Monday, September 19, 2016

Color Blindess & Color Brave; Ted Talk


First off, I would like to start off by saying that I really enjoyed this Ted Talk.  Mellody Hobson does an extraordinary job discussing color blindness in today’s society.  Unfortunately in our society, regardless of how the economy has progressed, people still feel he or she is invisible.  Invisibility comes in many different forms.  Some face not having his or her voice not being heard simply because of their race, age or even social class.  The type of invisibility that I had faced growing up was definitely geared towards my home life.  I grew up with a different kind of family function: my mom, grandparents, aunts and my father who came and went as he pleased. I felt invisible in my friend group simple because I was not like them, I didn’t have a similar home life to them.  Although this does not particularly related to Hobson’s discussion to its fullest it does have a view of the same focal points. 
Hobson uses an example of how race particularly plays out in setting such as politics and or business meetings.  She sets the example of how in our society it is ‘normal’ for us to walk into a room and for it to be filled with white people versus if we were to walk into a meeting with a room of people of color it would be found as ‘weird’ to us.  Hobson states the question ‘When will this be normal?’, relating back to having a room filled with not just whites.  I feel that this can be related to my experience in a sense that in society what can be seen as normal is a “mom, dad, child, etc.’ family.  Seeing a family that is not ‘normal’ would be considered as being weird, just as walking into a meeting and seeing a room filled with races other than white people.
Hobson discusses ‘color blindness’ which is the concept of how we pretend to not acknowledge race, pointing out that this can become dangerous simply because it can be us ignoring the problem at hand.
One statement that I truly found eye opening was when Hobson explained how, ‘we need to become uncomfortable with the conversation of race” (Hobson).  This statement is extremely true.  Our society, I feel, tends to portray ‘color blindness’ where we should be portraying ‘color brave’ instead.  Our eyes need to be open to the world around us especially with race.  Society as a whole has come a long way in this subject, but definitely could flourish more.
Youth In Action helps to create a safe space for teens along with helping to make everyone apart of his or her community.  As young teens in this program they are taught that having a voice is important.  Within this group I feel that the idea of invisibility is conquered in several ways in Youth In Action.  As stated in the vision of Youth In Action,
“YIA envisions a world where young people are at the forefront of positive social change and believes that with their natural ability to innovate, capacity to lead, and desire for positive change, that world is possible”
I feel that this statement relates to how the topic of having teens gathering together can create an antidote to invisibility.  Youth In Action gives teens the opportunity to relate to his or her peers in a way that is beyond others.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Gianna,
    I really enjoyed your blog post. I especially liked the comparisons you made between Hobson’s discussion and your family. As you said “Invisibility comes in many different forms” and you definitely illustrated that point by writing about how your family situation made you feel invisible.

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  2. Hi Gianna,
    I enjoyed your post. Thank you for sharing your story about your family. I can relate to your story a little bit as I also grew up in an unusual family. It was just me and my mom. Often, people would ask me about my dad and this would make me uncomfortable, so I wouldn't talk about my family, which in a way did make me feel more invisible. I think the world is becoming more open to its definition of family. Hopefully, as we talk about all of these difficult issues, the world will continue to become more open to differences.

    Take care,
    Madelin

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  3. Gianna! Your blog post was great. I love the personal connection within your family. I can relate to not having a dad around at all times which made uncomfortable around friends who had a strong presence of family.Great use of pictures and definitely really organized. Thanks for sharing :)

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  4. Gianna, I like how you related Hobson's speech about invisibility to yourself and your struggles. Not everyone has a picture perfect family, I think you were familiar with Hobson's phrase "comfortable being uncomfortable" at a younger age.
    Thank you for sharing your story.
    Andrea

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  5. Gianna, I really enjoyed reading your post. I like the fact that you compared the situation when walking into a room of just colored to be "weird" and it being "normal" if you were to walk into a room of white people. I like how you compared it to how in society it is normal to grow up with a 'mom,dad, child, etc' family. You did a great job relating it to your own personal life.

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  6. Hey Gianna!

    I too loved that she pointed out the when will it be weird if every single person in the room were white. That was definitely powerful and deserved a standing ovation, because some people, sad to say, still have this mindset that this race can be successful, but this race can't.

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