RAGE
In my high school being a person of
color meant you were a part of the majority. Being a black person meant you
were the majority. In my high school it was rare to ever walk the halls and see
a white male or female, staff included. However, since coming to this campus
that's all I see. It's different and it makes me realize that even though I once
felt like I was a part of a majority race that in actuality I am a minority. I
feel like I was in a little bubble oblivious to all harms the world aimed at
me. I understood racism still existed but it was hard to encounter in an area
where everyone was a person of color. I used to think the main thing standing
in the way of my equality was men.
Coming to this campus popped my
bubble. I learned that racism and racial hatred still is a huge problem in this
country, more so than I thought. I learned that not only do women of color have
to fight for rights equal to men but to fight for rights based on their race,
as well. I come to relate with the perspectives of Audre Lorde and Bell Hooks
in many of their arguments regarding race.
Audre Lorde defines racism in her
article “The Uses of Anger” as “the
belief in the inherent superiority of one race over all others and thereby the
right to dominance…”. In this article she goes on to discuss how she is angry.
She is angry at white people. She gives various examples as to how white people
oppress people of color allowing me to be enlightened as she points out all the
ways that can be overlooked of how power and equality is taken away from black
people, how her rights were taken from her. In relation to this article Bell
Hooks writes about a time she was on a plane with a white man. She discusses
how she soon began to develop her rage.
I liked Hooks article because it was
refreshing. I don’t think most people, especially minorities, would publically
say they wanted to kill a white man. It was interesting how she dived right
into the fact that “there is presence in anger”. I think that anger allows you
to be more expressive than you originally would. With anger it’s harder to sit
back and be docile, rather you feel an intense need to do something. Anger is
productive and is needed for a radical change.
Define Me
-Tatiana F.
Define Me
Tatiana, I, as a person of color, could really empathize with your blog post. I'm in a weird position in this whole power dynamics: back at home, I'm an Asian man, which make me a part of the majority and default of the society; however, at Colgate, I'm a model minority, and a man (this part doesn't change but oh well), which make me a person who's 'okay' to be excluded. Racism is real, and that's why I could also understand the "Killing Rage." What can we do in this oppression: I honestly don't know, but for me, the fact there are people who are willing to stand up against injustices is empowering. Let's go through this together. Great article!
ReplyDelete