actions. 40 years later it is still a very sensitive subject for many of the older members of the Africville community, which is completely understandable. The damage has been done and in their opinion it hasn't been reversed. Although, there is some movement and progress like the name changing of the road, the construction of a new church resembling the old one that the city tore down in the middle of the night, and also there is talk of some sort of fund, which I'm not too familiar with.
At the end of The Coast article the author gives her own examples of the racism in Halifax. Her first example is of her friend's fiance who is black male and he has not been let into a prominent bar in Halifax because of 'the way" he was dressed. I find this interesting because it has happened to a lot of my guy friends but also this is the first topic on my discussion board, which I did before I saw this article. It just goes to show that the bouncers at these bars in Halifax have done the same thing to many men. To be completely honest, I've never heard of any of my white guy friends not being allowed into a bar, except maybe for the fact that they were too drunk and couldn't control themselves. But if a black male (or anyone for that matter) is in the right state of mind, dressed appropriately (to the majority of people's standards), has money and wants to go into a bar with their friends, why are they so often stopped, discriminated and then told to leave? I've had a friend, on his 19th birthday go to a bar and not let in because his plain white t-shirt was too long. After asking the bouncer how short it has to be and the bouncer not answering him he told them it was his birthday and he just wanted to have fun with friends, still denied. The most annoying part to this is when the bouncer calls another bouncer over and says "her man what do you think about what this guy's wearing?" It feels like they're just doing it because they can and that they're on some sort of power trip. I've often heard from multiple people that the bouncers at one particular bar are racist, it's almost like a known fact. I think that more people should speak out about their experiences with this sort of thing so that the people of Halifax and Dartmouth can know that it does go on, daily, so they won't be so shocked when they hear that one random story and think it's a rare occurrence.
Higher Learning - Review/Movie Trailor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4KVCVX1MrQ
Above I've attached a link to a movie called Higher Learning. It set on Columbus University and it shows how people from different backgrounds deal with each other, get along, or in most cases don't get a long. The first time I saw this movie I didn't really like it because I felt there was so much racism, it was depressing! After i watched it a couple times it got better but there are still some very strong views in this movie. I think a little bit of this movie can be related to McIntosh's "White Privilege" and also to Fanon's "Black Skin White Mask." This movie deals a lot about racism, but also sexism and and sexual orientation. It shows how people who grew up in different areas and environments cope with the "University life" which can some times be difficult.
Above I've attached a link to a movie called Higher Learning. It set on Columbus University and it shows how people from different backgrounds deal with each other, get along, or in most cases don't get a long. The first time I saw this movie I didn't really like it because I felt there was so much racism, it was depressing! After i watched it a couple times it got better but there are still some very strong views in this movie. I think a little bit of this movie can be related to McIntosh's "White Privilege" and also to Fanon's "Black Skin White Mask." This movie deals a lot about racism, but also sexism and and sexual orientation. It shows how people who grew up in different areas and environments cope with the "University life" which can some times be difficult.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Review
In class we talked about Colonialism, at one point we discussed Africa. I watched a movie in another class about colonialism, it was called White King, Red Rubber, Black Death. It was about King Leopold II who tried to colonize the Congo. As a result millions of Africans were killed throughout the 1880's and 1890's. The people of the Congo were tortured, raped and mutated. They were stripped of everything they had and given no rights, justice or freedom. As this was going on King Leopold was being honoured for a great humanitarian and philanthropist. I wouldn't say this was a good movie or recommend it to other people unless they were interested int he subject. It was mildly depressing to see people being treated this way. Even when someone asked a group of people on the street (recent day) who King Leopold was they said "he is our Uncle, he is the one who provided jobs for us." I'm not sure if this was a compliment or what people actually think but I was surprised to hear people praising him and not bashing him. King Leopold used the Congo to get tons of money for Belgium to build large statues and architecture which is still in place today. Belgium looked beautiful, rich and nobody questioned where the money was coming from.
Colonialism to me in general seems pretty cruel. In every case you hear of bad things going on, people being killed or culture be taken away. The only reason why larger countries decided to colonize under developed places was because they were greedy and it was easy to take advantage of "uncivilized" people. I find it surprising how a lot of the laws that were set in place when certain countries were colonized still hold some of the same framework or history. Or the fact that some of them are still even governed by the larger country in some way (like currency). I don't know a lot of history of colonialism or who "owned" what but it seems like it was almost a contest at one point like who could colonize the most places or something. At the end of this movie Leopold was exposed and a case was made against him, although the outcome wasn't the justice people were looking for.
Colonialism to me in general seems pretty cruel. In every case you hear of bad things going on, people being killed or culture be taken away. The only reason why larger countries decided to colonize under developed places was because they were greedy and it was easy to take advantage of "uncivilized" people. I find it surprising how a lot of the laws that were set in place when certain countries were colonized still hold some of the same framework or history. Or the fact that some of them are still even governed by the larger country in some way (like currency). I don't know a lot of history of colonialism or who "owned" what but it seems like it was almost a contest at one point like who could colonize the most places or something. At the end of this movie Leopold was exposed and a case was made against him, although the outcome wasn't the justice people were looking for.
Review #1
In class we talked a lot about immigrant workers and immigrants coming into Canada. I learned that Canada was and still is pretty strict about letting immigrants come in to the country. I find this kind of frustrating and upsetting. Canada has always been known for our "politeness" and everywhere you go when you mention your Canadian people are pleased to meet you, unlike Americans. I know this is somewhat of a stereotype but I took pride in being Canadian when I was in Australia travelling. So I always thought that it was easy for immigrants to come into our country, why wouldn't we want to help other people? And isn't it a benefit/compliment if people from other places want to live in OUR country? Last year my cousin got married to a girl from the Philippines, she has been living in Canada for some time and they've lived together in Fort Mac for about 4 years. When they were planning there wedding they wanted to have her mother, father and little sister come over from the Philippines for the wedding. Her family had to of course apply for temporary visas and give basically every detail about their life. They got rejected multiple times and it took my aunt and uncle getting involved and contacting their MLA and other resources to finally get them accepted. All this for just a wedding! I found it crazy that the government would be so harsh on a family who obviously wanted to just come over to see their daughter and sister get married.
Below I have attached an article I read in the Chronicle Herald in November, which I'm pretty sure we discussed in class, or something similar to it. This article talks about how confusing the immigration laws are in Canada but also that the future looks brighter. This is a statement I don't know I believe but I guess time will tell. The Minister of Immigration also states that there will be a "fast lane for the best and brightest immigrants and removing obstacles to their becoming permanent residents and citizens." This is all well and good but I feel what he is saying and what the article states kind of seems like Canada's only changing the laws and rules to benefit ourselves. Maybe that's how the system works I'm not sure. I just have friends that have come over from other countries like Bosnia, although this is when the war was going on, and their families needed to flee the country because of the war and poverty etc. To make a family wait in agony like that seems so sad. I'm not saying it should be a first come first serve basis but I think Canada can come up with some other way or process to figure this out where it doesn't have to be so harsh.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/31245-immigration-reforms
Below I have attached an article I read in the Chronicle Herald in November, which I'm pretty sure we discussed in class, or something similar to it. This article talks about how confusing the immigration laws are in Canada but also that the future looks brighter. This is a statement I don't know I believe but I guess time will tell. The Minister of Immigration also states that there will be a "fast lane for the best and brightest immigrants and removing obstacles to their becoming permanent residents and citizens." This is all well and good but I feel what he is saying and what the article states kind of seems like Canada's only changing the laws and rules to benefit ourselves. Maybe that's how the system works I'm not sure. I just have friends that have come over from other countries like Bosnia, although this is when the war was going on, and their families needed to flee the country because of the war and poverty etc. To make a family wait in agony like that seems so sad. I'm not saying it should be a first come first serve basis but I think Canada can come up with some other way or process to figure this out where it doesn't have to be so harsh.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/31245-immigration-reforms
Crash - Movie Trailor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=durNwe9pL0E&feature=related
The above is a link to a movie trailor for Crash. It doesn't have to do with anything super specific from our class but I thought it was an AMAZING movie.The movie is basically all about race. It puts many different stereotypes out on the table and in the movie every main character finds themselves in a situation which is uncomfortable for them that eventually makes them take a step back and analyze their life, choices, and their own stereotypical or prejudice views.
***** - Five stars in my books! Watch the movie if you get a chance, you won't regret it and it'll make you think and possibly analyze your own life.
The above is a link to a movie trailor for Crash. It doesn't have to do with anything super specific from our class but I thought it was an AMAZING movie.The movie is basically all about race. It puts many different stereotypes out on the table and in the movie every main character finds themselves in a situation which is uncomfortable for them that eventually makes them take a step back and analyze their life, choices, and their own stereotypical or prejudice views.
***** - Five stars in my books! Watch the movie if you get a chance, you won't regret it and it'll make you think and possibly analyze your own life.
Critical Reflection #4
What did you think about Sobaz Benjamin's presentation in class? How did he relate his filmmaking to Frantz Fanon's ideas?
I really enjoyed having Sobaz in the other week but I wish we could have spoke with him longer. I felt he had interesting opinions and the preview he showed of his other films looking cool too. I think a lot of people in Canada, or other places can relate to his story, but at the same time I think what he shared with us and in his movie is unique. I don’t think a lot of white people know that many black people struggle with themselves because of their race. Sometimes, like in the case of Sobaz, he felt he was to dark so he would try to lighten himself by using bleaching creams etc. He also mentioned that he was darker than both his parents which made him feel even stranger in his own skin, and that family relatives would comment on it. Other black people (or other races who typically have darker coloured skin) might not be as dark as their family or friends. This as well can make them feel uncomfortable or that they don’t fit in or belong. I think the part in the movie where Sobaz and the other man, Tim Dunn, pose naked for an art class with different masks is intriguing and also ironic in many ways. Each of them struggled growing up and finding themselves or ‘who’ they really were, and race was a big part of that for both of them. Sobaz talked about this part in class and really wanted to get our opinions on what we thought it meant and why we thought he did that. In my opinion it came down to really exposing themselves, all of them, and I don’t mean in the fact that they were naked, although that is a part of it. If a person has clothes on the way they dress can also be judged, but since they were both naked nothing can be judged except the colour of their skin, but again I don’t think that was exactly the point either. This is who they are and by doing this it’s revealing them as a person, with all their insecurities out there, because beside each other it was clearly obvious one was black and one was white. The point of the masks, (each having the opposing colour of their skin) was to put in to perspective the comparisons of the two races, along with maybe stereotypes that society has. I don’t know if I completely understand or get what Sobaz was trying to get across but that’s my interpretation of that scene.
There are obvious similarities between Sobaz’s way of thinking and the work that Fanon has done, especially Black Skin, White Mask. The name of Fanon’s piece is visibly a major theme in Sobaz film. I found Fanon’s reading to be sort of difficult and wasn’t quite sure if I was getting exactly what he was trying to say (kind of like some parts of Sobaz movie). One quote, “slave to my appearance, not to an idea”, I thought struck a chord. Sobaz and Fanon felt so judged by the colour of their skin and what people thought of them that it was overtaking their lives. And maybe that they were putting on a front (or a mask) for other people, mainly whites. Fanon talked a lot about black people trying to fit into the “white world” and acting how white people want them to act. He calls it a dialectical process, being for others and not for yourself. I think Fanon was kind of more direct and arrogant, but not in a bad way, just that he had more anger in it and Sobaz was more desperate and was trying to find a place or answer to a certain question.
Critical Reflection #1
This week in class we read and discussed two readings from Miles and Winant. In Miles article every time he said the word race he would put it in quotes. I thought this was pretty interesting. It gave off the impression that he somewhat didn’t believe it or thought it was made up, which come to find out that’s pretty much what he was getting at. He introduced the thought that ‘race’ is something human beings made up so that they could categorize people in different groups. For me, it made me step back a bit and think how if people never came up with ‘race’ and classifying those who don’t look like us then it could be possible racism wouldn’t exist at all. Obviously everyone knows that there are people who have different colour skin or texture of hair or different shaped features. If they just saw it as being unique and went about their business then many issues from the past may have not happened. Miles wanted people to know that ‘race’ is just a social construct put together simply to manage groups of people by their physical appearance and that it was more of an idea than an actual thing. This of course started centuries ago and white males were always listed at the top of humanity. Not any type of white male though, because the Irish were just as much discriminated against as Africans. This was because of the shape of their heads, thickness and probably darkness of their hair. The most dominant male is those who resemble the look of Greek gods, strong chins and long noses. These thoughts that Miles talks about have truly have made it into the minds of almost everyone, with help of the media and advertising of course. He says it can only be changed by changing economic and political relations, which we all know is impossible, and why most ‘racisms’ continue today. It makes sense that the people who created the concept of ‘race’ wanted to categorize other into different groups, because it’s human nature to associate one thing with another and put objects (including people, places, animals, food) into groups. It’s organizing in a way, and that makes people feel better.
In my opinion the concept of race only has to do with what you “see” it has nothing to do with the personality of an individual, whether they are kind, mean, sensitive etc. It also has nothing to do with intelligence, and I think that is ironic. A person could be the smartest of the smart but still, because of their looks they could/can be judged and disregarded. In today’s society you don’t see racism as frequently or “in your face’ as you use to. Many people play pretend and think oh no it doesn’t exist, or only in certain places. That is until it starts to affect them or someone they know then they start to worry about it. I watched a show once where they discussed the issue of racism when talking about criminals. It is a fact that in Canada, most of the prison population is Native people or in the U.S, Black and Latino people. Shows like Cops, or the First 48 don’t help stereotypes when most of the people they arrest are of those three nationalities. In the show it said how on the news (or other similar programs) when there is an incident involving a white male they won’t show the man’s picture, they’ll just describe what happened. But if the crime is committed by a black male 4/5 times they will show a picture as they are talking about the incident.
Miles wanted people to know that ‘race’ is an ideology that someone many years ago created. He connected racism with sexism and nationalism as all being ideologies . They continue to be successful in a way because people believe in them to be an actual concept therefore new opinions, solutions, and objections are created about these ideologies everyday. They continue and repeat themselves as time passes.
Live Discussion Board
The idea of this live discussion board is to bring up topics in relation to race, racism and colonialism or to just comment on the entries on this blog. Since it can be hard to think of a random issue I'll start the first one and whoever would like to can give their opinion: When going to certain bars and clubs in Halifax, some places have a "dress code" which is typically aimed toward the style of hip hop, rap artists and towards black males. Their pants can't be too baggy, if their shirts are too long they won't be allowed in and people can't wear hats, jerseys with numbers on them and if they have jewelry (normally chains) they have to be tucked into the shirt. But most girls can wear whatever they want and get in no problem. Is this a form of racism, or instead maybe genderism? Comment and leave your opinion!
Critical Reflection #3
Peggy McIntosh introduces us to the idea of white privilege. how was white privilege impacted your life or or those around you?
I think this article was very upfront, but truthful and something that not many people talk about or maybe even are aware of. Since I am white, I can relate to a lot of the conditions McIntosh talks about. I haven't really ever felt judged or criticized for the way I look. I feel that it is a mostly "white dominated world, which is unfortunate but reality. I have 2 brother;s, one looks similar to myself, very dark features and in the summer our skin can get a dark tan, my other brother has the dark hair but lighter eyes and skin. My mom tells me stories about when i was younger playing and someone said to her "she looks like she should be playing outside of a pizza shop". I'm not sure what ethnicity the person was referring I looked like and since I was so young I don't know how I felt about the comment. I often get asked what my background is but never have I been discriminated against. A few summers ago my brother (who looks similar to me) had to get a criminal record check for a job he was applying for. On one of the applications it was asking hair, eye colour, etc. One question said something like is you skin white, brown, black. My brother, bring white circled that word. When giving it to the police officer to look over the cop looked at him and erased what he had circled for skin colour, and circled brown giving my brother a "look". My brother thought this was hilarious but said he felt a little strange at the same time. I'm sure most of the people in my family haven't really thought about "white privilege" before, or they've never mentioned it anyway. Although my family hasn't really ever talked about race or differences between races but I'm sure they've seen the differences in everyday life.
My group of friends growing up consisted of different cultures and no one ever noticed when we were younger or said anything but as we got older it was definitely more talked about. A lot of my girlfriends were black and they would often talk about how hard it was to deal with their hair; using different products, or when it was breaking all off and most of them wouldn't let a white hairdresser touch their hair. I think my guy friends who were black got discriminated against a lot mote then my black girlfriends. They would tell stories of how they got followed in the mall by security or how people gave them dirty looks if there was 3 or more of them together in public, which I saw first hand a couple of times. A lot of my friends who were black felt uncomfortable going to white people's houses, if they weren't very close with the family or if they didn't have another black friend with them. I can completely understand it but at the same time I was always saying things like "don't be scared or nervous! who cares?" But I probably didn't and don't understand the real effect or feeling they get when put into a situation like that. My boyfriend is black and at the beginning of our relationship walking in a mall or somewhere public, sometimes we would get horrible looks from people (usually elderly). I knew that there were prejudice people out there but I never experienced it first hand like that. Or some people at school would say "oh my gosh, what did your parents say about you dating him?" This was a stupid question to me because my parents would never say anything or never judge, which I'm thankful to have parents like that. At first it was very frustrating to me why people cared but now I'm pretty much over it.
In class we talked about the "race card" and I was surprised that no one in class thought it ever applied to white people. I've been in groups where i was the only white person and I would say something and everyone would say "oh ok Alana your pulling the race card", but in a joking way. After reading McIntosh's article i realize that most of the things my friends would say that applied to the race card (for white people) are the conditions Peggy McIntosh listed.
it was and still is extremely hard for me to even understand the thought of racism or how people can be so judgemental against other races. No one chooses what they are going to look like when they were born or what family they would be born into. I know racism has come a long way but i still feel there is too much going on for today's day and age, which McIntosh I think clearly points out by her list of conditions.
I think this article was very upfront, but truthful and something that not many people talk about or maybe even are aware of. Since I am white, I can relate to a lot of the conditions McIntosh talks about. I haven't really ever felt judged or criticized for the way I look. I feel that it is a mostly "white dominated world, which is unfortunate but reality. I have 2 brother;s, one looks similar to myself, very dark features and in the summer our skin can get a dark tan, my other brother has the dark hair but lighter eyes and skin. My mom tells me stories about when i was younger playing and someone said to her "she looks like she should be playing outside of a pizza shop". I'm not sure what ethnicity the person was referring I looked like and since I was so young I don't know how I felt about the comment. I often get asked what my background is but never have I been discriminated against. A few summers ago my brother (who looks similar to me) had to get a criminal record check for a job he was applying for. On one of the applications it was asking hair, eye colour, etc. One question said something like is you skin white, brown, black. My brother, bring white circled that word. When giving it to the police officer to look over the cop looked at him and erased what he had circled for skin colour, and circled brown giving my brother a "look". My brother thought this was hilarious but said he felt a little strange at the same time. I'm sure most of the people in my family haven't really thought about "white privilege" before, or they've never mentioned it anyway. Although my family hasn't really ever talked about race or differences between races but I'm sure they've seen the differences in everyday life.
My group of friends growing up consisted of different cultures and no one ever noticed when we were younger or said anything but as we got older it was definitely more talked about. A lot of my girlfriends were black and they would often talk about how hard it was to deal with their hair; using different products, or when it was breaking all off and most of them wouldn't let a white hairdresser touch their hair. I think my guy friends who were black got discriminated against a lot mote then my black girlfriends. They would tell stories of how they got followed in the mall by security or how people gave them dirty looks if there was 3 or more of them together in public, which I saw first hand a couple of times. A lot of my friends who were black felt uncomfortable going to white people's houses, if they weren't very close with the family or if they didn't have another black friend with them. I can completely understand it but at the same time I was always saying things like "don't be scared or nervous! who cares?" But I probably didn't and don't understand the real effect or feeling they get when put into a situation like that. My boyfriend is black and at the beginning of our relationship walking in a mall or somewhere public, sometimes we would get horrible looks from people (usually elderly). I knew that there were prejudice people out there but I never experienced it first hand like that. Or some people at school would say "oh my gosh, what did your parents say about you dating him?" This was a stupid question to me because my parents would never say anything or never judge, which I'm thankful to have parents like that. At first it was very frustrating to me why people cared but now I'm pretty much over it.
In class we talked about the "race card" and I was surprised that no one in class thought it ever applied to white people. I've been in groups where i was the only white person and I would say something and everyone would say "oh ok Alana your pulling the race card", but in a joking way. After reading McIntosh's article i realize that most of the things my friends would say that applied to the race card (for white people) are the conditions Peggy McIntosh listed.
it was and still is extremely hard for me to even understand the thought of racism or how people can be so judgemental against other races. No one chooses what they are going to look like when they were born or what family they would be born into. I know racism has come a long way but i still feel there is too much going on for today's day and age, which McIntosh I think clearly points out by her list of conditions.
Critical Reflection #2
This week in class we spoke about liberalism, which came from a reading by C.W. Mills. When I heard the word liberalism before reading Mills and talking about it in class I thought it meant things like, freedom and open mindedness but also somehow the word strict came to mind as well. Mills referred to something called tabula rasa, or an ideal state of nature. Mills wasn't for or against liberalism, he said the most common way to address racial inequalities is by ignoring race altogether. Mills talked about John Locke who also felt similar that every man was created equal; no one should be born into prestige or type of hierarchies.
I like this way of thinking. It's true that everyone would be equal and maybe even get along better. It's fair to say that some people are born into, for example royal families that have a lot of money that shouldn't or don;t deserve it. I kind of feel that Mills and Locke wanted everyone born equal so that they can make choices for themselves or live up to their potential and not how society or other see them. The year after I graduated from high school I went to Australia with a friend and we travelled and worked there for 6 months. The experience was amazing and of course I wish I could go back. One of my favorite things, which I mentioned to people back home was that everyone was so nice and friendly. My friend and I would live in hostels and have jobs, either outside of the hostel or at one point we worked at one. You meet so many people that are doing the exact same thing as you; it just turned out to be a big group of friends. Point being, everyone was in the same boat. It didn't matter where you were from, what race, religion you were or if your family came from money or not. It was like having a blank slate. I loved the feeling that no one could judge, and that you could pretty much act however you wanted to and no one would day anything. This came to mind when I learned in class about the concept of tabula rasa. I know it's not exactly the same thing but it feels quite similar. Some people in our group tended to be leaders or the "plan makers" not because they were bossy or mean but because the took initiative and they gained the position. At the end of the day everyone continued to be friends, some had differences of opinions but no one was ever right or wrong. I don;t think I'll find a situation where I'll feel as comfortable as I did there.
Mills also said that "the most common way way to address racial inequalities is by ignoring race altogether." We often talk in class how race or racism is rarely spoken of amongst society because it can be seen as rude or taboo. I think when Mills made this comment he means we have to get all the the stereotypes and certain ideas people carry and get them out of our minds. We all need a blank state of mind (tabula rasa) so we can openly talk about the racial inequalities and the structures that political and social figures have set in our society today. This way maybe some problems can be brought to light and finally be addressed.
I like this way of thinking. It's true that everyone would be equal and maybe even get along better. It's fair to say that some people are born into, for example royal families that have a lot of money that shouldn't or don;t deserve it. I kind of feel that Mills and Locke wanted everyone born equal so that they can make choices for themselves or live up to their potential and not how society or other see them. The year after I graduated from high school I went to Australia with a friend and we travelled and worked there for 6 months. The experience was amazing and of course I wish I could go back. One of my favorite things, which I mentioned to people back home was that everyone was so nice and friendly. My friend and I would live in hostels and have jobs, either outside of the hostel or at one point we worked at one. You meet so many people that are doing the exact same thing as you; it just turned out to be a big group of friends. Point being, everyone was in the same boat. It didn't matter where you were from, what race, religion you were or if your family came from money or not. It was like having a blank slate. I loved the feeling that no one could judge, and that you could pretty much act however you wanted to and no one would day anything. This came to mind when I learned in class about the concept of tabula rasa. I know it's not exactly the same thing but it feels quite similar. Some people in our group tended to be leaders or the "plan makers" not because they were bossy or mean but because the took initiative and they gained the position. At the end of the day everyone continued to be friends, some had differences of opinions but no one was ever right or wrong. I don;t think I'll find a situation where I'll feel as comfortable as I did there.
Mills also said that "the most common way way to address racial inequalities is by ignoring race altogether." We often talk in class how race or racism is rarely spoken of amongst society because it can be seen as rude or taboo. I think when Mills made this comment he means we have to get all the the stereotypes and certain ideas people carry and get them out of our minds. We all need a blank state of mind (tabula rasa) so we can openly talk about the racial inequalities and the structures that political and social figures have set in our society today. This way maybe some problems can be brought to light and finally be addressed.
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