This week I read Joshua Alvarez's "Power and Privilege Definitions". It had a lot of interesting definitions about commonly confused terms. It declared that prejudice is either based on ignorance or a disregard of facts. Thus, nobody can be simultaneously prejudiced and accepting of facts. Therefore, it declared, prejudice can be unlearned. Later, it emphasized that race is imaginary and not rooted in biology. I remember once reading an article that stated that if one was to walk from sub-Saharan Africa to Northern Europe, they would not notice any physical difference between the inhabitants from one village to the next. This is because the racial transitions are gradual with no clear boundaries. Finally, it the list declared that racism can only be exhibited when it has institutional power behind it. Thus, even though minority targeted groups can be prejudiced, they cannot be racist.
I also read Joanna Windom's "The Backlash Against African Women". I felt it elucidated the attitudes of many men towards the changing status of women. There is not as much male resentment concerning where women are in comparison to where they are going. The growing egalitarianism of the modern age is clashing with many traditional values of male dominance that were taught to today's young men. However, despite what we would think, many African countries have made huge progress in regards to womens' rights, with Rwanda becoming the only country in the world where females outnumber males in the legislature.
Finally, I read Sarah Fisher's "The Complexity of Human Rights in Global Times: the case of the right to education in South Africa". It suggested that as much as we like to think our rights are god-given, rights are fought for and achieved; similarly, they can be abused or lost. I liked it because many people here in the West take K-12 education for granted and don't even appreciate that they can safely (in most cases) go to school and get a free education. However, as we saw with the kidnapping of the Nigerian schoolgirls, this right is not respected in all areas of the world.
I'm glad you found the Power & Privilege document as useful as I did!
ReplyDelete"Finally, the list declared that racism can only be exhibited when it has institutional power behind it. Thus, even though minority targeted groups can be prejudiced, they cannot be racist."
Very nicely put. This is such a touchy subject because I've heard people whip out the term "reverse racism." I think by explaining racism as the "equation" of power + prejudice = racism, then someone can begin to understand that the concept of reverse racism (or sexism) doesn't exist, but it's still difficult to get the point across.
Interesting take on the article of "The Backlash Against African Women". I do agree that the modern views of women do clash against the traditional ideas men have of women in the past.I liked the fact that you included of Rwanda, at least that's a stepping stone for women who have been oppressed by their white and black counterparts. Moreover, this relates to an article I've read where there is a hierarchical system where the white men would oppress the black men and then they would oppress their wives. Great post!
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you took a look at the article that I shared on the definitions. Those really helped me out at the beginning when I first started learning about social justice. I always go back to them to reflect and better understand certain concepts. Learning about social justice is never-ending.
ReplyDeleteWow I had no idea there were more women than men in Rwanda. That is awesome, and thank you for bringing that to light! I also like your summary of all three of these articles; I also agree with Sara's article about how rights are fought for and can be taken away.
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