Recently, racial tension has been growing throughout the
United States. However, it doesn’t seem like everyone is on the same page, and
that’s where the problem seems to lie. It is clear that the black community has
been crying out for help, and it seems as though many people are trying to help
them, but others may not be as receptive. I believe a big issue that inhibits
coming to a common ground, is that of perception.
People seem
to perceive problems differently, and therefore will have different solutions,
because they are essentially trying to answer two different questions. The split
today seems to be mostly between the white and black communities, and the treatment of the black
community. This split could be due to the way each group is perceiving the racial
tension that does or does not exist in the individual’s eyes. For example,
individuals in the black community may perceive racial tension to be at a very
high point in today’s society. With everything that has been going on it is
only logical to view these tragedies as an increase in racial tension. However,
individuals in the white community may perceive racial tension to be low and in
turn their way of thinking about the issue is altered. For many people, it is
difficult for them to understand or think of another person’s perception of the
topic, and that is why there is such a great split in ways of thinking right
now.
I personally think it is crucial for everyone to attempt understanding other people’s perception. It is much easier to have intellectual conversations, and actually learn more by doing so. If not then there will just be a constant debate back and forth, gaining no ground. This constant debate that answers no questions is part of the problem, and not part of the solution.
As a white person who grew up in a predominately white neighborhood, it is easy to ignore racial tensions if I choose to. I think that is the root of many issues. White people have the privilege to ignore inequality. Many white people I know claim to be color blind, saying that they don't see race. This statement is intended to be good but what it is doing is denying race and thus ignoring racism. It is not easy to understand other's perception when one choses to ignore that the other side exists.
ReplyDeleteI agree that perception of reality is at the heart of this issue. It's important for us to remember that the way we perceive situations is heavily influenced by our social location and in this specific context, our race. In order for us to begin to understand the way others encounter the world, I think that it is crucial to recognize the ways in which our experiences may influence our understanding of others' realities. Putting oneself in anothers' shoes is a very difficult thing to do, but I agree that it is necessary to do so in order for our society to progress.
ReplyDeleteI agree that perception is a common theme within the current tribulations within the Nations social climate, however; I do not believe there is any way an individual within a white community could be oblivious to the current racial tensions within America. Certainly, many individuals choose to turn a blind eye to the current trajectory of the black freedom struggle. Perception and recognizing ones privilege is essential to bridging the gap of understanding that seems to create a disconnect between individuals these days. I agree that attempting to understand other people's view points is an essential component of having intellectual and grounded conversations about the issues the Nation faces today.
ReplyDeleteI agree that perception of reality is at the heart of this issue. It's important for us to remember that the way we perceive situations is heavily influenced by our social location and in this specific context, our race. In order for us to begin to understand the way others encounter the world, I think that it is crucial to recognize the ways in which our experiences may influence our understanding of others' realities. Putting oneself in anothers' shoes is a very difficult thing to do, but I agree that it is necessary to do so in order for our society to progress.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we all need to understand our own perception as well as others' perception. This is why I think exercises such as the privilege walk are so important. I agree with comments made on other posts that maybe some things could stand to be changed or tweaked about the exercises, but we should continue to bring in exercises that help us map our social location so that we can better understand our differences. Like Elizabeth said in her comment, our experiences change or alter our realities and by acknowledging the difference in realities we can hopefully progress much farther than where we currently are as a society.
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