This week in class I think the most interesting reading was in the Wayne Au, Rethinking Multicultural education book. I hadn't read all the readings for class, but after coming home and reading them I understood why the Nathaniel W. Smith chapter was such a thought provoking chapter. I think it is great of Mr. Smith to try and teach his affluent, mostly white students about race and everything that surrounds it. Although I think that without having the juxtaposition of black students in the classroom to describe what it is like to be black, these students only understand half of the issue. Yes Mr. Smith brought out "complex challenges that exist on all sides of the race definition" but at the same time I think I myself was a little confused at the message he was trying to get across. He didn't want his students to run with the principle that "race isn't real" but didn't want them to accept the classifications that are present concerning race in today's society either. I think he made the discussion of race an interesting one, and exposed how you cannot assume racial identities, but in the end I think without clarification some students just might have been more confused.
Another topic we discussed in class, in an attempt to have a real discussion on race was the N word. (I personally don't use the word so I won't type it.) This clip below is a speech I found by Tim Wise, an anti racist writer and educator, and I just really think he is an intelligent guy and makes such a valid point about using the word. He argues that white people in general should not use it because history shows that whites have used it in a negative, pejorative way. He also argues that whites should stay out of the conversation concerning whether using any form of that word is appropriate because whites do not have the privilege to do so. Its just an interesting argument and I agree with it. I will say, (even though Tim Wise says whites should stay out of the argument), I don't think that the n word should be used by anyone whites or blacks, but I also understand how some groups choose to change the implication and meaning of a negative insulting word by using it positively. Enjoy the video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmLXZ6_PW9A
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The video was very interesting and I agree with his argument. White people should stay out of the conversation of whether or not to use the word because historically it's been used by white people extremely negatively. I liked how he equated the term redneck with jeff foxworthy and jerry seinfeld. Obviously redneck is no where near as offensive as the n word but it was interesting how he used that as an example of how certain lines can be crossed when saying certain words.
ReplyDeleteHe made a strong point in which how people use the word. It has no positive use. Myself if I use the N word, I use it with scare quotes because I understand the history. I think if someone else uses it to teach their is nothing wrong with that because they are only facing history. But i also respect his personal reason for not speaking the word but being able to quote it. When it comes to calling someone "red necks," I have never done so, nor have I used any word to offend other races.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching the video and I agree with the fact that people who aren't or were never associated with the term should not have a say in the debate. Like I have stated before, I personally do not use the word and I do not feel like anyone else should use it whether they are using it positively or not. I was at an event where one of the student orgs on campus hosted. They asked a performance group to showcase their talent at their event. This specific performance group is known mostly for their music. I personally have seen them perform several times and have always heard them use the N word in their lyrics. Inevitably, at the event, the performance group used the word several times and was asked to leave the stage during their performance. The student organization claimed that the performance group was disrespectful and inappropriate for using the word. I thought it was very contradictory because I have heard a lot of people in that organization using the N word before. If it has such a “positive” characterization now, then why was it inappropriate for the performance group to use it on stage? One of my mottos is to lead by example. If you feel that the word is negative and should not be used, then don’t use it. How do we expect people who are not African American to stop associating us with the word if we continue to use it?
ReplyDeleteTim Wise, always a pleasure to watch/read his work. I already told you guys how disgusted I was when the student posted the word on his profile. I just didn't know who to blame first!
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