canceled

MY NAME

The discussions in class, fueled by preliminary reading, led to many significant findings. One of these was the idea that true freedom could not be obtained without first accepting an identity. This identity is shaped by multiple factors, including environment and culture of upbringing, and personal interest. This led to another significant finding in the discussion on Rachel Dolezal, a Caucasian born woman who identifies as black and had changed her appearance to look black physically.¹ Most of the class, including myself, felt as though the woman was able to use her white privilege in order to get away with this identity shift, in that a man or woman of color could not do the same in order to identify as white, for they would never be fully accepted by society as either black or white. This is evident in how society generally treats black and white mixed race people as more black than white. To stimulate more conversation, Professor Dukes presented an argument in defense of Ms. Dolezal, stating that she was the president of her NAACP chapter and a strong social justice figure in her community until she was exposed. The main idea we took from this whole conversation was that a person who experiences identity crisis can never truly be free, in that the internal conflict they deal with everyday inhibits them from fulfilling their potential. Another significant finding from the reading was the application of dehumanization to justify oppression.² Paulo Freire writes, “dehumanization, although a concrete historical fact, is not a given destiny but the result of an unjust order that engenders violence in the oppressors, which in turn dehumanizes the oppressed.” (Freire 2000). By dehumanizing the oppressed, oppressors feel as though they are not acting cruel or unfair towards a large group of people, for they do not view them as equals.

The “Authentic American” has become synonymous with “whiteness”, in that, to be an American, one must do what is generally considered white. When entering the country, an immigrant must make the effort to adopt the English language, the American holidays, even the American diet. For a country that embraces the “melting pot” format for its diversity in identities, it is strange for America to push authenticity as a single culture or approach to life, rather than accepting all cultures as a form of authenticity in its own. A lot of this push for “whiteness” however comes from the dominance of white privilege. The system is created to benefit white people and endow them with more opportunities than the average minority. People of other ethnic and racial groups see this and interpret it to mean that the white culture results in domination, and therefore, is the one to adopt in order to be the best possible American. The “Authentic American” also differs for genders, as described in Constructing Race, Creating White Privilege by Pem D. Buck.³ In order to practice proper whiteness, a white woman must forgo all desires to work outside of the household. However, this is not the desire of many women in society today, and we see this in the growth of women in politics, business, and science. The “Authentic American” woman is one who pursues her passion to reach her full potential in life and to feel complete, not one who is designated to household duties by default. The “Authentic American” embraces their ancestral culture in unison with the American culture, and accepts the cultures of others, for it is the collection of cultures that shapes the culture of the country.

Race would serve little to no purpose without racism. The physical characteristics that separate people into races are predominantly used to defend racism, as some people believe that the inheritance of certain characteristics leads to superiority from birth. This is how racism plays a large role in the existence of race: it turns race into a tool for fear and domination. Spreading stereotypes and propaganda about races are acts of racism used to unite one group of races against another by displaying inferiority in the targeted race. Furthermore, racism is predominantly associated with white people, as they have historically taken the biggest advantage of it. The defenders of this view claim that whites are given the advantage from birth in the system in our society, leading to more opportunities for them to succeed. It is when they blow these superfluous opportunities that they turn to blame someone else for their failures. An easy target is someone easy to identify due to their differing physical characteristics. This is how hate groups, like the KKK, rise in America and remain relevant today. So long as there is a system of white privilege, there will be hate groups of those who are unable to capitalize on opportunities. That being said, I do believe race can play some role in society without racism. It doesn’t take an expert observer to notice that we are physically diverse as a species. However, instead of using these differences to hate and oppress, use it to relate and understand others. I believe that by seeing someone’s different skin color, hair, or body shape, we can understand the culture they come from and attempt to relate to them rather than fear them. It is ok to notice differences in appearance, so long as you use it to understand and respect the individual’s story.

Freire presents themes of identity, authenticity, and human primacy when discussing the relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed. The general relationship described is that of the oppressed either longing to be the oppressor or fearing not being oppressed.² The oppressed want to identify with the oppressor, for they have been taught that their true identity is inferior, and have “adopted the guidelines of the oppressor” to shape their identity. (Freire 2000). Furthermore, it is the desire for authenticity and recognition from the oppressor that keeps the oppressed within these guidelines. The oppressed believe that, in order to become an authentic member of society, they must follow the rules of the oppressed, as they are the only ones who can judge authenticity and reward it. The end goal for the oppressed is to not only be authenticated, but to become and oppressor to others, for they now possess the guidelines to judge authenticity. This follows the nature of human primacy, for there is always a desire to be placed above others. However, Freire also speaks on the oppressed having a “fear of freedom” that causes them to remain oppressed. (Freire 2000). It is this fear of the unknown, of what lies beyond oppression and in freedom, that keeps the oppressed from rising against the oppressor.² The responsibility to create new guidelines to live by and to protect the newfound individual freedom is a tough task for the newly freed, causing them to skew back to their oppressed roles as it represents safety and comfort. According to Marger, the role of the oppressed belongs to the minorities in society, as they benefit less from the systems placed in society.⁴ Minorities face the problems of the oppressed, such as fearing breaking from the system set in place to benefit those above them. But by breaking from this system, new windows will open to allow the individual in the group to stand out based on personal characteristics.

Personally, I feel like, rather than focusing on how to become Americanized and assimilate into American culture, people, especially minorities, should focus on displaying the importance of their culture and how it can work in unison with American culture. Of the articles we have covered thus far, the one that has inspired me the most is the Bill O’Reilly one, in that I disagreed with most of what he wrote. While I agree education should be at the helm of progress and reform in society, claiming that it is the sole reason for African Americans being at a disadvantage in society is wrong.⁵ There is a clear system in place that gives white people an advantage, even without having a better educational background than a black person. He ignores facts about the flawed judicial system, in which blacks are more likely to be imprisoned for lesser offenses than whites, choosing instead to focus on the high imprisonment rate of blacks instead. This is part of the system that gives white people more opportunities, and can’t be blamed solely on lower education rates in black communities. The term of Americanization needs to be redefined, in that it should mean something different for every individual. It should represent a process in which an individual’s natural identity has a place in society that can both allow the individual to reach their full potential, and benefit society as a whole.

References:

1.) Kirk Johnson, Richard Pérez-Peña and John Eligon. “Rachel Dolezal, in Center of Storm, Is Defiant: 'I Identify as Black'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 June 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/rachel-dolezal-nbc-today-show.html.

2.) Freire, Paulo. "Chapter 1." Pedagogy of the Oppressed. N.p.: Bloomsbury Academic, an Imprint of Bloomsbury, 2000. 43-69.

3.) Buck. Pem D., “Constructing Race, Creating White Privilege”, Worked to the Bone. Monthly Review Press, 2001. 32-37.

4.) Marger, Martin. "Chapter 2: Ethnic Stratification." Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives. 10th ed. N.p.: Cengage Learning, 2015. 29-34. Print.

5.) O'Reilly, Bill. "Bill O'Reilly: The Truth about White Privilege." Fox News. FOX News Network, 26 Aug. 2014. Web.