Cultural difference and structural violence

WHAT: In this passage, Farmer defines agency as “the capabilities of each person”(43). Agency has led me to become a college student by recognizing that despite all the obstacles that have been laid down in front of me, I have persevered to this point and this ultimately has proved that I could achieve anything that I put my mind to, regardless of brief moments of poverty, inadequate public health provisions, as well as nutritional support. I am a first generation college student in my family, so this struggle now will hopefully help my child from experiencing the same struggles I did, and help them develop a firm foundation of agency. Geography and history are very essential to the analysis of racial inequality. In Farmer’s racial passage, he describes Africa and how racial classification has been used to deprive many groups of basic rights and are considerations of human inequality. One quote that Farmer included that highlights the long term effects of racism said, “the infant mortality rate among blacks may be as much as ten times higher than that of whites” (45). The lack of resources that black people in South Africa do not have access too has resulted in poverty, and this has led to the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Afrca’s wealthiest nation. The life expectancy gap between the United States and South Africa is also very significant. In the U.S. the life expectancy at birth was 75.5 years for whites, and 69.5 years for blacks (45). The history that whites have placed upon the African Society has placed them in a position to fail, despite the agencies that reside in every human being. An example from Stevenson, when he had just been admitted, showcased the history and geography that presses the common negro to fail. The professors at Harvard would constantly press the socratic method unto the black man, which includes direct, repetitive, and adversial questioning to humiliate unprepared students. (Stevenson 4). Although Stevenson was admitted and is held down by his agency, he is still constantly put into situations where he must deal with the racial inequality that has been built by the American system.

SO WHAT: When reading Stevenson, it opened my eyes to the sad truth of human rights and the way our justice system has been set up allow fear, anger, and distance to shape the way we treat the vulnerable people around us. It is quite disturbing that the prison population has increased from 300,000 people in the early 1970’s, to 2.3 million people today. What makes this even more disturbing is one in every 3 black male babies born in this century is expected to be incarcerated (Stevenson 15). The justice system is very insidious, since it has developed a system that does not give the black man resources to succeed, but they give them resources to become condemned, and do it in a sneaky way. Cultural specificity towards Filipinos and headhunting has also perpetuated a discourse of the other that sustains the status quo of existing social structures. Just because fillipinos headhunt, the prime reason is because of our “cultural” and we were designed to do this. This in turn enhances the credibility of the status quo (white man) and creates another discourse that leads to differences becoming a cover up for structural violence. Farmer quotes, “concepts of cultural relativism and even arguments to reinstate the dignity of different cultures and “races,” have been easily adopted and turned profit by some of the very agencies that perpetuate extreme suffering” (48). The idea of structural violence will continue to flourish as long as cultural differences continue to create discourse in our society.

NOW WHAT: The social structures that perpetuate systems of inequality and impact people in my sight is the discourse place on blacks, as well as the discourse placed on the Syrian immigrants that are traveling to America. The fear that the white people have upon the black people has created unnecessary and unfair violence that has resulted in many deaths. Also the history and geography that has been set upon he refugees has created fear for all others. Just because of the terrorist acts that have put everyone on edge, the Syrian refugees have had their agency put to a stop. I can sadly justify that I also feel this way since the terrorist acts have also affected me since I feel as if it is unnecessary violence. The social structures have impacted the minority in a negative way, and hopefully a change will happen in the next decade.