Unlearning racism

The reading from this week really got me re-thinking about race and my experiences with race and racism. All the experiences I have had remind me constantly that we all have to unlearn our privileges, escpecially in regards to race and people different to ourselves.
There were about 3 points that really got me thinking.
1. We all suffer from the effects of white supremacy. I'd never thought about this before. We all do it. We all like to put others in their place if it makes us feel better. I've done it too many times. As I mentioned in a previous post, My best friend growing up was a black boy named Dane'. I Always thought i was better than other white people who were so racist to him. Harsh lesson one. I had a black friend who I admired and wished i was just like him, skin colour and all, but i sometimes told and laughed at Ethiopian Jokes. (Yes they exist). What did they ever do to me?
The fact is, "many folks benefit greatly from dominating others and are not suffering a wound similar to the condition of the exploited and oppressed." I may not have benefitted from dominating others, but by perpetuating race jokes, I was adding to exploitation.

2. Everyone's racist aren't they. I rememeber my mum being so upset and afraid to go to work as there was a local black man who she used to serve at the post office she worked at, as he would shout at her and tell her that she was racist and never wanted to serve him. He told her that if she wasn't careful, he would beat her, and would come back to the post office and set her on fire.My Mum is the least racist person i know. Sh literally doesn't have it in her. Even that generational thing some people have against blacks. She doesn't have it. This man was using race against her and was in himself being racist to her. He got a lot of complaints but my mum was his target.
I always believed that everyone, of all races, could be racist. Of course as i read this chapter, Hooks turned that belief around for me.I have never even thought about the difference between Prejudicial feelings and Institutionalised White supremacist domination.It was interesting to learn what hooks believes about the difference being that Black-folks feelings about white people "are in no way linked to a system of domination that affords them any power to coercively control the lives and well-being of white folks." I think I understand this now.

3.The point about it being 'cool' for white people to hang out with black people. I learned quite a while ago (with some pretty major experiences that maybe i might have enough courage to write about at a later time)that Unlearning racism is Sooo important. I feel so strongly about this because i have made some mistakes in my own life, taking it for granted having friends of other colours and even dating people of other colours. Hooks says that most white people don't feel that this "pleasure should be linked to unlearning racism." I never really thought about that either, but I do know that i have since, embraced blackness as having been an important part of my life.

MLK Wednesday

I really thought that the presentations were really good. The middle speaker(yeah embarrassing i forgot toget his name) was so impressive. During his section, i jotted down some interesting points that illustrate ways and means that media can have effect on us and also how we can be savvy users of the media in regards to communication.
1. Know who your Audience is.
2. Refuse to move.
3. USe powerful visuals.
4. Use diverse media/multpile points of view.
5. Utilize Humor, Drama and Theatrics.
6. Give a visceral experience.
and lastly...
7. Convince with reason, motivate with Emotion.

I found the last speaker had the answer to our stereotypes discussion when he said judge on content of character not color of skin. This can be applied to all stereotypes and lends itself also to the don't judge a book by it's cover. We all do it. We all judge, I still find myself doing it every day. I'll see someone wearing something that i find odd or someone who looks different to what i think is the norm and i will make a judgement on them as a person. This is not always negative, but i'm sure people have the same view of me sometimes.

After the words, "Race is not the point," were said, i found myself wondering What is the point?
I think it's trying not to make judgements on others before you know them. It's trying not to make assumptions on character just by looks.

It sounds cliche but growing up, my best friend was a black boy named Dane'. I wanted his skin color so bad. We would go to Spain every year on holiday and i knew that my skin would geg darker from prolonged exsposure to the sun, but every year i returned with darker skin but white, sun bleached hair. It was being Dane's friend that alerted me to peoples harsh judgement of others.

Growing up in quite a diverse area, my best friends were anglo-african, or Indian. I found that i was bullied sometimes for being friends with them. I was labelled as being different for hanging out with different people. People would look for things that must be wrong with me. Being white, blonde and blue eyed and having 4 sisters, i was given the gay label. He must be gay, he dresses funny and has dyed hair, I found that the Gay label was used as a slur on my character and so i always kind of resented the label. It wasn't till after secondry school that it began to matter less who you were in regards to everyone else but who you were as an individual.
It's funny that even now the word "Gay" can and is used for anything that is viewed as bad and different.
There is a comic called runaways, and there is a really interesting line of dialogue. One character explains that the team don't have superhero costumes as they are gay. Another character berates him saying that if he continues to misuse that word he would be in trouble.

I just thought it would be cool to have a t-shirt that read, "Judge on content of character, not on color of skin.