blog#5

Changing a persons or societies perception of a stereotype comes with education and time. The plays we read in the last chapters were from the early 1990‘s, since then we have become less stereotypical. We all know that stereotypes have been a part of everyone’s lives for as long as they can remember, this is because most of them date back to our country’s origins.  Some races and ethnicities have fought long hard battles to get the political and legal freedoms they now have, however, some people refuse to change.  Yes, I believe that society is slowly changing for the better, I.e. less stereotypical.

African Americans have faced stereotypes, and racial discrimination while serving in the armed forces since United States of Americas’ revolution.  Clearly they do not face nearly as much these day’s as they did in the early years, however I would not be surprised if there still is some form of racial discrimination in the military today. I am assuming this,  due to the fact that I have not served in the armed forces and cannot give a first hand recollection.  However, I do know that African Americans have made tremendous progress in gaining the recognition and honor they deserve.  This has come from the great sacrifice that so many African Americans have given while serving in the armed forces.

I do not believe that African Americans are still treated with disdain when they speak Black English. I feel that black English has evolved and is rooted so deeply into the English language that we all speak it everyday almost whether we know it or not. I enjoyed the example from the book, when two good friends are “tight”, which I’m sure all of us have used or heard at some point.  Although most of the black English language is considered slang, I do not believe that African Americans are still treated with disdain.

After reading Elizabeth Wong’s Letters to a Student Revolutionary, it was clear to me that Bibi was in search for identity. When Bibi is in America, she is considered a racial minority and tries to hide it by dressing and acting American, however  when she is in China she feels racially connected. Bibi is torn between the two countries while she writes back and forth with Karen in her true search for her identity.

In the country of South Africa, there has been a long battle between “whites” and “blacks” for power, that at one point ,was very racially motivated.  Racial segregation has been around South Africa since colonial times and was dominated by the “white” minority.  Internal violence and outside trade embargos against South Africa have helped change the landscape. This most noticeably happened when the once jailed for 27 years, Nelson Mandela, came to power in 1994.  South Africa serves as a great example where persons of color were subject to racial challenges of  today.