Rankine states in Citizen, “You are saying this thing and I am not going to accept it. Your friend refuses to carry what doesn’t belong to her. You take things you don't want all the time.” (55)
This line stood out to me the most in the reading we did over the weekend because it symbolizes in a real life situation that some have the ability to ignore hate and discrimination, like the narrator's friend. While there are some who do not have this ability and seem to take all the hateful speech and discrimination to heart, like how the narrator describes herself. It is left up to the reader to determine who they are, and how this can affect the happiness and strength of one's character. Personally, I tend to take things that I hear and hold onto them for too long letting it get to me and hurt me. I have been working over the last few years to develop a “thicker skin”. I found that through this thick skin method it is easier to move forward with what some see as questionable decisions. You learn to trust and lean on yourself, instead of others. The downside is not being able to take advice because of the fact that you have developed this habit of not letting what others say affect you. The hard fact you must learn is sometimes outsiders have the best view in. This would not necessarily apply to this scenario in the book as they are talking about racist remarks but the ups and downs to having thicker skin are numerous and range further than simply ignoring what others say.
Very nice Zachary. I agree that people need to be able to rely on themselves, because no one wins when you make your problems someone else's. This is a very important life skill, especially when you grow up. In the real world, people aren't gonna have your back the same way they did when you were young, so you need to be able to keep yourself cool, calm, and collective, because at the end of the day, you're all you got. Riley T
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