Final Thoughts
I have just finished reading The New Jim Crow and I'm so thankful and happy that I was able to read it. The book has truly transformed my understanding of race, the criminal justice system, and the systems of control and problems that our country suffers from. I was clearly aware of many of the issues that faced African-Americans, but I was aware of them individually. Michelle Alexander has brought all of them together in such a brilliant way that clearly outlines how every single aspect of it is related and perpetuates the racist cycle. This was honestly one of the best books that I've ever read, and certainly the best nonfiction book that I've read. I wish that there was some way to make this book mandatory for everyone in the world to see, so needless to say, I would highly recommend it. Overall, it was a fabulous book and I'm extremely happy that I read it.
Although there were countless major takeaways that I had from this book, one thing that stuck out to me was one argument that Michelle Alexander makes. She says, "the current system...[isn't] racist in the way Americans have come to understand that term. Race plays a major role--indeed, a defining role--in the current system, but not because of what is commonly understood as old-fashioned, hostile bigotry. This system of control depends far more on racial indifference" (pg 204).
This is one of her main arguments throughout the book, especially towards the end. This quote stood out to me because it's something that I often didn't even consider or think about, but sounds resoundingly true to me. The far majority of the people in our country are not racist in the way we usually think of that word. When I read about all of these issues, it was often hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that in a world where all of the people I know and hear on television and in life openly condemn racism, and yet this clear racial caste system somehow exists within this same world. I often found myself wondering how all of these things could be happening in this supposedly free and equal country of ours if so many people are opposed to racism.
If we can all agree that the far majority of people are not discriminatory or openly racist towards many individuals, it's hard to understand how these glaring racial disparities and injustices still happen every day, with little being done about it. However, in the way that Alexander describes it, it makes perfect sense.
Ever since the days of slavery and Jim Crow, when racism became taboo and strongly discouraged, our world shifted our views of race, but not in a positive way. When Martin Luther King Jr. said "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character", he was describing the world that we should always strive for, the America that we all hope to have one day. And after his wise words were spread and his monumental ideas touched the hearts of our country, we twisted his words and made them into something fundamentally counter to his goal.
After seeing the tragedies and injustices that faced the African-American community for centuries, white Americans felt a need for an attitude shift in regards to race, but unfortunately, we went the wrong way. Instead of embracing our African-American brothers and sisters and finding ways to alleviate the injustice and make ourselves as equal as possible, we, as a country, decided that the way to accomplish MLK's dream was to not see color; to pretend that it didn't exist and race no longer mattered. In doing this, we unwittingly created an environment in which racial injustice festered, and that completely twisted MLK's ideas.
In this new "era of colorblindness" as Michelle Alexander calls it, we allow for a system of mass incarceration and racial control to form because we're unwilling to acknowledge the impact of race in our country. She says it perfectly by saying "Racial indifference and blindness--far more than racial hostility--form the sturdy foundation of all racial caste systems" (pg 242). We're unwilling to acknowledge the ways that it shapes millions of lives, and the ways that it has changed our criminal justice system. Instead of changing our country to be more race inclusive and tolerant of all differences, we've chosen to instead ignore it and the injustices it brings.
This refusal to discuss racial issues and instead think that we are living in this world Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of having has ironically led to the creation and maintenance of the racial injustice in this country. By refusing to acknowledge the severe inequalities and problems that face the African-American community, we have allowed this cycle and system to go on, day by day, with no interference or opposition. We discuss criminal justice system problems in race-neutral terms, and insist that the problems facing African-Americans are strictly economic, despite the overwhelming disparities in wealth and opportunities as defined by race. We justify stripping blacks of their rights for minor drug offenses by labeling them a criminal instead of saying that they're black. These race-neutral terms and justifications of the problems in our country only allows the injustices to continue despite the majority of Americans being against racism.
Instead of refusing to acknowledge race and its role in America, we must understand, discuss, and embrace it. As the original quote mentions, these racial injustices will only continue if we remain racially indifferent. We must start discussing these issues for what they are: race issues. The only way to fix these problems and actually progress towards racial equality is not by ignoring race, but by recognizing it and seeking to build that world that Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of having.
Dismantling these systems of control is no easy task, but it is one that must be done. As Alexander discusses, this will not be accomplished through solving it issue by issue, or even by focusing on the legal aspects of it. The start of this must come through a movement that involves everyone in America understanding these issues and how they are directly tied to race, as well as rejecting this previous notion that we should ignore our differences. This racial indifference serves to perpetuate the racism that's so prevalent in our country, and we must instead acknowledge that there are problems directly tied to race, and start having open conversations about them. We must acknowledge our biases, stereotypes, and racist systems in order to combat these issues. As Alexander describes, this will take nothing short of an entire overthrow of our social ideas as they are now. We must be brave, and mimic those who came before us during the Jim Crow Era and the abolishment of slavery in order to change and progress as a country, and as a people.
These ideas of racial indifference and colorblindness really resonated with me because they're what I've been taught to believe while growing up. I've been told "You're no different or better than any black person" more times than I can count. And to some extent, it's right that I'm not physically, emotionally, or cognitively superior to any African-American person. However, I am different than they are because of the opportunities and privileges I've been afforded because of my race, and the disadvantages and discrimination they've received instead. We are different, not in a human sense, but in the way our country has treated us and the advantages or disadvantages we've been given. It's my duty to acknowledge this difference, to see the injustice that African-American people suffer, and to seek to change it so that one day we may not be so different. But denying these differences and these problems that make us separate is a disservice to people of color because nothing will ever be done about the injustice they suffer if I do so. Instead, I, and all of us, must seek to acknowledge these racial barriers and injustices, and instead of becoming "colorblind" to these issues, do something to change it.
Although there were countless major takeaways that I had from this book, one thing that stuck out to me was one argument that Michelle Alexander makes. She says, "the current system...[isn't] racist in the way Americans have come to understand that term. Race plays a major role--indeed, a defining role--in the current system, but not because of what is commonly understood as old-fashioned, hostile bigotry. This system of control depends far more on racial indifference" (pg 204).
This is one of her main arguments throughout the book, especially towards the end. This quote stood out to me because it's something that I often didn't even consider or think about, but sounds resoundingly true to me. The far majority of the people in our country are not racist in the way we usually think of that word. When I read about all of these issues, it was often hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that in a world where all of the people I know and hear on television and in life openly condemn racism, and yet this clear racial caste system somehow exists within this same world. I often found myself wondering how all of these things could be happening in this supposedly free and equal country of ours if so many people are opposed to racism.
If we can all agree that the far majority of people are not discriminatory or openly racist towards many individuals, it's hard to understand how these glaring racial disparities and injustices still happen every day, with little being done about it. However, in the way that Alexander describes it, it makes perfect sense.
Ever since the days of slavery and Jim Crow, when racism became taboo and strongly discouraged, our world shifted our views of race, but not in a positive way. When Martin Luther King Jr. said "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character", he was describing the world that we should always strive for, the America that we all hope to have one day. And after his wise words were spread and his monumental ideas touched the hearts of our country, we twisted his words and made them into something fundamentally counter to his goal.
After seeing the tragedies and injustices that faced the African-American community for centuries, white Americans felt a need for an attitude shift in regards to race, but unfortunately, we went the wrong way. Instead of embracing our African-American brothers and sisters and finding ways to alleviate the injustice and make ourselves as equal as possible, we, as a country, decided that the way to accomplish MLK's dream was to not see color; to pretend that it didn't exist and race no longer mattered. In doing this, we unwittingly created an environment in which racial injustice festered, and that completely twisted MLK's ideas.
In this new "era of colorblindness" as Michelle Alexander calls it, we allow for a system of mass incarceration and racial control to form because we're unwilling to acknowledge the impact of race in our country. She says it perfectly by saying "Racial indifference and blindness--far more than racial hostility--form the sturdy foundation of all racial caste systems" (pg 242). We're unwilling to acknowledge the ways that it shapes millions of lives, and the ways that it has changed our criminal justice system. Instead of changing our country to be more race inclusive and tolerant of all differences, we've chosen to instead ignore it and the injustices it brings.
This refusal to discuss racial issues and instead think that we are living in this world Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of having has ironically led to the creation and maintenance of the racial injustice in this country. By refusing to acknowledge the severe inequalities and problems that face the African-American community, we have allowed this cycle and system to go on, day by day, with no interference or opposition. We discuss criminal justice system problems in race-neutral terms, and insist that the problems facing African-Americans are strictly economic, despite the overwhelming disparities in wealth and opportunities as defined by race. We justify stripping blacks of their rights for minor drug offenses by labeling them a criminal instead of saying that they're black. These race-neutral terms and justifications of the problems in our country only allows the injustices to continue despite the majority of Americans being against racism.
Instead of refusing to acknowledge race and its role in America, we must understand, discuss, and embrace it. As the original quote mentions, these racial injustices will only continue if we remain racially indifferent. We must start discussing these issues for what they are: race issues. The only way to fix these problems and actually progress towards racial equality is not by ignoring race, but by recognizing it and seeking to build that world that Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of having.
Dismantling these systems of control is no easy task, but it is one that must be done. As Alexander discusses, this will not be accomplished through solving it issue by issue, or even by focusing on the legal aspects of it. The start of this must come through a movement that involves everyone in America understanding these issues and how they are directly tied to race, as well as rejecting this previous notion that we should ignore our differences. This racial indifference serves to perpetuate the racism that's so prevalent in our country, and we must instead acknowledge that there are problems directly tied to race, and start having open conversations about them. We must acknowledge our biases, stereotypes, and racist systems in order to combat these issues. As Alexander describes, this will take nothing short of an entire overthrow of our social ideas as they are now. We must be brave, and mimic those who came before us during the Jim Crow Era and the abolishment of slavery in order to change and progress as a country, and as a people.
These ideas of racial indifference and colorblindness really resonated with me because they're what I've been taught to believe while growing up. I've been told "You're no different or better than any black person" more times than I can count. And to some extent, it's right that I'm not physically, emotionally, or cognitively superior to any African-American person. However, I am different than they are because of the opportunities and privileges I've been afforded because of my race, and the disadvantages and discrimination they've received instead. We are different, not in a human sense, but in the way our country has treated us and the advantages or disadvantages we've been given. It's my duty to acknowledge this difference, to see the injustice that African-American people suffer, and to seek to change it so that one day we may not be so different. But denying these differences and these problems that make us separate is a disservice to people of color because nothing will ever be done about the injustice they suffer if I do so. Instead, I, and all of us, must seek to acknowledge these racial barriers and injustices, and instead of becoming "colorblind" to these issues, do something to change it.
Really nice job on this final blog post! I have had similar experiences in being told that we shouldn’t treat African-Americans or people from any other group differently. I agree that this has played a fold in mass incarceration because by using race-neutral terms and laws, one can always argue that “poor whites are in jail, too.” I don’t know how you felt, but the ending of the book to me felt a little bit frustrating. She pointed out many things that needed fixing and how difficult it would be to do so, but I didn’t feel as though many suggestions were made. How do we fundamentally shift the attitudes and opinions of a whole country? I would love to hear your thoughts about this. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Bekah!
ReplyDeleteYou obviously really enjoyed reading this book, and you summarized a lot of the ideas in it perfectly. As I was reading your blog, I noticed a lot of similarities between your book and the closing section of my book, especially in the sense that the authors urge us to recognize race and the differences between us instead of simply saying we don’t see color. My author emphasized that human beings may have a tendency to separate themselves from others, but they also have the power to question their own biases and make changes. In class, this idea has come up multiple times too, and this is the idea that I think has impacted me most of all: we can’t simply be “colorblind” and pretend these issues don’t exist. I’m wondering if you got this sense from everything we’ve done in this unit, and if not, what do you think is your major takeaway from studying race and your book?