Chapter 5 Discussion Post

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Apr 3, 2024

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1) What do you think Baldwin means when he says “system of reality”? Have your ever questioned yourself, your family, or your communities system of reality? It is my understanding that Baldwin meant that a "system of reality" is formed based on people's backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultural identities. According to him, the social structure had perpetuated this divide between ideals and realities. Every person sees the world through their own lens, so depending on their ethnicity and culture, Black and White people may have very different perspectives on the world. Because everyone has their own "system of reality", everyone sees the world through their own lens. Whenever we are exposed to other people's "system of reality" (their perception of reality), the more likely we are to start questioning our own perception of reality. The fact that I am questioning my own system of reality doesn't mean that I am denying everything about it, but rather that I am simply expanding it through learning from others and possibly changing my own beliefs as a result. As someone who is surrounded by people of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultural identities, I would say that I have questioned my system of reality. In this way I can help make a difference in my community's system of reality because I am no longer basing my viewpoint only on my own. Since our communities most likely have different systems of reality if they are diverse, it is pretty common for us to question parts of our community's system of reality.  1) In your opinion, what does our current political climate reflect: the “ballot” or the “bullet"? · William Buckley and Malcolm X discussed how to fix Black people's inequality issues. In response to Buckley's question, Malcolm X said that solutions could be either political or violent, depending on the situation. A number of decades ago, Malcolm X argued that the United States had been built on the exploitation and subjugation of black people and was fundamentally a white supremacist nation. According to Malcolm X, the black people needed to unite and gain their own power in order to overcome the oppression and inequality he experienced. He believed that black people had to achieve their own power, and in order to thrive, they should create their own systems, instead of relying on the help of white people. A point Malcolm X makes in the film is that Black people need to become more politically mature, otherwise they will continue to be controlled and manipulated. Aside from this, he was also of the opinion that violence could be justified in self-defense against racism-related violence. As Buckley pointed out in his book Black Nationalism and the Terror of the Nation, Malcolm X's black nationalist ideas did not really address Buckley's question about how to address racism in a way he might have considered appropriate. According to Malcolm X, Buckley believed that the existing system was fundamentally flawed and that it should be replaced, while Buckley favored political solutions that worked within the existing system. A radical and revolutionary approach to making change and achieving goals was taken by Malcolm X, whereas Buckley's was more pragmatic and step- by-step in its approach.
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