The books, “The Racial Contract”, “Democracy in Black”, and “The Meaning of Freedom” are all examples showcasing racial inequality and its effects on society. I will discuss the books as we have read them, starting with “The Racial Contract” discussing Mill’s subperson/ person dichotomy, then “Democracy in Black” which emphasizes Glaude’s theories on the value gap, racial habits, white fear, and revolution of value, and finally ending with “The Meaning of Freedom” which demonstrates Davis’ overall concepts of democracy, social change, and civil rights. In “The Racial Contract”, it is evident that we cannot use “person” and “human” interchangeably. As it goes, personhood is shown to be a moral status that is not limited to all humans. Mills
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He also claims that racial habits (the things we do without thinking actually sustain the value gap) tie together racial inequality, as well as how white and black fears block the way to racial justice in the United States. So, no matter what our stated principles are or how much progress we’ve think we’ve made, there is still the idea that white people are valued more than others in this country. Truthfully, this fact continues to shape the life chances of millions of Americans. Glaude makes an excellent claim when he states, “the value gap is our national DNA” (Glaude Jr. 31). This emphasizes how much the concept of the value gap is truly imbedded in our day to day lives. At every crucial moment in our nation’s history, when there have been fundamental changes in how we have dealt with race, white people asserted the value gap and limited the scope of change. This can actually be related to “The Racial Contract” which insists that “the Racial Contract underwrites the modern social contract and is continually being written” (Mills 62). In other words, race is real through society, and societal behaviors. The social contract is reinforced by the racial contract, and the social contract is continually being written in order to ghost over the Racial Contract, and its …show more content…
In essence, it makes sense to be vigilant when we drive in some neighborhoods, because we know they are plagued by high crime rates. People, especially women, are mindful of the potential dangers of walking in a parking lot late at night. The author exclaims how this is not uncommon. Glaude even goes on to give a personal story of how he himself felt white fear. This example emphasizes his point that white fear is not necessarily only experienced by white people. Though white fear is prevalent, it is important to note that that that same vigilance can also lead us to perceive danger where it does not exist. He emphasizes this with his concept of political fears which take fear based in narrow concerns and gives them a more generalized sense. Intimate fears about encounters with individual black people become broader concerns translating into threats against our
He also claims that racial habits (the things we do without thinking actually sustain the value gap) tie together racial inequality, as well as how white and black fears block the way to racial justice in the United States. So, no matter what our stated principles are or how much progress we’ve think we’ve made, there is still the idea that white people are valued more than others in this country. Truthfully, this fact continues to shape the life chances of millions of Americans. Glaude makes an excellent claim when he states, “the value gap is our national DNA” (Glaude Jr. 31). This emphasizes how much the concept of the value gap is truly imbedded in our day to day lives. At every crucial moment in our nation’s history, when there have been fundamental changes in how we have dealt with race, white people asserted the value gap and limited the scope of change. This can actually be related to “The Racial Contract” which insists that “the Racial Contract underwrites the modern social contract and is continually being written” (Mills 62). In other words, race is real through society, and societal behaviors. The social contract is reinforced by the racial contract, and the social contract is continually being written in order to ghost over the Racial Contract, and its …show more content…
In essence, it makes sense to be vigilant when we drive in some neighborhoods, because we know they are plagued by high crime rates. People, especially women, are mindful of the potential dangers of walking in a parking lot late at night. The author exclaims how this is not uncommon. Glaude even goes on to give a personal story of how he himself felt white fear. This example emphasizes his point that white fear is not necessarily only experienced by white people. Though white fear is prevalent, it is important to note that that that same vigilance can also lead us to perceive danger where it does not exist. He emphasizes this with his concept of political fears which take fear based in narrow concerns and gives them a more generalized sense. Intimate fears about encounters with individual black people become broader concerns translating into threats against our