What do White People ACTUALLY Know About Black People?

The thing about a book like Citizen is that in theory is a nice book. But in actuality it isn’t. The book give a light glimpse of black life. It it only feeds into the one negative the black women live this side life filled with filled with racial adversity. And as a black women, I believe I can say we are more than this. What about your first love? Your first heartbreak? First swim of the summer? Failing a test? All of this thing make up a person and I do not believe this book helps capture this much need picture. Growing up I never saw this images of black women.

This thought bring up one question for me, What do non-black people actually know about black people? The answer to that is very little if anything. The one lens they are shown in classrooms and in the media is a stereotypical. Black people are never aloud to be well rounded characters. Instead they are the butt of jokes about how "ghetto", that character is. Where are the black girl next door characters? Where are the dark skin black characters? Where are the 'strong black leades' (as Netflix calls them)? What lacks is lacking in Citizen is the ability for black people to be who they are, people.

Historical Self vs. Self Self

The micro moment in Citizen on pages 15-16 really made me think about the "historical self" that someone is right when they are born v.s. who they really are, or their "self self". Rankine mentions this right before the micro moment in the novel.

This reminds me of the situation when I was younger when someone claimed that a black man walking down the street with a hoodie was considered "sketchy" or even "dangerous". When I was younger I did not understand this at all. Why should something that someone is wearing effect why people view them a certain way? The "historical self" of the black man is considered "sketchy" or "dangerous" because of the history that has preceded it. People do not view a black man walking down the street as their "self self". 

 This short story reminded me of this time. It is almost the identity of a black man or women is lost sometimes because of what they are wearing or what they look like. I think this is extremely unfair and also interesting because it makes me wonder why does this even happen? Why do people judge people even more specifically blacks on what they look like or what they wear? And why are they grouped in the same group as others? In the story why does the man insist that the black men in the house not who he says he is? Why doesn't he believe the woman when she says that its okay and he shouldn't worry? This relates to the “historical self” and the “self self” in that we see people sometimes as different than they actually are because of our preconceived notions of them. In this story they saw the black man on the phone as a threat because of their preconceived notion of how this black man should be or what he was defined as before. It's almost as if they lose a sense of their identity because of their historical self. I think this is extremely interesting and also almost unfair. It is like judging a book by its cover. Judging someone on something that you knew before. This is not a right way to go about in the world. We should approach every new person as someone different and unique.

Angry Black Women

Quotes from Claudia Rankine's Citizen

“A friend tells you he has seen a photograph of you on the Internet and he wants to know why you look so angry. You and the photographer chose the photograph he refers to because you both decided it looked the most relaxed. Do you look angry?... Obviously this unsmiling image of you makes him uncomfortable, and he needs you to account for that.”

__

“For Serena, the daily diminishment is a low flame, a constant drip. Every look, every comment, every bad call blossoms out of history, through her, onto you. To understand is to see Serena as hemmed in as any other black woman thrown against our American background.” 

Our society has the tendency to label African American women “angry black women” as soon as we are no longer able to keep quiet despite the constant scrutiny and judgement we face in our day to day lives. Some people group all African American women as always being upset: waiting to yell and hit someone or resorting to violence over small inconveniences. In my own experience, people have made comments about me like “she looks like she’s about to fight you” just because of my facial expression or because I am disagreeing with someone. I know my character, and I know that I wouldn’t cause harm to anyone over something small but it seems like other people envision me to be that way because of my race and gender. 

This stereotype also ties into Serena. She was labeled an angry black woman by the press because of her response to a referee who she believed was making unfair calls. Other races and genders are able to express their distress about certain events, but when Black women do, we are seen as extremely violent; and others think we need to calm down and suppress our emotions. 

This “angry black woman” stereotype is unfair. Our anger and emotions are not unwarranted and we should have the freedom to react to the issues that we believe hinder on our well being. 

This is America-Citizen

When we first began reading Citizen, the first connection that came to my mind while reading Citizen was the music video and song “This is America”, by Donald "Childish Gambino" Glover. They are told in very different ways, one in rap and one in literature, but both have the same point. They both expose the main issues of race in America that are always talked about as these main issues and are so obvious to people who are actually recognizing what is going on, but nothing ever happens to change these things. Gambino's song is a fantastic song and his words have a very deep meaning, but the music video is what really conveys what he is trying to get to people. Gambino uses very graphic images and scenes in his video that make you as a listener and watcher, be like "damn", but the reality is that is what the reality in America is when it comes to civil rights. It is always talked about how racism in this country is one of its worst flaws, which is a fact, but things like black violence in poor communities to each other, police brutality and other terrible things continue to carry on, and America just keeps on singing. This relates directly to Citizen because it is another example of someone speaking out and actually getting down and sharing the facts of what goes on in this country.

Documentary and Citizen

Considering everything that’s going on with our school right now, I was forced to think of the documentary while reading parts one and two. While watching the documentary I found myself in periods of shock when hearing about some of the black student’s experiences. I also experienced this while reading.

The one story about her walking to her therapist’s office for the first time really struck me. I just couldn’t understand how a professional environment could make such a ridiculous, and racist mistake. The person on the house didn’t even think twice about what they were doing. Even though they eventually apologized for the mistake, it is clear they did not learn what they needed to and they are likely to do the same thing again. I also thought about how this person could live the rest of their life, never being bothered by this situation. But I cannot begin to imagine what repeated activity like this might do to a person of color.

This passage and the many others in the book made me so angry and confused. Living the privileged life I do, I am not forced to see these instances. Therefore, I have begun to believe that we as a society are improving in this department. I was sadly mistaken. I know I will learn a lot from this book as well as the documentary. I am disappointed in myself for believing that things were better than they are, and for not attempting to learn more about the reality of racism in our society today.

White America

Being white in America is already the greatest start in a race that anyone can have. Being white in America gives you opportunities that others are not given. Being white in America means having the ability to walk around freely without a worry in the world.

In Claudia Rankine's, Citizen, she states, "And you are not the guy and still you fit the description because there is only one guy who is always the guy fitting the description"(105).

Having the ability to walk down the street casually has always just been a given for me. Rankine taught me that this was a privilege. Having privilege has always had the negative connotation when being white. My ability to come to terms with white privilege has been enhanced by reading this quotation and this novel. Being told that you have white privilege is apart of living in Oak Park. Many, including myself, have a hard time understanding white privilege. I used to believe that it was a term for someone who has been spoon fed everything in their life, and that their family's hard work to come up from having nothing meant nothing.

This quotation helps me understand the fact that I am privileged enough to not be subject to discrimination by law enforcement, and have little worries when comparing those to others. I don't have to worry about being pulled over, merely on the fact of what I look like.

After reading Rankine's novel, I truly realized that America is made for white people, and everyone else is forced to fight their way to the top, when having a disadvantage from the beginning.

More Than Just Black and White

The various examples of microaggressions in Claudia Rankine’s Citizen do not specify the race of the aggressors. They are assumed to be white. The discussions of the themes in the text rely on the whiteness of the racist person. Though most of the situations do involve a white person, there is a complete disregard of the possibility of racism from other people of color. Limiting the conversation of racism solely to racism perpetrated by white people grants permission to overlook instances of racism and colorism committed by people of color.

Much like the short stories of Citizen, the accounts of racism from the media are black-white narratives. The one name that stands out from the inexhaustible number of hate crimes is that of Annie Dookhan. Sentenced to three to five years in prison and two years probation for falsifying evidence, the Dookhan case seemed to be an anomaly. The crime itself, though unfortunately not inconceivable, was different because Dookhan is asian. A former chemist of a Massachusetts crime lab, Dookhan was on a supposed upwards path in her career when she was caught. Much of the evidence she falsified put wrongly convicted black people in jail. The Dookhan case initially sparked conversations about racism from POC, but as time passed, the questioning dwindled and the discussion eventually died out. These situations, though often to a lesser degree, will come about again and again until society as a whole comes to realize how imminent the problem is.

How I Related To Citizen

Throughout reading citizen I was not able to relate to many of the situations that were brought up while reading Citizen. Being a white boy in the class, there wasn't much for me to relate to while reading. But I was able to relate to the story when Rankine said, "Each time it begins in the same way, it doesn’t begin the same way, it doesn’t begin the same way, each time it begins the same. Flashes a siren, the stretched-out roar."(107). I wasn't able to relate to this because of any of my experiences, but rather, my dads experiences that he has shared with me. As my dad immigrated from Ecuador, he has told me many stories where he was subject to discrimination. One story he told me was he was driving with a brake light out, so he got pulled over. When the officer came up to the window and talked w my dad, he immediately asked him if he has a social security number, which he did. My dad was shocked at the question but followed through with the question. As my dads story isn't the same as the stories in citizen, the sentence on pg 107 made me think of my dads stories.

The tragic end of one of France's Greatest: Zinedine Zidane

October 10, 2006 / World Cup (pg 120)

Zinedine Zidane is one of the greatest icons of french football.
He was the heart of their national team and the catalyst for their
unlikely run to the 2006 World Cup final.

No one could have imagined Zidane’s career ending in a more tragic way.
What Italian player Materazzi said to him crossed all boundaries and
visibly shook Zidane in the moment.

His conscious left him and his uncontrollable rage unfortunately caused the midfielders demise.
I believe anyone put in his position in that moment would have acted similarly.
These moments are glossed over far too many times in sports.
The story of that world cup ends in despair for Zidane,
while Materazzi walked away with a world cup winners medal.

This is still an incredibly frustrating situation that you just hope is never repeated again.
While some may argue Zidane knew his actions would result in his dismissal,
I don't believe it's fair to judge his actions negatively.

Unfortunately this problem has continued for several French players who have ties with African Colonies.
French teammate Patrice Evra was also subject to racist abuse in the Premier League.
One of the only positives would be that both
Evra and Zidane have gone on to have very successful careers in the world of football.

Citizen and the Death of Eric Morse

While reading Citizen by Claudia Rankine, I was reminded of my first experience reading about race and understanding the complexities of racism in America. In eighth grade, I was introduced to the story of Eric Morse. At the age of five, he was pushed out of the Ida B. Wells projects by two young boys. When reading about the story and the book Our America, I found the most disturbing aspect to be the environment of the projects of Chicago. Violence was normalized to such an extreme, it was like the children there were surrounded by poison and were expected to suck it up and deal. The themes Rankine discusses in her book, particularly the way in which African Americans are invisible, applies to the projects of Chicago in the 90’s. If an entire neighborhood of white people were subject to the level of violence in Ida B. Wells, I feel like it would have been a much bigger issue. There would have been a stronger public outrage, but because this horrible incident occurred in an almost entirely black neighborhood, people tended to turn the other way. Almost as if this community and the family of Eric Morse were invisible. There was most definitely a strong public reaction, because this death involved such young children. But after the initial histeria, very little was done to fix the situation within the projects. No one looked at the community the young boys were living in and took concrete action to improve it.

Let's Talk About Race

When discussing Citizen by Claudia Rankine, our class had trouble starting the conversation. When we did being the discussions, it felt sparse and surface-level regarding both the content and literary architecture of the essays or poems.

We mentioned how the diversity, or lack thereof, in our classroom as well as the idea that the AP Literature class is a white space impacts how we discuss the book's content. One point we never finished talking about was the discomfort of being white and how this leads to withdrawing participation in fear of saying something wrong.

Although I understand this point of view, it is crucial to speak up, even if you "say something wrong." Part of the point of discussing race is to overcome prejudices and to teach others about non communal experiences. If we are to make progress in the race conversation, then we need to educate each other - which I felt we lacked during this unit.

If you're white, you will never understand the discrimination that minorities do. It is simply impossible because experiences shape us into who we are and our belief systems. When people who aren't white open up about their experiences, they are not inviting your pity or apologies. Instead, your job is to realize your own inherent prejudices and to encourage introspection in those who are unaware of their own biases.

The fear of being labeled racist, which has such a negative connotation, and rightly so, prevents constructive conversation. Last year, I read Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum. She argued that the term "racism" should be defined as a system of advantage based on race. Although I don't necessarily agree with this definition, it would certainly aid people in speaking up.

So, let's talk about race.

Cultural Appropriation In Oak Park, One Of The Most Progressive Neighborhoods

In Claudia Rankine's Citizen, Rankine often shares small anecdotes in order to create an image to get her point across. Some of the images she creates are extremely relatable to me, and I can picture them perfectly, even in my community.

At the beginning of Section III, a friend of the narrator calls her a “nappy-headed ho” (41). This shocks the narrator, because her friend had never talked in what she calls “black people language.” The friend seems to have adjusted her language based on her surroundings, which is something I see all the time in my community. For example, I see white kids, who hang around black kids, try and act like they are black, similar to the friend in Section III. This includes using what Rankine calls “black people language,” which unfortunately includes the n-word. I’ve heard too many white kids say the n-word, thinking it’s okay because they are friends with black people. Because of their surroundings, they adapt and change who they are. I believe that changing the way you act, talk, and carry yourself because of the people you are around is wrong, despite almost everyone doing it. I can admit to doing it, just on a lot smaller of a scale. I act very differently around my friends than around my parents. It’s just a matter of when it becomes offensive, which is what Rankine is trying to expose. Cultural appropriation is a thing, however there are levels to how offensive it is. I believe Rankine is trying to inform society about how common this problem is, and how it often goes unnoticed. The problem seems to be getting worse, and I see it almost everyday, even in a very progressive community.

Mixed Race Persons in America

In class, we were talking about how in America, we often limit our conversation on race to just two races, black and white. This means that a number of groups are excluded from this conversation.

As someone who is both black and white, I have witnessed this dichotomy in my everyday life. I feel that common misconception about mixed race persons is that they are two races, when I often feel like I can only be one or the other. This strict grouping in America that tells us we are either black or white can leave the rest of us who are neither or both wondering where they fit in.

I make this point to emphasize the fact that we need to recognize that not everyone is black or white. Many people are neither, and many are both. We need to acknowledge this and incorporate these peoples into our conversations about race and American society. We exist, and we deserve recognition.

Getting to the Point

Citizen describes an incident in which a white man overlooked the narrator (a black woman) in a drugstore (pg.77). The passage itself was interesting to me because I am not totally sure if the events described are racially motivated or not. I feel that in some ways this reflects much of the Black experience because a key component of racism is erasure, or making Black people feel that their experiences aren’t valid or even real sometimes. The ambiguity of the scene itself speaks to that I believe.

Our in class discussion was interesting to me because of what I perceived from many students as a distinct unwillingness to accept that it could have been racially motivated or the idea that if the literal events weren’t racially motivated there wasn’t a “point”. I think that Citizen should be evaluated a work of literature. If we as English students can accept without question the at times dubious symbolism of every 19th and 20th century white author as fact, why must we challenge the symbolism when it comes to Claudia Rankine? To me in some ways this discussion was a reminder of the subtle erasure that I think is the “point” of the passage.

Not Your Job

“Memory is a tough place. You were there” (Rankine, 64).

This is nothing new to you. You’ve seen this before. You’ve breathed this before. You’ve felt that. And that. And everything they think you haven’t. You have.

You wish it was different. You know that that is just your excuse. For what?

Inaction. Passivity. Willful ignorance.

Funny. That reminds you of “Willful Obstruction.” Obstruction of what? Beyond police officers, perhaps those around you are willfully obstructing justice. There are no innocent bystanders. Silence isn't simple. "Willful Obstruction." Isn't that a felony? How would you know?

You know.

What even is a felony? What applies to your brothers and sisters might mean nothing more than a warning to the girl in your math class.

You know this. Your TV knows it. Your eyes and ears and mouth and hands and toes know it. Your memory knows itself. Your memory's job is essentially to never forget. It’s a trap, a prison. The whole damn thing.

And no, for God’s sake, you don’t want to read about it and talk about it over and over with people who don’t actually care to acknowledge that your life is real and valid. Your life -- and your experiences. Of course, that’s what you meant. You sometimes forget that people don't always see the correlation. You’re sorry you didn’t clarify.

Reading and rereading your experiences is like the universe giving power to your memory. Don’t they know how hard you’ve worked to move forward from that, rather than backward? You know they do, and you know they also do not at the same time. You know they don’t understand that concept, and you know that you won’t ever be able to get them to understand it. Understand you.

You.

You’re here. You were there, but you're still there. You're here. You’re real. Tell yourself over and over. What happened was real. What’s happening is real. Don’t they know? No. And it isn’t your job to teach them.

Section 1 of Citizen: An American Lyric And Movie Example

Section 1 proved to be a motivating and powerful analysis of some of the daily racial slurs and actions that African-Americans face on a daily basis. The section starts with a rather cooling to the touch tone to the reader. She makes the reader want to fall asleep and peace and harmony. She then begins her argument. Essentially, through the first section, Rankine argues that there are certain social challenges that people of minority races will encounter if they do not want to make themselves “blend in” with the rest of society. For example, she references a time when “you” were standing in line at Starbucks, when you hear some boys whisper N***. She argues that most (white) people would simply say “Oh, they are just being boys,” but Rankine argues that (you) should take action and call them out on it.

The first section, while I may have different opinions regarding what she has written, is laid out well. She writes the book as if it is a large metaphor of color distinction between white and black people. However, subtle, she uses the color “grey” sparsely throughout the first section to bridge the gap between white and black people.

Overall, Rankine describes several instances in which African-Americans are faced with racial tensions between whites in nearly every different situation one could think of. She even begins her story claiming that a white child accidentally called her black friend by the name of her “black housekeeper” and perhaps thinking that there are two black people in her life.

The movie provided above is an example of how someone who is African American might be treated or seen differently in a "white space". Ron Burgundy and his news team are simply not accustomed to seeing other races beyond their "white people". Therefore, when they see someone who is African American, they almost panic and aren't quite sure how to treat her. 

Writing in the Second Person

I have never felt invisible in the sense of race, I am a privileged white girl. I feel invisible in situations, for example, classes when all of the other students are smarter than me and every time I have tried to raise my hand the teacher skips me. Or this summer when I went to New York alone I didn’t know anyone, I would walk the streets alone or get coffee at a place I have never been before and every face was unknown. Nobody looked or cared about me, nobody knew my name. More importantly, nobody cared. I am not saying that here people stare at me and care but when I go running or go get coffee I recognise people and people recognise me. New York was a different type of alone but I liked it. Everyone was alone, I didn’t know anybody so I didn’t feel the pressure to do/act/dress in a certain way other than I wanted too. Which is weird, because I brought back some of those tendencies here and my friends have commented on how I dress differently when to me its just what I decided to wear. So, below is me writing like Claudia Renkin in the 2nd person.

You’re walking down the street to go to your 8:45 AM class. You reach into your back pocket and grab your phone. 8:36. Crap and your casual stroll turn into a “New Yorkers” walk. Which to anyone outside of New York, it is a speed walk or even an awkward looking jog. The beautiful thing about rush hour mornings is the crisp air. The cool wind tickles at your arm hair and the back of your dress flies up with every fast-paced step. To-go cup of coffee in one hand, you can feel your coffee move as your speed increases, trying to balance the beverage before it spills. You see three other people doing the same thing, you start to think you fit in.

What the magic is about New York is, especially at rush hour, is that everyone is the same and everyone is equal. The world is rushing somewhere whether that is home, work, the subway or actually running. You are alone, but you don't’ feel lonely. Everyone around you is alone. Nobody is staring at you, and you aren't staring at anybody. Everyone is fully focused on themselves. You’re all alone but you’re doing it together all focused on how you’re going to make it through the day.

New York surprisingly is the quietest city you know. Only among a million beating hearts could you still hear a cigarette burn on a balcony in Brooklyn.

Thick Skin

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.

Welcome!

Welcome to the weblog for our AP Literature class  -- the place where we will be continuing conversations from class and starting new ones. We'll be discussing and debating literary conundrums, the meaning of life, and so much more. We might even see a little poetry.

So, what's a blog? And how will we be using it class? For information on blogging and how to join and post to our blog, see "All About Blogging."

We're looking forward to a great year.

Make sure you check your e-mail for your invitation to join the blog. Also – and this is very important – the first step you should take after you accept the invitation is to edit your user profile so that you control how your identity and your communication preferences.  Click on the pull-down menu next to your name in the upper right corner of the browser and click on “Blogger Profile.” Then click on “Edit Profile.”

You can fill out as much of it as you want, but the only requirement is -- under “Identity” -- make sure your “Display name” is your first name and last initial only -- so we provide some anonymity while still allowing your classmates and teacher to be able to identity who you are. For example, change “Bernie Heidkamp” to “Bernie H.”

Citizens

Citizen by Claudia Rankine isn't the type of book that I would in my free time, but it did interest me in a couple ways. In one of the poems, there is a racial profiling situation between a neighbor and the speaker's friend. The neighbor assumes that the "menacing black man" pacing in front of the speaker's house is not the "nice young man" he had met before. The speaker and her husband call the friend that they had babysitting at their home and he confirms that he is that man. By that time you could already hear the police sirens in the background because the neighbor had called the police on suspicions. Then the speaker does this:

"Feeling somewhat responsible for the actions of your neighbor, you clumsily tell your friend that next time he wants to talk on the phone he should just go in the backyard. He looks at you a long minute before saying he can speak on the phone wherever he wants. Yes, of course, you say. Yes, of course."

 It brings a new meaning of black people should be able to do things without being blamed or accused. It's unbelievable that he couldn't talk on the phone without almost being arrested just because from far away he looked like a "menacing black man" who was casing a house talking to himself. In what world would it finally be okay for him, a "nice young man" to be able to do simple things without the possibility of him going to jail. That's s world that I would want to live in.