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- QUESTION
Please read all the instructions carefully all the way through before starting this assignment. Please do not use any outside source.
Self-Reflection Précis #1
The self-reflection analysis assignment is a 1-page single-space writing assignment that focus merely on your subjectivity or your thoughts about anything we've read, watched, and / or discussed in class. All I ask is that you write critically and intellectually.
I pick this to do this assignment: This is a ted talk video
How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time | Baratunde Thurston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZgkjEdMbSw
We did discussion post about this as well in the class I am going to post my discussion post about this topic here as well down below so you can check it out.
How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time
Baratunde Thurston investigates the phenomenon of white Americans calling on the law enforcements on Black Americans who have executed the crimes of walking, eating, or living while Black. Thurston in his thought-provoking and comical talk discusses the power of language in changing trauma stories into narratives of healing. Thurston is motivated to change the white supremacy narrative that favors a framework of structural advantage over blacks into stories of healing. Thurston explains that such white supremacy narrative was used to validate slavery, Jim Crow, and mass incarceration. Thurston explains the dominant narrative concerning black struggles to co-exist in a white society where Black people are perceived as troublemakers. In most cases, the white people call 911 on black people for just living as black.
Thurston explores the current racism events and provides insight using a game structure to change these racist occurrences and challenges individuals to level-up. Thurston explains that the white persons calling the cops on Blacks can change their actions by using positive language. For example, Thurston argues that rather than a white woman calling the police on a Black woman giving food to the homeless in California Safeway, the white woman should thank her. Thurston argues that thanking is way easier than calling law enforcement to the scene. Also, the white woman who called the cops on the eight-year-old black girl could have just bought the stock from the little black girl and support her small business. Thurston argues that when we change our actions then the story changes, which transforms the system that permits those stories to occur. Thurston ends his talk by calling upon everyone to use their power to choose a positive action and level-up because we can change those structural racism stories through positive actions.
I am also going to provide an example which my instructor provide us how she want this assignment written here down below:
Example of Self-Reflection Précis:
Professor Uhuru
11/18/2014
Lynch Law in all its Phases
While I was reading, this passage gave me a sense of anger, hopelessness, and disappointment. By the content of the reading I can tell that by the time the author was living that horrible experience, slavery was over, or at least the concept of slavery was illegal and unconstitutional. The fact that black people owned houses and businesses make me realized that by this time they were free and in control of their lives. However, they still weren’t in control of hatred towards them coming from white neighbors. Well, actually nobody can control how others feel around us, even today. We are probable to get enemies, but they might not be in relation to racism, or so we think. I believe that the white people that hunted the colored people in the reading weren’t happy that black people were being successful and enjoying their free, American lives.
It’s disappointing that those who committed the lynching got away with murder. I can’t fully imagined how bad things were when black people were believed to have value only as property. They must have felt hopeless, to the point where many actually believed that they were only born to become slaves and do however their masters pleased. I can’t even conceive a vivid image of how brutally they were treated at some point. I mean, they had to go through torture, violence, and mistreatment from people that believed that were superior to them. Nobody is more or less than anyone else, there is only one race in the world, and this is human race. We all have the same rights because we are the same. Just by knowing of the unimaginable things color people suffer gives me the chills because how can someone go through so much pain and hatred?
By reading this piece, I felt somehow angry, knowing that it’s just history and nothing can be done to change it. I don’t know where human kindness was at when people were nothing less than property. But the thing that disappoints me the most is that the police officers weren’t punished in any way, when they were the ones going to the People’s Grocery and going after these men. It is truly a self-defense case, and it was in vain that three poor men paid with their lives. I like to see television shows that are about police detectives searching and prosecuting murder suspects, such as the one called, The First 48. It is outstanding the amount of work they do in order to get their suspect behind bars. I believe that on this case justice wasn’t serve. The judge just said that the lynchers were unknown and that was it. I think that something more could have been done, but it’s probable that even if they knew who the killers were, they still would find them guilty.
The laws apply to every single citizen of this country, beyond skin color, economic status, or social status. Having to deal with unfair laws must be definitely stressful, even more where the situation affects us directly. The relatives of the three black men murder outside the jail should had been distraught and angry because there was no way to rebel against the white supremacy that was governing them. If people don’t feel protected by those whom are supposed to do so, then how can anyone live peacefully? I’m glad that I didn’t live during those periods of time because I don’t know how I would have react. It was an act of injustice and those who cowardly committed the murder were still free. The authority always has to be respected, and so we are taught, but in order for us to do so, we need to see that the authority has the same fundamentals, values, and beliefs as the people they swear to protect.
| Subject | Sociology | Pages | 2 | Style | APA |
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Answer
How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time
The video, “How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time” by Baratunde Thurston is the most touching, and influential one I have ever come across. Watching it has triggered an intense urge to call for change with regards to the issue of racism that is still dominating the American society. The content shows that by the time Thurston was growing up, slavery had already become an abolished concept. However, even after years of growing up, the speaker still experienced various instances of discrimination due to his skin colour. In the introductory session, the speaker emphasizes how his mother was a Black woman who lived like everyone else from that ethnic background. In addition, he also argues that he was lucky enough to get the best education and even become a famous individual. However, that does not change the fact that he is still afraid for his safety when walking and living among the Whites.
Thurston’s narration of his experience when the police officer stops him when driving home with his fiancé who is white. To show compliance, there is a lot he does just to stay alive. According to him, he may need witnesses or even a video footage in case something happens and things get out of control with the police officer. This experience makes me sad and scared thinking of how many others are forced to live like this every other day. I immediately assume that he did all these to avoid being accused wrongly of trying to pull out a firearm or simply trying to evade the arms of the law. I cannot help but wonder if the Whites also go through the same experience. Can they put their arms down when stopping for the police officer? Are they exempt from the numerous documentations that the Blacks are required to provide? It is clear that such treatment is only given to the Blacks simply because they are all assumed to be troublesome. All African Americans are considered as criminals even before they do anything that is against the law.
Thurston identifies various white supremacy stories that they may need to change, in order to change the whole narrative and deconstruct racism. The reasons why Whites call the police on Blacks do not make any sense. Whites call the police on Blacks, even children who are just struggling to make a living in a society that is dominated by inequality and a big gap in social classes. Rather than viewing each other as human beings, the Whites feel like they have more rights than the Blacks. The accusations are absurd, such as calling the police because a Black woman is feeding other homeless people in the street. This leads me to question what her crime truly was because it makes no sense. As a matter of fact, they should promote such behaviour and congratulate the woman for her selfless actions. However, such stories can be changes one at a time when people today can change their actions and level up. They need to mind their own business, and deter from trying to cause issues without good reason.
In conclusion, the message in this video is strong and influential. If it is shared to the wider population, more people can realise how absurd it is to just call the police because someone is black. The measure will be set aside for instances where actual crimes have taken place. This will change the headlines, thereby leading to less racist experiences for Blacks. The actions can change, thereby changing the system as a result.
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