I think it is metaphorically similar to the tortoise and the hare fable, in which the tortoise's slowness is represented in this example not by any lack of ability of the African-American population at all, but rather their oppression by the country they live in. Despite this hindrance, with persistence and wisdom, the tortoise beats the lazy, all-too-confident hare who takes the speed he is endowed with (luxury of being in the "societal center") for granted. In reality, the situation is much more complex (for example even with resounding merit and persistence, people who are oppressed are not always able to succeed), but I think the loose metaphor stands in contributing to my argument.
What I mean by this is that African-American children are faced with the issue of being forced to work harder to navigate societal impediments than those children who are in the "center population". This isn't a benefit to them, rather a harsh necessity of their life that they shouldn't have to deal with. This concludes my base argument on the blog question.
Anyway, I want to steer away from giving a lot of personal examples of my own experience and my family's experience with oppression and double-consciousness as Jews, since the blog report asked for a more abstract analysis. However, I will share that the historical struggle of Jews to be recognized as citizens or as having equal standings as non-Jewish citizens of countries in which they reside in is an awful struggle that has caused so many of my people to have to work harder to keep their identities and to succeed in society. And in some ways we have used this disadvantaged platform to inspire us to success and to fighting through oppression, but this isn't a benefit or a blessing... it speaks to merit and teeth-clenched chutzpah.
I will say, that the double-consciousness of minorities does usually result in them having a stronger community and can bring together multiple communities in solidarity with each other (the alliance between MLK Jr. and American Jewery). This is simply a beneficial side-effect of dealing with hate and bigotry, which is a clear distinction to make.
The bottom line is that double-consciousness and oppression forces people to navigate society and overcome obstacles, but isn't a benefit as much as it is a harsh necessity that might end in a favorable result.
In the end, I really enjoyed reading Du Bois' insight on double consciousness and I think its important to balance multiple identities without sacrificing either, despite the difficulty and pain that comes with this, and emphasizing the flowers that do grow through the cracks in the sidewalk.
Hello Jacob,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your reminder that we should not be putting the experience of people forced to live with double consciousness in a positive light for fear of dismissing the real obstacles people have faced. It also causes me to think of a quote from Fredrick Douglass drilled into my mind by my high school,"If there is no struggle, there is no progress" The struggle needs to be acknowledged, but would you agree with Douglass that it can also be an avenue for progress?
I agree with Douglass about "struggle", however I don't think that he necessarily meant that his iteration of the word represents only the persecution or systemic oppression of peoples. Struggle as in overcoming obstacles in ones life leads to progress, and even oppression can be an avenue for progress--I don't deny that. My point was simply that "double-consciousness and oppression forces people to navigate society and overcome obstacles, but isn't a benefit as much as it is a harsh necessity that might end in a favorable result." Basically, I think that while this can be an avenue for progress, it shouldn't have to be at the expense of great suffering. Progress can be reached through "struggle" in a much more benign sense.
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