Blog Post Three: Aronson's Argument
In the way Aronson presents his argument, it makes it feel as though he knows the wrongs behind slavery but also believes that it is foundational to America. When bringing up the history underlying slavery he brings up many societies that differ from each other. While he understands that slavery is wrong, he brings up all the facts on how race was figured out which is what this section of reading is mainly about. By using subsections stating that one race could not be another, it shows that without our past time we may still be unsure about what race is as a concept. His main argument is not to prove or disprove that slavery was a good or bad idea but to show how we got to modern-day forms of racism. While we as American's may not think of slavery to a degree of someone who is colored, we know that the concept is flawed which is what Aronson speaks about. Throughout the book, Aronson leads up to how our racial divide happened and how race was defined in the first place.
When Aronson describes how people feel about race, he often refers back to when race first began. This not only bolsters his argument about slavery but also allows us to truly understand how race became an issue. " This definition of race was soon enshrined in a law that bound "African" and "Slave" together with iron logic: Blacks are slaves; John is black; John is a slave" (Aronson 135). This shows that because we perceive a slave as being a certain color, we think that every one of that color is considered a slave. This shows that the argument that Aronson is trying to make is not necessarily about slavery as a whole topic but about how certain racial ethnicities think of the issue differently. While people who were discriminated against may feel strongly about the topic of slavery (many whites do also) slavery was not taught to those of color. It was their lifestyle. This is different from other races who were not discriminated against because slavery had to be taught to them and they did not experience it first hand.
In schools today, everybody, regarding their race, is taught about slavery. A few weeks back, we were asked to write about what our thoughts were on white privilege. From the arguments made by Aronson, I can confirm that I personally think that white privilege is an enormous issue. Those who do not have to fear going outside in hopes they will not be discriminated against may feel differently than those who live it on a daily basis. "History was much closer to biology: Each race was born, grew, flowered, and then, when mixed with other races, degraded and collapsed. Governments, laws, noble ideas, were irrelevant. Race, and only race, explained everything. This also meant that race-mixing was a kind of suicide" (159). This shows that due to the different races, Aronson believes in a way that this idea of slavery was bound to happen because everybody of one race was raised differently from everyone from a different race. That race was a problem before it even became a known idea. The way we live our lives would be much different if the idea of race was different. If slavery never happened. Was there an actual way to avoid slavery, however? Well, that is what I hope to learn from the rest of the book.
When Aronson describes how people feel about race, he often refers back to when race first began. This not only bolsters his argument about slavery but also allows us to truly understand how race became an issue. " This definition of race was soon enshrined in a law that bound "African" and "Slave" together with iron logic: Blacks are slaves; John is black; John is a slave" (Aronson 135). This shows that because we perceive a slave as being a certain color, we think that every one of that color is considered a slave. This shows that the argument that Aronson is trying to make is not necessarily about slavery as a whole topic but about how certain racial ethnicities think of the issue differently. While people who were discriminated against may feel strongly about the topic of slavery (many whites do also) slavery was not taught to those of color. It was their lifestyle. This is different from other races who were not discriminated against because slavery had to be taught to them and they did not experience it first hand.
In schools today, everybody, regarding their race, is taught about slavery. A few weeks back, we were asked to write about what our thoughts were on white privilege. From the arguments made by Aronson, I can confirm that I personally think that white privilege is an enormous issue. Those who do not have to fear going outside in hopes they will not be discriminated against may feel differently than those who live it on a daily basis. "History was much closer to biology: Each race was born, grew, flowered, and then, when mixed with other races, degraded and collapsed. Governments, laws, noble ideas, were irrelevant. Race, and only race, explained everything. This also meant that race-mixing was a kind of suicide" (159). This shows that due to the different races, Aronson believes in a way that this idea of slavery was bound to happen because everybody of one race was raised differently from everyone from a different race. That race was a problem before it even became a known idea. The way we live our lives would be much different if the idea of race was different. If slavery never happened. Was there an actual way to avoid slavery, however? Well, that is what I hope to learn from the rest of the book.
Hi Logan -- I think you have a lot of good insights into this book, and your post reminded me of what I was thinking while I read the latest section. The part where you mentioned that slavery didn't need to be taught to slaves, because it was their entire way of life, stuck out to me as a meaningful insight into the way that systemic discrimination is perpetuated through normalization.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of your post, you ask whether it would have been possible to avoid slavery altogether. I've been grappling with this question myself, and trying to figure out whether prejudice is so ingrained in humans that it will always exist. I know you said you are hoping to figure out the answer from the rest of the book, but I'm curious about what you think now. Based on what we've read so far, do you think slavery was inevitable? Do you think prejudice, like the kind that produced slavery, is inevitable in our future?
Hi Logan,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Aronson approaches race from a rather interesting perspective, as in he condemns it, but still wants to explore the way that it has built and destroyed different cultures throughout history. As deep of a scar slavery is to America's past, it undoubtedly helped southern America's economy boom, whereas the north utilized its many mills. Many societies have indeed been built on the backs of slaves and the working class.
My question for you is: in this time of widespread social justice awareness, and given that the idea of race has changed over thousands of years, do you think that we've learned from our mistakes and that we might be able to eventually achieve a better, more equal society?
Based on Aronson's opening, which focuses on the fear of the other, it seems as though he would suggest that it would have been difficult to avoid slavery. Would you agree?
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