Throughout every period of United States History, whether it be early 19th century or contemporary times, each stage of history has revealed an underlying racism detrimental to all societies. President Barack Obama's speech “A More Perfect Union” addresses the underlying institutional racism in contemporary times from a multitude of perspectives including his own. Through personal anecdotes and allusions, he illustrates where we are as a nation and where we need to be more of a community. “A More Perfect Union” correlates with some of Sherman Alexie’s own perceptions of racism in “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me.”
Although Sherman Alexie and President Obama parallel their idea of racism, their ideas of resolution contrast. “... we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - toward a better future for our …show more content…
Perhaps the most bitter forms of racism comes from within your own ethnic community, it may not be blatant however it is still harmful to those trying to break the stigma. “That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change” (Obama 656). President Obama exceptionally expresses how focussing on the wrong issues further restrains equality in the long run. This assumption ties in with Alexie when he states “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by indians and non-Indians alike” (Alexie 17). This conclusion that is made by both Alexie and President Obama fortifies that harmful racism can come from within a community ethnic
Although Sherman Alexie and President Obama parallel their idea of racism, their ideas of resolution contrast. “... we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - toward a better future for our …show more content…
Perhaps the most bitter forms of racism comes from within your own ethnic community, it may not be blatant however it is still harmful to those trying to break the stigma. “That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change” (Obama 656). President Obama exceptionally expresses how focussing on the wrong issues further restrains equality in the long run. This assumption ties in with Alexie when he states “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by indians and non-Indians alike” (Alexie 17). This conclusion that is made by both Alexie and President Obama fortifies that harmful racism can come from within a community ethnic