Oh to be seen
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In "The Silent Exception," Banu Bargu explores how "Migrants and refugees are considered either threats or victims without political agency." A crucial question arises: how does someone who is bought and sold into his own societal norms to think of a migrant outsider? Is the migrant seen as another human or merely an invader? This instinct to see difference as a threat is deeply tied to our fight-or-flight responses, which can be dangerous when influenced by bias. When faced with the unknown in the form of a person who is hungry and desperate, how do we determine how much of our humanity to safely offer?
Despite our historical and technological advancements, by 2024, shouldn't we be beyond these minor differences? Ruha Benjamin, in Coded Exposure, argues that "new tools are coded in old biases," highlighting how technological innovation does not inherently lead to social progress. When biases remain embedded in systems of control, how can those who hold deciding power over what is right and what is wrong ever decide to place themselves in the category of the convicted?
This quote, "Self-directed violence can appear simply as one among many tactics, perhaps even a more effective one in comparison to other forms of protest in that it is visually arresting and can better convey the gravity of the situation, (10)" from Banu Bargu, in The Silent Exception: stands out to me for one phrase, "visually arresting." Should the focus land on the ones who are seemingly overlooked and disregarded by the self-appointed and self-titled "elites", an arrest is usually to follow and usually not by law enforcement. What are you doing here? How did you acquire that? Maybe you'll get promoted next year. However, the presence of a minority figure, such as the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, can both disrupt and captivate, revealing our deeply ingrained sense of exclusion.
Ruha Benjamin explains in Coded Exposure, "A key feature of Black life in racist societies is the constant threat of exposure and of being misread; and that being exposed is also a process of enclosure, a form of suffocating social constriction." She illustrates a contrasting view with the photographic industry's delayed response to capturing different skin tones "The photographic industry did not fully take notice until companies that manufactured brown products like chocolate and wooden furniture began complaining that photographs did not depict their goods with enough subtlety, showcasing the varieties of chocolate and of grains in wood." My question is, which is the lesser of two evils? This prioritization of commercial over human value begs the question: is it worse to be invisible or exposed and vulnerable to harm? I urge the notion that both are equally damaging when a person's worth is reduced to that below a mere commodity.
When pondering how Benjamin states, "The dark history of negative eugenics—where society deemed certain groups "unfit" to reproduce—raises a crucial question: who is considered society? How and when did society collectively vote on the fitness of a people? Can anyone review the ballots or only a designated member of said society?
In American Beauty, the impossibility of establishing a universal beauty standard highlights cultural bias. The Turkish and African people are both marginalized and cast aside by the so-called "elevated races," raising yet another disturbing question: What did the Turkish do to get cast to the abyss with Black people?
Just my thoughts right or wrong.. just how I was feeling at the time
Despite our historical and technological advancements, by 2024, shouldn't we be beyond these minor differences? Ruha Benjamin, in Coded Exposure, argues that "new tools are coded in old biases," highlighting how technological innovation does not inherently lead to social progress. When biases remain embedded in systems of control, how can those who hold deciding power over what is right and what is wrong ever decide to place themselves in the category of the convicted?
This quote, "Self-directed violence can appear simply as one among many tactics, perhaps even a more effective one in comparison to other forms of protest in that it is visually arresting and can better convey the gravity of the situation, (10)" from Banu Bargu, in The Silent Exception: stands out to me for one phrase, "visually arresting." Should the focus land on the ones who are seemingly overlooked and disregarded by the self-appointed and self-titled "elites", an arrest is usually to follow and usually not by law enforcement. What are you doing here? How did you acquire that? Maybe you'll get promoted next year. However, the presence of a minority figure, such as the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, can both disrupt and captivate, revealing our deeply ingrained sense of exclusion.
Ruha Benjamin explains in Coded Exposure, "A key feature of Black life in racist societies is the constant threat of exposure and of being misread; and that being exposed is also a process of enclosure, a form of suffocating social constriction." She illustrates a contrasting view with the photographic industry's delayed response to capturing different skin tones "The photographic industry did not fully take notice until companies that manufactured brown products like chocolate and wooden furniture began complaining that photographs did not depict their goods with enough subtlety, showcasing the varieties of chocolate and of grains in wood." My question is, which is the lesser of two evils? This prioritization of commercial over human value begs the question: is it worse to be invisible or exposed and vulnerable to harm? I urge the notion that both are equally damaging when a person's worth is reduced to that below a mere commodity.
When pondering how Benjamin states, "The dark history of negative eugenics—where society deemed certain groups "unfit" to reproduce—raises a crucial question: who is considered society? How and when did society collectively vote on the fitness of a people? Can anyone review the ballots or only a designated member of said society?
In American Beauty, the impossibility of establishing a universal beauty standard highlights cultural bias. The Turkish and African people are both marginalized and cast aside by the so-called "elevated races," raising yet another disturbing question: What did the Turkish do to get cast to the abyss with Black people?
Just my thoughts right or wrong.. just how I was feeling at the time