Chi-raq seemed a little corny at times but it brought an interesting message about reformation and protesting. It takes many people to effectively protest. Even with very little not joining the women's protest to stop gun violence, men were still not convinced because they were getting what they wanted. The women stayed strong until the end and built each other up in the process. They had to join forces in order to get everyone on board with the demands they had.
So, how can this teach us to take on protests today? The more people involved in the protest, the more effective it can be. It takes a lot of will power to protest for a long period of time and the protesters must be dedicated to the cause. If you have something to offer: sex, obedience, or civility, that should be taken away to persuade the opposed.
Many college campuses and large cities have been holding protests against president-elect Trump. The protesters are chanting "Love Trumps Hate" in hopes of showing the world that they are sticking together, loving one another, and not taking white nationalism for what it is.
In the movie it seemed that it was easier for people to join the protest or the cause and give up gun violence if others, especially their leaders, had previously joined. How many people will it take? How long could protesting go on? In Chi-raq, it took months of protesting. It is so sad that it took little children dying, multiple times, for this protest to happen and to eliminate gun violence. What will it take for Americans to establish respect and love for all individuals?
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
ENGL 344: Blog #7- Citizen and What Whiteness Means in the Trump Era
There are white people fighting for superiority in 2016 and defining what it means to be white. I have seen the true feelings, especially of white nationalists, come out after Trump was elected. People of many races and women have been yelled at, threatened and even beat up. We have regressed a lot in such a short amount of time.
I've never been so embarrassed of my skin color. I feel like my skin color now defines me as a racist, as a white nationalist, as a Trump supporter, and as a horrible person. This embarrassment as well as the assumptions people now make of the white person has made me somewhat awakened to what black people have felt all their lives. I can't say that I 100% understand but I feel I have a grasp. After reading Citizen, I see that in so many simple ways black people are discriminated against every day.
Many people have expressed their feelings on black people and people growing up with these views just get used to it. White people may not be racist towards them but they easily have many thoughts when seeing a black person based off of what they have heard all their lives. If you are told something all your life, it becomes easier to believe. I struggle with this myself. Yet, I am not racist and truly want freedom, respect, and righteousness for all. Why does it have to be so hard? We're all human. But lately it seems like people have regressed to white superiority. They have forgotten something simple: dividing up America is not going to make us a stronger country.
I have also never been fearful of who I am: a woman. These white nationalists are against white women and their rights and many women have already been discriminated against. Just because Trump is elected doesn't mean all of multiracial America's rights and women's rights disappear. White nationalists need to be more realistic. We have huge majority of other races besides white and Trump can't possibly ignore, deport or disrespect them all. He will now have to go back on many of his promises or presumptions about his own power while in the white house.
I've never been so embarrassed of my skin color. I feel like my skin color now defines me as a racist, as a white nationalist, as a Trump supporter, and as a horrible person. This embarrassment as well as the assumptions people now make of the white person has made me somewhat awakened to what black people have felt all their lives. I can't say that I 100% understand but I feel I have a grasp. After reading Citizen, I see that in so many simple ways black people are discriminated against every day.
Many people have expressed their feelings on black people and people growing up with these views just get used to it. White people may not be racist towards them but they easily have many thoughts when seeing a black person based off of what they have heard all their lives. If you are told something all your life, it becomes easier to believe. I struggle with this myself. Yet, I am not racist and truly want freedom, respect, and righteousness for all. Why does it have to be so hard? We're all human. But lately it seems like people have regressed to white superiority. They have forgotten something simple: dividing up America is not going to make us a stronger country.
I have also never been fearful of who I am: a woman. These white nationalists are against white women and their rights and many women have already been discriminated against. Just because Trump is elected doesn't mean all of multiracial America's rights and women's rights disappear. White nationalists need to be more realistic. We have huge majority of other races besides white and Trump can't possibly ignore, deport or disrespect them all. He will now have to go back on many of his promises or presumptions about his own power while in the white house.
Friday, November 4, 2016
ENGL 344- Blog #6: Response to Margaret's Presentation
The idea of words and language is very powerful. Words resonate with us and people can take the same word differently than one another. The tone, attitude, and volume we use when we speak contributes highly to how a person might perceive these words.
I wanted to comment on the Colonel's use of words. He seems to use his words to manipulate other's thoughts. In a particular scene starting on page 75, he is having Smith try and guess Hero's worth. He tells Smith that if he guesses correctly, he can then own Hero. Previous to this discussion, the Colonel was trying to convince Smith to consider owning slaves and how great they are to have. Smith repeatedly denied wanting to own slaves. Thus, the Colonel has Smith guess Hero's worth. The Colonel takes his time in explaining what slave buyers might look for and how much that would be worth. He describes Hero's work and character in great detail. He chooses his words wisely and works them to intrigue Smith. It does, indeed, intrigue Smith when he says "Should I name my price now?" (Parks, 76). At this point, the Colonel doesn't let him name a price just yet, as he goes through the many other traits of Hero to put a price on. The Colonel knows at this point that Smith is engaged and is probably fairly confident that he won't guess correctly. Thus, he is manipulating Smith's thoughts and feelings. So, what could be his real motive? To get Smith to honestly consider owning a slave and to enjoy the process of buying one; to draw him in to this specific lifestyle, which he does so through words. In my opinion, the Colonel never actually considered giving up ownership of Hero as a real possibility.
Even Hero's feelings are toyed with in this scene. Hero is intrigued, not only because his freedom is on the line, but to see his worth. Hero wants to know what his best traits are and what the Colonel thinks of his hard work. On page 95, Hero says, "Where's the beauty in not being worth nothing?" as he and Smith are discussing freedom in the near future (Parks). Hero can't even fathom the idea of not being worth anything and even looks down on it. He would rather be worth a lot than nothing at all. He is stuck in this mindset because it is all he knows. Although someone reading through this scene would probably think this is rude to Hero and inappropriate to discuss in front of him, the Colonel's use of language makes it intriguing to Hero and a conversation he prefers to hear.
I wanted to comment on the Colonel's use of words. He seems to use his words to manipulate other's thoughts. In a particular scene starting on page 75, he is having Smith try and guess Hero's worth. He tells Smith that if he guesses correctly, he can then own Hero. Previous to this discussion, the Colonel was trying to convince Smith to consider owning slaves and how great they are to have. Smith repeatedly denied wanting to own slaves. Thus, the Colonel has Smith guess Hero's worth. The Colonel takes his time in explaining what slave buyers might look for and how much that would be worth. He describes Hero's work and character in great detail. He chooses his words wisely and works them to intrigue Smith. It does, indeed, intrigue Smith when he says "Should I name my price now?" (Parks, 76). At this point, the Colonel doesn't let him name a price just yet, as he goes through the many other traits of Hero to put a price on. The Colonel knows at this point that Smith is engaged and is probably fairly confident that he won't guess correctly. Thus, he is manipulating Smith's thoughts and feelings. So, what could be his real motive? To get Smith to honestly consider owning a slave and to enjoy the process of buying one; to draw him in to this specific lifestyle, which he does so through words. In my opinion, the Colonel never actually considered giving up ownership of Hero as a real possibility.
Even Hero's feelings are toyed with in this scene. Hero is intrigued, not only because his freedom is on the line, but to see his worth. Hero wants to know what his best traits are and what the Colonel thinks of his hard work. On page 95, Hero says, "Where's the beauty in not being worth nothing?" as he and Smith are discussing freedom in the near future (Parks). Hero can't even fathom the idea of not being worth anything and even looks down on it. He would rather be worth a lot than nothing at all. He is stuck in this mindset because it is all he knows. Although someone reading through this scene would probably think this is rude to Hero and inappropriate to discuss in front of him, the Colonel's use of language makes it intriguing to Hero and a conversation he prefers to hear.
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