Datum's Article 1/24

I found this article interesting for many reasons. First Beverly Daniel Datum points out how many students reactions to the topic of racism, classism, and sexism. At first, I disagreed with Datum, who believes that many students still think of those topics as taboos. However, after reading her explanations to the resistance of why her students refused to acknowledge and learn about those topics to the student’s full potential, I see that problems still exist.

In the novel, Blink, by Malcom Gladwell, he explains how most people are racist and prejudice to some degree. He explains that peoples’ racism and prejudice is not blatant but hidden in our subconscious. In a psychological test, which showed flashing pictures of both whites and blacks, performed by Harvard, the results showed that a large majority of people had a tendency to favor Whites, regardless of the test taker’s race (even if he himself is black). In this way, people have prejudices formed through subliminal messages and experiences from American society.

In support for Gladwell’s theory, Datum states, “the African American has absorbed many of the beliefs and values of the dominant White culture, including the notion that ‘White is right’ and ‘Black is wrong.’ Though the internalization of negative Black stereotypes may be outside of his or her conscious awareness, the individual seeks to assimilate and be accepted by Whites” (10). Another example is found by one of Datum’s student’s comment in reaction to Cleopatra being black. This student may not be racist but has a subconscious prejudice that non-blacks are most beautiful. Through a class such as the one taught by Datum that analyzes the roots of our racism, I believe we can undo the prejudices society and experience has placed in our minds.