I was really intrigued by the two readings we were assigned for
today so I decided to investigate the topic of spatial justice. This is not a
concept that I was familiar with before today, but it really piqued my interest
so I looked into it.
This event relates to a lot of topics we have discussed and it
took place this week in Oklahoma. The first link is an article explaining what
was said and the second article covers CAIR-OK's response to the State
Representative's statements:
While reading the articles above I was reminded of many of the
circumstances and conditions Peggy McIntosh mentioned in White Privilege and Male Privilege. Number six in particular stuck
out to me.
"6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of
the paper and see people of my race widely and positively
represented." (p. 88)
This is one aspect of white privilege I have personally never
given much thought to until very recently. Current events like Rep. John
Bennett's statement and the portrayal of Black Victims, like Michael Brown,
have caused me to start thinking about race and privilege in the context of
media. I have started to analyze what we are shown from a different (sometimes
shocking) perspective.
Since 9/11, Muslim-Americans have been viewed differently by
certain groups of Americans. With the recent coverage that ISIS has been
getting this view has only been exacerbated. I can’t imagine what it would be
like to hear that an elected official, who is supposed to represent me, had
said something like that about a group that I was a part of. I believe this is
also an example of privilege being invisible for two reasons:
1) Rep. Bennett refuses to apologize or resign of his own accord.
2) This is considered acceptable behavior and being tolerated by
others in power.
If a well-known Muslim-American had said something like that about
a politician via social media the response would be entirely different.
After reading the Spatial Justice piece by the design studio for
social intervention I was forced to ask myself if the Internet and media is a “space”.
As strange and alarming as that is to me, I believe it may be true. While you
can argue that Rep. John Bennett has a right to free speech, you must also
acknowledge that Muslim-Americans have a right to feel safe in the space that
is the internet/media. It would seem to me that several marginalized groups
have been portrayed through a lens of a privilege in the media and experienced
injustice in this space.
Comments
Post a Comment