One of the great ways to learn about the history is to observe the art pieces during that era. Casta Paintings are therefore could be used as handy tools to better understand the situation in South America following colonization. As I understood through the videos, racial difference was a huge matter during that period and people would have significant advantages or disadvantages solely based on their races. For instance, people who were from Spain would be considered as “pure blood” and as a result they were at the top of the social pyramid and would rule the society regardless of their capabilities. It was also interesting to see that even people who did not have “pure blood” would still get categorized by the society. So it was not just a case of black and white, but rather multiple of group of communities with various ethnicities.
If we take a look at this matter in a more global scale, we realize that, this undeserved social advantage eventually frustrates “lower class” people and leads to critical incidents in the history. For instance, we can name African American crisis in the United States, Holocaust or even currently Muslims. This unfair approach has always influenced the society in a negative way and had hefty consequences for everyone involved in it. Therefore, it would be crucial to address this issue and realize its importance so we can solve it with an appropriate approach.
I believe the most important reason that we study history is to learn from it and avoid repeating previous generations’ mistakes. However, since colonization countries and people have always struggled with racial abuse and despite significant efforts, particularly following the second world war, people are still getting victimized based on their race or faith. It is crucial to consider the great improvement that people around the world made to address this issue; however, it is also important to realize that there is still a long way to go to completely solve racism. It is up to our generation to educate people that someone’s skin color has nothing to do with their capabilities.
My question regarding this week’s topic has a wider scope than previous problems in South America. I want to ask, what do you think each of us should do in order to solve racism in today’s world?
Thank you for reading this post.