What is the end goal…really?

posted by Sam Richards

This website uses IntenseDebate comments, but they are not currently loaded because either your browser doesn't support JavaScript, or they didn't load fast enough.

55 Responses to What is the end goal…really?

  1. kenthethird says:

    The goal should be to eliminate tension between people of different race and ethnicities. We should be able to sit comfortably and interact with anybody, regardless of race. While a lot of people are comfortable with this, many people “feel some sort of way” about being in the company of other races. I think the tension comes from stereotypes we’ve learned that lead us to believe we should separate from each other. White people still have stereotyped images of black people that lead them to believe that they cannot come together, that their cultures are too different. A lot of people accept and explore different cultures, and I think those people will get along with different races much better. If a white-american only explores white-american culture, they will “feel some sort of way” around differently cultured people, because they are completely ignorant to that culture. Learning popular culture is a good way to start to bridge the gap. I feel like music brings people together, it sounds corny but I feel like I have learned more about different cultures through music than other ways. Rhythm is universal and it speaks to everybody, it’s a common human function to feel the vibes from music and its one way I feel more connected to other cultures. I like to watch movies that give me a better understanding of how other cultures work. I know its narrative filmmaking, but I feel like Spike Lee has raised my consciousness to black culture more than Sam has. I embrace urban subculture and listen to a lot of hip hop, I feel like I have a connection through music that a lot of people don’t have, and they could feel more aware simply by embracing the culture. I think a lot of people steer away from embracing different cultures because they think they’re restricted to their own culture. I know plenty of “rednecks” who simply do not embrace cultures other than their own, and unfortunately they are very stereotypical human beings. There are also many people who embrace different cultures, and from my experience these people feel less tension when around people of different race and ethnicity. Why do some people feel so comfortable in embracing different cultures? I think some people just take more interest in different walks of life. Some people are just stuck in the culture they grew up with, and are inherently blind until they open their eyes to the diversity. As a white boy, for quite some time I felt ackward in embracing cultures not inherent to me, but after a while it just felt that it was my own, and know I don’t feel that culture should be restricted to any group of people. Just because you create it, doesn’t mean it can’t or shouldn’t be enjoyed by anyone else.

    [Reply]

  2. tve5009 says:

    I think the end goal is to be open minded and understanding about things we might not experience personally. Just because I might not go through something or experience it doesn’t mean I won’t be able to have an understanding or see where the next person is coming from. This is a very good question because we have been in class for a whole semester and the point is to leave being a little more open minded and understanding even if you don’t change your beliefs or morals. We are trying to make the next generation better and not worse than the generation we are in now. If people don’t start talking about these things and being aware then we will never break the cycle and history will keep repeating itself. Sometime we have to look at the bigger picture in life take off our shoes and put the shoes of other people on whether it is a black person, and Arab person etc. As educated students we have to learn how to start being open minded about certain situations and just take ourselves out the shell for a while add see where other people are coming from. When people start to do this I think the world will be a better place and there will be more of an understanding through cultures. We can fix the whole world and not everybody will ever be willing to conform to such ideas. Sometime you have to just sit back and listen without putting your opinions in and see where everybody else heads are and just listen. When people start to do that like Laurie said that light bulb on top or heads will light up. I don’t think I was an unreasonable person before this class and with certain topics Sam does bring up my little light bulb does light up and even though I might not have thought anything of a certain situation before I say to myself “wow that’s a good way to look at that situation” There isn’t an end goal for everybody per say. Every individual is different and everybody has a different time of when their light bulb my light up and some people’s light bulb might never light up. People have to reach that understanding by themselves as much as we can talk about race relations as long as the person is not willing to let go and understand they will never do it. Race relations want people to be able to be comfortable to talk about certain race problems without being scared or feeling guilty. Sometimes getting you light bulb to turn on might be hard depending on the circumstances someone might be in. People getting certain beliefs and morals engraved in them at young ages like Prussian Blue the twins that are white supremacist but have been brought up in that culture and they probably don’t even understand why they have those beliefs.

    [Reply]

Leave a Reply

Name and Email Address are required fields. Your email will not be published or shared with third parties.