Part 3
Hello and welcome back to my blog! The third section of “Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria?” is focused on the concept of white identity and the struggles that come along with it.
This section improved upon my past reservations on her writing style and arguments. Dr.Tatum used her literary skills to convey her case and expand upon themes and ideas. In the very beginning of the book, a metaphor was introduced.
“Prejudice is one of the inescapable consequences of living in a racist society. Cultural racism-the cultural images and messages that affirm the assumed superiority of Whites and the assumed inferiority of people of color-is like smog in the air. Sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in. None of us would introduce ourselves as "smog breathers" (and most of us don't want to be described as prejudiced), but if we live in a smoggy place, how can we avoid breathing the air? (86).” The smog is our prejudice even if it isn't apparent it will always still be there. This was a standout to me; it is a very effective metaphor that made an abstract topic more tangible to the reader. This idea of “smog” comes up again in this chapter, “While they have been breathing in the “smog” and internalizing many of the prevailing societal stereotypes of people of color, they are unaware of this socialization process. They often perceive themselves as color-blind , completely free of prejudice, unaware of their assumptions about other racial groups. (188)” Dr.Tatum takes a familiar concept (smog) and expands on it by applying it to a more concrete example. In the first quote she says, “Sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in (86)”. Like the second mention implies many white people don't even realize the prejudice they hold because of the “smog” isn't thick but that doesn't mean it's not there. Most white people aren't members of white supremacy groups or even directly exposed to them. Though what almost every American is exposed to is the media (see my second blog post for more on racism in the media) and our everyday social interactions. We see racist stuff on the TV, and our grandparents make racial related jokes on Thanksgiving but, at first glance, this doesn't seem like a big deal but that is the smog that still plagues us, not visible and not thick but it is still there. The way these comments build upon each other is fundamental because this idea of smog was already introduced when the reader saw it again they knew what it meant and was able to digest Dr.Tatum's argument faster than if this idea was just presented on its own. Something I certainly appreciated was the change in tone while the last chapter had a very casual tone that mostly included personal examples this chapter was more formal and included many examples, opinions, and ideas that either stemmed from her professional experience or other psychology experts. This gave Dr.Tatum a level of credibility and authority on the subject at hand that was lacking in the last section of this book. I found the inclusion of her past student's journals particularly effective because they came from students from all different backgrounds life experiences (throughout chapter 6), hearing everyone's side of the story gives a better understanding of the issue at hand. Dr.Tatum acknowledges everyone's own experiences and empathized the concept of educating white people in racial matters instead and demonizing them. This level headed approach to this topic, and because of that, I took more away from it. This Chapter has made me think about my past experiences differently and has been the most effective for me in understanding racism, and I hope that Dr.Tatum sticks with this approach for the rest of this novel. See you next week! KM
This section improved upon my past reservations on her writing style and arguments. Dr.Tatum used her literary skills to convey her case and expand upon themes and ideas. In the very beginning of the book, a metaphor was introduced.
“Prejudice is one of the inescapable consequences of living in a racist society. Cultural racism-the cultural images and messages that affirm the assumed superiority of Whites and the assumed inferiority of people of color-is like smog in the air. Sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in. None of us would introduce ourselves as "smog breathers" (and most of us don't want to be described as prejudiced), but if we live in a smoggy place, how can we avoid breathing the air? (86).” The smog is our prejudice even if it isn't apparent it will always still be there. This was a standout to me; it is a very effective metaphor that made an abstract topic more tangible to the reader. This idea of “smog” comes up again in this chapter, “While they have been breathing in the “smog” and internalizing many of the prevailing societal stereotypes of people of color, they are unaware of this socialization process. They often perceive themselves as color-blind , completely free of prejudice, unaware of their assumptions about other racial groups. (188)” Dr.Tatum takes a familiar concept (smog) and expands on it by applying it to a more concrete example. In the first quote she says, “Sometimes it is so thick it is visible, other times it is less apparent, but always, day in and day out, we are breathing it in (86)”. Like the second mention implies many white people don't even realize the prejudice they hold because of the “smog” isn't thick but that doesn't mean it's not there. Most white people aren't members of white supremacy groups or even directly exposed to them. Though what almost every American is exposed to is the media (see my second blog post for more on racism in the media) and our everyday social interactions. We see racist stuff on the TV, and our grandparents make racial related jokes on Thanksgiving but, at first glance, this doesn't seem like a big deal but that is the smog that still plagues us, not visible and not thick but it is still there. The way these comments build upon each other is fundamental because this idea of smog was already introduced when the reader saw it again they knew what it meant and was able to digest Dr.Tatum's argument faster than if this idea was just presented on its own. Something I certainly appreciated was the change in tone while the last chapter had a very casual tone that mostly included personal examples this chapter was more formal and included many examples, opinions, and ideas that either stemmed from her professional experience or other psychology experts. This gave Dr.Tatum a level of credibility and authority on the subject at hand that was lacking in the last section of this book. I found the inclusion of her past student's journals particularly effective because they came from students from all different backgrounds life experiences (throughout chapter 6), hearing everyone's side of the story gives a better understanding of the issue at hand. Dr.Tatum acknowledges everyone's own experiences and empathized the concept of educating white people in racial matters instead and demonizing them. This level headed approach to this topic, and because of that, I took more away from it. This Chapter has made me think about my past experiences differently and has been the most effective for me in understanding racism, and I hope that Dr.Tatum sticks with this approach for the rest of this novel. See you next week! KM
Kaila,
ReplyDeleteI like your interpretation of the "smog" metaphor, and I like that you chose to talk about the journals of the students. I agree that that is an effective way of getting her point across, and I think it helps her credibility as each student is diverse and has a different story to tell. I look forward to reading your next post!
Good discussion of the smog metaphor in the book, and a good analysis of how it comes up in multiple places.
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