The novel State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett, is a compelling novel that’ll stir up a lot of questions for readers. The main character, Marina Singh, is sent to Brazil to investigate the progression of Dr. Swenson’s malaria drug, as well as the death of a coworker. What Marina finds instead is a confusion of ethics, morality, and humanity that forces her to consider her own positions and ask the readers to do the same. When Marina makes it into the Amazon, she is shocked to find out that doctor Swenson is not only working on a Malaria drug but is working on a fertility drug that is causing the women of the Lakashi tribe to have children into their seventies. Marina faces struggles with the ethical and moral questions that arise from doing research on native cultures. These women are poked and prodded daily to help researchers understand this wonder. Marina recognizes that if they were back in America everything they are doing would be unethical. Marina’s time with the Lakashi tribe teaches her that sometimes medical interventions should not be used to improve on nature, and that simply because something can be done, doesn’t mean it should be.
Marina is the daughter of a white mother and an Indian father. As someone with darker skin living in Minnesota, she is often asked, “Where are you from?” While in Brazil, a country she has no connection to, she feels more included due to the color of her skin. Her darker skin enabled her to pass for Brazilian, allowing her to avoid the question, “Where are you from?” This reminded me of the concept of othering. Due to Marina’s darker complexion, people see her as being “other” and don’t believe that she is American.
Later in the book, white tourists confuse Marina as one of the Jinta Indians. They take photos of her and want her to dance like the other tribe members. After this experience, Marina notices the considerable impact tourism has on the behavior of the tribe, the tribe members cater to the tourist, making trinkets and crafts, and transforming their traditional ceremonial dances into public entertainment. Rather than having an authentic encounter with another culture, these tourists are given what they want, a spectacle, and a few exotic pictures they can show to their friends back home. It seems that Marina and Jamaica Kincaid have similar feelings towards tourists. Kincaid too feels that tourists are ignorant to the lives of natives. Overall, the novel does a great job at bringing up instances of injustice, causing the reader to evaluate their morals.
Hi, my name is Mara and I’m here today to discuss some instances where some racially unjust comments were made or posts were put out there, or actions that someone took and we’re going to look at these instances and see were these people being racist or were they just not educated enough to understand the connotation of what they were saying. So to start out we’re going to look at Rachael Kirkconnell, if you don’t know who she is, she’s from the show The Bachelor. I’m sure many of you have heard of the reality TV show or even seen it, but it’s a show that involves a single bachelor, and this year that was Matt James who is actually a black male, and that in itself came as a big surprise and relief as he is the first black male to be cast as the lead in the 25 seasons that the show has been airing, but we’ll discuss that issue later on in the podcast, but as the bachelor, he has a pool of women who he goes on dates with and builds a relationship with, and at the end of the season, he is expected to choose one woman who he wants to be with, and could potentially see himself marrying. And this year that woman was Rachael Kirkconnell, but after the show aired a social media post surfaced of Rachel attending an antebellum-themed college party. In the photo from 2018 you can see Rachel along with many other sorority girls dressed in antebellum-style dresses, and for those of you like me that at first didn’t understand the connotation of antebellum. Here’s a little background for you so the antebellum era is deeply associated with racism because it was a time of plantations and slavery and the Civil War. So, it was obvious that Rachel could have come off as racially insensitive or racially ignorant because she wasn’t fully aware of what she was doing and she didn’t understand it was wrong, but I don’t know if we could call her racist because her intentions were not direct her intentions. I feel like she didn’t really have intentions, it was more of, she wasn’t aware that what she was doing was wrong but if she would have taken a step back and maybe thought about it and thought of the connection. She would have realized, oh this is wrong and I shouldn’t be doing this. So the two words, racial ignorance and racial insensitivity. These are two words that are interesting to look at because I think a lot of people could fall under these categories at some point in their life. And I think that maybe because not everyone understands what blacks have went through, or what they are currently going through in their struggles. I think at times these two words are better used for describing the way people act towards a group of a different race than the word racism, because to call someone racist is not a small accusation, because to me that being racist is being antagonistic towards a group of different race, and I feel that the majority of people are not trying to be this antagonist, but what they say, might come off that way, because they’re not educated enough to understand this concept or this injustice. I don’t think it’s okay for people to say oh I wasn’t educated enough on the topic, or oh, it’s common where I’m from, or it’s common where I grew up, because you should educate yourself. Educate yourself on our history in the history of different cultures, because people are going through suffering, and it’s important to know about this topic so that when you do encounter different cultures or different people, you know the right thing to say and you can be respectful enough to say the right thing, and act appropriately because no one should say oh yeah I’m not educated on that so it’s okay for me to say this, because it’s not you need to educate yourself on what is going on around you. So I’m gonna take another quote from the talk show from the bachelor so I remember the host saying, all history is meant to be remembered, but not all history is meant to be celebrated. I think you made a great point there. I mean everyone should be aware of what has gone on in our past, but we need to be aware of what should be our focus now in society. We shouldn’t focus on the bad things and celebrate the bad things, that’s something that we need to remember so it doesn’t happen again because we need to learn from our mistakes and move past them, we shouldn’t bring them back up and celebrate them because those are part of our history. That was not great. It wasn’t good and it shouldn’t be something that we should be proud of. The past definitely has had a major impact on today and on today’s society. So, what does it mean to be black in America? I don’t think I can answer this question fully because I’ve never had first-hand experience but as I was doing research, I noticed a bunch of different encounters and things that were brought up, and it was a lot of recurring stuff so I’m gonna mention some of those. When Matt James talked about the pressures of being the first black bachelor. He mentioned how he felt an extra level of scrutiny and it was interesting to see that he’s so critical of himself in making sure that he was able to adequately represent black men across the country. And he said he was careful of how he was speaking and how he represented himself because he didn’t want to come off in any way as threatening because that’s how black men are sometimes portrayed and they’re viewed throughout society. Matt saying this, made me think of another instance that my mom had told me about probably about a year ago. So, she was out to dinner with her friend one night, and her friend has two younger boys, they’re probably like 10 and 12 right now, and they’re adopted, and they are black, and she talked about how she told her kids, that you can’t always do the same things your friends do, like, if your friends decide to hop over someone fence, you can’t do that because there are people that are racist and they will take action against you and that could end up harming you. So it’s not worth putting yourself through that chance of something like that happening. When my mom told me that that really, that hurt my heart. These boys, they’re so young and their mom’s telling them this at such a young age, and what have they done to deserve this. Absolutely nothing. So it just made me think about the words that we talked about before being racially unjust or racially ignorant. And when I heard that those words kind of went out the window because at this point that is being racist, taking action against a black person on purpose and knowledgeably doing that, that is being racist, you’re going out of your way to discriminate someone based on the color of their skin. After all, there’s no biological difference between people, and no race is superior or inferior to another. They’re all the same. So, why are people still racist, what causes them to have this attitude or belief towards a certain person? I think one of the reasons is we hang around with people that are like us. So it’s normal to want to spend time with people that have the same interests background, culture, and language as you because it kind of creates a sense of belonging for everyone, and I feel like everyone needs to have that in some aspects of their life, but the downside to this is that it can also bring up differences between groups and over time this might lead to people thinking that their group is better than others. So how do we stop, racism, then? I don’t think we can ever technically stop racism I think it’s always going to be there. But I do think there are steps people can take to alleviate this issue, and that includes people learning about your communities, like what groups are there. What has been the nature of each of your relationships with these groups, and like what incidents have occurred in the past, that may be due to racial prejudice or racism, and I think it’s important for people to document these activities or at least try to remember them so that they can reflect on how they acted in those situations or see how other people acted in those situations. And I think it’s also important that people understand the depth of this problem. I mean it’s a problem that has gone on for decades (meant to say centuries), and while it has had some progress. It’s still, there’s still a lot that needs to be done to uplift the black community, and allow the people within the community to thrive within society and not have to fear, oppression within their own country.
This week we are viewing Black Panther, a movie that elicited many positive responses from the Black Community as it showcased a Black director and predominantly Black cast. The movie brings up the subject of African diaspora and the loss of cultural identity. African Americans move to American for many different reasons, whether it’s career opportunities, education, healthcare, or family. Killmonger’s father moved to America as a Wakandan spy, so Killmonger was raised in American. While he knew something of Wakanda, he wasn’t brought up in Wakandan culture; all he had was what his father left behind. He was left with fragments, with stories, but he had to piece all of that information together the best he could, on his own. In spite of his best efforts, he was close to the culture, but he never had complete access to it.
On the other hand, you have people that live in the same area as their ancestors or are surrounded by family and friends like them, and they know exactly who they are. T’Challa knows exactly who he is and what he is supposed to do. He has been groomed and supported by his culture to become the Black Panther. This sense of belonging within his community allows him to deal with the difficult situation of his father’s death as well as his overthrow by Killmonger. The Mayo Clinic discussed how important a sense of belonging is for our physical and mental health. Having a support system and knowing you are not alone, allows you to cope more effectively with difficult times in your life. This is why many people move back to their home country or decided to move to a place where they feel they belong.
A number of African Americans are moving to the Motherland, many inspired by the recent “Year of Return” movement initiated by Ghana, 400 years after the first Africans were brought in chains to Jamestown, Virginia. In 2019 Ghana gave citizenship to 126 people of African descent, many of them Americans. One American who moved was quoted saying, “There is a comfort that comes with being around people who look like you, and seeing [people like you] on billboards and in government positions,” said Reid, 36 (Jones, 2020). Many that have moved say they feel a sense of belonging and view their new country as a safe haven from racism.
Works Cited:
“Is a Sense of Belonging Important?” Mayo Clinic Health System, 8 Mar. 2019, www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/is-having-a-sense-of-belonging-important#:~:text=The%20sense%20of%20belonging%20is%20fundamental%20to%20the%20way%20humankind%20organizes%20itself.&text=The%20social%20ties%20that%20accompany,difficult%20times%20in%20our%20lives.
Jones, Princess. “Why Black Americans Are Moving to Africa.” New York Post, New York Post, 30 Mar. 2020, nypost.com/2020/03/28/why-black-americans-are-moving-to-africa/.
Sparkles, Kira. “Black Panther’s Killmonger Represents a Loss Cultural Identity.” The Mary Sue, 7 Mar. 2018, www.themarysue.com/killmonger-and-cultural-identity/.
Gender equality is essential to achieve human rights for all. However, discrimination against women persists all over the globe. As I was exploring this topic earlier in the semester, a recent issue in Japan drew my eye. The Japan Olympic chief was forced to resign over sexist remarks. He was caught saying, “we have to make sure their speaking time is restricted somewhat, they have difficulty finishing.” He felt women talked too much and had too much input during committee meetings. Not so many days later, Japan’s primary party, LDP, invited women to attend critical meetings, but there was a catch. They could only “look, not talk.” As I dug deeper into this gendered discrimination, I found that casual sexism is a familiar tactic within Japanese culture to make women feel inferior. Because of this, Japanese women learn to internalize their views so that men can feel superior. This leaves these women with little input to what is going on within society.
Sexism is not only present abroad. It is also seen here in the United States. The United States is one of the most economically developed countries globally. However, it fails to effectively protect the economic rights of women within the country. Significantly more men than women fill jobs in the top sector. In the top 25 technology companies in the US, female employees account for only 19.6 percent of all employees. Not only are women discriminated against in specific careers, but they are discriminated against in their pay. According to data from the US Census Bureau, there has been about a 21 percent difference between men’s and women’s income for many years. Women will often have the same type of education or degree as their male counterparts, yet they are not treated the same.
The various forms of gender discrimination that persist throughout the globe have caused a hideous pattern of injustice. I see these instances as systemic because this discrimination can be seen throughout society. What makes it injustice is that women are made inferior to their male counterparts. In the graphic novel Persepolis we can see this injustice through Marji. Marji leaves Iran for Austria to escape the oppression women face under the Islamic fundamentalist regime. In Iran, women are forced to cover up with a veil to not “excite” men. Yet when she moves to Austria, sexism is still very prevalent. When Marji gets a job at a local cafe, she has to deal with male customers pinching her bottom.
For these wrongs to be righted, we need to make fundamental changes by confronting gender stereotyping by media, educational practices, and hiring processes. To increase public consciousness on sexism we need to educate individuals and this starts with people acknowledging that women are equal to men.
Additional Information:
Protesters at a rally for equal pay for equal work in Fort Lauderdale, Florida:
