http://findlostangeles.blogspot.com/2012/11/blogging-social-difference-in-la-week-5.html?showComment=1352349171358#c1258480471649740577
Hi there,
I found this post about your
uniting experience at the Dia de los Muertos celebration to be very
interesting. Despite all the differences
between people there remain a few fundamental things that cut across all boundaries. As human beings, matters of life, love, and
death are deeply relatable no matter one’s background. Differences in religion may lead people to
practice different actions regarding these matters, but these differences are
not enough to extinguish the empathy that exists among all.
Strangely though, the
death of Trayvon Martin did not receive
universal empathy. One reading we had
this week, “Fear of a Black President” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, discusses this
tragedy. After this tragedy President
Obama responded. The reaction to Obama was,
as Coates states, “Before President Obama spoke, the death of Trayvon Martin
was generally regarded as a national tragedy. After Obama spoke, Martin became
material for an Internet vendor flogging paper gun-range targets that mimicked
his hoodie and his bag of Skittles.”
That is to say, that among
some people, due to the color of our president’s skin, and likewise the color
of Trayvon Martin’s skin, Obama’s comments where turned into racist’s
ammunition. In my opinion this just
makes this an even greater tragedy. It is truly a wonderful
thing how celebrations like Dia de los Muertos are such a uniting emotional
experience. That is how it simply should
be.
No comments:
Post a Comment