Racist Socialization - Assignment Example

Racist Socialization In Tar Baby, Toni Morrison uses a number of characters to develop the theme of cultural authenti among the black community.The author focuses on the strained relationship and conflicts between African Americans and White Americans. He critically analyzes the concept of cultural authenticity among the African Americans. The effects of slavery are still rife. Similarly, Dr. Joy had carried research to establish the effects of the slavery to generations of the Black American society. According to Dr. Gruy, the slavery era had severely affected generations of the Black Americans. In the book, “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome”, the author came up with three patterns of behaviors where the community was highly affected. In the post slavery era, a majority of the Black Americans had developed vacant esteem, ever present anger and racist socialization. Toni Morrison uses some key characters to demonstrate the racist socialization behavior in the novel. (Morrison, T. 2014) In Toni Morrison’s novel, there are a number of instances where the issue of racist socialization emerges. However, the most captivating scenario involves the protagonist in the novel. Jadine faces an internal conflict involving her race. Jadine had already abandoned her culture and heritage and accepted a new one. It is the decision that haunts her as the lead character tries to wrestle the guilty consciences from her. Ghosts visit Jadine during the night that tried top pursued her to stick with her former heritage and culture. Toni Morrison uses some of the characters to bring out the issue of racial segregation between Black and White Americans. The author unearths some of the stereotypes held by both races in the society. In the American society, people have preconceived opinions about Blacks and Whites. The differences between Whites and Blacks emerge in the house occupied by both races. For instance, the Ondine Childs treat the Black community with a lot of contempt’s. They despise them because they believe they are superior to them. Conversely, he boasts that he is the only real Negro in Philadelphia (Morrison, p.284).On the other hand, Childs believe that they are better than the rest of the people in the community. The class thinks it is the most powerful because of they are diligent and hard working. The Childs despise the Dominique Blacks whom they regard to be inundated. Their contempt and hatred make the unable to know the names of the servant. For instance, they refer to Thérèse as a thief. The act demonstrates that the Child have no respect for other groups. The decision to call one of their servants a thief is an apparent act of disrespect from a master who is supposed to treat employs with a lot of care. However, it not only the masters who have the tendency to use the abuse names in reference to a particular group of people in the society. Other characters are also culprits in nicknaming others using funny names that are meant to demonstrate their disrespect. Names are used to bring out the hatred that exists between the classes in the society. On the other hand, Ondine receives little attention from other characters and Sydney an act that indicates the internal conflicts that exist because of racism. The scenario demonstrates how racial discrimination was rampant during the slavery era. (Morrison, T. 2014) In addition, there appears to be a major conflict between Ondine and other characters. Nicknames have been used widely to bring out the differences that exist between the two races. The two characters have nicknames that they use to refer to each other. In the actual sense, the nicknames are used to bring out the conflicts that exist between the two characters. They are in bad taste. In the novel, most of the characters use nicknames in bad taste and to demonstrate the grudges they hold against each other. It is the prejudices that were held by the previous generations that have been passed to the present days. People hold preconceived ideas about the Black people that are very negative. Although Ondine came out as one of the most remarkable people, other characters remained skeptical about his goodness. Similarly, although racial discrimination has significantly reduced; its implications can be in the modern generation. (Morrison, T. 2014) Racial socialization is a behavior that is prevalent in the American Society. Critics argue that racial discrimination is absent in the American Society. They perceive it as an abstract concept practiced by people who are unmindful of the welfare of other people. In reality, racial discrimination is very rampant and conspicuous. Those who claim that it does exist are with an ostrich that burry’s its head in the sun hoping the danger has gone away. Shockingly, racial discrimination is practiced in many institutions across America. It is common in institutions of learning where it is rooted. Parents are culpable for instilling negative beliefs and values in their children. In another shocking revelation, some parents admitted that they had trained their children. Due to the existing prejudices, Black parents have been forced to prepare their children to deal with discrimination. Consequently, they have inculcated in their children stereotypes that cannot be eradicated. The trend is contributing in promoting racial prejudice in the society something that will be to future generations. The scenarios in the novel paint different pictures about the relationship that exists between the two communities. Ondine comes out as one of the racists who appear to uphold the spirit of their predecessors who were masters of the slaves. It appears that the masters had passed the baton to their generations. The character had been brainwashed by the beliefs and practices of their predecessors who yard laid a yardstick in terms of managing and relating to African Americans. (Morrison, T. 2014) Jadine was also not left behind in reacting to what Son had done. She was among those led in racially abusing Son on the basis of his race. Although Son had committed a crime, there was a warrant for her to convert the issue into a race matter. Instead, she could have suggested ways to punish the offender. She had completely lost the whole plot. Jadine used the physical appearance to judge the offender. Jadine made an irrational decision to judge Son despite not having any other tangible evidence whether the character had been involved in similar cases previously. As a rational person, Jadine should have tried to establish the reason behind his action. The first thought that crosses her mind is that Son had an intention of raping. Jadine allegations were unfounded as she did not have any factual evidence Son was intending to rape her. She goes on to threaten Son he will be to alligators. The sentiment shows how Whites feel Black Americans are worthless. Son has the alternative of facing the law, but Jadine goes to threaten him in a manner that indicates she has a grudge against the Black people. It is interesting to witness how a woman who was once adopted the culture of the Black people treats a person whom they once shared a common culture and heritage. It is the highest level of hypocrisy, and she feels guilty conscience when Son refers to her as a White. The cultural practices and beliefs of the Black American seem to be at antagonism in most incidences in the novel. (Morrison, T. 2014) The behavior of the characters demonstrates that racism is still a big deal in the American society. Although the slavery period ended ages ago, the implications of the era were passed to the subsequent generations. The trauma that slaves underwent under their masters was so painful to the extent that it was passed to the generations that followed. The author used different characters but who had similar behaviors to show the extent racism had reached in the American Society. There was mistrust between the Blacks and Whites although the two races cohabited together. (Morrison, T. 2014) Tar Baby is a novel that clearly demonstrates the plight of Black Americans during the post-slavery era. Although, slavery ended many decades ago, its effects can still be felt in the present days. De Gruy carried out research and came up with three patterns of behavior that are most prevalent among a majority of African Americans. A majority of them suffered from low self-esteem, ever present anger and racist socialization. Among the three patterns, the most common is the racist socialization. White Americans and Black Americans have not yet settled well as it has been purported in a number of research works. Racial socialization is still present with parents contributing in passing the negative beliefs about each of the races to their children. People still use the physical characteristics of a person to judge them. The Black Americans are considered to be people who are fond of violence and like causing disorder in the society. On the other hand, the White Americans are considered to be superior to Black Americans. The American society cannot ignore the existence of the dominant stereotype that is a threat to the harmonious coexistence between the White and Blacks in the society. Civic education needs to be carried out to eradicate the harmful vice. (Morrison, T. 2014) In his article, De Gruy mentions arguments that the Black American’s feeling of being the subordinate and the secondary factor in the society and not of a dominating or even an equally important one is mainly due to a psychological issue known as the post traumatic slavery syndrome. As the name clearly suggests the meaning and the causes of the stress but De Gruy suggests that there is more to it that merely some traumatic feeling of being a slave nation for a largely extended period of time. He suggests that the basic lacking in them is not the presence of that traumatic feeling but the lack of vision and self belief. There is a lack of self esteem in them which, as it turns out according to De Gruy is the most dominating factor in their feeling of subordination and consequently racist socialization. These frustrations and the facts mentioned by Dr Gruy can be clearly seen in Son’s statement when he talked about the mixed culture, “you turn little black babies into little white one; you turn men into white men and when a black woman treat me like what I, what I really am, you say she’s spoiling me”. (De Gruy, 1990) Similarly in another context, Son’s words on the white folk have their intrinsic value in proving the observations of Dr Gruy true, “...because they had not the dignity of wild animals who did not eat where they defecated but they could defecate over a whole people and come there to live and defecate some more by tearing up the land and that is why they loved property so, because they had killed it soiled it defecated on it and they loved more than anything the places where they shit”. (Morrison, T. 2014) Work Cited Morrison, T. (2014). Tar baby. London: Vintage Digital. Read More