In class we were discussing the scene where Tassie is asked by a woman if Mary-Emma and her daughter could have a play date. The woman certainly seemed as if she were more concerned with providing her daughter with a racial experience than with finding her a quality playmate--regardless of race. I had said that this scene reminded me of one the Wednesday night discussions on diversity. On page 237, one of the support group members says, "What's most galling is the way school integration is used to educate whites, not blacks, to give whites an experience of race rather than blacks an experience of algebra." The scene in the park seems to reflect the sentiments of this quote, in that it forces one to question, who really benefits from forced racial interactions? Are the perceived benefits that whites and minorities gain from these interactions equally considered in these quests for diversity? Is the concept of diversity merely a social construct, created to provide the illusion of racial tolerance and experience? Can you really learn to understand and value other cultures if you're being forced to interact on the basis of race rather than character? This is a lot to consider. Thoughts?
I think that you're onto somehthing there. In class something was said about Mary-Emma being "itemized" in the situation in the park. I feel like this explains the situation exactly. The mother in the situation didn't give even a second thought to how the friendship would affect Mary-Emma, it was all about the benefits to her child. She acted like Mary-Emma was just a toy for her daughter to play with and learn something from. It wasn't about her daughter having a quality relationship with another child and making a long-time friend. Forcing children to interact based on their race alone starts the relationship off telling the children that they are different from each other. If the children are forced to interact then no, I don't believe they can even begin to understand other cultures not to mention value them. If anything it seems that forced racial interactions would do more harm then good because they automatically make the children feel as though they are different and don't give them time to make their own opinions about the other child.
I think it was interesting that Mary-Emma and Maddie had no problems making friends with each other in the park. Earlier in the book, Tassie said that color blindness in children was a lie, that they saw differences and sameness just fine. She said kids just did not see differences as barriers between people. If the girls had just been let alone to play with each other, things would have been just fine. I agree with Heather, that making the kids feel "forced" to play with each other would keep them from truly getting to know one another, and would probably create prejudices in the children.
My mind keeps returning to how poingent some of her phrases. Certain quotes I've found to be very relevant to my life as well as how i feel about the world around me. Examples of this would be how Tassie "thought of most things uneasily"(17) or "perhaps it didn't matter what happpended to you as a girl;you ended up the same (134). Her writing is fairly simple to understand, yet somehow she manages to throw in deep concepts and fresh insight.
The more interesting notions that I have had center around the idea of interracial families themselves. Perhaps it is the feeling that society does not exactly consider interracial families to be normal, or at least in their mind what they perceive to be normal. It instead seems to be considered as a form of taboo which could be considered as some sort of social indifference. It is, there for, looked at with much displeasure and query as to how one person could come to possess a person of a different race. I find this to be rather appalling and then offer the question as to when society will refrain from being judgmental? Certainly not all things can last forever and if there is not clear answer (which I doubt there is) how can we as a society overcome this prejudice?
Racism is still a problem today as it has been for many years. Moore's depiction of it, especially in the second half of the novel is extremely realistic. The trauma that Tassie faces while taking Mary-Emma to the grocery store happens too often. I personally have seen it when I take my one and a half year old son to the store, who is of a mixed race himself- white and American Indian. The white women that have children of a mixed race with them ( especially African American) get puzzled looks from others and pointing of fingers. I don't experience negativity from others, and I think it is only because my child is very fair skinned. If he were darker, I would most likely get treated cruel too. Society still views a white woman with a mixed child as a tramp automatically. She recieves immediate judgement, as Tassie did. Noone knew Tassie was only Mary-Emma's babysitter, and they didn't care. They only saw what was visible. With many of the women I see, just because the have a mixed child in their presence, doesn't mean it is their child. Regardless, it isn't anyone else's business, and the children definately don't deserve to suffer something as ridiculous as racism. It is amazing to me that even though our country now has an African American President, soceity STILL rears the ugly head of racism. Just as Ian pointed out- what can we all do to stop the hate? Will it ever stop?
In class we were discussing the scene where Tassie is asked by a woman if Mary-Emma and her daughter could have a play date. The woman certainly seemed as if she were more concerned with providing her daughter with a racial experience than with finding her a quality playmate--regardless of race. I had said that this scene reminded me of one the Wednesday night discussions on diversity. On page 237, one of the support group members says, "What's most galling is the way school integration is used to educate whites, not blacks, to give whites an experience of race rather than blacks an experience of algebra." The scene in the park seems to reflect the sentiments of this quote, in that it forces one to question, who really benefits from forced racial interactions? Are the perceived benefits that whites and minorities gain from these interactions equally considered in these quests for diversity? Is the concept of diversity merely a social construct, created to provide the illusion of racial tolerance and experience? Can you really learn to understand and value other cultures if you're being forced to interact on the basis of race rather than character? This is a lot to consider. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI think that you're onto somehthing there. In class something was said about Mary-Emma being "itemized" in the situation in the park. I feel like this explains the situation exactly. The mother in the situation didn't give even a second thought to how the friendship would affect Mary-Emma, it was all about the benefits to her child. She acted like Mary-Emma was just a toy for her daughter to play with and learn something from. It wasn't about her daughter having a quality relationship with another child and making a long-time friend. Forcing children to interact based on their race alone starts the relationship off telling the children that they are different from each other. If the children are forced to interact then no, I don't believe they can even begin to understand other cultures not to mention value them. If anything it seems that forced racial interactions would do more harm then good because they automatically make the children feel as though they are different and don't give them time to make their own opinions about the other child.
ReplyDeleteI think it was interesting that Mary-Emma and Maddie had no problems making friends with each other in the park. Earlier in the book, Tassie said that color blindness in children was a lie, that they saw differences and sameness just fine. She said kids just did not see differences as barriers between people. If the girls had just been let alone to play with each other, things would have been just fine. I agree with Heather, that making the kids feel "forced" to play with each other would keep them from truly getting to know one another, and would probably create prejudices in the children.
ReplyDeleteMy mind keeps returning to how poingent some of her phrases. Certain quotes I've found to be very relevant to my life as well as how i feel about the world around me. Examples of this would be how Tassie "thought of most things uneasily"(17) or "perhaps it didn't matter what happpended to you as a girl;you ended up the same (134). Her writing is fairly simple to understand, yet somehow she manages to throw in deep concepts and fresh insight.
ReplyDeleteThe more interesting notions that I have had center around the idea of interracial families themselves. Perhaps it is the feeling that society does not exactly consider interracial families to be normal, or at least in their mind what they perceive to be normal. It instead seems to be considered as a form of taboo which could be considered as some sort of social indifference. It is, there for, looked at with much displeasure and query as to how one person could come to possess a person of a different race. I find this to be rather appalling and then offer the question as to when society will refrain from being judgmental? Certainly not all things can last forever and if there is not clear answer (which I doubt there is) how can we as a society overcome this prejudice?
ReplyDeleteRacism is still a problem today as it has been for many years. Moore's depiction of it, especially in the second half of the novel is extremely realistic. The trauma that Tassie faces while taking Mary-Emma to the grocery store happens too often. I personally have seen it when I take my one and a half year old son to the store, who is of a mixed race himself- white and American Indian. The white women that have children of a mixed race with them ( especially African American) get puzzled looks from others and pointing of fingers. I don't experience negativity from others, and I think it is only because my child is very fair skinned. If he were darker, I would most likely get treated cruel too. Society still views a white woman with a mixed child as a tramp automatically. She recieves immediate judgement, as Tassie did. Noone knew Tassie was only Mary-Emma's babysitter, and they didn't care. They only saw what was visible. With many of the women I see, just because the have a mixed child in their presence, doesn't mean it is their child. Regardless, it isn't anyone else's business, and the children definately don't deserve to suffer something as ridiculous as racism. It is amazing to me that even though our country now has an African American President, soceity STILL rears the ugly head of racism. Just as Ian pointed out- what can we all do to stop the hate? Will it ever stop?
ReplyDelete