This movie was very confusing to me but from what I understood, it was a very eye opening to me. It really made me feel that even though I am not racist, I am ignorant a lot of times. I do not try to, and I do not believe it is only because of my skin color, but I can be very ignorant and this has made me realize that. In fact, a lot of my friends are ignorant too. This points out a lot of the errors in society and makes it look like an english teacher blowing up my essay while correcting it. I also almost agree with what they are saying, it is hard to change yourself when you have almost been conditioned to believe something is right, or believe that you know every single struggle that someone is going through. No one can really know the struggle of every race. Not every white man goes through the same struggles I do, and etc. I do not go through the same struggles as everyone else either. We all have similar struggles, but we also have struggles that other people cannot even fathom.
For example, I have a sister with autism at home, she struggles with speaking, mood swings, motor skills, and other emotional problems that just defines what she has. This is emotionally taxing on my whole family. But most of all, it is hard on her. People think they can just talk about her right in front of her and she does not know what is even happening. This really upsets me because she does understand and you can really tell when she hears something bad about herself. As much as people say that they think they know what I go through they do not until they walk a day in my shoes. I will never stop loving my sister even though she has stuck my phone in the oven causing it to melt, thrown away my halloween candy a couple of times, hid my wallet from me, and just so happens to think my room is hers when I am not present. She is an innocent little girl and I love her. That’s just my example of a struggle, was not saying I do not love my sister, cause I do and I feel blessed to have her in my life. I would do anything to prevent her from being hurt and anything to protect her.
I honestly felt that I almost could connect with what Victor was saying. Because no one understands what struggles he and his people go through. I feel that no one understands what I go through. They think that because I am white that I get everything handed right to me and that I do not have to work for it. I am the only one of my friends that has a job, has parents that make me work for everything that I get unless it’s Christmas, my birthday, or Easter. No one knows what I go through at home when I am actually there. That’s another one, I almost never am home. I live away at Leahy house, and even though I can handle it, I get homesick a lot and miss my family and friends back home.I cannot even explain the rest of it as it is really complicated and I do not even know how to put it into words. All American and people all around the world have the same struggles. My view on Americans, are anyone that is legally a citizen or was born here. My opinion on that has not changed since I was in middle school. I am an Italian/German American and I will always think that about myself.
People tend to get very emotional over topics such as this. I really do not know how to explain it other than, people have conflicting opinion, some people do not even want to hear what the other side says.
Danny, I think your reflection here truly shows the struggle that exists in any of these conversations. First, in order for the conversation to have any meaning, each one of us has to take a hard look at ourselves, our behavior, our conditioning, our thoughts. We have to consider how we may participate in the system of injustice that exists without even realizing it - or as you say, being ignorant about it. Second, we must find ways to connect to the issues and the plight of other people. If we can do that through our own sense of injustice around a different issue, that is perfectly fine. Third, we have to be willing to let go of the temptation to rank our own struggles with those of others. It does not matter whose struggle is worse, what matters is recognizing the ways in which different people face injustices and working towards a more inclusive society for all.
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