After viewing the videos, I was immediately requested to view a video of President Trump getting off his helicopter with a MAGA hat in his hand. It struck me that his campaign slogan Make America Great Again is an effort to make America great for certain people.
The videos in this module demonstrated that America NEVER was great for all people. I knew America’s past included some instances of racism but my white privilege allowed me to ignore so much of this nation’s past. I had learned about how white settlers had mistreated Native Americans, however, I never knew about the federal government’s implementation of a forced adoption program (How The US Stole Thousands of Native American). I had learned about the Japanese Internment camps. However, I never knew that laws were enacted to trap Japanese Americans in situations where they could be more easily forced into those camps (Ugly History: Japanese American Incarceration). I was ignorant of how black women were used by physicians to develop surgical procedures (The Disturbing History of American Medicine). The manner in which they went about such experiments is worse than any torture I can think of! I was never aware of the abuse perpetrated upon people crossing the US-Mexican border (Dark History of Gasoline Baths). I cannot imagine how demoralizing it must have been to be strip searched and deloused in such a horrific manner.
I have a similar question about American 'greatness'. Someone here in Maine made some buttons as a response to Trump's slogan - 'Make America kind again.' I wore it for a while but then wondered were we ever kind? It seems we have a double track of existence and identity in this country - on one track is the perception that we have these fantastic ideals of freedom and fairness, the breakaway from oppressive rule, democracy where government is run by the people. On the other track is this history of protection of white aristocracy, income and treatment inequality, and more vicious are the countless times we feel entitled to steal, torture, enslave, and generally set up protection for wealth over protection of people. Amazing and puzzling that as a country so many can ideologically live in both tracks at the same time and consider themselves inflated, exceptional, and virtuous Americans.
As for how this past treatment impacts how people feel today - there have been studies of the impact of the holocaust trauma on 2nd or 3rd generation survivors. I work on imagining the psychological fallout from generations of slavery and second-class treatment - the effect on a sense of possibility and potential.
You raise an important point when you noted, "...he impact of the holocaust trauma on 2nd or 3rd generation survivors.". We know there has been damage done to folks as a result of how the previous generations have been treated.
In my work with training the next generation of teachers, only within the last few years have we started to teach trauma-informed instructional strategies. Why it took so long for that mind shift to occur is a great example (I suspect) of the institutional racism that is presented in the next module.
Excellent points David and Monica. Watching all of these videos has been unbelievably eye-opening, painful, emotional and thought-provoking or maybe it's better to say, question-provoking.
I have found all of the videos interesting and informative, but the one that struck me the most and is haunting, is the one about "Foundation" of the U.S. and preservation of whiteness and white supremacy by all means. The statement about the deviation from existing social norms being criminalized being SO uncomfortable because of the unknown outcome is, in my opinion, at the very core of matters that are playing out in front of our lives today. While I certainly can't speak for all white people I can speak of my personal experiences and conversations and it is just that, there is a fear of what could happen if people of color (any color I might add) were unrestricted (another great word in this video). I think there is an equal fear of the white person that given our treatment of people of color, what if, just what if more people of color were in positions of power in the future? Would those people create constructs of "reverse discrimination" (such an odd term when you think of it)? Would they criminalize whiteness, white culture?
I'm already looking forward to Module 2 because while I have SO much more to learn about history and its carry-forward effects on contemporary American life, I want to know how we can come together and end racism. I wholeheartedly agree that it is the white person's responsibility to fix the problems we have made, but we cannot do this in a silo on our own. I'm thinking that hasn't work out so well thus far! For me, coming together to learn, converse and debate is what our community needs. I look forward to being a leader in that effort in my local part of this world. More to come :)