Skip to main content

Other Sufferings

In this reading of Between the World and Me, I found a new sense of discovery within Coates' writing. As he narrates his journey through social injustice revelations, he exposes his emotions in a beautiful descriptive manner. As I read through this section of the book, I could relate as the past few years have been a mine-opening journey through my perceptions of race and social injustice. Most of my journey has been shock and wonder at the severe injustices to which humans subject other humans. I have also learned more about myself and my prejudices than I ever thought possible. I connect with Coates when he begins to have his eyes opened to the blatant truth that the "black" race is not the only race or group of people to have their bodies taken from them. The world is a much different place than we perceive and it is hard for us to accurately and objectively understand the truth. However, when we are able to, it is powerful.

The other striking section of this reading was when Coates began to describe his relationships with a couple females. It was interesting to see how he seemed to have his world opened to him by the people who he interacted with the most. He was able to see the beautiful diversity surrounding him even though he did not take advantage of it at first. This teaches such an important lesson about selecting the people that we surround ourselves with. If we surround ourselves with those that think exactly like us and try to eliminate any deviation, it will be hard to get an accurate picture of the world. If we search for others that have different opinions, experiences, and perspectives, we can approach the world with a strong knowledge and wisdom of how to interact with diverse groups of people. We should want to partake in this journey called life but also enjoy the scenery of diverse life around us.

Comments

  1. Abby SmithOctober 15, 2017 at 7:10 PM

    Coates provides us with one of the best perspectives on race. I think it is easy for us to read this book and think that blacks are the only race that gets discriminated against. I appreciated Coates way of telling us the reality of discrimination.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tara BoerNovember 17, 2017 at 1:58 PM

    Yes I tend to believe that once an individual experiences a certain degree of exploitation and vulnerability they either become very hardened by it or will empathize with all those that experience injustice. I appreciate that you also see the value in exposing ourselves to people that think, talk, and act differently than we do. We learn more about ourselves and about the depth of God's beauty and grace.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Great Divide

This book overall has deeply saddened me. It has depressed my feelings towards this topic in a way that could only be done by a writer with the skill of Coates. There were many areas within the book that I did not agree with, yet I applaud Coates for his depth of knowledge and wisdom and his call for the reader to partake in his sufferings, in his thoughts, in his torments, and in his epiphanies. When viewing this topic, I have been standing at a part of the chasm where a small jump would take me to the other side. I could turn around and see from the other perspective. Coates took me to spots on the chasms edge where no matter how hard I strained, I could not see the other side. This is not to say that there is no other side, but that I physically and mentally lake the experience, wisdom, and knowledge to reach the other side. I hope this chasm closes. I hope this divide is filled in. I do not hope it to be bridged, for bridges have limits on how many may cross at a time. I want every...
2 comments
Read more

Clear As Day, As Far As Can Be

Ah, the United States of America. A sociological specimen of the highest degree. As Coates exposed the country of my birth as a destroyer of black lives, I could only agree. Not only did I agree but I was reminded of the many people that have been celebrated by this nation. Christopher Columbus had his own special day, yet he is responsible for the rape, pillage, and execution of Native Americans. Andrew Jackson is placed on currency, yet he betrayed the tribe and leader who saved his very life. How naïve we are to think that this country was not founded and built on the flayed backs of the humans who were not of the "right skin color." Even given the opportunity to move forward, American society decided that it would continue the systematic oppression of those deemed unfit. Internment of the Japanese during World War II while German communities lived without fear of aggression. Jim Crowe laws, segregation laws, voting laws. Have we changed? Or have we simply moved on to a mo...
2 comments
Read more

Sensationalism vs. Objectivity

As the last reading struck a nerve with my subjective opinion towards police officers. This next reading sent a hearty challenge to the objectivity I have tried to possess while reading literature such as this. There was one particular line where I read it over and over again attempting to understand the logical reasonability of the statement that was made. This particular scene was of a man who had known that he and his family would be evicted from their current home. Yet, he had not told his family. Coates analysis of the situation led him to a statement that implied that this eviction was not due to any fault of the man himself but rather was just an instance of the fateful plunder that would eventually befall him. As an admirer of Coates writing style and display of intelligence, it was in this small gesture that a large amount of respect for this author was lost. I sensed a logical fallacy within this bias and it was hard to stay focused on the positive message of the writing. As ...
1 comment
Read more