In the “Allys Choice” recording the main topic being
discussed is about a girl who does not identify herself as black even though
the rest of her family does. Even though she was part black, her skin looked
white so she was able to make a choice. She grew up with people making fun of
her and giving her shit because she was considered black. For example at one
point she said that two girls sitting behind her in class would throw deodorant
at her and tell her she needed it because she was black and dirty. Ally makes
the choice to identify herself as white instead of black because she thought
life would be much easier. She talked about how she didn’t like to fight
everyone and have the feeling of everyone being out to get her because of her
race so she just gave up. She stated “I wanted to be apart of the group.” The
fact that someone actually feels this way because of their race is not right
whatsoever. I find it so wrong and disgusting that people of different races
actually feel this way. The fact that she feels like she has to change herself
and identity to not feel like she is fighting with everyone because of how she
was born is not right at all. Everyone is equal in this world, we are all
humans and we are all on this earth trying to make a difference or do something
with our lives. Seeing that people from other races don’t even feel comfortable
expressing their true identity and culture makes me realize how ugly reality
really is.
If we really analyze the situation more, we can see that her choice to identify as white , even though for the betterment of treatment , only made her situation even worse. She, as her mother had said, is denying her culture and basically doing the work of what those girls were doing. She is now the one degrading herself more and more, trying to be something she is not . One cannot deny their past , they can try to forget it but no matter how much try it will always come back to haunt you. In this case it was her children becoming one of the people who picked on her and harassed her because of her race. In a way it’s a fairly decent karma that she deserved , for having emotionally crippling her own sister. The worse part is that she even recognizes that there will be a problem in the future. I agree with your statement that there are a lot of people that don’t feel comfortable expressing their true identity . Society is one mean motherfucker and even though there is still some racism , I cant believe that there is still racism that forces people to alter who they are and forget who they just to be safe.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that this really does show how ugly reality really is. Throughout the podcast, we realize that being black was not what Ally wanted growing up. She thought that if she identified herself with being black, people would like her better, and other students in high school would not make fun of her. She felt singled out and felt isolated and alone. She wanted to fit in with everyone and he did not want people to continue to make fun of her because of the color of her skin. We live in a very cruel world, and for someone like Ally to be ashamed of her skin color because of what other people say and do to her makes me so sad. People should be able to get the proper education they deserve and not be distracted and discouraged because the color of their skin or what other people think and say. It is even more sad that Ally had to change the way she identified because of the way she was being treated by others. Nobody should ever have to go through something like that, and I think people need to be more considerate of others and their race.
ReplyDeleteIn "Ally's Choice" it talks about a mother and her two daughters one that identifies as black and the other identifies as white. The daughter Ally that identifies as white has pale skin and can pass as white. She gets bullied in grade school by a bunch of kids telling her mean things and throwing things at her. Before she enters high school she decides that she doesn't want to be black any more she wants to be white. So she changes her appearance and when school starts she hangs out with the older crowd. Her sister gets bullied by her and her friends and Ally denies that they are related. Ally's choice to identify as white has hurt her and her family more than if she would have just not let it bother her what other people said. She has to live with her family thinking that she is ashamed of them and her children telling her mother that she is a nigger because that is what their father told them. She is ashamed of herself and has let what the children who teased her get to her instead of being proud that she was different. It is saddening to know that their are people who are facing these problems even today because other people are racist. People should not be uncomfortable with their identity but sadly their are people who will deny who they really are to fit in.
ReplyDeleteI would totally agree with what you have to say, no one should feel like they need to change their identity just to fit in. In both the audio and the reading, Jordan and Ally deal with wanting to change their identity. It is so sad that people think about this. They want to change their identities for very different reasons too. Ally wants to identify as white so she can fit in with the group and Jordan wants to be white so he won't get harassed by the police. Both of these kids are in very difficult situations, Jordan, who's parents are both black and somewhat light skinned, has very light complexion and wishes he could pass as white, and Ally who says her family is white has a black grandmother and black grandfather but her mother is white. In both cases, the kids should learn to live with their black identity and not worry about bullying or not have to act white.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you all that this story is extremely horrific. The small town of East Jackson was a melting pot of blended cultures where on the other hand, Waverly was a majority white town of complete racists. When these towns school districts were forced to merge, Ally and her sister had to face some tough shit. Sadly, Ally made the decision to put an end to the bullying on her end by “becoming white”, even though it meant making her sister feel as if she were worth nothing at times. Ally says that as hard as it was to torment and watch her sister be tormented, she would do the same thing over again. Sadly, this is the product of the history of our America. We have labeled and decided for some reason, that one skin color is above another. This and the fact that Ally’s son and Jordan from the other story want to deny their heritage makes me want to cry. I wish that we could live in a nonjudgmental society where whatever you looked like would not matter but unfortunately that is not the case, that is a dream. As long as we have close minded people in this world that believe for some unfathomable reason that they are better than others for simply inheriting a skin color, our world will be full of hate and racism. All we can do is remember that each and every person on this earth is our brother and sister and we are all in this together.
ReplyDeleteIn both of these pieces the main figures of the story are wanting to alter their identity by self-identifying with a different race. Both of them want to be the superior race in their community so they will not be discriminated against. Ally is white but her family claims that they are African American which causes problems for Ally at school. She is constantly teased that she punches people because she gets so furious at the white kids for picking on her. Over the summer, she physically changes herself whether it’s her hair, weight, or even just wearing makeup. She finally fits in with the rest of the white kids because she is unrecognizable because she now blends in with the crowd perfectly. In Dana Canedys story she explains how her son Jordan wants to be white, but he is an African American with “very fair skin and pale blue eyes” so he wants to “pass” as a white so when he comes into contact with police they will not hurt him. This blending to society is much difficult for Jordan than it was for Ally because he is actually black and everyone around him can see it. To me I feel like they should accept who they are and stand up for themselves in order to make change within our society so that people like Ally and Jordan will not be scared to be the person that they truly are.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your blog post that Ally chose to identify as black because of how poorly she was being treated by the other kids at her school. Ally was able to choose which race she wanted to identify with because of the way she looked. She felt the need to identify as white because she was not comfortable living in her own skin, so she chose the only option that she had. Another point made was that she felt like she had to completely change who she was, just to fit in with the majority group at her school. It’s sad to see that Ally wasn’t able to be a proud of being an African American woman.
ReplyDeleteIn the article “Ally’s Choice” is about a young girl whose family identify as black must wrestle with determining whether she wants to be white or black as he skin color allows her to pass as both. Due to constant bullying at school such as when several girls were throwing deodorant at her saying she needed the deodorant because she was black and dirty. This forces Ally to feel uncomfortable in her own skin and with her family’s ethnicity and ultimately forces her in to deciding to escape the harassment and re-identify as white before returning to school. She accomplishes this by changing her hair, adding makeup, and clothing. Not only is this wrong that society and those kids in particular would or could push someone to not wanting to be true to their background and heritage its actually abhorrent that such bullying could go on and not be dealt with by teachers or friends in the school system. People must be allowed to be comfortable within the confines of their own skin and be unashamed for expressing their ethnicity and culture within tolerable and lawful limits. Their rights as human beings and American citizens demand that this be possible.
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