Blog #8

After reading Between the World and Me, and listening to our discussions regarding the book it really made me see not just culture in general but cultural differences and ethnicity differences from a new and refreshed perspective. Coates truly did an outstanding job with this work and every part and every word in the book has so much intention behind it which is something that I think is one of the hardest things to achieve while writing. I think his way of not only expressing either negatives or positives, but rather including a good amount of each made it that much more compelling and I think it pulls readers into his head where we can get a bit more insight into his thoughts and feelings. The way he phrases everything is so straight up and somehow he made an incredibly complex issue simple. I always thought of racism as a very complex and convoluted issue, however, thinking about it now there are so many aspects that are truly simple. It truly should not be as difficult as it was and still is, to see all colors, religions, and genders as equal. I have seen many tests and have taken tests for psychology classes that are meant to expose your subconscious bias. Yes, I believe that every single person has bias even if they don't know it or adamantly disagree, however, that doesn't mean you should treat people as lesser or with more violence. Coates says, "But race is the child of racism, not the father. And the process of naming "the people" has never been a matter of genealogy and physiognomy so much as one of hierarchy." and this is kind of what I am trying to get at. Race became a topic because certain groups of people who saw themselves as better decided to treat them differently and it was never a matter of family lineage but instead was one of rank. 

Personally speaking, my ethnicity and culture is a huge part of who I am and to have that be a reason for others to judge me or be degrading is beyond my understanding. The race you are born as isn't something we control but at the same time it is something we should all be proud of. So much of what society is, is choosing what is and is not acceptable based on the comfort of the majority. While I know it is cliche to say that we need to stay true to who we are and not conform simply because others cannot take a challenge, it is very true and the need for people to speak out against injustice is critical now and indefinitely until the rest of the world can treat people with the respect they deserve regardless of these factors.