Journal 4/27

On p. 143, Walter states, "There ain't no causes - there ain't nothing but taking in this world, and he who takes the most is smartest - and it don't make a damn bit of difference how." Do you think that this is true? Why or why not?

I don’t think this is entirely true. (so long as take, in this question, means the consumption and use of material things). People who have done well for themselves can do a lot of things that the less fortunate can’t- with that money comes power, and a sort of social standing that can’t be achieved through, say, respect or being well- known. Money drives things forward, and no matter how you earn it you still have it. People can judge a wealthy person based on how they make their money, but at the end of the day, they’re still rich. One thing that doesn’t come with wealth regardless of how one comes upon it is intelligence. It doesn’t take intelligence to make money; it mostly takes luck, and being at the right place at the right time. Although they’re definitely in the minority, many people have succeeded without getting a decent education or creating something of value to others. This is most prevalent in occupations where other characteristics are valued over the thoughts in one’s head, which bring to mind the entertainment industry. Models, rappers, socialites- many of them simply happened to be picked up, while hundreds of others just like them flail about in a sea of obscurity. They did the right things, and because of those circumstances found themselves becoming well-known and making money.  Many of those who take and consume the most, our 1%, have done something of value and have used their minds to become successful. That doesn’t mean that there are some who haven’t.

Journal 4/20

In Act II, Scene 2, Mama puts Walter in charge of all of the money. Why do you think that she does that? 

At that point, Walter had given up on a lot of things. His family wasn’t supporting his grand ideas of liquor stores and money, as there were more pressing matters to deal with and an investment like that just wouldn’t be worth the risk to them. Walter didn’t share that view, and without their support stopped going to work. He went and did a lot of nothing- driving around, watching people work for hours at a time, and listening to music at a bar. After hearing about all of that, Mama blames herself for his sadness, and entrusts him with the money. She hopes that he can rise to the occasion and be the head of the family, saying, “…and I’m putting it in your hands. I’m telling you to to be the head of the family from now on like you supposed to be,” (page 107). She says that $3000 of the $6500 will be for his own use, and that he can do with it whatever he pleases. She wants to reinvigorate him and give him a sense of purpose or responsibility through this, but most of all she cares about his well-being and wants to create a positive model for the younger members of the Younger family.

Journal 4/13

In American Denial, you learned about Swedish economist, Gunner Myrdal, and his research in the American Deep South in the 1930's. He concluded that Americans believe in equality and freedom, but then continue to discriminate against others (in this case due to race), and that the tension between these two beliefs created an American dilemma (in fact, he called his study The American Dilemma). Do you believe that this is still true today? Why or why not?

It is, to some degree. Racism is no longer one of the central pieces of the problems between people- this is illustrated by the creation of things like “micro aggressions”, which are basically just watered-down racist statements. They mostly consist of stereotyping and sort-of offensive ideas spouted out of ignorance. Open racism is less common, so people needed to come up with a term to define a much less harsh version of it. I’d call that progress. The dilemma has largely been solved by decades of interaction between African- Americans and whites after segregation ended, in which children of different races learned together, played together, and were raised in a society that embraced interactions between different races more so than in years past. Those children grew up to be more tolerant than their parents, and they raised children that were most likely even more tolerant of different kinds of people. So, we’ve gotten closer to bridging the gap between the true nature of America’s social structure and the ideals it was created upon- even though there are other things to fix outside of race relations. Mr. Myrdal would be delighted to see how far the country has come.