tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post1939441223513595840..comments2024-03-06T08:29:13.333-08:00Comments on stuff white people do: warmly embrace a racist novel (to kill a mockingbird)macon dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07795547197817128339noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-30195855063189836442013-09-26T02:21:39.454-07:002013-09-26T02:21:39.454-07:00To a certain degree I agree with Deborah. I think ...To a certain degree I agree with Deborah. I think translating the mockingbird symbol as only representing black people isn't really what Lee is saying with the novel. The mockingbird is anyone that society has chosen to shun and who are unable to defend themselves against society's bullying. This includes Boo Radley (a white person), the Cunningham's (white people of a lower class/income), AND the black characters in the story.<br /><br />I also think that it's contradictory that the "white knight hero" doesn't exist, but then to believe in individual white men who make a difference. Isn't that what Atticus was trying to do? Be an individual in a society that didn't agree with him? There's not really much of a distinction there.<br /><br />It may be true that a book littered with the word "nigger" may be outdated, even if the word is being used to make a point about the insidious force of racism that is "learned" by small children from misguided adults.<br /><br />I agree that Harper Lee's book shouldn't be used as an example that "racism is dead" and that "life isn't like that anymore," because I don't think that is true at all. But I don't think that's Harper Lee's fault. Or that the book is low-key racist as a result.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517092593925474999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-2171059348099704532012-03-13T06:17:59.713-07:002012-03-13T06:17:59.713-07:00I interpreted this book to be about people helping...I interpreted this book to be about people helping other people understand that wrongly accusing someone of doing something without having full proof or evidence is wrong in general. Also, it was set in a time when people did not automatically trust black people, due to the racism of that time. It is a fictitious story, and yes the whites helped expose a white criminal. Take it for what it is, and remember the time frame setting the story. Nobody is perfect, but we must teach our children to love everyone, every color, and to be kind to others. Remember the Golden Rule? :) One thing I could say about this book, however is, can we please stop using it in school curriculum? It is getting very boring. Maybe it can be used as suggested reading, or for summer reading choices, but not to have to write papers on, or take tests over.Jillian Reneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11713531990775310927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-80024142938193339712012-02-22T17:21:24.881-08:002012-02-22T17:21:24.881-08:00I mostly agree with the second and third claim abo...I mostly agree with the second and third claim about the novel's patronizing attitude to blacks, but have problem with the first claim about the symbol of the mockingbird being degrading to blacks.<br />While this novel falls into the common trap of having a white-knight "rescuer" of a distressed black man, I think that the way it portrays much of the events through the eyes of child is delightful and helps raise it above much other literature that falls into the same trap.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08173782986738085246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-19594395529174981642012-02-10T11:08:54.648-08:002012-02-10T11:08:54.648-08:00The book is not about racism. Harper Lee has said ...The book is not about racism. Harper Lee has said that herself, its about her life growing up in part but the main "message" of the novel was supposed to be anti prejudice - OF ANY KIND.<br /><br /> It shows that there should be a change in the way black people were treated by the country because that is what she found most shocking growing up. It does not demonize the racist characters and instead tells his children to give ALL people respect, even their racist old lady neighbor who was fighting an addition. Because by not giving into her addiction, even though she was dying, he thought that showed a huge level of bravery that deserved some compassion.<br /><br /> How can you possibly say a book written in the past allows people to think there are not racist issues anymore? The book even touches on that. If you had read it properly you would realize that she criticizes Americans for not realizing there are problems with racism within the novel. Which shows how deeply embedded it is within american culture. <br /><br />The reason Atticus is white is because he is based on HER father, the fact that she doesn't include other races is not a problem. The book is about equality and compassion for all. I think its the most ridiculous thing that you think she should have included more races just in case an idiot like you read the book and didn't apply that yourself. You cant be spoon fed everything. This is not MTV. I suggest you look up positive discrimination.<br /><br />The reason Tom is disabled or "weak" as you put it symbolizes his position within the american law at the time. She was not and has never been prejudiced. Her whole novel was inspired by her life growing up and her fathers job as a lawyer (who represented a black father and son - who were both hung) and a lot of other heavy publicized trials that were going on at the same time that involved African-American men and white women. I also think its racist to say the fact that he is weak is racist - so if a white woman writes a novel a "weak" character in it cant be a black guy? <br /><br />She wrote about things she knew, things she had experienced and did not set out to write a book about racism. It is about equality and wisdom, not accepting social norms without rejecting your community. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever read, and that's coming from a journalist. I read shit every day.CayLeePresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16898827365005337173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-72877206964597999362012-02-08T06:32:36.329-08:002012-02-08T06:32:36.329-08:00The author of this piece needs to go a little furt...The author of this piece needs to go a little further in to the history of this country before expecting this novel to read as a perfect early 21st century morality piece. To expect a novel of this period to not have prolific use of the n word is simply to not want books about this period to be written. To see Atticus as an image of perfection is to completely misunderstand--he's far from perfect and a useful conversation today would be why. But not in a way that writes the novel off as racistMarc Belangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01258991432414568791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-48162142110295777502012-01-29T19:43:07.316-08:002012-01-29T19:43:07.316-08:00I remember reading this book in High School, and I...I remember reading this book in High School, and I absolutely hated it, partly due to being the only black student in my class and having the , but also because of the message, which this post reviewed. As my class discussed the values of Atticus I was left feeling as if I was the only one that felt he was insultingly racist. Seeing black people as harmless victims that just let bad things happen to them was possibly a liberal view in that time *for white people*, but I didn’t consider it progressive or good enough simply because it happened a long time ago. <br /><br />My mother would often tell me stories of growing up when schools were being desegregated, and I did not get the impression that “that’s just how people were” and "it's fair for its day" regarding all forms of racism. I did get the impression that she was scarred from her experiences and she knew what was happening to her was wrong. It’s really not enough to let people give themselves a pat on the back for thinking of black people as humans with the brains of puppies in need of white guidance. I imagine it makes white people feel heroic, but it doesn’t help anyone.Ashley Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-32194078048226058082011-11-28T15:44:55.083-08:002011-11-28T15:44:55.083-08:00I also read this book living outside the US (as an...I also read this book living outside the US (as an American, though) at about age 13. The main thing I took away from it is that it was really funny for a kid to cuss uselessly, i.e."Please pass the damn ham." Now that I've lived most of my adult life in the South as a non-white person, I do get this post, though. It's an uncomfortable book to read for many black students, especially when white teachers think that somehow everyone should love it. Uncomfortable isn't always a bad thing, but in this case it's not Flannery O'Connor uncomfortable. O'Connor was trying to make Everyone feel uncomfortable, including herself, which is why students don't read her until college (the white parents would flip). She was one of those rare Southern writers who was able to critique her own culture in a thorough, unflinching, but unreactionary way. That isn't what you see in a book like Lee's, which O'Connor pretty much dismissed as a fantasy. (And don't get me started on that book-movie The Help, no doubt written by someone very influenced by To Kill a Mockingbird. There's a reason it was super popular w/ white women.) Liking To Kill a Mockingbird as a wp in the South is sort of like listing MLK as one of your heroes (or maybe just quoting him on your facebook page). It's a way to say to your 2 black friends "I'm not racist!" and makes you feel better about being a wp in the South. I think it's worth having grace for these friends, though, especially those who are really trying, and who are open to discussion. The annoying thing, though, is as you point out, when something is used to make everyone feel better about themselves and when I'm not allowed to say something because it might make someone uncomfortable (and I appreciate that you recognize this). I mean, I have to feel uncomfortable all the time. But there is an entry point for everything and I think grace is good. As long as someone is willing to put aside defensiveness, they will find that I'm really not trying to attack them and their entire race. I just believe in dialog.atwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08258106631590805969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-66483830819286274532011-07-15T21:20:34.128-07:002011-07-15T21:20:34.128-07:00Very late comment, but...
Reading it from outside...Very late comment, but...<br /><br />Reading it from outside the US, at about 10, I always assumed the "mockingbird" was Tom Robinson in particular rather than Blacks in general, as well as Boo Radley. But then, I come from somewhere with its own racist history, different from that posed in the book. I was actually stunned at the divisions between the races, as I had not known anything about it.<br /><br />TBH, my love of the book came from the fact Scout was a tomboy like me. She reminded me of me - and she was proud of it. Up until then no character had reminded me of me.Brathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03650539237081910593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-25948908233061570042011-06-27T17:30:45.429-07:002011-06-27T17:30:45.429-07:00@e w s: I would be ashamed, not proud, of engaging...@e w s: I would be ashamed, not proud, of engaging in book-burning.<br /><br />Anyway, I disagree with this article, but for the reasons outlined by earlier comments, and I don't really have much to add. I am also iffy about removing it from the classroom entirely. I feel like it can be taught in a way that is more progressive, but the problem is that far too many teachers use books like it to make some incorrect point about "Aren't we glad our society isn't like that today anymore?" When actually, we still have a judicial system that is biased against Black people.<br /><br />I also think that while it's a book that is eye-opening for a lot of White people, its point is one that many Black people already get. It doesn't really need to be taught in schools that are majority-Black and it's definitely an issue of White privilege to assume that they should learn it, too.Ashleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04558791761129155783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-7392347435291327842011-05-23T13:05:35.754-07:002011-05-23T13:05:35.754-07:00@Sarah - I'm going to use this post. And espe...@Sarah - I'm going to use this post. And especially the summary of Saney's three main points. I might pull out some of the comments here for and against and use those to stimulate discussion too. Howver, since I teach 8th grade... we'll see how deep we can get into it. Seems like it might be a better book to teach in high school so I might not teach it next year (it's my first year of teaching and it's what most teachers teach at my school). <br /><br />There is also a full text version of Isaac Saney's article available as a .doc Look for it on google. <br /><br />Good luck!Robby Bortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14330305676089735408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-6242133207877964862011-05-14T09:00:55.959-07:002011-05-14T09:00:55.959-07:00I am teaching this book right now in my classroom ...I am teaching this book right now in my classroom as part of the required curriculum for 10th grade. When I read this book over the summer, I felt the same frustration about themes of a white saintly savior stepping in to rescue poor defenseless black people as I feel about films like Dangerous Minds. What message, after all, does this teach us? I would like to engage my students in a discussion about the racism in this book. Does anyone have any suggestions about materials I could use in my classroom?Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09641316014341519158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-38194138838102077322011-01-02T14:37:32.128-08:002011-01-02T14:37:32.128-08:00I don't agree at all with this article. I thi...I don't agree at all with this article. I think a lot of macon's point are based on assumptions and over simplifications, not the actual text of the book itself. I never found To Kill A Mockingbird to be a racist book, and his practice of reading books based on his own personal beliefs rather than what the book actually says is dangerous. By doing that he is condemning good literature in a harsh and unnecessary way in a public forum which can convince people to stop reading and/or stop teaching a book that is actually very anti-racist and well written.<br /><br />1.) The symbol of a mockingbird is not offensive in and of itself. My understanding was that the mockingbird was more innocent than helpless, painting african americans as undeserving of the persecution brought on them, like the character in the novel. Any "helpless" imagery I took to mean that, in the system of the society in the story, many times African Americans were helpless to advance their station in life and protect themselves because of the prejudices around them and the unfair structure of the system in which they live, built by white men. This does not mean that no one was fighting against this unfair system or that african americans were helpless to change it, because eventually they did (note: I don't mean to say that our current society is perfect and racist unfortunately still exists, but I think we can all agree that it has been improved from the society depicted in to kill a mockingbird and the society in which it was written.).<br /><br />2.) Atticus Finch is fictional. This is not a real account of a white man standing up for african americans, but a fictional story that is told to convey an idea, which, read by most people, is that racism is wrong. Therefore, I don't see how you could claim that his depiction is a "soothing white fantasy", when there is no evidence to support that a man like him existed. Harper Lee makes it clear that this is a novel and a fictional story, which should not actual shape any educated readers depiction of history. Anyone who is able to separate fact from fiction could see that historically, men like Atticus Finch are the exception, not the rule. Also, to suggest that everyone during a time period was racist, with no exceptions, is a little closed minded and a sweeping generalization. While I'm sure most white people during that time were terrible, racist pigs, it seems unfair to assume the worse of EVERYONE during a time period you only know about through second hand accounts and history books, which always offer a biased slant.<br /><br />3.) Again, I never saw this book as even suggesting that there wasn't any black resistance or that african americans are/were ever helpless. While, yes, there is no mention of black resistance in the novel, this novel's job is not to give you an accurate depiction of history, but just to tell you a made up story with fictional people to convey an idea.<br /><br />With all that said, I don't expect everyone to have interpreted and read the novel the same way as I did because every piece of writing can be interpreted multiple ways. However, my issue with your interpretation is that you don't base it on the actual text or on actual facts and make extremely harmful accusations that you fail to back up. Your main issue with this novel seems to be that it doesn't accurately describe real events, but that is not what novels are meant to do. The whole point of writing fiction is that you can discuss very real themes and ideas using fictional characters and setting.<br /><br />If you are looking to be offended, you will always find some reason to be, but I suggest that if you are looking to find something racist/sexist/prejudiced/offensive to cure whatever white man guilt you are feeling, you choose something that is actual racist/sexist/prejudiced/offensive so you can be of better use the rest of society instead of just creating more anger and hate over something harmless.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10881278196585636562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-41354075691142638332010-09-27T16:13:10.639-07:002010-09-27T16:13:10.639-07:00TKAM was and still is one of my favorite books, an...TKAM was and still is one of my favorite books, and I say that with a great awareness of both its limitations and of my own white privilege. <br /><br />I first read TKAM in 7th grade, in a "gifted" program in a public middle school in 1984, in a working-class suburb of Manhattan. About 40% of our student body was white, 40% African-American and maybe 15% Hispanic and 5% Asian. But 9/10 students in my "gifted" program were white or Asian. <br /><br />TKAM, and the teaching unit built around it about racism and social injustice, awakened my awareness of social justice issues like nothing before. Before TKAM, racism and other shameful realities in America were taught as unfortunate parts of our country's past. My unabashedly liberal 7th grade teachers NEVER let us get away with thinking that TKAM touched only on historical racism - we were challenged to see and confront racism around us.<br /><br />Before we opened TKAM, we had an explicit class discussion about the controversial presence of the word "nigger" in TKAM. As a class, we came to an agreement that we would not say the word when reading aloud, not wanting it to become in any way more acceptable to hear or use in any setting. But it was the first time we openly discussed the racial balance in our class and the problems of hosting the discussion with so few black students present.<br /><br />Later, when we reached a part of TKAM when Atticus talks with Scout about why she should never use "nigger", we took a written, anonymous 10-question survey about racism. Had we ever seen something ourselves that we would classify as "racist"? Had we ever been called a racist slur? Had we ever used "nigger" or another slur ourselves? Had anyone in our family ever used such terms? Did our parents have close friends of a different color. Had we ever witnessed racism in our own school? If yes for any, we wrote examples. <br /><br />The next day, our teacher gave us the results she had compiled and typed. Every student had at least one family member who had used "nigger" as a slur. And very few of us had parents who had close friends from a different racial background. That was eye opening for me. In elementary school, racism was presented to us as something that was long past. I thought I was the only person who had some openly racist relatives, and to find out that I was not alone was NOT comforting. It was sickening and scary. But what struck all of us when we discussed these results was that while our school was evenly split among black/white students, our gifted program was almost all white. Suddenly I felt my own place in an ongoing system of white privilege, as real as if we had stepped back in time into official segregation.<br /><br />After we finished the TKAM unit, our self-governing student council for the gifted program voted that the gifted program should be abolished because it was racially imbalanced and thus promoted racial disparities in education. (This was a result our teachers had never envisioned, but they were very proud of.) We made a bit of a stink at a school board meeting about it. But perhaps it, like TKAM, was a lesson in the limits of the zeal of new converts, since it wasn’t successful. But some of the “gifted” parents later joined with a group of mostly African-American “mainstream” parents who worked together to end the academic “tracking” system in our district, an ongoing battle.<br /><br />We later studied issues about incarceration in the US and had a guest speaker who had been incarcerated talk about his experiences growing up with pervasive racism. We interviewed African-Americans who lived before 1964 (20 years earlier) for a Civil Rights oral history project, published a collection of oral histories in our local library, and discussed the silence of black voices in TKAM.<br /><br />I credit TKAM and my teachers with beginning to open my eyes to present-day racism and with fostering a belief that we each should be active in confronting and ending injustice in our own communities.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16171106355550885358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-49849614304601475072010-09-27T15:54:51.492-07:002010-09-27T15:54:51.492-07:00WIW, in my experience, Atticus has never been a co...WIW, in my experience, Atticus has never been a comforting portrayal of a white person that assuages any white guilt I might have -- Atticus was a *rarity*, a social misfit, not a typical white person at all. I didn't find comfort in the fact that one halfway decent person tried to confront injustice, while so many others either sat mute or actively perpetrated injustice. I certainly never knew any Atticus Finches in my own life, and my teacher referred to him as an "aspirational" figure in American literature -- perhaps an unrealistically good father, good person -- but a character with personal qualities to which many people aspire. (Yes, "aspire" was one of the vocabulary words that our teacher had us learn as we read TKAM!)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16171106355550885358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-34829081615704259742010-08-20T12:44:50.986-07:002010-08-20T12:44:50.986-07:00So we should ignore the documentation of a sentime...So we should ignore the documentation of a sentiment in history?<br /><br />Perhaps the popularity of the novel is due to the fact that it preserves everything that you're analyzing.<br /><br />Yeah, it's a bitter pill that someone gets rewarded for doing the obviously correct thing, but a southern white female from alabama documenting what she saw and an anti-racism sentiment is still noteworthy.<br /><br />So while it is full of grating, obvious racism there are still those first notes of enlightenment from within the heart of the south.<br /><br />It's transparent in its bigotry, if you treat the characters as founts of wisdom and the embodiment of pure correctness. <br /><br />But if you treat the book as a confused, racist author starting to piece together how incorrect and unjust they are, it is valuable.<br /><br />I think it's even *MORE* valuable that it has those racist sentiments in it when attempting to not be.<br /><br />Would it have been more accurate and valuable without it? Would it have been widely accepted?<br /><br />It is a simple and fair question to point out the racism in the book, and to take Lee's point of view and how it could be considered a radical piece of work at the time. <br /><br />We're putting a LOT of stock into a story where an 8 year old girl is the voice of truth when assessing other cultures and races. Perhaps Lee intentionally built in the ignorance?<br /><br /><br />What if the entire book was meant to document the shortcomings of well intentioned sympathizing? That would render all of the major points made 1, 2 and 3 up above intentional showcasing of it all.<br /><br />If you cannot see the groundbreaking occurring when upgrading an ignorant view of a race from mongrel beasts to a mockingbird, and how that is a huge step in a backwards, ridiculous society... I think you're missing the point of the importance of the shift from other sorts of propaganda to this sort of propaganda.<br /><br />Lesser of two evils, of course... still evil.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07043646341713213743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-65355919091357404472010-07-23T08:37:30.927-07:002010-07-23T08:37:30.927-07:00I remember having to read that book in school. I o...I remember having to read that book in school. I only got so far before I burned it. I was 15 yrs old and got the message loud and clear.e w snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-46954092446968787852010-07-20T04:30:19.442-07:002010-07-20T04:30:19.442-07:00@April...
Where you do find the part where I accu...@April...<br /><br />Where you do find the part where I accused you of extolling Mein Kampf.. please let me know. Either that or withdraw the accusation because as you can see.. it simply didn't happen.<br /><br />I respect your right to like the novel, to love the language, and your ability to seperate the 'literature' from the times and all that stuff.<br /><br />I did not mention your blackness, I mentioned the blackness of other folk. Feel free to disagree, make your point and all but don't start pulling stuff out of thin air to do so.soulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-60194239079249256832010-07-20T04:02:47.936-07:002010-07-20T04:02:47.936-07:00@April..
I know you are a black woman. You've ...@April..<br />I <b>know</b> you are a black woman. You've said it in this thread before.<br /><br />Here's what I said: <br /><i>'I think <b>many other black folks</b> are kinda tired of it, maybe you won't mind reading a book demeaning women constantly.'</i><br /><br />In your haste, you might have overlooked it, so I've highlighted it for you.<br /><br />re: Mein Kampf.. <br /><br />I asked why it can't be read in high school. Didn't say you extolled it. I think yiou are being defensive and it is unnecessary.<br /><br />Anyway, Whats so bad about Mein Kampf? it's on my reading list<br />along with Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau, Spirit of the Laws by Charles de Secondat Baron de Montesquieu, Essays by Michel de Montaigne amongst others.<br /><br />I don't get it?.<br />I know the book demeans some a few people, but its one mans view. It was written at a point in time where many people adopted that. Its ancient history, I can seperate the man from the madness and I look forward to reading it. It will be an education.<br /><br />Why not? <br />Why can't High School kids be exposed to it? Surely if they are taught by teachers like you had, then it would be cool. No Jewish person need fear simple literature. I heard the prose was good too.soulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-45623069287182942692010-07-19T20:49:20.700-07:002010-07-19T20:49:20.700-07:00@April
My opinions on TKAM aside, that's the ...@April<br /><br />My opinions on TKAM aside, that's the feeling I (also a black woman) usually get as well. So I just don't post much anymore.Taggnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-43651203108703756362010-07-19T17:52:23.302-07:002010-07-19T17:52:23.302-07:00@otherwoman:
Agreed. I'm personally against j...@otherwoman:<br /><br />Agreed. I'm personally against just taking things off the curriculum based on the opinions of a few people, because as I've been trying to stress, for all the POC here who found TKAM problematic, I know just as many who felt it was meaningful and well-written. I also think literature should be challenging. I recall in my college American lit, there were white students who said they felt they were being "attacked" by the many works we read by POC that depicted whites unfavorably. Someone else brought up Native Son, which has actually been off the curriculum in my hometown's school district for years in part because of similar sentiments. I don't agree with either. Many important works are also uncomfortable ones. The key is having good teachers who will not only address those elements, but allow students to engage with them. I always think of <em>Things Fall Apart</em>, which was written in large part as a response to <em>Heart of Darkness</em>. How different might the canon be if it was decided that HOD was simply a racist text that shouldn't be studied?Aprilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-15423102879534129492010-07-19T17:37:59.719-07:002010-07-19T17:37:59.719-07:00@soul:
First of all, I am a black woman. I think ...@soul:<br /><br />First of all, I am a black woman. I think it's telling that for some folks here, it seems to only be acceptable to take into account the views of POC who agree with them. Because I do not, I *must* be on the side of the people who would also extol Mein Kampf. How very mature of you.Aprilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-65684479597709965022010-07-19T07:52:22.974-07:002010-07-19T07:52:22.974-07:00@soul: "Since, its an impossible position for...@soul: "Since, its an impossible position for anyone creating a curricula not to alienate someone.. how about for a change, we focus on demeaning other folk than the usual demeaning of black folk?." Yes, I had been thinking about that point, too, and forgot to say anything about it, so thank you for stressing it.olderwomanhttp://sociologicalconfessions.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-35181353779507959502010-07-19T07:41:50.051-07:002010-07-19T07:41:50.051-07:00I managed never to read this book. I do remember a...I managed never to read this book. I do remember a high school english teacher telling me it was one of her favorite books of all time and complaining that people wanted it banned, but it sounded from the conversation with her that the discussion had only been about use of the n word.<br /><br />What I did read in American Lit in High School, among other things, was Native Son, Beloved, and Huck Finn. (I feel like I'm forgetting another book that dealt with racism, actually) I don't think I would assign Beloved or Native Son to a middle school class but I think I did fine with them by high school. For the record, I we did a fair amount of criticism in many of my hs classes, so with the right teacher I think we could have dealt with discussing racism in TKAM or HF if my teachers had been more ready to bring it up.<br /><br />This essay reminds me of how ineffective the the white idealists in Native Son are, and how important a message that was for me. The story is about how Bigger tries to get out of trouble after accidentally suffocating one of the anti-racist white characters with whom I sort of identified. And even though we did discuss "how much better things are now" briefly, I don't think it's as easy to play that game with this book.<br /><br />As for Huck Finn, after reading two books actually written by black authors even my class of upper middle class white kids could see the difference. I kind of enjoyed the writing style and the story itself since it was so much easier and fanciful than anything else we read for the class, but most students came to class complaining about it and couldn't be persuaded it was worth much.skypilotnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-42009560579534537632010-07-19T06:47:31.866-07:002010-07-19T06:47:31.866-07:00M. Gibson, that's exactly what comes to mind w...M. Gibson, that's exactly what comes to mind when I hear/see the word. It's meant to be oppressive, and it is. In the examples you provided that one word took away respect in calling human beings by their names and made them sound like a breed of dog instead, and then made it sound ludicrous that one of them might hold a job as a city official. Collectively, white people know exactly what that word does if we use it. We've always known it.Victoriahttp://vintagelux.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-59131116357087580432010-07-19T06:39:05.901-07:002010-07-19T06:39:05.901-07:00@April...
true.. an imposasible situation.
So Lets...@April...<br />true.. an imposasible situation.<br />So Lets teach mein Kampf in schools.<br /><br />Why do black folk always have to be the ones to 'just recognise its a book'<br /><br />Since, its an impossible position for anyone creating a curricula not to alienate someone.. how about for a change, we focus on demeaning other folk than the usual demeaning of black folk?.<br /><br />I think many other black folks are kinda tired of it, maybe you won't mind reading a book demeaning women constantly.<br /><br />We can stand in class and make a women read the word '<i> whore, fucking c*nt, whore, whore, whore, whore, 'c*m bucket*</i> over and over again.<br /><br />I think we should go forward with this.soulnoreply@blogger.com