One topic we discussed in class today is how differently
society treats people simply based on how they look. One example was racial
profiling at the airport like, being pulled for a “random” search simply
because of his/her skin color. One debate discussed was that people shouldn’t feel
okay with these actions simply
because “it happens all the time” or “it’s become something I’m used to.” It seems
as though this has become an increasing problem. Minorities have simply
accepted that this is the way it is and it’s not going to change. That state of
mind irritates me. It doesn’t matter if that’s the way it’s going to be, it’s
WRONG. As Dr. J said, we need to get mad about that. We need to not let that be
okay. What kind of a world do we live in where people constantly think about if
they’re going to get chosen for a random search or be followed around in a
store or even be arrested because of their skin color? The close-mindedness of
so many people is so sickening.
Rawls emphasizes the “veil of ignorance.” He also encourages
us to “imagine a world” in which we would define our actions by something that
would work for everyone, something that we cannot change for our advantage.
This idea would definitely benefit the world we live in now. If we could change
the rules of society to ones that would benefit everyone, people wouldn’t have
to worry about being profiled.
I am Hispanic and have seen and felt the injustice of racial profiling. Especially in Bartlett, they literally stop Hispanic people all the time for no reason. It's happened to my mother, who was pulled over just to be asked, "Where are you going?" and "Are you from around here?" It is an injustice and it is ignorant nonsense to say it is for the good of the whole.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I can't really get mad at Orlando for saying that. I certainly hope he never says it in front of a person that will be able to then point to him and say, "See? Even they are ok with it!", but is it really his fault that he has internalized the message that this society promotes over and over again? As a person of color he should know better, but I can't say that there wasn't a time that I believed all of the crap that this society shoved down my throat.
I totally agree with you and that we should not accept those conditions as normal. This can apply to a multitude of scenarios mostly concerning our basic rights. I was a reading an article about privacy in the digital age that quoted Edward Snowden having said, “When you say, ‘I have nothing to hide,’ you’re saying, ‘I don’t care about this right.’ You’re saying, ‘I don’t have this right, because I’ve got to the point where I have to justify it.” This emphasizes your point about how we should not let these things be okay. We should definitely get mad about it when it happens whether to our own person or anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, it especially gets to me when there is a racial stereo type and minorities follow it because they feel like they have too, 'it is who they are'. It kills me to see people throwing their lives away because they think they are stuck in a certain situation. There are so many things any one could do to get out of a rut like that, they just have to try.
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