Reading the first 35 pages of the book "Between the World and Me" was such an eye-opening moment. Seeing the way the author described and talked about things we normally overlook sparked my interest. It was like he took something so camouflaged, like race, and painted it in a completely different way, but one that makes so much sense. A quote that really stood out to me was when he said, “But race is the child of racism, not the father” (Coates 9). That one sentence flipped my thinking. Oftentimes, we subconsciously judge others based on the stereotypes we hear associated with someone’s race. While doing that doesn’t automatically make someone a racist, it contributes to the bigger issue of racism that’s been around for generations and still exists today. What hit me is that it’s not like racism came from race; it’s the other way around. Racism came first. People needed a reason to hate and to justify their power, so they made up race as a system to divide and degrade. It’s intriguing to think of race that way because growing up, we were taught that race is a good thing and that it makes us unique. But the part we never hear is that the idea of race was created to justify oppression. Society has reshaped it into something we’re told to embrace, but its origin was never positive. That was shocking to think about. Another quote that blended perfectly with the first but also spoke volumes was, “Families believing themselves white, were out on the streets. Infants, raised to be white, were bundled in strollers” (Coates 11). That line made me realize if we didn’t raise children to believe they are white, or raise them to see a difference, much less see that difference as a threat, then so much of the media and social pressure wouldn’t matter. If children didn’t learn what it means to be “white,” they wouldn’t understand the idea of being “superior,” and they wouldn’t absorb the stories and systems that build a racist mentality. Racism is learned. And if race is something we’re taught, it makes you wonder how different the world would be if we were never taught to see race at all. The reality is, though, we can’t just erase race. It’s become the first thing people see. It shapes how we’re treated and how we view others. I’ve grown up around a lot of Black people, and a common phrase I’ve heard is, “The color of my skin is a threat.” My skin alone can dictate how I’ll be treated in certain spaces, and it’s not something I can hide or change. To raise children in this world and ignore race would be dangerous. If Black parents don’t teach their Black sons that they can go out with their white friends and do the exact same things but face completely different consequences, then we’re putting them at risk. Something as innocent as a water gunfight could be the difference between life and death. That reality is terrifying, but it’s also the reason why conversations like the one Coates is having in this book matter so much.
This book we super interesting, and its only the beginning! If you are interested in the book here's the link, along with others pertaining to this topic. Until next week.
Cited work Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. Spiegel & Grau, 2015.
Comments
Post a Comment