Just a train of thought I have been on. I just finished the Help for my book club. I have also been really interested in seeing the Blind Side. Both focused and/or written by white people about black experience. At first I did not think of the Blind Side this way, until I was watching the View last week. Vanessa Williams was on and talking about how some people in African American culture view the movie the Blind Side as yet another depiction of good-hearted white people coming in and helping the black race. Basically implying if enough white people just adopted another kid or helped the African American culture everything would be solved. It never dawned on me to think of this way. The panel around her (Whoopi and Sheri were out) was completely white and absolutely defensive. It did get my thinking. How many times do we see a good-hearted African American couple adopting a white kid. I can not think of one. Now there can be an argument for this that there are a lot more disadvantaged black and Hispanic kids out there. Maybe...
After reading the Help I realized it was completely written by a white woman with a lot of the book's focus on the experiences of African American nannies and housekeepers in the 60's. I felt like she did a fine job, but did she? I wonder what the black community thinks of the book? I think this has become a best seller more on the merits of white people buying it rather than anyone in the African American culture. I am a white person and can only imagine what a black person experiences, but I certainly do not know.
Are both of these examples just another shade of racism? It is intriguing to ponder and have no idea what the answer is.
May write more on my thoughts about this later. Just wanted to put this out there.
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I guess in my mind (I have not read or seen the movie/book) is that no matter what people do, it will somehow be considered racist. I think we live in an overly sensitive world nowadays. LOL! Nobody is going to really be happy. Kind of like Black History month...shouldn't it just be history month...because I don't see anybody announcing a Native American Month....Japanese Heritage month etc. I'm a "minority" but in my mind I don't treat myself as a minority but as a person and I treat others with respect no matter what race they are and give them just as much or little as I do to anybody else. I feel that's the way it should be. Perhaps I got into my first choice college because I am a minority, but I didn't ask it to be that way. I will never know.
ReplyDeleteI guess I just think that we gravitate more towards certain things because perhaps they are compelling stories. They make us think (and blog! :)) A lot of people see many negative things out of something that is going supposed to be good. It stinks that we still have to live in a world where these things come up, because it's true, they do. Probably this author was just trying to show her perspective, perhaps her research...but like I said..there is always going to be a group of people who don't agree. ;)