The Inner v. The Outer - avq

The Inner v. The Outer

As a Hispanic, I was taught that I must educate myself and let nothing stop me from reaching my goal. I come from a heavily white community, and I was one of the few Hispanics in my graduating class. I grew up having white friends. It was easier to believe that the issues that my white friends' had could potentially also happen in mine. However, I am not in the center, but they were. It was not until my sophomore year of high school that I realized that. Society did not allow me to be in the center, rather in the margins. I realized that my upbringing, my beliefs, and my values were not the same as those of my friends. It was not long after that I had what Du Bois describes as "double consciousness." I began to see the world through two lenses: my Hispanic lens and my American lens. 

I believe that those who do not live in the center are at a better advantage of viewing the world. However, I also believe that those in the center additionally have the opportunity to obtain the "double consciousness." Mentioned in class, a classmate expressed their realization of being "in the circle" and explained the effects of it. Their awareness put into perspective that even though it seemed that DuBois wrote for the minorities, it is also possible that an insider can obtain the "double consciousness." I am an optimistic person, and I can only hope that the world would realize their centrality and learn how to expand their views. However, in reality, those who are marginalized tend to be susceptible to viewing the world with more than one lens. Not only are they aware of the central society, but they are also aware of their marginalized society. Therefore, those who can view the world with several lenses are capable of looking past the one-sidedness of that of the central society. The more open-minded a person can become, the less tolerate our society will be towards ignorance.

Also, I would like to analyze Karl Deutsch's quote: "the capacity not to have to learn." When I first read this, I automatically thought of a movie that I watched in a French class called "Rue Cases-Nègres." The theme of the movie is that "education is the key to freedom." The main character is a black, Martiniquais boy who was fortunate to further his education in Port-au-Prince—the capital of Martinique in that time. Since he was black and from a lower social group, he was considered marginalized. When he arrived in Port-au-Prince, he learned that his classmates did not view the world in the same manner as he did. This was a precise instance where the  "double consciousness" appeared in his newly perceived society. He saw that his classmates in Port-au-Prince had the luxury of choosing to further their education or not. If one decided not to continue, they were fortunate to have a family who could maintain them. However, the boy could not afford this. He came from an oppressed community who did not have the same opportunities or luxuries as those of his classmates. If anyone from that community wanted to become someone in the world, education was the only way to obtain that goal. Since the boy was not in the dominate society--also known as the inner circle-- he was seen as an untrustworthy outsider. This relates to the multiplicity because not only can we view this from an outsider's perspective, but we must also consider the insiders' view too. Similar to what was mentioned above, a classmate expressed their realization that when Trump came into the presidency, they would not be affected as much as those around them. Since one of the classmates lived in this "inner circle," they did not know the effects of education and how it furthers their life. This proves that there are multiple marginal points of view. It all depends on the perspective of the viewer. ☼