Myth – this term is usually associated with the heroes of Greek mythology rather than with today’s political strategies. Although we might not be aware of myths, it is a fact that they are fundamental elements of our society. The French literary critic Roland Barthes defines myths as half- or untruths which are established by political or other authorities in order to make people believe in the correctness of their actions. If these ‘myths’ are conveyed in a convincing way, they are very likely to influence people and their set of beliefs. If then a broad majority accepts these half- or untruths and acknowledges them as ‘facts’, they become ‘pillars’ of the society and thus may trigger a mass movement. However, those who do not adapt to this common belief system or even criticize it, are branded as ‘rebellious minorities’ and excluded from social acceptance. Myths …show more content…
One defines myth as “a well-known story which was made up in the past to explain natural events or to justify religious beliefs or social customs;” the other, of more recent usage, suggests a belief or explanation that many people believe but which is actually untrue. So, myths are, to a certain extent, popularly believed inventions and presumptions that have nothing to do with truth, although many people might consider them to be facts. A perfect example of such a purely invented belief is the slavery system as it was practiced in the U.S. before the Civil War. In order to justify the oppression of a whole ‘race’, Africans were declared to be naturally inferior and ignorant and therefore to need the white men to tell them what to do. The fact that the black population in the U.S. is still struggling to receive overall equal treatment shows how enduring such myths usually
In society people have gathered and formed opinions and beliefs on what oppression is. “Governor Wallace of Alabama blocking the schoolhouse door; we think of water hoses, lynchings, racial epithets, and “whites only” signs” (108) are things, explained by michelle, are things that formed the incorrect idea of what oppression actually is. While this form of oppression is during the original Jim Crow era is face forward and very obvious, it has altered and skewed our views on oppression and racism as a whole. Mass incarceration has formed this idea of a bird cage, with the idea that If “one thinks about racism by examining only one wire of the cage, or one form of disadvantage, it is difficult to understand how and why the bird is trapped” (108). The system that traps and oppressed African Americans during the modern era is a much more structural intricate system.
When history is whitewashed, it is filtered to hide marginalized groups and oppression. Recently on the news, textbook company McGraw-Hill stated that the company will rewrite a portion of their book which referred to African American slaves as workers and immigrants (McAfee, 2015). I was offended by the fact that McGraw-Hill even published a book that slaves were called workers and immigrants. To say that African Americans were workers and not slaves changes the whole fundamental history of enslaved populations; workers implies a willingness, when in fact, African American slaves were not willing participants. When you change the wording in textbooks, you change people’s views and perspectives of historical events and their everlasting effects on cultures.
In the first chapter, “The Rebirth of Caste,” Alexander details the rise and fall of slavery and Jim Crow laws, as well as the emergence of its replacement: mass incarceration. In the era of chattel slavery in the emerging United States, the term “race” was born. By creating this social construct and deeming Africans as a lesser race and using pseudoscientific practices to falsely prove their inferiority, whites in America not only
The truth—the unpleasant, horrible truth—must be known because it is so significant. This has been one of the most impactful readings in school because it doesn't hold back. Although learning about slavery is neither joyful or simple, it reveals the truth that slavery still has a bearing on Black Americans' lives and experiences. Despite the need of educating about slavery, it appears that classroom discussions regarding the subject are doomed to failure in some classrooms. There are petitions to remove slavery from textbooks all around America.
African Americans are forced to stay where they are if not without permission; they are forced to be cowards with fears of being hung and killed, cowards enslaved mentally in the contradictory “land of the free and home of the
More than just unpaid labor, America’s form of slavery instituted “chattel slavery,” which made it socially acceptable to view black and enslaved people as less human than their pale-skinned “superiors.” But despite slavery's cruelty, many chillingly believed
That [she’d] never seed no real meaning in birds going south till Harker pointed it out to me” (207). She consequently says, “this is what I hold against slavery. May a time come when I forgive, cause I don’t think I’m set up to forget--the beatings, the selling, the killings, but I don’t think I ever forgive the ignorance they kept us in” (208). Knowledge is a basic human right and keeping black people uneducated suggests that white people consider slaves to be less than human. The lack of knowledge about the world further ensured that black people will never try to overpower their
Introduction Many people are or have become ignorant to the fact that racism still exists. They see racism on the news, hear about racism on the radio and from their families and friends, yet still don’t accept the fact that African Americans are still being held back from prospering by our very own American government. In The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander elaborates on the still very existing discrimination of colored people, especially of African Americans. She proves to us that the idea of “slavery” is being kept alive but in a new way till this very day.
According to Woodson (1933), “The oppressor…teaches the negro that he has no worth-while past, that his race has done nothing significant since the beginning of time, and that there is no evidence that he will achieve anything great. (page #”) In other words, Woodson implies that throughout history, negroes were deceived of their past and were wrongfully taught that they contributed nothing to society except for their role as slaves; more specifically their history was subjugated. The course, Introduction to African American Studies is designed to recover the subjugated history of African Americans. It is also formed to give an overview of the culture, race, racism, family, and other specific topics such as women and voting rights in America.
The Fugitive Slave Act made it very difficult for slaves to escape, as those that made it safely to free territory could be recaptured and sold into slavery once again. Whites and Slave Owners painted slaves and Africans as wild and animalistic creatures that needed to be tamed. This emphasized white man’s burden and superiority that is still evident even today’s modern society. White man’s burden was the idea that whites adopted, where they believed they needed to “civilize” those they colonized. The dehumanizing and cruel treatment of slaves was just the beginning of white superiority in the New
The plight of the African Americans to abolish slavery and racial discrimination has left American history with a lot of lessons and ruminations regarding humanity. People, when left with power and authority, has the ability to oppress the weak, and to aggress the strong. This makes the divide stronger, and thus disunity to pervade within human society. This also shows that human frailty is a very powerful influence to humanity; the way that these frailties enable man to oppress another man, and the way that power makes man greedy for more, shows that humanity’s flaws is the same exact measure which can destroy it. The lessons the world has learned from the way that the African Americans have struggled for freedom and unity in the United States
A big part of our history is the challenges different races had to face when fighting for their rights. There are groups in today’s society that are still battling oppression, even though they were granted rights by our government. It seems like when one door opens, another closes right in their face. One race that had to deal with oppression, and is still dealing with it today, is African Americans. Africans Americans were brought over to the United States to be slaves for Caucasian people.
Blacked Out Most Americans are afraid of African Americans. Why, we ask? Most of us don’t know why we do, is it their physical appearance or is it the fact that they have a different skin tone? In Chapter 5: Black Men of The Culture of Fear by Barry Glassner, Glassner argues that the media exaggerates the excessive attention paid to African-Americans (Glassner 109). Throughout the chapter, Glassner exposes us to secrets and truths about how the media makes us fear African-Americans, they feed us irrelevant information that make it seem like blacks are still a lower class and therefore treating them like they are still slaves.
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.
A myth is a false belief or idea. It is usually held within an old traditional story or it is a way to explain a natural or social phenomenon, typically involving supernatural creatures or events. Myths are stories of transformation. Many people are surprised to learn that ancient myth was often at least as violent, if not more so, than the mayhem of our modern fantasies. For example, The Godfather, and its companion, Godfather II, have been justly praised for excellence in such technical matters as acting and direction; their popularity is enhanced by less pleasant preoccupations: a lust for violence accentuated in recent years; an obsession with the details of organized crime; a cynical belief that only small distinctions separate lawless behavior from ordinary business practice.