Social Death

It is my pleasure to post our final blog!! The semester has come to an end, and what better way to wrap up and connect such profound topics than to read Lisa Marie Cacho book Social Death.
In the introduction of the book, Cacho states that, "race, gender, and sexuality are ways of knowing that make sense of social reality in the United States." (Cacho, 2) We come to find this to be true, especially with stereotypes, privilege, and discrimination being the bases of social death. Instead of analyzing the question, "How social reality and social death is constructed?", there should be a need to work toward diminishing these issues. How can we overcome social death?

I was unable to attend the workshop with Eli Clare, but was informed of the great lecture and important topics he discussed in relations to the class and this weeks reading on social justice. I did have the chance to attend the Last Lecture and hear Dr. Robin Boylorn give an awesome presentation in regards to diversity. In her lecture, Dr. Boylorn explained how as humans if we stopped trying to resist what we don't inherently know about a person and resist against hegemony then we can work toward achieving diversity.

As we all know, diversity is far more than just race, but is a combination of many identities and common characteristic discussed in the class thus far. It is often that we don't think about how we are different from others, but yet how they are different from us. In hopes that we have all come to better understand issues of race, gender, class, privilege, disabilities, and misconceptions I have posted a link below showing the power of embracing diversity.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ5e6cwxA9M

Does the Melting Pot Have Privilege?

Our discussions of mixing, misconceptions, white privilege here and abroad, and the politics that coincide with all of these caused my attention to be drawn to some interesting articles from National Geographic and The Huffington Post. They take a look at the visually changing categories of race and identity and ask the question, "What does the average American really look like?" There are changing combinations of facial features and hair types carried further with each generation. They are very interesting articles with equally interesting and "real" photos. The topic of racial ambiguity has been present since the earlier units of our class and continues to be relevant even now.
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/national-geographic-changing-face-of-america-photos_n_4024415.html

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/changing-faces/funderburg-text

What would happen if (or when) the members of the melting pot became the dominant racial category in America? It is entirely plausible that, in time, this could happen. There would be changes in advertising and other forms of marketing. We would walk more of a blurred line in our dealings with one another. All of the medical information based on racial categorization would not be as specifically applicable in a racially blended society. All of this is very interesting, but an  intriguing question is one that concerns privilege. Would white privilege die out without white dominance or would that privilege carry over to the new dominant group? We have spent a lot of time looking at how white privilege operates in the US. Perhaps, on our own turf, privilege would simply fade into equality, and we would see the fabulous results of what we have been hoping would eventually occur. However, our interaction with other humans is not limited to our continent.

The movie Babel showed us how white privilege acts outside of American boundaries. Real life stories in the media alert us when white journalists, businessmen, or politicians are abducted or killed. If the US was no longer predominantly white, white "Americans" may be seen as an even more valued and endangered species. They might find an even higher price on their head while traveling abroad (even if privilege was still on their side) because of their limited numbers. Could the new majority then travel without many of the worries of safety because of their racial ambiguity? I've heard quite a few people over the years brag about "American" privilege. Being from America makes you special and "we" dominate the world.......
But without whiteness, would all of us cease to be special?

We've discussed being black and visiting Jamaica as opposed to being black and living in Jamaica. We all seem to assume some amount of American privilege regardless of racial affiliations. So what then does equality truly mean to America? Do we really want it or do we want privilege? Can privilege exist without white faces to anchor it; especially if, abroad, Americans come to represent "just another ethnic face?"

'Murica

In “The Politics of Mothering,” Nora Murad discusses mixed families and the different contexts and situations where variations in cultures, societies, and identities affect people and families with blended races, religions, and nationalities. Murad provides an autoethnography concerning her experiences of mothering in an American-Jewish and Palestinian-Muslim family. Clearly, Murad’s families (her husband’s and her own) have experienced life, religious practices, values, etc. in various manners.  The most compelling and interesting account occurs within the context of their American community after 9/11. Patriotism and American values became intertwined and dominate in American society, and Murad recounts an incident at her daughter's school. Her daughter was required to complete an art project that involved the U.S. flag. Murad writes, “To me, the U.S. flag is a symbol of war and hypocrisy and misplaced patriotism for a national entity when loyalty to humanity is called for” (498). From our privileged American positions, we can find it difficult to comprehend why someone else could view the U.S. flag differently than we do. The U.S. supports Israel’s illegal, military occupation of Palestine (this is debated). The U.S. is involved in numerous military actions in many Muslim nations which result in deadly consequences for Arab/Muslim people. (The Arab-Israeli conflict is complicated, and I am no expert). But the fact that others have different views and beliefs should not open them up to discrimination or violence. 

Murad recalls the psychologists her daughter's school provided to speak to the families about the effects of 9/11 on their children. The focus was on American children with no regard to Arab or Muslim families for whom the threat of military action in the Middle East was very real. Murad recalls feeling judged unfavorably for teaching her children about their Arab identities. She writes, “They implied I had unnecessarily ‘outed’ my children as Arabs for my own political ends. Whites teach their White children who they are and that’s neutral, but I teach my children they are Arab and that’s political” (498). I think we can see this situation played out in several different contexts with varying content. Why is Murad accused of politicizing her beliefs? Because her views differ from dominant society’s. Are there other instances where this occurs for other communities? Can American patriotism and American values be oppressive?