The issue this Time’s article brings up is very
relevant to our society today. We are all too familiar with hashtags like
blacklivesmatter and hardly bat an eye when we hear of a police shooting that
has killed a black person. The shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman
and Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri both bring up the issue of
police violence against innocent black people. The stereotype threat that is
present in our society has not changed one bit from the 1960s. People
stereotyped those who weren’t the same in the 1960s. People stereotype those
who aren’t the same today. There was police violence against blacks in the
1960s. There is police violence against blacks today. In the 1960s, police would use any means of
violence to break up protests, such as using a fire hose to shoot water at
adults and children.
Are we really better today? A 17-year-old black male was
shot, simply for walking home at night while wearing a hoodie. If we as a
society continue to kill people just because of preconceived notions about how
they should behave, then have made no progress from the days when figures such
as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks protested against the divisions
between blacks and whites. The fact that #blacklivesmatter even exists just shows how little progress
we have made as a society. The cover of this Times magazine very aptly
represents the stereotype threat that has persisted in our society for more
than half a century and puts many lives at stake and has divided our country,
much like it did in the 1960s.
OMG! I totally, 100%, without a doubt agree with you. I also reflected on this image for my blog and I really talked about the exact same things as you. This image made me so ad because it is so TRUE. I don't think that there should be any association or comparison between what is happening now and what happened then. It frustrates me that we have to be fighting for this so hard because we should NOT HAVE TO be fighting for this. It should already be won.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you about how we have made very little progress in overcoming the stereotypes that had been previously initiated. It frustrates me as well that African Americans still suffer from racial persecution when they have been fighting against it since the 1960s. Everything here was well said and I agree with the unfortunate truth that has been established.
ReplyDeleteI would like to agree with Meghna, Natalie, and Hira because the fact that civil rights is still such a predominant issue in today's society is horrifying because so many people have fought for so many years for a world free from prejudice, and yet it seems as if little has changed since then. Additionally, I would like to ask anyone if there are any other societal issues other than discrimination against black people that you also think haven't progressed for the better?
ReplyDeleteI will have to agree with all of the peoples comments above this one. The United States as a nation has advanced very much in the past years, especially through the 20th and 21st centuries, in fields like technology and breaking social barriers. However, that is made up for the very little progress made on racial justice and racial equality. It is quite depressing when we hear cases of police violence or just violence/hatred in general towards those who are black. It is in many different fields, not only with the police as well. Blacks should not be discriminated against because of the color of their skin, and I hope that the people of the US can move on from where we are today.
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