One of the greatest challenges facing society is racial discrimination. This is the act of discriminating against one based on their physical attributes, such as skin color or racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. In “White Fragility,” the author explores how white people are at a high risk of being discriminated against since most efforts in the fight against racial discrimination have targeted the African American community. On the contrary, in “Black Men,” the author suggests that a black man is at greater risk of being discriminated against based on their skin color than a white man. However, one of the similarities in the books is that they both advocate against any form of abuse. Authors of both sources argue that discriminative practices deserve no place in contemporary American society and other diverse societies.
In “White Fragility,” one of the symbols that the author uses to communicate his intended message in the story is the use of the blonde white American woman. This is one of the imagery that stood out in the story as it sticks to the mind of a reader (DiAngelo, 2018). Through the eyes of the narrator, the reader creates a picture of a blonde woman with a tattoo of the American flag on her belly. One of the symbols that we get from the narrator’s vivid description of the naked blonde is that she represents a typical American white woman who is living the American dream. The American flag on the woman shows the American dream of freedom and independence.
It represents what the narrator and all other African Americans have been yearning to achieve. The speaker wishes he could be free and independent as the blonde woman. Unfortunately, the narrator has been striving his entire life for this freedom and independence. However, like the African Americans, he is not successful in living the American dream due to the racism that is deeply rooted in American society. Therefore, the blonde woman was used to represent many things that white Americans could have that an African American could not achieve.
On the other hand, in “Black Men,” the author explores the origin of racial discrimination against African Americans. According to the text, some of the laws and policies formulated during the 18th and 19th centuries supported racial discrimination and slavery of the blacks and other minority groups (Marriott, 2017). From this statement, it is evident that, under the racial laws and policies, African Americans were not allowed to vote or serve in parliament. They were also forbidden from practicing law or living within the confines of incorporated towns.
The author highlights how the African-American community is discriminated against not only racially but also in the legal justice system. He demonstrates how race and place have affected the execution of the law, especially by law enforcement. DiAngelo explores how the police have been influenced by racial stereotypes so that they cannot deliver their duties without prejudice or favor examining the experiences of the African-Americans. This can be linked with the recent cases of police brutality against people of color. The article suggests that a black man is at a greater risk of being arrested and sentenced to lengthy jail terms as compared to his white counterparts.
According to Robin DiAngelo (2018), America has come a long way in the quest to drive racial segregation out of its borders. Unfortunately, the author suggests that “despite the tremendous efforts put out by the government, the country still faces racial segregation even in the present day” (DiAngelo, 2018). Most Americans might be wondering why this is the case, whereas there have been several legislations that have been put in place to try and contain racial segregation in the country. Perhaps, the answer to this question lies in how racial segregation started in the country and steps taken by the government back then when racial segregation was mushrooming in American neighborhoods.
At the beginning of the “Black Men” story, the readers are introduced to a young black man whose experiences with racism are used to symbolize the encounters of blacks in the hands of white Americans. The arguments and demands being raised by the author are that, like the white Americans, “the colored people should be treated equally and enjoy the same freedom and rights as their white counterparts” (Marriott, 2017). In most cases, African-Americans are often the victims of racial discrimination. Historically, discrimination based on race was common during the colonial period when African Americans were treated as slaves. According to the article, although there have been efforts to fight racial discrimination in contemporary society, the issue is still dominant in the current society, with Americans divided along racial lines. Unfortunately, law enforcement officers who are mandated to protect their citizens have also demonstrated racial bias in recent years.
Both authors agree on the fact that the African American population in the United States has been facing discrimination for far too long. The authors of the two texts demand that the people of color be treated as the white American people; they are against the preferential treatment that the white American population is receiving while the African Americans are discriminated against (Marriott, 2017). Marriott’s book is against the lynching of criminals, especially of African American decency, whose statistics indicate that they are the ones who suffer the most. They challenge the master narrative of American history, which seemed to have encouraged slavery and racial discrimination against the African American people.
However, DiAngelo’s text seeks to disregard the argument that white Americans do not face discrimination. Like the African Americans, the blonde featured in the story undergoes a similar path of exploitation. The blonde woman is a stripper not because she enjoys doing so, but because she is caught in between a system of oppression and struggle; perhaps it is her only way of earning a living (DiAngelo, 2018). The narrator’s description of how the white men in the room would pull the dancer in different directions shows how men in American society had control over women. Similarly, it symbolized how the African Americans were under the control of the white Americans who would use them as they wish. It is also evident from the scene that the narrator had admired the blonde woman, but the white men in the room would not allow him to get close to the woman. This is a clear depiction of racism, as it showed how the American culture did not allow African Americans to interact with white Americans.
In both articles, it is evident that there are preconceived notions that African-American settings are dangerous; hence, they go into such settings ready to use violent means of executing the law. There is no harm in the police being prepared to deal with a form of obstruction of the law. However, having preconceived notions or stereotypes on a particular community or place jeopardizes a fair execution of the law. Just like the natural legal theory insinuates, certain rights are inherent in human nature (Marriott, 2017). Although it is undeniably true that American society is divided into social and racial classes, the law ought not to be discriminative based on these classes and races. Such rights as the right of a suspect to remain innocent until proven guilty ought to apply to all individuals or communities regardless of their class or race.
Currently, the United States is battling the effects of racial discrimination, with the recent cases of police brutality worsening the situation. Today, America is divided into racial grounds more than ever. Racial identities have been a source of confrontation between law enforcement and the public. It is also the reason why racial discrimination is so rampant in America now. Therefore, the two articles highlight racial discrimination as a key issue in contemporary American society. The authors challenge the narrative of American history, which seems to have encouraged slavery and racial discrimination against the African American people. They argue that there is a need for democracy and equality to be encouraged in American society for such vices as racial discrimination and slavery to be outshined. The central argument presented in both articles is that the African American people deserve equal rights just like any other American.
References
DiAngelo, R. J. (2018). White fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press.
Marriott, D. (2017). Black men and Public Space. McGill-Queen’s Press.