“So, what are you?” p.149
I started by thinking about what I am: a student, a daughter, a hard worker, a girl, average, white, American… obviously, I could keep going, but I’ll stop there and start with this. As Wise helped me to realize, what someone is, can almost always be a way to attack them. Student’s aren’t trustworthy. Girls are week. American’s are selfish. As I read Wise’s story about moving and being a lone and scorned Jew, I thought about all the things that I have been, or could be attacked about. The comment from the young boy asking Wise “what are you?” is a great way to show that many people have been raised believing inequalities that are imposed upon us as we develop by both our families as well as the rest of our society.
Personally, Wise challenged me when he said that our brains divide the world into distinct categories. I suppose that many people do function like that, however personally, I have this belief that there is no black or white, always gray. Nothing is ever one way or the other, because there are always exceptions. Stereotypes are socially constructed and I can’t think of a single statement that “All ____ are _____”(p151).
I feel that Wise does a great job of showing how stereotypes work and the outcomes of them, however I feel that he does a lot of attacking. He neglects the view of people who don’t believe in inequalities. Such as in “Raising Isaiah” a film about a young black boy adopted by white parents. One scene has the older, white sister holding hands with her little black brother and she asks him, “What’s the difference between my hand and yours?” “Yours is bigger!” he proclaims, oblivious of the color difference.
After reading this chapter I will watch myself more closely because I have been able to identify some stereotypes that I have, though they are most likely not true. People cannot be categorized as easily as society presents. The stereotypes that have been ingrained into me since childhood will be hard to notice, but I am beginning to realize the importance of these stereotypes in helping to create equality.
1 comment:
Kristyn,
I really like how you started off with defining what you personally are. Once you start defining yourself, it becomes really easy to see stereotypes that exist throughout society. I agree with you completely, there are so many shades of gray and I also can't think of a stereotype that I truly believe. Its good that you are feeling challenged and that you are beginning to reconsider certain social constructions. I hadn't even made the connection to Raising Isiah, but its true and I thought that your connection was really cool.
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