Thinking About Baldwin, Thinking About Today
I think Baldwin would be glad about the social changes evident in our society in 2009, particularly with our new president taking charge and demonstrating that we are step closer to a society that doesn't judge as harshly when it comes to racial divisions. I think that optimism is the type of perpective that Baldwin would take just becauuse he could take these changes as a positive reflection on what our society has acheived and he would have "HOPE" for the future.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I certainly hope that we are a step closer to something positive in this society with respect to race, but notice that by saying that we live in a society "that doesn't judge as harshly" implies that we still judge others based on their racial identity. That problem, the persistence of that problem, is something I think would disturb Baldwin greatly, particularly since that is what he is writing about in Nobody Knows My Name. The historical perspective that Baldwin represents is grounded in a history that assumes that black people and other people of color are inferior to whites, just because of a so-called racial difference, and therefore, must be subjected to a higher scrutiny just to be possibly considered worthy of access to education, jobs and decent housing. Where is the justice and democracy in this?
ReplyDeleteThe justice? Well, I beleive we are still n search for that and that is the purpose of the law, which explains why it is changing so ofte. Since our society is still under the norms that are constructed to fit around white males, the socisally constructed classifications (like race) to which everyone else falls into can't meet those standards. However, I do beleive we are getting closer, but everyone is a little racist. Here is a link to a video my boyfriend had recently shown me and it depict the issue of race fairly well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9CSnlb-ymA&feature=related
ReplyDelete