Amazing Grace brings up the standard of living that African-Americans can face in the United States of America. They live in conditions that white Americans almost never face despite being our own next door neighbors. Facing poverty-stricken conditions in ghettos full of crime such as prostitution, drug abuse, dealing and shootouts. All while trying to get a better life in a country that has the odds stacked against them in a desperate attempt to find a better life even in the midst murder and overdose. With citizens working multiple jobs off the books and using government Aid to put food on the table and even then people are forced to choose between medicine and Heat or or not even making enough money to pay rent in the first place. And on top of that they have to deal with the prejudices and stereotypes that lead two Less jobs for them to get and no way out of the situation they are born into just because of their skin color.
White privilege, on the other hand shows us a list of all the different ways we have privilege and don't even realize it. However in a very different way then Amazing Grace did, Amazing Grace pointed out a specific circumstance that record in New York in the early 90s while white privilege, on the other hand brings up all the little day-to-day things that affect the lives of African Americans and Waze the most Caucasian Americans would never even think about.
Personally, I never even thought about things like Band-Aids matching my skin color or dolls, posters, magazines and paintings featuring pictures of my race. I did not even consider the fact that I was never unwelcomed a certain neighborhood or be told that a certain area would not be available for my budget.
It's quite odd for me to stop and think about all the ways that my white privilege comes into play but at the end of the day it is real and I am benefiting from it so I need to be aware of that and do my best to help my fellow Americans reach the same standard of living that I have.
Changes are being made though
"Tru Color " is a Bandaid brand that comes in every shade range,
Barbie coming out with its first curvy and natural haired doll,
Non White entrepreneurs like Rihanna are making sure that inclusivity succeeds with make up in every possible shade
and movies like "Black Panther", "Into the Spiderverse" and most importantly "US" by the African American Director Jordan Peele are finally placing Black People in the spotlight.
while these are all valid points are these the only way privilege is being expressed.
ReplyDeleteI love your connections to the articles. I never thought of my skin color being a privilege, in the sense of always being able to rely that there would be band-aids or makeup in my skin color. I like that you included the pictures to show that changes are being made to our society to be inclusive to everyone. I too never thought of the fact that there are people who may not be welcomed in a neighborhood based upon their skin color. This made me think of the neighbors I have and how all except one of them are white. It also makes me wonder if a black family moved into a "white neighborhood" how welcomed they would feel or how others would treat them? I would like to think that they would be welcomed but upon reading these articles it makes me think they wouldn't. Overall, your article connected well to the efforts society is making to try and make and change to be more inclusive. I also like how you connected your personal experiences to the information from the articles.
ReplyDeleteThe conditions that these people are conditions that none of us want to live in. It is very unfortunate that anybody has to live this way. However, I am little confused at what you are saying in the second paragraph. You say "citizens working multiple jobs off the books and using government Aid to put food on the table" and then in the next sentence you say "on top of that they have to deal with the prejudices and stereotypes that lead two Less jobs". I just happened to catch on to this minor detail. Are they working more jobs or are they working less jobs?
ReplyDeleteI do like how you include the pictures at the end. I am curious though why it is a privilege to have band-aids that match your skin? Furthermore, I think the reason people don't think of this is because when you cut yourself, the goal is to cover the wound so it doesn't get infected. The majority of people when they are applying a band-aid I can assure you aren't thinking about the color of said band-aid.
Also real quick about Black Panther. They didn't make Black Panther just for the sole purpose to put a black person in the spotlight. Black Panther is apart of the Marvel Comic Universe and his first appearance in the comics was in 1966.https://screenrant.com/black-panther-movie-comics-mcu/
DeleteI really like how you provided many examples of white privilege. It made me think further about how many little things I have or can have, that people with darker skin can not. Wording it like this sounds foolish we should all be able to have the same opportunities in this country regardless of the color of our skin. What has our nation come to? I think it's so cool that based off of you comparing your article to a different one than I did, you can pull a totally different perspective from the two and have completely different ideas and points. You did a really nice job! The pictures at the end for your examples were also a great touch.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you provided the examples of how the world is making changes. Your post also made me think about how I also have never had to think about band-aids matching my skin tone or dolls looking like me. I just think that everyone should feel as though they are represented in culture no matter what their background is.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you wrote about how merchandising has catered to white culture. Honestly, I get it, that is, when decades ago the white classes had more influence than thankfully they do now, though there's still quite a ways to go. Manufacturing companies are in business to make money. If the people with the most money are white, then you target that demographic, and therefore you produce a profit.
ReplyDeleteBut with that imbalance, there weren't enough examples for young children/young people of color to follow. Young black or hispanic children didn't have toys that reflected their culture. A young black girl would have little choice but to play with a doll patterned after a white girl. I'm so glad that things are coming around, however slowly they are.
I'm reminded of a story I saw told by Nichelle Nichols, the black woman who played Uhura, the communications officer on the 1960's science fiction drama, Star Trek. The actress spoke in an interview that she had once met and spoke with Martin Luther King Jr., who gushed when he met her. She said that she wasn't satisfied with her role, so she was planning on leaving the show, to which Dr. King replied that she can't do that. He went on to tell her how important she was to the movement, that she was a BLACK woman playing a role where she was an crucial part of the crew that manned the ship, that every young black girl who sees her finally has a role model that simply had never been offered on television or any other media. That role model would put possibilities into a young girl's mind that they may otherwise never think they were capable of. Now we have others, like the women in the early 60's portrayed in the film, "Hidden Figures", the dynamic black women who helped make our success in the space race, possible. All we need are examples to show our possible worth, to plant those ideas, those seeds.
Like you, I never really thought about bandaids matching my skin or my dolls having the same color skin as me. After reading the article, I realized that it is because I have “white privilege.” Whether I knew it or not, that’s what it basically comes down too. I like that you included the new barbie dolls, colored bandaids, and the new make-up shades that are evolving. I remember seeing the different types of barbies that weren’t the “normal” white, blonde & thin barbie and thinking, “that’s a great idea, why did it take so long to come up with that?” You don’t realize how much of white privilege you have until you start seeing things like that.
ReplyDeletei really like your post and how you connect your own personal life to what is being analyzed. i think it was great that you posted pictures of the makeup because it shows the new spectrum of colors for ALL women (or now a days mens) skin. it shows that there might not be a large change but definitely small change is being made. it is also great the you recognized that you don't know what it like to be told that a certain area was not available for you to live. we never really know the privilege we have until someone else addresses it first.
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