As we have discussed in class, there are many unsettling parallels between Light in August, and the current racial problems in America, including Ferguson. The town of Jefferson in Faulkner's Light in August immediately believed that because Christmas had potentially black heritage, he was the murderer and not Joe Brown. The townspeople someohow instantaneously knew that he had done it, before they had evidence or details. Of course, it is likely that Christmas did commit the murder, but he did not do under the circumstances that the townspeople believed he did. In fact, it could be argued that he did so in self defense. But of course, no one would believe that a black man killed an older white lady in self defense. The question now is, how do we as a society avoid making the same erroneous conclusions?
Well, I would advise people to keep an open mind until all of the evidence is seen or heard. It is difficult to recognize some of the stereotypes that we have unconsciously internalized from an early age, but we must recognize them to be able to overcome them. Racial stereotypes play a large role in unfair racial profiling. Unfortunately misreading the situation due to prejudice can lead to innocent deaths, as seen in too many cases in the past few years. The people of Jefferson judged Christmas too quickly by the his alleged black heritage. The saw him differently when they were told he was a black man. They no longer saw him as a suspect, they saw him as a murderer. We cannot let America make the same mistake.
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