Kadijah Webster; Blog 9: Accidental and On Purpose..

In today's society, it is easy to find yourself at a lost for words when it comes to what is and what is not appropriate to say to another person.  Although we live in a very diverse country, we still find it hard to approach others who do not seem familiar to us.  Not to say that everyone only socializes only with people who look like them, but it just seems like it would be easier that way in most cases.  All too often someone can end up feeling guilty from using the wrong words when talking to someone of a different race.  To keep from ending up like this, many retreat to what they know best.  It is no one's individual fault for being confused in what to say to someone of a different race or culture, they are a product of where they have been raised.

I'd also like to point fingers to the media for making it so difficult to understand what is and is not acceptable for one to say.  It is so common for there to be racial jokes or stereotypical roles played on the television.  If something like a racial slur is broadcast with no penalty, then how can someone see it as wrong.  You may go on to repeat something you heard on popular show, only to be labeled as absurd or foul mouthed.  I believe that you can't blame someone for something if no one is making an effort to show them right from wrong.  In our country today, we suffer from the fear of racism.  We avoid what we are unsure of so that we cannot make mistakes and be labeled as a certain way.  But we still make it seem okay to use what we can not say in a serious tone in a joking way instead.  My friends used to joke and say that I'm not black.  However, that is not something I feel that you should joke about.  I have to admit that I did not quite feel the same way until I took this course and I'd even joke with them on the subject.  Now, I don't take comments like that so lightly.  I am black. That is apart of my identity.

On another note, I would like to mention how in American History X, men who are seen as privileged in this country feel the need to oppress others.  In my class prior yesterday, we discussed the fact that Christians are privileged in today's society.  Being Christian myself, I never paid attention to the fact that this country is run strictly by Christian ideas and even holidays.With higher standing, one is either blind to the fact that they are better off or in denial of their place.  I feel that this is often the case for white men in today's society.  Derek and his family were well off when his father was killed, but because of the seed that was planted by his father, he cannot recognize that he is in a better situation than the minorities he later wishes to rid the city of.  In his case, instead of indirectly being offensive to those of different races, he did not care how he approached them.  This was a story about the powerful versus the powerless.  Prior to being sentenced, Derek was seen as powerful.  He ran a gang and took over places that he felt shouldn't be run by or occupied by minorities.  He was trying to give whites complete ownership in country where they are already the majority.  It was not until he was placed in prison and surrounded by the same races he had so much hatred towards, that he found himself inferior.  He had now switched places with the people he fought so hard to oppress.