Pigmintation

Black Skin, White Masks Blog Post

Jummy Ha,

After reading Black Skin, White Masks, the part that I am invested in most are first the use of pidgin language toward the ‘other’–the inferior blacks, and second, the mulatto. The idea of making language simpler and blunt not only creates the inferiority complex, it also emphasizes that black society is primal, with simpler animalistic morals. Fanon talks about a priests remark of pidgin language and how “knowing how to talk to them, [is] the key” (Fanon 4). The degraded language suggests even childlike qualities. i also couldn’t help being reminded of the masks ‘white men’ professor Hendricks was lecturing about. Her term of white neurosis suggests while black men are slaves to their inferiority, so are the white men to their superiority. I also want to raise the term mulatto because I think it would explore the idea of masks further–especially in chapters 2 and 3 of the book. Because of this I am curious to know how white is white. Fanon stresses: the black women being with the white man and the black man with the white women. To me, as Fanon compares Black life to Jew life quite often, I’d like to know when, and if ever this purity will be satiated. How white must the black me to go unnoticed? How white must he/she be for the world of white men? From speaking historically, compared to Germany, where a quarter Jew under the Nuremberg laws was questionable. But does it really matter? Because a Jew was a Jew if it came from a Nazi. I believe that this would apply to the white-black relationship Fanon speaks about.

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Jummy Ha

After reading this book, or collection of essay-like chapters, the part that I am interested in most are two topics.First the use of pidgin language toward the ‘other’—the inferior blacks, and second, the mulatto. The idea of making language simpler and blunt not only creates the inferiority complex’, it also suggests emphasizes that black society is primal, with simpler animalistic morals. Fanon talks about a priests remark of pidgin language and how “knowing how to talk to them, [is] the key” (Fanon 4). the degraded language suggests even childlike qualities. I also couldn’t help being reminded of the masks of white men professor Hendricks was talking about in her lecture. Her term of white neurosis, and while black men are slaves to their inferiority, so are white men to their superiority. It makes me question why an individual of black skin, would leave its fellow brethren to join the white men to the point where the ‘motherland’ becomes foreign. I also want to raise the term mulatto, because I think it would explore to idea of masks  even further, especially in chapters 2 and 3 of the book. lastly I want to know if like other situations of being made inferior I.e the Nazis and Jews, if black, no matter the shade will always be made to wear a white mask as long as it appears darker. To what extent and when will they stop being seen as inferior.

Plato’s Republic Blog Post

During the first read of Plato Republic, I found it hard to understand Book I because it was entirely different to any texts that I’ve ever read. Hearing two philosophers talk using the Socratic method was a very perplexing to me.Then when I got to Book II which Hendricks’ lecture pointed out was a revising of the first, it opened my eyes to the topic of justice. Exactly what is just and unjust? Hendricks talks about the best, middle, and worst forms of ranking in lives, and how Socrates needs to change this view to the rest of society. I think this is a crucial point that needs to be discussed.
 And after hearing the Lecture and my read on Plato Republic, the thought that came into my mind at first were the existential themes discussed in previous seminars. This texts talks about remaking a city–ergo a new way to live. I was especially partaken with the idea of changing Greek myths to children in order to changer their mindset, and The Kallipolis–keeping rulers and auxiliaries from being corrupted.
I agree with the idea of Philosophers ruling instead of usual Greek government, but I would like to go deeper regarding the Republics mention of the 9 months of tyranny.