Once again, if race relations are going to ever get stronger, perception and changing stereotypes must be a focus. While perusing the Internet, I stumbled upon a few interesting news article that I believe might reveal exactly how far we still have to go.
1. Reparations:
When is an apology not enough?
Local government officials
from the rural southeast Alabama community of Abbeville apologized to relatives
of Recy Taylor. Taylor is a black woman
raped by a gang of white men in 1944. Taylor was 24 and living in her native
Henry County when she was gang-raped. She was a married woman walking home from
church when she was abducted, assaulted and left on the side of the road in an
isolated area. Every man charged escaped
prosecution because of what officials described as a ‘mishandling’ by
police. Two all-white, all-male grand
juries declined to convict the accused.
Probate judge and
commission chairman JoAnn Smith, described the events as a “miscarriage of
justice”. Smith believes that the system
failed Recy Taylor so many years ago. "I can pray that things would be
handled differently now than in the past," she said. Added Abbeville Mayor Ryan Blalock: "I want to
relay to the family and to Miss Recy that the city loves you." Smith and
Blalock are white.
Though Taylor, now 91, believes
that her attackers are deceased, she would still like an apology from the state
of Alabama. Recy Taylor has lived with this psychological ‘yoke’ for 67 years. What
reparations could possibly repair or return dignity lost? Danielle L. McGuire
tells Taylor’s story in her book, “At the Dark End of the Street.”
Article: Johnson, Bob. "Town Leaders Sorry for Handling of
1944 Rape Case - US News - Crime & Courts - Msnbc.com." Msnbc.com -
Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News-
Msnbc.com. Web. 17 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42198706/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/>.
2. Racial Perception: Seriously
!?!
A set of two nearly
identical AP pictures first appeared in Yahoo news on August 30, 2005: The photo
on the left shows a white couple wading through water after “finding bread and
soda from a local grocery store,” while the photo on the shows a young black
man “after looting a grocery store.” Unfortunately, the Katrina disaster served
as a hotbed for racist journalism – stereotyping at its finest.
3. The Stereotype – “The
Perpetuator”
There is proof that our
government has the ability to make ethical decisions. Such was true when the US Trademark Act denied
a Portland rock band a trademark for their name. The application has been rejected, twice; on
the grounds the name is racist. The name is The Slants and they are an
Asian-American band with a large Asian-American fan base. “We deserve the right
to protect our name,” claims the band.
The US Trademark Act says
the feds can refuse a trademark if it "consists of or comprises immoral,
deceptive, or scandalous matter; or matter which may disparage," officials
cited. The band got supporting statements from leaders in the Asian-American
community. “This does not disparage Asian identity; it celebrates it,” noted
one. The band is preparing another appeal. They ask why the Washington Redskins
can keep their name while theirs continues to be denied.
Stereotypes are the
catalysts for racial tension. How can a minority group gain respect amongst the
majority if they insist on perpetuating stereotypes?
Article: Cantor,, Matt. "The Slants:
US Won't Trademark Band's 'Racist' Name." Newser | Headline News
Summaries, World News, Breaking News, and Local News. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://www.newser.com/story/114952/the-slants-us-wont-trademark-bands-racist-name.html>.
4.
Advertising – Think again
before you reach for that aspirin.
The other night, as I sat
watching a basketball game, I observed one of the most blatantly racist commercials
that I have seen in a long time. The commercial was for Bayer aspirin. The commercial takes place aboard an
airplane, where an English-speaker complains of back pain and a Korean
stewardess recommends Bayer. When the
stewardess gives the passenger Bayer, He states that he is having back pain not
a heart attack. Not only does he assume she doesn’t know the difference, he
also points to his back and speaks louder as if it would help her understand
him.
After more research, I
discovered a bit more about Bayer:[1]
Bayer became part of IG
Farben, a conglomerate of German chemical industries which formed the financial
core of the Nazi regime. IG Farben was the main supplier of Zyklon B, a
chemical used in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. When the Allies split IG Farben
after World War II for involvement in several Nazi war crimes, Bayer reappeared
as an individual business.
Bayer has
discovered, among others:
* Aspirin — a pain
reliever, arguably the most successful drug ever
* Heroin
(diacetylmorphine) — an addictive drug, originally sold as a cough treatment,
and arguably the most successful illegal drug ever. Heroin was a Bayer
trademark.
* Methadone
* Mustard gas — a
blister-causing chemical weapon
* Tabun — a nerve
agent
Well, now that
makes more sense …….
[1] Smith, Marshall. "Sell Out Of America?" 12
June 2006. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.
<http://americaisindanger.blogspot.com/2011/03/bayer-became-part-of-ig-farben.html>.
5. Defamation – So …. A picture is worth a 1000 words?
In New Jersey, Tricia Frasier is suing Life Always after they used her
daughter’s likeness on a photo
of a 4-year-old black child and the accompanying slogan, “The most dangerous
place for an African American is in the womb.”
Frasier called the use of her daughter's image and its ad company
"defamatory, unauthorized, and offensive," notes Courthouse News Service.
The billboard was
quickly removed. The stock photo was
purchased bought from Getty Images with a standard clause forbidding its use
"in connection with a subject that would be unflattering or unduly
controversial to a reasonable person." Tricia Fraser says those terms were
violated.
What does this
slogan mean, anyway? As if using a child’s photo for an abortion ad without
consent wasn’t enough, racism spews without explanation. I have read many
comments left with this article. To my amazement, most concern the mother or
child; not the message.
Article: Johnson,, John. "Mother Sues Over Use of
Daughter's Image on Anti-Abortion Billboard in New York City." Newser |
Headline News Summaries, World News, Breaking News, and Local News. Web. 27
Apr. 2011.
<http://www.newser.com/story/117335/mother-sues-over-use-of-daughters-image-on-anti-abortion-billboard-in-new-york-city.html>.
Conclusion:
Many may think we
have become colorblind. We have not. I believe many stories are not reported
because of the dilution and convolution of political correctness. Progress in racial relations, since the Civil
Rights Movement, can be measured by perspective. It has only been 60 years since
blacks and whites drank from separate water fountains. Considering the history
of segregation, we have come a long way.
However, we must be aware of the mask that current day racism continues
to wear. It is still intertwined with every aspect of our lives. It is also
important for minorities not to ‘feed the machine’ by accepting their
stereotypes.
Enjoyed reading this - a lot of interesting, and important information here! I just blogged about organizations forming diversity programs that create the illusion of of fairness. While good intentions may be the basis for such programs, more research and development must take place in order for them to be beneficial. It "looks good" on the outside, but these programs can backfire when the organizers are not fully educated on the real topic of diversity and how to handle such situations.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it will probably take another 60 more years to end racism. Society still allows racism through the door; they just do it inconspicuously. Most people notice what they want to notice and others are too naïve to believe that racism still does exist. Society wants us to believe that we need to keep the past in the past and start fresh with newer ideas, but how can we if racism is still widespread throughout our present. In other words, we can’t believe a scar can be forgotten about if we can see it on a daily basis through (advertisement, stereotype, racial perception) all of these issues still do exist and so the scar can never truly heal right, because our world as of yet hasn’t taken off their mask of disguise and except a person for their talent, performance, education, strengths, ambition and the person that they are instead of the color of their skin.
ReplyDeleteWow! You found so many interesting stories! The one about Recy Taylor is so sad. They said it was a “miscarriage of justice”....it was but that still does not seem to "cover" the extent to just how wrong what they did was!
ReplyDeleteLouis those are powerful stories to support that racism still does exist in our country. It's amazing to me in the last example you used "Defamation": that a billboard like that would even allow to be broadcasted to the world. Considering 1.) it has to go through a chain of people to even to get to the point, and 2.) knowone saw how completely offensive and disrepsectful that billboard was. I think these are the things people need to be made aware of. Our country needs to become aware of how much racism in our country still exists and strive to elminate these barriers and biases.
ReplyDeleteWell to start, you write one heck of a good blog, so neat and concise, showing clearly what your point is in a way that keeps up with our 3.5 second attention span- bravo I still need to continue my training clearly ;)
ReplyDeleteWith regards to the articles you found- I agree with Tiffany, that billboard is a clear example of how veiled racism is used in media outlets, and that no one questions it. I agree with you, my first thought was how is the womb the most dangerous place for an African American?! The underlying message is that black women should not be reproducing, which is insane, and there is no evidence to support that idea.