Ayman Rddad, Period 2, 11/8/20, Day A

Ayman Rddad
Period 2
11/9/2020
Day A 

Socio-political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power? 

I grew up watching international news with my parents who believe that a decent intellectual should have a global perspective and experience the world beyond his/her immediate environment. As a result, I was exposed to so much strife in other countries, so many atrocities and injustices, so much political and social instability that I grew to see the U.S. as a safe haven in the midst of a tumultuous world. “One should appreciate our political and social stability,” I always thought. My rather “naïve” conceptions, however, were subverted from time to time when my parents would teach me how to respond if someone attacks my religion or race. I started to realize that I was “different” and that my difference put me at a risk of being discriminated against. I drew strength, however, from the fact that the vicious things I heard about Muslims were all wrong. I am a Muslim, but I am neither violent, nor intolerant, nor do I believe in a vengeful God.

Yet, at no time was I forced to reckon with the issue of inequity in our society like I was when I saw black men die at the hands of policemen. The scenes were extremely disturbing and brought to light the ordeal of African Americans in their dealings with law enforcement. As protests erupted, and the “Black Lives Matter” movement emerged, the racism that has been plaguing our society suddenly became too obvious for anybody to ignore. It has been there, it has disenfranchised the African American community for so long, but somehow we have managed to ignore it and see our society as a paragon of social equity.

I was especially moved by the example one public figure used to illustrate the difficulty of being black in American society. He recounted that African American parents teach their sons to keep their hands on the wheel and not make any movement when they are stopped by the police on the road. The underlying assumption is that any movement on the part of a black man is likely to be interpreted as an attempt to reach out to a weapon to attack the police. How hard it must feel to be always seen as a potential wrongdoer! The legal system treats defendants as innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Yet, in the case of black men, it seems that they are often viewed as guilty until proven innocent. What a hard reality!

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed yet another facet of inequality in our society. The pandemic did not affect all sections of our society similarly. The poor and disadvantaged communities suffered higher rates of infection as well as higher rates of deaths. And African Americans and Latinos were at the forefront of these communities. It sounds heartbreaking that the health care system of the most democratic country in the world should fail the poor and people of color. Nobody should be more likely to die of an illness because of her/his race or socioeconomic background in 21st century America.

While the latest developments in our country have been sobering, I believe we should never lose hope nor stop dreaming of a truly equitable political and social system where everybody is represented and treated equally. We should never lose sight of the fact that we are all humans who came together for our common interest which transcends race, creed, and all other factors that are secondary to our common humanity. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

Since the rise of the “Black Lives Matter” movement, I have come to reflect on whether our institutions treat everybody fairly and whether our country offers the same opportunities to all its citizens regardless of color, creed, gender, and intellectual and sexual orientation. This questioning of our institutions caused me to question my own assumptions and beliefs. I have always thought of myself, for example, as a highly tolerant person. Yet, I now catch myself often making assumptions that are not necessarily based on facts, or forming an opinion about someone without getting to really know him or her. In a sense, I am self-policing in an attempt to practice that which I would like to see prevail in our society—tolerance of difference and understanding and appreciation of the other’s position.

In the context of the clashes that happened over the summer between the police and the proponents of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and the ensuing call for debunking the police, I tried to see things from the perspective of the police, too. Upon doing so, I came to realize the difficulty of the police job, and to appreciate the sacrifices they make to ensure security. I also came to realize that the excessive use of force against black men by certain members of the police force should not cause us to condemn all police men and women, nor blind us to the sacrifices they make. Hence, looking at the situation from the multiple perspectives of the different parties allowed me to have a rather moderate take on it. Racism is an urgent issue that should be addressed to relieve the just grievances of a large and long disenfranchised community in our society, but we can definitely do so without necessarily debunking the police.

I have learned in the process of reflecting on inequity and the unfair distribution of power in our society that solving a problem starts by recognizing it. Racism can be eradicated only if we recognize its existence in the same way defeating the pandemic starts with recognizing that Covid-19 is a real threat that has to be addressed. Similarly, equity starts by recognizing and combatting the various factors of inequity. We must realize that a powerful society is one whose members are equally empowered.

I have to admit that my belonging to a minority that is often discriminated against helps me see the human beyond the prejudice, makes it easier for me to see things from a different perspective, and definitely allows me to put myself in other people’s shoes. Yet, it always takes a degree of critical reflection and the courage of moving outside one’s comfort zone to achieve real tolerance.