Reverse Racism #4

Does reverse racism really exist? In class, we briefly spoke about how it doesn't for the following reason: One cannot be racist if he/she is not in a position of power. However, this doesn't mean he/she cannot spit racial slurs or something of the like. But his/her submission of derogatory remarks are nearly harmless to the race of the higher power.

This article really covers the ins & outs of the myth of reverse racism. While it restates everything that Mattessich broadly stated in class a couple days ago, it also goes into more depth and detail with each component of the theory of reverse racism.

http://www.raceandhistory.com/selfnews/viewnews.cgi?newsid1024893033,80611,.shtml

I chose this as a topic to blog about because I agree that reverse racism doesn't truly exist. I just recently experienced an encounter with a black woman wherein I felt I was being treated a certain way merely because of the color of my skin. I was in the mall with a couple of my girl friends. The black woman was initially talking to a group of black teenage girls, and she seemed to have a great energy and friendliness about her. But when she saw my white friends and me, she became cold and kept yelling at us for the littlest things: she was saying that we were talking too loudly in the store and that we couldn't sit in some places in the store. I don't believe that she would have had a problem with our behavior had we been the group of black teenagers whom she was especially nice to just a few minutes prior. However, it is true that I was totally unaffected by the rudeness that the black woman executed - I think because I knew that I had every right to be in that store, speaking freely, at the volume of my choice, and to whom and where I wanted. I was entirely secure in my skin. This personal experience coheres to the analysis of reverse racism that I have now heard spoken and written about.

Everything Is Written #3

Everything is written. Oh my gosh, I couldn't adhere to this belief any more so than I already do. Malcolm used this phrase to describe that life's events are planned out and predestined. My personal experiences have only led me to uphold this belief with more confidence and absolute certitude. I believe that some people are luckier than others. Although I like to believe otherwise, I think that some people are naturally blessed with fortune, while others, whom are not any less deserving, are deprived of some fundamental fortunes, like healthiness for example. Last year, my younger sister became so extremely ill. We had never seen any signs in her early life that she was going to become sick like she did. I can't really express last year's experience for my family and me in any other way than to simply say that our lives SUCKED last year. My poor sister was diagnosed with so many rare diseases, which she didn't deserve in the slightest. I don't believe that anybody really deserves to become so uncomfortable and so unhealthy like she did, but especially not my sister. She was too good a girl to deserve the pain that she received. Luckily she is better today (this year). She's doing so extraordinarily well. It's scary to think about how quickly our lives crashed last year, and how quickly they bounced back this year. This is how I know that everything is written. She wouldn't have gotten sick in the first place if she wasn't going to be fully recovered & even stronger in her return. Why she needed to experience the misery and agony that she did, I still don't know. But I do know that I will never fully forgive the force that inflicted her (and me) with such a scary, life changing experience.

The below article discusses a different spectrum of the study of predestination. This article doesn't take the religious or soulful approach, but instead, the study of criminal tendencies. The author of this article wrote about how the "dangerous notion of misconduct is hereditary":

http://www.city-journal.org/html/eon2007-02-06td.html

Some argue that predestination doesn't exist, and that only people themselves can control their fate. Others argue that predestination does exist, and that some misfortunes can simply not be avoided. The above article is balanced cocktail of both arguments: genetics contribute to behavioral conduct, but there isn't an inhuman driving force behind crime. The various theories of life's predetermination and predestination are very compelling to me. I believe that EVERYTHING IS WRITTEN!

Kinky Hair #2

Malcolm and his friends "conk" their hair in order to appear more "white" and to tame the kinky consistency of their natural hair. Being that Malcolm is a man, I think his incentive for "conking" his hair is, in full, just to appear more white - he doesn't conk his hair in the interest of making his hair more self-manageable to comb and to style, but instead only for purpose of appearance. However, women encounter more severe complications with their kinky, curly hair. Having super curly hair myself, I know the range of predicaments it delivers, from the inside, out. Not only does it physically become a pain to manage and to maintain, but it also fiddles with my self esteem from time-to-time. My hair does not always cooperate, and it certainly requires a lot more care than naturally straight hair does. Within the last week or so, I have been contemplating getting my hair permanently straightened. It's a more difficult decision than it seems, because it actually goes beyond the physical scheme of things. For one, I would love for it to just be straight and no longer a burden to me. I think that having straight hair would expedite its growth and activate the distribution of natural oils. However, I am faced with the emotional and mental issue: Do I really want my concern with my "physical beauty" to defeat my "inner beauty"? Do I really want to "give in" to the challenge of having curly hair? These questions I am faced with are inspired by a "This I believe" article that we read as a class a few months ago, about a woman who struggled to accept the way her hair looked, and then finally came to realize that it has been and will always be a part of her.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95726758

Toya Smith Marshall came to accept and embrace her hair as a token of individual and unique beauty. Because of this, she is extremely inspiring to me. But! Don't be surprised if I have straight/processed hair in a couple weeks! hehehe! 0:]

Cocaine #1

"Cocaine produced, for those who sniff its powdery white crystals, an illusion of supreme well-being, and a soaring over-confidence in both physical and mental ability. You think you could whip the heavyweight champion, and that you are smarter than anybody. There was also a feeling of timelessness. And there were intervals of ability to recall and review things that had happened years back with astonishing clarity" (Haley 137-138).

This quote illustrates the high that Malcolm gets from the use of cocaine. Malcolm's inactivity and passiveness is really threatening to the rest of life, and to whatever potential he has left in him. While reading this, I realized that Malcolm needs to radically turn his life around or else disintegrate to nothing. Malcolm has grown numb, losing feeling and emotion in his life's fundamentals. The use of drugs is only further harming Malcolm's behavior. He needs to restore a sense of self-awareness for his own well-being. 

Furthermore, I could relate to this quote. Although I have never (and will never) use cocaine, I have experienced  similar feelings of invincibility. There were all time lows in my life wherein I felt emotionless and numb, thus leading to self-degrade and self disrespect. Luckily, I realized then how important (essential, really) it was to re-prioritize my life; my relations, my image and my values; and to turn it around for the better. I am so grateful now that my emotions and sense of humanity have been restored. Now, I feel like I have been infused with tons of emotion. I could never again imagine myself feeling "numb" or incapable of making the best/healthiest decisions for my own well-being. In my life experiences, I have learned that feeling invincible only leads to devastation. I would advise Malcolm to turn his life around now, before it's too late! (And I know he does!)

I wonder if there is an easy method that reprograms one's view of himself. I researched the psychology of changing oneself.

http://www.psychologycampus.com/social-psychology/self-esteem.html
Clearly, there are several aspects in regards to the psychology of self-esteem and feelings of self worth. I think that it is complicated and more difficult than most people know to have a constant and healthy balance of all of the outside forces that contribute to the way one feels about himself. Between the people you surround yourself with, or the aura of the home that you were raised in - there are several contributing factors to one's self esteem. I think it would be extremely challenging to perfect all of the outside components in order to raise my self esteem. It is far too involved for that. I guess that's why they say nobody is perfect. And really, it would be artificial if everything was. Right now, I am pretty competent. I have good self-esteem and feelings of self worth. I suppose there is always room for improvement, and always room to learn something new about myself. I love the psychology of it all!

Being Privileged/Greg

Hi, today is February 12th. Today's class discussion was incredibly intense. The bell rang too quickly! I would have liked to continue to hear what everybody was thinking and feeling. I feel that the study of race and privilege is so incredibly touching and moving, that it could be discussed for extensive amounts of time. Today's discussion, especially, was very heartfelt because our classroom is filled with a mixture of races. And thus, people voiced themselves angrily, passionately and ruthlessly. For a few minutes, I was frazzled at the amount of emotion radiated from us students. Furthermore, I was very proud of the way we conducted the conversation. We not only outwardly and honestly expressed our views, but we helped each other to verify other concepts. Thank you Greg, for being so confident and persistent in your argument, providing us with a bold foundation to take off from. You, Greg, really provide thought-provoking ideas for the rest of the class. I appreciate it. I'm glad that you are in my class because you are one of the best-spoken and most mature boys (should I call you men now?) that I know.

Anyway, it amazes me how deeply analyzed the topic of privilege and race can be. So many of white people take for granted being white. It is undeniable that white people are given special treatment and outstanding opportunity. However, I sometimes feel that white people can never entirely do "right". We talked about how ignorance is bliss. This means that white people feel better if they are "aloof" to or "unaware" of the denied rights of the minorities. In a sense, it is much easier to ignore these issues and not take responsibility for any. Therefore, some argue that race should be entirely ignored and its issues within should be disintegrated.  However, others argue that because white people have the fortune and capability, they should use it to advance the people less privileged. But do the minorities want the help of the whites, or do they want to feel equally as capable and dependent as the white community? I feel that these questions/possibilities inflict more uncertainty and pressure on white people than most minorities recognize. I, for one, have not stopped thinking after reading that article today in class. As a white woman, I have a lot to consider. A lot of responsibility. And a lot of power to apply it to where ever I so choose. Stimulating! 

"How ridiculous I was! Stupid enough to stand there simply lost in admiration of my hair now looking 'white,' reflected in the mirror in Shorty's room. This was my first really big self toward self-degradation: when I endured all of that pain, literally burning my flesh to have it look like a white man's hair" (Haley 56). 

Malcolm desperately wanted to look whiter and more attractive, and thus decided to allow his friend, Shorty, to perm his hair to take out its kink. This signifies Malcolm's desperation to be accepted in society and to look less black. What was more interesting, though, was that Malcolm admitted to indulging in self degradation, as he somehow let society and his "less desirable" appearance defeat him. By stripping his hair of its kinky consistency, he also, in a sense, stripped himself of his dignity and security as a black man. It is interesting that, in spite of his knowledge of doing that, Malcolm proceeds to make himself appear more white and more appealing to white girls. I am curious to see how Malcolm continues to grow and transform throughout the book. My initial understanding of the legendary Malcolm X was that he was a man of tremendous black pride and a leader of several "fights for equal rights" movements. Thus far in the book, all that has yet to be told. Instead, I have only seen Malcolm accept and be defeated by the racial inequality. I hope that my initial understanding of Malcolm turns out to be true, and that he rises to a position wherein he voices his beliefs to better the black community (and the white, too,) as a whole.

Mr. Ostrowski - Malcolm X

A particular conversation that Malcolm X had with his teacher, Mr. Ostrowski, really touched me. Malcolm's teacher was always supportive and accepting of him. Earlier, Malcom quoted, "'I had gotten some of my best marks under him, and h had always made me feel that he liked me'" (Haley 37). However, one day a conversation concerning Malcolm's future and career path was sparked. Mr. Ostrowski was quick to put down Malcolm when Malcolm expressed his aspiration to become a lawyer. Malcolm recites, "Mr. Ostrowski looked surprised, I remember, and leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. He kind of half-smiled and said, 'Malcolm, one of life's first needs is for us to be realistic. Don't misunderstand me now. We all here like you, you know that. But you've got to be realistic about being a nigger. A lawyer - that's no realistic goal for a nigger'" (Haley 39). Here, Mr. Ostrowski, a man who had always treated Malcolm so righteously, smacked him so far down. This passage broke my heart because already Malcolm knew that so many people had such little faith in him, and he had never expected his genuine and fair teacher to be another. This passage truly depicts the reality of the time: inequality was undeniable. Even the kindest people knew better than to believe that a 'nigger' could ever achieve the same success as a white person could.