Skip to main content

Black Arts Journal Entry - Week 14 (4/19/23): Raoul Peck's "Exterminate All the Brutes" Continued Discussion #3

Despite all of our viewings and discussions these past weeks, when being presented with the question “Is it possible for people of color to choose not to learn about European history or the history of people of European descent in the Americas?” I gave my first answer that came into my head. I thought that yes, it was necessary for people of color to learn about European history as it is the history of this nation that we live in and that it is just as equally necessary to learn about this culture if we were to live with one another as equals. Just as how it is respectable to learn about other people’s culture and histories, they should do the same.

But after viewing, discussing, and reflecting more and more about the significance and message behind Raoul Peck’s documentary series, “Exterminate All the Brutes” and with what my teacher, Anthony Whitfiled, had to say in response to my answer, it all made sense. It is true, as Mr. Whitfield mentioned, that in this nation, you really aren't even given a choice. It’s not up to you whether or not you want to learn about this nation’s European history. It is forced upon you the moment you are old enough to learn history in school or as soon as you step foot in any one of this nation’s cities.

The way the education system works here is that they will always shine this nation’s historical figures in the light and rather full on not acknowledge or downgrade the serious crimes and bloodshed they have committed. Perhaps they'll touch upon the topic of slavery in a class or two, but the subject then moves on to another topic about war victories. Or if you are a foreigner visiting this nation, the amount of ads and commercials and company branding you see is everywhere. Whether from buying a brand new shiny car, accepting God into your life, the absurd beauty standards for women, or fast food being shoved in your face every corner you turn, it will be hard to miss this nation's sense of culture.

Yet, when people of color, whether black, hispanic, or asian, wish to have pride in their own culture and history and express it openly, they are quickly shut down. They will be told to go back to their country, that this place is America, and that if you wish to live in it you must conform to our customs and learn our language.

It is true what Peck has mentioned that white supremacy is deeply ingrained in this nation’s history and despite what progress we may have made to be more open and accepting of one another will never be fully genuine or reach its full 100% potential. There will always be racism and discrimination against people of color in this nation because we have developed the idea that they are the “others” and should be treated as such.

Teaching Equality and Cultural Appreciation - Charlotte's Best Nanny Agency

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Black Arts Journal Entry - Week 8 (3/8/23): "Nothing But A Man" and "Killer of Sheep"

  In the early 1960s, a Black man named Duff Anderson lived in the American South. His experience is told in the indie film "Nothing But A Man" filmed in 1964. In a society that is severely divided by racism and segregation, the movie examines issues of race, class, identity, and relationships. Duff Anderson, a train worker, develops feelings for Josie Dawson, a teacher. The social and cultural obstacles erected by their various cultures, as well as Duff's own struggles to find his identity and sense of purpose in a world that doesn't treat him with respect or decency, complicate their connection. The film's portrayal of the Black experience in the South is unvarnished and honest, highlighting the widespread prejudice and violence that Black people must endure on a daily basis. The movie also conveys a message of optimism and resilience, as Duff and Josie face their difficulties with strength and grace. "Nothing But A Man" is widely considered as a poten...
Post a Comment
Read more

Black Arts Journal Entry - Week 2 (1/18/23): Issue in Cultural Production in 2022

Cultural Production in the media in 2022 is nowadays more expansive and more diverse in the communities the media decides to represent. But this exact issue of what the media can choose what communities to represent and what about that community they can represent can lead to several issues. It can give the public a false view of what that community actually is, leading them to create hurtful stereotypes of them or to mis-accurately represent their culture.  Just like in Thomas Allen Harris' film, "Goes Through Darkly Lens", he discusses how the media representing the African American community in America's history of archives represent hurtful stereotypes of his community. If it isn't a black person behind those camera lens taking these images, then that is what leads to these hurtful stereotypes and for them to be discriminated against in a majorly white society. Representation matters and it is what shapes people's images of the black community. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Black Arts Journal Entry - Week 11 (3/29/23): Raoul Peck's "Exterminate All the Brutes"

  Raoul Peck's four-part miniseries "Exterminate All The Brutes" examines the history of colonialism, genocide, and white supremacy from a variety of angles. In the first episode, Peck examines the historical causes of racism and colonialism in ancient Greece and Rome. He contends that Europeans established the idea of the "Other" to legitimize their dominance over other cultures and peoples. In episode 2, Peck looks at the awful effects on indigenous communities of the genocidal acts committed by European colonizers in the Americas. He also examines the ways in which the concept of the "frontier" and the notion of "Manifest Destiny" were utilized to support the colonization of the West and the eradication of Native Americans. Peck explores the horrific realities of slavery in the Americas and the transatlantic slave trade in episode 3. He also looks at how systematic inequality and racial relations are still shaped by slavery in contemporary...
Post a Comment
Read more