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This is a discussion of race and gender in the United States - important issues surrounding the topics; connections between the topics, the real world, and Their Eyes Were Watching God; and poems and stories that capture the importance of talking about racial and gender inequality and promoting diversity.

Gender-related posts are blue. Race-related posts are yellow.

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Chimamanda Adichie - The Danger of a Single Story

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Chimamanda Adichie - The Danger of a Single Story

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The main point of this TED talk was that white people easily resort to prejudiced, inaccurate judgments of other races and cultures. News, books, and movies in America all tend to portray foreign cultures of Africa, for example, as poor, uncivilized, and exotic, which convinces white Americans that that is really the whole truth. In reality, Africa is a diverse country with its own wide range of culture, music, and literature--some of which isn't that different from that in the West (Mariah Carey is popular in Nigeria!).

I connected this idea to the concept of white saviorism--the practice of depicting people of color as uncivilized, lesser races that live in a a state of violence and squalor, where they can only be "saved" by the interventions of white people. In the times of American imperialism in the 19th century, white saviorism appeared in the form of "social Darwinism." Those who partake in white saviorism are only accepting a "single story" of a foreign culture--the story of their poverty--and they are ignoring the other aspects of that culture.

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The Real Racism Exposed by Hurricane Katrina

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The Real Racism Exposed by Hurricane Katrina

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This article connects strongly to the TED talk "The Danger of a Single Story." In this case, the root of the problem is that white news outlets are only accepting a "single story" about New Orleans--that is, the hardships black people faced after Hurricane Katrina.

After the hurricane devastated New Orleans, both the local government and the national news immediately spread false, horrifically racist descriptions of "[black people] eating corpses to survive... groups of young men roaming the city, shooting at people."

This is not the only instance of Americans portraying Africa and its black societies as a primitive wasteland; President Donald Trump infamously referred to the continent as a group of "shithole countries". Many commercials that raise awareness for hunger and poverty in Africa portray the continent in a similarly unflattering way, in addition to being relatively unproductive in actually combating those problems.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer suggested that New Orleans would have received humanitarian aid sooner if they were a predominantly white, rather than black, community. This ties in with the concept of white saviorism and the hypocrisy surrounding it--some white people love to imagine black people as a poor and helpless demographic that requires assistance from whites; but when black people are actually in need of help, many white people are silent.

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This essay by basketball star Stephen Curry highlights the importance of teaching your children to defy society's expectations about gender. Curry has two daughters and a son, and he thinks it's very important for his girls Riley and Ryan "to grow up knowing that there are no boundaries that can be placed on their futures, period... to grow up believing that they can dream big, and strive for careers where they’ll be treated fairly."

He is also concerned with teaching his son to "always stay listening to women, to always stay believing in women, and — when it comes to anyone’s expectations for women — to always stay challenging the idea of what’s right."

However, Curry really aims to persuade his readers that advocating for gender equality is not just a job for men with daughters; it's a job for everyone. "I can't be sexist to women because I'm nice to my mom and my sister!" is a trap that many people fall into. I think standing up for women's rights is something everyone should be concerned about, regardless of how many women they have in their lives. It's a step towards creating a better world.

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Too Many Americans Think Patriotism Means Racism and Xenophobia

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Too Many Americans Think Patriotism Means Racism and Xenophobia

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This article makes me think about the differences between patriotism and nationalism, and how they are often confused. Patriotism is a healthy love and respect for one's country; nationalism is a sense of superiority for one's country that often has violent, prejudiced outcomes.

The years after 9/11 have seen a sudden influx of hate crimes targeting Muslims. The white men committing these atrocities claim to be motivated by "patriotism", while their beliefs are undoubtedly more nationalistic.

Last Veterans' Day, President Emmanuel Macron of France gave a well-known speech on the dangers of nationalism. He claimed "nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. By saying our interests first, who cares about the others, we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what makes it great and what is essential: its moral values."

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How Science Is Helping Us Understand Gender

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How Science Is Helping Us Understand Gender

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This article from National Geographic challenges traditional ideas about gender and reminds me of the progress we have made. In the past few years, greater awareness has been devoted to nonbinary individuals, or those whose gender is neither male nor female; a recent survey found that "of a thousand millennials... half of them think gender is a spectrum," while more and more household names, such as Ruby Rose and Sam Smith, are identifying as genderqueer.

These things did not happen 50 years ago. But it's not that nonbinary genders have just suddenly appeared in the 21st century--in many indigenous cultures, genders other than male and female have existed for thousands of years. The truth is that these genders are finally gaining the safety to speak out and raise awareness. Feminists and LGBT activists in the 20th century paved the way to a more accepting society that made nonbinary people feel more secure in coming out.

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This article responds to an issue that was central to Their Eyes Were Watching God--black women are not just mistreated by whites, but by black men as well. They are not just victims of racism, but also of misogyny, and the intersection of these two prejudices can be degrading and deadly.

In this article, black journalist Allison Samuels argues that black men are not held properly accountable for mistreating black women. She cites multiple instances of black men whose crimes against black women have been largely undiscussed by activists--rapper R. Kelly's alleged intercourse with an underage girl; gang rape of  a single mother in a Florida public housing complex; and a professional basketball player expressing his beliefs that black men have a free pass to target women with misogynistic slurs. However, Samuels also states that it's difficult to hold black men accountable because they are already so oppressed; "more black men are in jail than college, they face unemployment twice that of white men and they are subjected to plenty of negative media attention. So any additional attacks from black women are seen as betrayal."

Similarly, in Hurston's novel, Jody Starks is openly abusive to Janie. However, none of the people of Eatonville are concerned with his behavior, possibly because they don't want to stand up to someone who shares their race and recognizes their own oppression.

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Alex Dang - "What Kind Of Asian Are You?"

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Alex Dang - "What Kind Of Asian Are You?"

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After listening to and reading this poem, I realized the importance of raising awareness for prejudices that aren't covered by the media. Not long ago, violence against Asian Americans was a topic I knew little about. I was aware of the cruel treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, but that was about as far as my knowledge went; now, Dang's poem has inspired me to look into violence against early Chinese immigrants as well as current hate crimes against Asian-Americans today. It's not only violence, but also subtle prejudices; the stereotypes and lies Western culture has made with regard to Asian - Americans.

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Leslie Morgan Steiner - Why Domestic Violence Victims Don't Leave

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Leslie Morgan Steiner - Why Domestic Violence Victims Don't Leave

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In this TED talk, activist Leslie Steiner explains how the relationship of her dreams descended into an abusive situation in which she feared for her life. In many ways, Steiner's relationship with her ex-husband, whom she calls Connor, reflects Janie Starks' relationships with both Jody and Tea Cake.

("Abusive" and "violent" are not words I would use to describe Tea Cake (at least, not when under the influence of rabies), but some of his behaviors are still suspicious and similar to behaviors that Steiner warns about.)

Steiner emphasizes the point that anyone can be a victim of domestic violence. In the examples used here, the abuser is male and the victim is female, as is often the case; but people of any gender, race, or class can be victims or abusers.

When recounting the story of her and Connor, Steiner says the first step taken by her abuser was to establish himself as the "submissive" one in the relationship. She says Connor "idolized" her and deferred to her on many occasions. This is the exact opposite of how Jody and Tea Cake treat Janie. These two men readily assert themselves as the dominant person in the relationship and never back down (although Tea Cake treats Janie like an equal, he still insists on paying for everything instead of giving her control over her own finances).

Steiner says the next step leading from love to abuse is "isolating the victim." Connor convinced Steiner to leave New York with him and move to rural New England. Likewise, Jody isolated Janie by limiting her participation in town affairs, and forcing her to work alone in the store for long hours. After the "isolation" step is achieved, the abuser becomes violent.

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The main realization I took from this article is that people are quick to ignore or discredit racism that doesn't involve physical violence. When unarmed black citizens are killed by police, or Muslim folk are attacked by white supremacists, the event is likely to be covered by journalists and activists. But the little aspects of racism we don't always see in the news--the subtle effects of white privilege--are also damaging to a free and equal country.

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Alex Dang - "Times I've Been Mistaken For A Girl"

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Alex Dang - "Times I've Been Mistaken For A Girl"

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This poem, written by the same author as "What Kind Of Asian Are You?", highlights the dangers of gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity. Toxic masculinity is the concept that men should conform to a stereotypical standard of maleness--violence, insensitivity, and misogyny--and any man who deviates from this is considered feminine and weak.

The ill effects of toxic masculinity are numerous. It is part of a culture that convinces men they should use violence to get what they want; it is also damaging because it discourages men from talking about issues and resolving them peacefully. It explains why men make up 85% percent of domestic abusers and most terrorism and hate crimes--as well as over 70% of suicide victims.

Dang admits he "was always a crier" and his parents often asked "why don't you go do boy things?" when he showed interests in fashion and his appearance. This pressure to be more masculine, coming from his own family, was damaging to Dang and left him feeling, "I think I was a failure before I was even concieved."

Dang concludes his poem with the line "...I still might not do things a boy does. Instead, I do things a person does." In other words, most actions and emotions have no gender. Crying, playing house, and growing your hair long--all things Dang has been mocked for in his youth--are not specific to one gender, and men and boys should not be shamed for doing things that are typically feminine.