Differences between Race & Gender - Essay Example

1. Discrimination All men and women were created equal. The creator further made them to be happy and enjoy certain rights altogether. During the course of life, man is required to serve more than one purpose other than his normal duty. The authors in this article have spoken on the role of women in the society as compared to that of the male counterparts. The rights of all are defined and dictated by the government of the day, which means that if this government does not provide as required by them, then the people are mandated to change the government. Its disappointing to see one’s right be denied especially on gender based, Stanton et al say that “such has been the patient sufferance of the woman under the government and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled” (2). Stanton et al describe the way men have mistreated women in the society for so long (2). Man is said to have never allowed a woman to exercise her rights, deprived her voice before the law, and the woman has been denied right to own property. Stanton et al however condemn these cores of actions and suggests that only God has the sole responsibility of defining the roles and abilities of men and women in the society. “We insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of United States” (Stanton et al 2). Dub Bois talks of seclusion by the society which makes you odd and feel discriminated, he talks of the problem of the twentieth century as the color line. It once dawned on him that he was different from others when a young lady refused to pick a card from him while seated amongst other people. This matter was the first hand experience of Dubois on brutality of discrimination. Meanwhile the women in America underwent lives of suffering struggling with a lot of burdens on their shoulders; “in all the roles was to seek fulfillment as wives and mothers” (Betty 15). Their dreams were shattered and their long fought freedom and rights were barred. They could no longer yearn to be doctors or secure different professions. They were only applauded when devoting their lives searching for husbands and children. The marriage age had dropped to 20 and was further tending towards 17, and the ration of boys to girls in colleges was also depreciating. All this happened despite the agitation for the redress of the issue by journalists who published magazines declaring people’s unhappiness. The authors presented this theme to express their displeasure and condemn discrimination. The lives of suburban women were better though most chose to enjoy the fulfillment being women rather than pursuing different profession. They were treated with all luxuries at their disposal, as house wives and mothers and were regarded as equal partners to the men in the world; “they had no thought for the unfeminine problems of the world outside the home, they wanted men to make the major decisions” (Malcolm 18). Martin Luther King is preaching for justice and this has taken him far away from his homeland to other regions to agitate for equality. At the time of his writing, he was in Birmingham. His allegation was that any injustice is a nuisance to prevailing justice in some other place. He accuses the white community for neglecting the Negroes. He vows not to rest until the time when no American can be considered an outsider. 2. Liberty and Freedom The Negroes cry was that of liberty and freedom from their long term slavery “liberty; in his tears and curses the God implored had freedom in his right hand” (5). The deepest fear of the Negroes was the coming of the second slavery. Mr Washington faced strong and long lasting opposition from people in his backyard, but he continued strong. A point was reached when even the educated men had to regret opposing Washington and instead began to cooperate with him. The Negroes had planned for their liberation but lacked the mode of presenting their grievances, the dream only came through these scholars whom they blamed the nation for ignoring the freedmen and concentrating on dollars. The Negroes revival started when the nation adopted a program to which it earned applause of the south and won admiration of the North residents. It was the struggle of Washington to liberate the Negroes. His strategy was that he tried to attract sympathy and cooperation of people from the south. Despite the much criticism he received, Mr. Washington was determined with his program. The slaves could not be patient anymore with the slavery and oppression they were undergoing and therefore formed revolts. The revolts varied from one region to the other. In some instances, the Negroes withdrew from the white churches and formed their own churches and organizations which lasted long. Many scholars who were not happy with such humane registered their disappointment through articles and direct condemnation of such injustices. 3. Submissiveness Washington’s program was very unique, it advocated for the value of money and general economic development, thus required adjustment and submission of the Negroes. Since work was among the priorities, people of different races came together and this intensified race feelings. The Negroes were expected to live in submission by surrendering power, civil rights and their participation in higher learning. The aim was to make the Negroes submit to issues of money and work. This translated to the notion that the blacks could make good life progress without political rights. The authors criticizes some of the action performed by Washington in the south that had direct negative impacts to the Negroes; “his doctrine has tended to make the whites, North and South, shift the burden of the Negro problem to the Negroes shoulders” (18). In this case, the writer does not see the sense of destroying the life of close to 9 million people in the name of settling diplomacy and suaveness; he calls for the support to Washington and compares him with the biblical Joshua. He only advices Washington to apologize for the injustice he had advocated for the people of the North and South. The writer believes that every man is accorded by God to enjoy the privileges of life, liberty and happiness. 4. Oppression The twentieth century bears the problem of color, ranging from the dark colors of Africa to the lightest colors in Asia, America, Europe and the Islands. This caused the civil wars and origin of slavery. The tale of Dubois is certainly a narration of feeling indifferent; a feeling of an outcast and a stranger in one’s homeland. The presence of every thing white exposing the black as he presents the wishes of the Negroes, that if only it was possible to be both an American and an African, maintaining the stature without unnecessary abuse so that he could maintain his doors of opportunities. The message passed here by Dubois is condemnation ofthe oppression experienced by the blacks in this native land of white as the dominant race. The past had Egyptians and the Ethiopians, whose potentials were thrown away, laid asunder by the prevailing racial abuse and discrimination. He claims that “the black man’s turning hither and thither in hesitant and doubtful striving has often made his very strength to lose effectiveness, to seem like absence of power, like weakness” (4). The professionals were not spared either, be it a doctor or a minister, as long as the black color was evident. Thereby being a Negro, one had no place before the whites. Dubois laments about the abused Negroe native love for harmony, overridden by confusion and doubts, having been despised by their audience. It has raised havoc, and diminished the courage and faith in them and to the worst extreme, made them feel ashamed of their innocent self. One of the differences among the authors was their mode of approach; Martin Luther preferred taking direct action against the situation. This was a way of forcing negotiations to take place. He argues that unless the oppressed find ways of obtaining justice, the oppressors won’t give it on a silvery plate; “we know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntary given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (Malcolm 36). Luther is an activist and an extremist; he compares himself with Jesus Christ as an extremist. Malcolm was a Muslim and he too with his ‘ballot or the bullet’ called for peace and freedom amongst the Negroes, and an end to their suffering in the hands of the white man politically, economically and socially. Like Luther, his approach was that of bravery and made direct revolts towards the issues he was dissatisfied. Malcolm is brave enough to urge people to use forceful revolt. He says “anytime you demonstrate against segregation and a man has the audacity to put a police dog on you, kill that dog, kill him I am telling you” (Malcolm 46). And while the authors’ mode of approach was a little bit different, all of them had a common goal: to fight by all mans possible for equality and justice to all. This determination kept them together. Crime and punishment sit at center stage at the current American discourse. Fong suggests that “claims of American exceptionalism and anxieties over its prospects have resurged as an overarching theme in national political discourse” (n.p.). Contemporary issues relate to the debates on race. There are growing fears of loss of national unity and trust. Fong further states that “those who are anxious about the disintegration of fabric of American national identity likewise forget not just how these concerns echo past fears of subversive racial and cultural difference” (n.p.). The works of Dubois, Stanton et al and Malcolm carried great messages that articulated for the rights of blacks. In the contemporary politics, the current leaders base their democracy to the past injustices and wouldn’t want to repeat the same. The works of these writers have been carried on by activists who shape the current democracy. Many social movement groups have been on toes radically democratizing the world that seeks to live a better life. The liberty that had been longed by the great authors plays the center stage in positioning liberty and justice among the people. The hope for freedom aroused through the election of Barrack Obama as a political leader and there arises the hope that at last, the Negroes take the stage. Works Cited Beckett, K. Making Crime Pay: Law and Order in Contemporary American Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. Betty, F. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. 1963. Du Bois. The Souls of Black Folk. 1903. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/408?msg=welcome_stranger#chap00 Fong, E. American Exceptionalism and the Remains of Race: Multicultural Exorcisms. London: Routedge, 2004. Print. Malcolm, X. The Ballot or the Bullet. Cleveland. 1964. http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/malcolm_x_ballot.html . Stanon et al. Seneca Falls Convention. New York, 1848. Stout, J. Blesses are the Organized. Grassroots Democracy in America. Oxfordshire: Princeton University, 2010. Print. Read More