Dear Jesmyn,
What strikes me about your memoir thus far is the dichotomy between dulled deaths and the urgency to humanize, and put face and self to, the dead. That is, death is mentioned almost casually, as though to emphasize the quotidian terror Black folks face and the probable nature of Black men dying young, and dying quite unnaturally. At the same time, however, you are consistent in providing context regarding the time of death, the background of the life lost, and the collective trauma this induced upon you, your family, and your friends.
This made me think about how language and the constant recurrence of terror against Black people has anesthetized others to the magnitude of atrocities. This, combined with policy, ideology, culture, perverted infatuation with militarization as a means of American masculinity, etc. have left white people either turning a ("color")blind eye to white terrorism and power-pleasure dynamics, or in superficial and often times performative "solidarity" with people of color.
What shift must occur for the anesthetic to wear off? Cultural? Political? Personal ideology? Or all of these at once? And how is that shift achieved?
No comments:
Post a Comment