Relg 102 Medium Post #2 -9/9
I had a little bit of background information before engaging with these specific materials because I had just read The Souls of Black Folk in my Challenges of Modernity class. This meant that I was able to re-read the first chapter having already gained a new perspective from the rest of the book. In terms of the other materials, I had not seen The Birth of a Nation, nor did I know very much about it except that it was an incredibly racist film and that white actors were hired to play black characters. I also did not know very much about the subject of the reading packet, specifically about the origins of racism and the “otherness” that the author discussed.
After I read the Du Bois chapter again, I felt like I was able to put on a different hat and read it with my eyes more focused on religion. This caused me to note passages that I had initially glossed over because I had not been looking for them, such as a passage in which Du Bois writes, “Why did God make me an outcast and a stranger in mine own house?” which, though I do not believe this was his intention, ties into our discussion of rejecting a religion that one feels does not support or protect them. The video discussing The Birth of a Nation was very interesting to me because it furthered my understanding of the impact the film had on its audiences at the time and how powerful visual films can be at swaying public perception of an idea, group, or concept. And finally, the reading titled “Look, A Negro!” allowed me to understand the complex evolution of European perception of African people and others with darker complexions.
After reading and watching these assignments, I came away with a better understanding of the specific origin of “otherness” which allowed me to realize that if the white community wanted to be superior, they needed someone else to be “lesser-than.” I also noticed a striking similarity between a passage from Du Bois and the current BLM movement when he writes, “the ideal of fostering and developing traits and talents of the Negro, not in opposition to or contempt for other races, but rather in large conformity to the greater ideals of the American Republic”. This struck me because the criticism I hear most often for the BLM movement is that people believe it implies that black lives are better, when in reality it implies that black lives matter just as much, but have not been treated as such. It was eye opening to realize that members of the black community have been seeking equality (not an opportunity to rise above their oppressors) for a long time.
