Popular discourse frames protests and protesters as aggressive, uncivilized, animalistic, defiant and criminal. These words are eerily similar to words slave owners and other white folk used to describe enslaved Africans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. While perhaps subconscious, stereotypes rooted in and even prior to slavery in the U.S. continue to flourish with the language we use today to discuss marginalized groups’ fight for equity, justice and freedom. Furthermore, those responses and mindsets serve to sustain white supremacy.
Take the word, ‘criminal’ for instance. Historically, the term has been used to socially isolate groups and individuals. For instance, in the U.S., once someone has been declared criminal, they lose rights, such as the right to vote, even after facing repercussions and fulfilling their “civil duty” in prison. In America, people are defined their criminal status. The idea is pressed from such a young age, through systems like time-outs. Because the basic need to connect is the only thing that is truly innate, the ultimate punishment is to simply not allow people to connect. Labeling people as “criminal,” at least on some level, also marks them as enslaved.
In protest-talk, it is not rare to hear, “‘I just don’t understand why they can’t just have civilized conversations--it’s not like protesting does anything.’” This comment is often paired with a line from to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream Speech,” completely taken out of context. While MLK Jr.’s approach to equity did not involve violence, isolating a line or two from his famous speech does not properly frame the Civil Rights Movement, or prove that complete progress was made from those two lines. An appropriate response to such comments is the question, “What do you recommend systemically oppressed groups do to be heard?”
Additionally, it is important to acknowledge that not everyone can afford to have calm conversations with their oppressors, and some are less likely to be listened to and taken seriously. There is a certain privilege that comes with having the ability to engage in “‘civil’” discourse. For disadvantaged groups to be heard without simply being stereotyped, we must begin to call out why labels such as, “the angry black woman” or “bitch” or “criminal” are oppressive and damaging. And the repercussions of these words and ideas extend beyond just stereotypes. People have been harassed, hurt and killed for their engagement in such “‘calm’” discourse. Ultimately, those oppressed should never have to censor themselves in fear of fulfilling a stereotype or being physically or mentally damaged—oppression cannot be dismantled without resistance and pushback against ideals that are set to hinder social progress. It is crucial for folks in power to understand why people protest as well as the ways our institutions reinforce power dynamics, how those power dynamics impact various groups and how change has been produced historically. We need to listen to each other, rather than simply write off people as aggressive, uncivilized, animalistic, defiant and criminal.
WC: 494
Pledged: Annie Jaffee
Your point about people using MLK Jr. quotes out of context is very important. White Americans often manipulate and sanitize the memory of King to fit their own agenda, and act as if he has always been seen as a national hero. This narrative completely neglects history. As we have discussed in class white Americans were strongly opposed to King's protest tactics during the CRM, with a majority disproving of him. In a poll during 1963, the only political figure more disliked by white Americans was Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev (see https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/public-perspective/ppscan/62/62011.pdf).
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your question, “what is the ‘right way’ to protest,” I believe society does not give a clear answer. People do not like it if you protest in the streets or out in the field on public TV. Are they not just expressing their constitutional right? I can see how the protestor is trying to make a statement for him/herself, and I can also see how someone may think they are just being disrespectful. But without protesting, nothing in our society would change. If there were no protesting, then everyone would be happy, which I know is not the case. Not everybody in America is on the same page, yet those who protest are as you said “aggressive” and maybe even “crazy.” Do people not understand that not everybody has to agree with the majority? Unfortunately, if we think about what is shown on the news or talked about nationally, we focus on how black people are not protesting the right way. If whites were to protest, it is not as big of a deal. Our society is full of racial bias, whether or not people are aware of it. It’s just the unfortunate truth.
ReplyDeleteAs you point out, protesting and protestors are often framed in a negative light. It seems this is done to avoid confronting the issues of inequality and oppression at hand. By stereotyping and finding fault in the protestors themselves, the actual injustice at hand is overshadowed and ignored. For example, NFL players kneeling during the national anthem are being portrayed as disrespectful, yet absent from the conversation is the issue of police brutality, which they are actually protesting. Such tactics allow those with power to avoid reexamining the system and confronting injustices.
ReplyDeleteI think the ways in which we choose to protest depends entirely on our end goals. For instance, if we were assimilationists in racio-cultural thought, we would choose to protest through courts, petitions, and other avenues (a legislative way of protest). While, on the other hand, if we were more radical in our end goals, we would protest in an entirely different way. Protest depends on our own philosophy, and those that would judge protest most likely have differing values and views and would consequently purport a different kind of protest instead.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true, the united states makes it seem like fighting for your rights are wrong and these opinions are not allowed. America is supposed to be a place were you are supposed to be about to express yourself freely with a freedom of speech and assembly. But if you can not do these things without getting harassed for it then is it really allowed.
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