Where Do We Go After Ferguson Analysis
Michael Eric Dyson adequately defines the politics of respectability in his article, “Where Do We Go After Ferguson?” as “…the belief that good behavior and stern chiding will cure black ills and uplift black people and convince white people that we’re human and worthy of respect.” With his definition follows a plethora of reasons as to why such a concept should not be depended on to address the issues Black Americans face in this country today. I stand against politics of respectability for several reasons. I believe ultimately that it is an obsolete and inconsistent tactic that leaves an excess of other racial injustices in its path and causes more damage than it does good. It cannot work in a society today where stereotypes are hardwired
…show more content…
Randall Kennedy, in his article “Lifting As We Climb” addresses the few instances of triumph respectability politics represents. Kennedy asserts that “The politics of black respectability has not banished antiblack racism, but it has improved the racial situation dramatically and has kept alive some black people who might otherwise be dead.” I agree with his argument that respectability politics has saved lives in the past and may very well save some lives today. As alluded to before, in the past respectability politics has played huge role in the saving of black lives, however, in this day and age to which is what matters fundamentally, respectability politics is no longer rescuing us. There are countless examples of people who seem to be following the rules of respectability yet still fall victim to racial injustice often resulting in their death. Such people include Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice and Aiyana Stanley-Jones just to name a few. Kennedy goes on to claim that it was up to them, the woman and children I have mentioned above, to somehow avoid the circumstance they were presented and that it is now the responsibility of those left behind in their demise to ensure they don’t fall victim of the same fate. He uses the analogy, “A person injured by a drunk driver has to take it upon herself to participate in the hard work of rehabilitation even if she played no role in her own victimization.” I disagree. I believe that the ‘drunk driver’ in his analogy should be held accountable for his or her
Randall Kennedy, in his article “Lifting As We Climb” addresses the few instances of triumph respectability politics represents. Kennedy asserts that “The politics of black respectability has not banished antiblack racism, but it has improved the racial situation dramatically and has kept alive some black people who might otherwise be dead.” I agree with his argument that respectability politics has saved lives in the past and may very well save some lives today. As alluded to before, in the past respectability politics has played huge role in the saving of black lives, however, in this day and age to which is what matters fundamentally, respectability politics is no longer rescuing us. There are countless examples of people who seem to be following the rules of respectability yet still fall victim to racial injustice often resulting in their death. Such people include Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice and Aiyana Stanley-Jones just to name a few. Kennedy goes on to claim that it was up to them, the woman and children I have mentioned above, to somehow avoid the circumstance they were presented and that it is now the responsibility of those left behind in their demise to ensure they don’t fall victim of the same fate. He uses the analogy, “A person injured by a drunk driver has to take it upon herself to participate in the hard work of rehabilitation even if she played no role in her own victimization.” I disagree. I believe that the ‘drunk driver’ in his analogy should be held accountable for his or her