I read an article on Buzzfeed which got me thinking about our tendency to focus on the negatives in order to improve the experience of people, rather than putting effort into a system which will create a better environment.
Student's at Warwick University founded the Anti-Racist Society after a number of racist incidents occurred, with little action from the university. The university have an online system which enables people a platform to report ill-treatment based on race. However, this platform serves to remedy situations, rather than progress them. Students were able to repot racist abuse, but there was no where to interact with others on a more personal and social level. I believe this is a consistent problem when dealing with issues of race. We live in this world of 'new racism' which fails to recognise racism is still prevalent, believing it to be a concept of the past. The online service at Warwick is impersonal and clinical, a system constructed by people who do not understand the experience of racial minorities, resulting in the students having to take more serious actions to foster a sense of belonging and unity among minority groups. Educational systems seem to have bought into this belief that racism is over, failing to address racial issues which have become 'casual' rather than overt. These changes however, do not mean racism and racist abuse has decreased, but instead, has become further embedded and normalised in society.
The effects of racism at Warwick is quiet, which leads the institution to assume it is not happening. Students are not comfortable in voicing their hurt and outrage, because they do not believe they will be heard. Even worse, they feel like they will be taunted and excluded for not 'going along with the joke'. This seems to be a common issue, in which minority groups are supposed to accept racist remarks on the grounds that they are humorous, and therefore not serious. This instead, leads me to believe that issues of race and racist abuse can now be 'funny' because people do not believe it is an issue anymore, rather, that we are distant from the periods of racism so now we can make light of those darker times. This trend forces those who are emotionally and physically damaged by racist abuse to take matters into their own hands. The Anti-racist Society are trying to focus their efforts on improving minority group's experiences at university, but are consistently side tracked by racial abuse and issues arising as the university itself fails to act.
Hi there Lydia,
ReplyDeleteYou have written a good article that brings up some very valid points about contemporary racism. Racism has changed over time and I believe you are right in saying that racism has become some what of a joke in society. It is even joked about to the point that it is used in national government ads and as a commodity. For example racism is joked about in drinking ads like the "Ghost Chips" ad and to sell products like "Spray and Walk Away" with the "funny Asian guy". The fact that a society can construct jokes around subordinating minority groups and sometimes make a profit off it makes you question where society has ended up.
The content you presented about Warwick University and its establishment of the anti-racist society was also interesting. It made me start to ponder as to whether that types of system would work at our university? But when you look at our Overseen at Auckland Uni Facebook page it does not give me much hope. Perhaps it would have been beneficial to link in some article to reinforce your argument and add some depth but overall great effort.