Words Don't Matter

Society is made up of all sorts of rules. Written and unwritten rules make up how we act all the time. The written rules are called laws and we abide by them without question. The unwritten rules are the ones that are less defined and are open for interpretation. Amongst one of those unwritten rules is intraracial racism. This act which happens amongst minority groups in America is sometimes considered hypocritical. Minority groups scream racism from the white man when they are disenfranchised but yet they facilitate a prejudices against themselves. Perhaps, the biggest example of this is within the Black community. "Light-skinned" blacks vs. "Dark-skinned" blacks has been the cause of a divide in the Black community for centuries. Unfortunately though, it wasn't until that divide resurfaced in America during slavery that it started to cause major problems within the group in the form of self-hatred.

Willie Lynch introduced the notion of turning blacks against themselves bassed on differences like skin tone. From reading his letter it is evident that Blacks come in different shades of color because of White supremacy. Intentional raping and breeding procedures took place during the mid-1700s to ensure skin color differences were perpetuated. "Light-skinned" vs. "Dark-skinned" was a major problem during slavery and post-Civil War when rights were assigned to skin tone. The new divide within our community seems to be one based on class. The Black majority and the Black Elite make up the two factions. Author Manning Marable describes the difference between the two in his book entitled, "How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America: A Critical Reassessment." The divide between the two groups can be seen the most in the social issues arena. The Black majority is the group that struggles on a daily basis for land and education, who take pride in their African heritage and show that in their language and culture. The Black elites are quite the opposite and look to accumulate petty amounts of capital at the expense of thir Black brothers and sisters while accepting the statas quo of economic and political systems.

It seems that one issue is dividing the two groups farther apart recently and that's the the use of the word Nigger. After the Don Imus situation, the use of the word Nigger and Bitch by musical artists and the Black community all together was put under scrutiny. In my opinion, the Black majority is going to continue to use the words that are indicative of their environment. Black elitists will continue to preach at and look down on those Blacks they can't relate to. The words that people use shouldn't be under scrutiny, especially in the entertainment arena. I don't even know why rappers are being targeted by individuals like Oprah and Al Sharpton when the real issues are not over what people say but how they act and are raised. The ban on the word Nigger is stupid! Rappers are entertainers and say what people want to hear for entertainment. What they do cannot be compared to the Don Imus situation because he is not an entertainer. The thing that we need to be concerned with is the fact that, perhaps Don Imus was giving his audience what they want to hear.

American Language

Texting is my way of communicating with my friends. I really don't like talking on the phone much. I don't really know why but there are only particular times when I feel like holding conversation over the phone. Because of this, I use texting as my way of communicating with my friends about whatever it is I feel merits news. In addition, I use texting as my way of communicating with people who I don't want to talk with. To me, not many people offer interesting or engaging conversations. I am bored by most of the topics in which people choose to bring up when I speak with them. And I have found that things that sincerely interest me are not as interesting to other individuals. This makes the art of holding long meaningful conversations with others nearly impossible for me. Instead of suffering through a boring conversation, I text. When there is nothing much to say, I feel small talk can be minimized down to a simple text message.


Most people use the technology of texting these days as a sort of avoidance mechanism. Instead of talking to people face to face or even through phone, they prefer to text. I find myself doing the same thing. In most cases (unless I really can't talk on the phone) I text because I don't want to talk on the phone. Most people who call me for conversation say very little that interests me. In addition, I sometimes don't like dealing with the akward conversations with certain people (ex-girlfriends, crush, old friend, etc.). I suppose texting has served its purpose as being a convenient technology that helps me communicate better. If I didn't have texts then i certainly wouldn't talk to a lot of individuals.

Gender Differences

I do not believe in societal gender roles. I was raised in a single-mother household and was taught how to iron my own clothes, wash dishes, cook, and clean (supposed female chores). At the same time though, my mother taught me how to do all the things that "men are supposed to do." I don't feel there are particular things that men or women should do exclusively. When roles are established in a household, the mutual respect that should exist in the relationship may not be as strong. When considering raising a child and the sorts of training that takes place during the child's developmental stage, it is important not to emphasize gender differences. Gender differences exist in society mainly because myths and stereotypes. Perpetuation of the stereotypes concerning gender roles can cause mental and even physical damage to both sexes. Prejudices arise from the stereotypes and myths that are so prevalent in society. That's where the glass ceiling effect comes from.

Genetics

Before the discussion in class concerning genetics, I hadn't taken time to consider where my personality traits come from (nature or nurture). I had always considered the way I act a product of my environment. But now that I think about it, I realize that there are certain traits in my personality that come from my father; or so I've been told. I have never met or spent a day of my life with my father but yet my mother tells me that my jovial character can be attributed to him. In addition to this, I have a nervous tick which causes me to pick at my chin hairs. I've been told that this comes from my grandfather. I didn't know that he used to do that when he was younger! I think we as individuals must have a balance of what is considered inate and nurtured by our environment. Nobody can be completely constructed to act and think a certain way based off of genetics alone. I believe that certain personality traits like depression and introversion are consequences of how certain people were raised.

Body Image

How we view ourselves is important to our esteem. How we feel about our body image has a direct correlation to how we feel about ourselves internally. Body image can probably be linked to a high percentage of depression cases in the nation. Body image and what it means to look attractive has been woven into our societal forefront through years of training. Media has set standards for us as to what we are supposed to look like in order to be considered attractive. There are general American beauty standards for males and females (ex-males must be muscular and fit while females must maintain long hair and large breasts). Something that gets overlooked sometimes though, is how those beauty standards cross over cultural boundaries and how that affects members of minority races.

As an African living in America, the prevalent images of white perfection (movie stars, models, dolls, etc.) make up the bulk of ideal body construction. As children, the images we see on television make lasting impressions on what it means to be acceptable and attractive. There are some instances when Black children grow up thinking that they don't embody what it means to be considered beautiful because their hair isn't blonde and long or because their eyes aren't blue or green. When those children are not taught to love themselves and how to look at the concept of beauty in regards to their particular race, a major developmental esteem problem can arise.

African American parents should be mindful of this while raising their children. For every White movie star, White Barbie, and White model a Black child gets exposed to, the parent/guardian should ensure an equally beautiful Black representative gets their attention. This is essential so that the child won't grow up believing that their body image is not socially acceptable and to prevent them from aspiring to look like something they are not.