I think I am starting to realize a recurring theme in cultural studies. Before this class, I liked to refer to myself as a colorblind person; I wanted to show that I was pluralist and that I did not see color, which I thought was the correct way to look at the world. I was raised with a fairly liberal mindset in a liberal community and this seemed to be the most liberal way to look at the world and thus, I totally thought this was the most open and caring way to depict different races. Then, my RA created a poster board with "social definitions that everyone should know". Colorblind was one of the words; apparently, it if often associated with ignorance. What? I'm, not ignorant! Soon after, I started to question my beliefs and what people thought of me. Perhaps am I not as liberal as I once thought? This class is helping me answer this question.
I am starting to understand that the problem with multiculturalist and pluralist mindsets is that they often ignore problems that affect different specific groups. With the Pepsi ad, with the Menhdi night, with Asian exclusion acts, with Japanese internment...it all groups together people to say that we are all the same! I am having a hard time find the balance between these negativities and what we should do to embrace diversity. Nonetheless, it is wrong to ignore our differences. There must be a healthy medium. Thus, I have come to the conclusion that we should not be colorblind, but we should not let our differences divide our beliefs in other senses.
Lowe's reading about how Asians are perceived is eye opening. It seems that Asians are represented with an Orientalist thought, sort of grouping all of us together and claiming that we are all the same; yellow is yellow. Asian is Asian. However, as Lowe points out, there are sooo many divisions among Asians regarding race, gender, and cultural identity. Not every Asian is the same! It made me sit there and think for a little bit about how Asians exclusion acts and the model minority myth hammers down this façade that all Asians are the same. We should keep all Asians out since they are all bad...this switches to they are all so successful! The former addresses a whole population as unfit for assimilation which is fucked, and the latter ignores the struggle and poverty that affects some of the Asian population. That is why we need to see differences: to see how we are all different helps us addresses the problems that affect particular instances. To ignore differences in color, gender, class, and identity ignores the problems that are associated with it.
Kurup's monologue about assimilation was a little hard to understand at parts, but at others it was clear, yet powerful. Fat Family was powerful, comparing food practices in less developed countries in comparison to the US. It comments on how attractive the US may seem; you don't see your food die, but you also don't see the way they create the food as well. As a result, you don't see or realize what eating garbage does to you. Or rather, maybe you do know. But you don't stop eating because its American to eat and get fat.
Tom seems to have a very (very, very) skewed vision on foreign countries. This bit represented the ignorance of many Americans, often grouping together racial groups as one, homogenous culture (ties back to Lowe). Tom says "Why don't they just call it African?" and claims he knows "motherfucker" in 5 languages. He is thus reducing down foreign language to English, saying that it is easy and he completely understands it. Well Tom, you don't. But you will continue to think so.
My Father's Name is particularly interesting. It started out as a harmless anecdote. In fact, I thought of a comedy sketch when I read the beginning. It could be great material: harmlessly poking fun at the way Americans said his name. But then it got more serious, leading to more scrutinizing names. It amazed me on the different ways that his name could be interpreted in English speaking worlds. It went from accidentally saying his name wrong, to an American nickname, to a demeaning name, to just plain insults. It is a strong message that represents how impossible it is to avoid problems like this in a society built on white nationalism.
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