What causes certain groups to feel they are subservient or less than other groups in a society?
This has been happening since our generations split. It happened when Columbus came to Americas and he "the European" desecrated the Indians and their women. Raping and beating them giving them diseases. Because he had never seen their race and they weren't civilized like him he thought they were savages. Unfortunately the Indians could do nothing but be subservient to these Europeans. It happens in school, at work, everywhere especially in society. Of course no one wants to feel this way, inferior or belittled. Sometimes its the way we are raised to think that we are inferior or superior to another race, or culture. How can African Americans ever feel superior in this world when 200 years ago they were slaves, and our society will never let them forget that. That why we have things like affirmative action, and minority scholarships, and laws protecting our equal rights regardless of race. We continuously teach ourselves these differences and yet we teach ourselves not to forget them and move on. No we are to proud to forget and move on. The Mexican as well. I mean we have people that are employed and get paid to keep us out of the Americas. They are called border patrol and its 2009 and they still very much exist. When California used to Be Mexico, does that matter to anyone? Does it matter that the minority's are now the majorities. When are we going to Fight back? Like In the book when Juan made all his fellow Mexicans stand and strike. Against these "gringos", especially the one who promised him a job and was not enough a man in himself to follow through. What happened some of the Mexicans stayed by his side and other slowly went back to the quarry in shame, why because this is what they know. Or at least this is what they are taught. That the Anglo's have all the power, in that society anyway. Juan didn't see it as that, he had been in Montana where they thought he was Chinese and gave him a license that the Mexican would dream of in California. Montana holds a different society then California. Juan was pissed that his people didn't follow through. But yet thought the smarter decision would be to do nothing and move on. I think we know what we are taught and if your brought up thinking your inferior or superior to another race or culture no matter what society, its going to take some serious reprogramming to undo years of this lessons.
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I agree with your point of how people tend to think they are either much superior or inferior than others. You give strong examples in your response especially at the beginning when you bring in columbus. It relates to the book a lot to how the characters feel inferior just like the indians felt with columbus.
ReplyDeleteHi Alicia,
ReplyDeleteI also agree on your view on how races, workers or people in general would be forced to feel subservient to another race or to people they think are inferior to them. To further comment on your last sentence about how you say some of us are taught to be superior or inferior to other races or cultures and how it needs to change. It took years and decades to begin this type of segregation between the superior and inferior that it will take more years and decades to undo this.
Alicia- This is a powerful response. You make a strong point by bringing up the role that history plays in the way that certain groups are viewed as inferior or superior to others. I agree with you that through history, we can see that certain groups have tried to gain and maintain power by subjugating and oppressing others. This forced subservience, whether through institutions like slavery or segregation, or through violence and rape, is very much a part of the type of inequities we see in today's society.
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