The McIntosh and Kozol readings offered a perspective to me that I am aware of, but have never thought about in depth before. I have always been grateful for my background and where I grew up/went to school, but reading these articles made me realize how lucky I truly am. I am aware that white privilege exists within our society. I know that there is automatic judgment and a change of treatment based on skin color, but reading the McIntosh piece made me think about such mundane things that show how white skin is favored within our society. For example, the sentence about knowing that flesh colored band-aids will always match my skin tone really made me think about how I don't notice many things that exemplify white privilege. I never had to second guess things such as flesh colored band-aids, nude colored heels or even nude nail polish. Why does nude automatically equal a pale skin tone that is similar to mine? Last time I checked, nude is nude and there is not a skin color that should represent that. I have never seen a shoe that is the same colored as an African American woman and have it labeled nude. These things, along with thinking about how I don't have to be worried about being judged for my skin color, put many things into perspective for me although I already knew that white privilege is very evident in this age.
I was also very impacted by the Kozol piece when the little boy was giving a tour of his city and reflected upon all of the violence he had seen as he grew up. This honestly shocked me. Yes, I know that not every neighborhood is like mine (a suburb with middle aged and older residents), but I had never thought about little kids growing up and being exposed to so much violence. The little boy recalled nonchalantly about how he had seen people get shot in the head or he had seen bodies being incinerated or prostitutes walking down the street. To read this made me so angry that some kids were exposed to this, and almost helpless because there is little I can do to stop that. When the mother recalled that "you get used to the offense" of the horror in the neighborhood truly blew my mind. However, I did recall one experience I had from a service learning trip that I took in high school to Camden, New Jersey that instantly reminded me of such a neighborhood, which I will be creating another post showing a video documenting the poorest city in America. To think that some kids will witness, first hand, a murder before they reach 5th grade is so horrifying and makes me upset that we live in a world where this is a normal occurrence. Children are so innocent and that is instantly taken away from them before they can even enjoy their youth. It's sickening.
Question for reflection
How are we able to let this happen as a country? Why are children so exposed to violence and we are not doing anything to stop it? And why do we live in a society where white skin is so dominant that others have to worry about if they'll be accepted simply because of their skin color?
Question for reflection
How are we able to let this happen as a country? Why are children so exposed to violence and we are not doing anything to stop it? And why do we live in a society where white skin is so dominant that others have to worry about if they'll be accepted simply because of their skin color?
I completely agree. I often find an issue while trying to find a pair of stockings since they always seem to be lighter than my skin color. When I wear them my legs appear shiny and polished. I never thought of this as a racial issue, I just thought I was unfortunate. This is simply another example of white privilege and all people do is ignore the issue.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more and I too have the same questions. How did we let these issues get this bad and how do we begin to make a change? One of the main reasons I am going into this field is because I think it is the easiest (and I use that world very lightly, because it is far from easy) way to make a difference. And I will do everything in my power to make sure my students feel safe and accepted.
ReplyDeleteWhen i was reading about the little boy i was taken back too. It makes sense to me that the generations recycle into the same behaviors..Honestly if you take a child during thir most vulnerable days and expose them to violence, murder, abuse, sex/prostitution, lack of health care/education, Im not sure what you expect to grow these poor children are barely given a slither of hope and the parents dont ave the resources themselves to give it to them...and we sweep it all under the rug try to turn a blind eye and blame someone else it's like the taboo of america
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading about the boy I Kozol painted such an image in my head it was like I was there. It's so sad that the children there are exposed to those situations but it seems so normal to them its horrible.
ReplyDeleteThe story of the boy and how he was so mature and grown by what he saw was saddening to me because all he saw around him was destruction.
ReplyDeleteI completely understood you when you said that you feel helpless. My heart breaks reading these kinds of stories, but I know that it is going to take more than one person reading a story to bring about change. I feel so guilty sometimes knowing that these types of things occur yet there is nothing i can do to stop it , or even really to make it better.
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