This week’s discussion has made me open my eyes about the world around us and made me really think about our society and where we are heading. For much of my life I believed that our society has moved forward from a very dark and grim history. I believed that as a society we for the most part moved past problems of discrimination and objectification. Though I always knew these issues still existed I never noticed how prominent it really was in our daily lives. I have come to believe that history is repeating itself and that we need to change and better ourselves.
Saaratjie Baartman was an African woman who was exploited for money and entertainment. She was stripped of her humanity and viewed only as an object or a business opportunity. To the people of London Saratjie had an unusual appearance as she had a “large buttock” and dark skin. Sarahtjie was at the center of scientific fascination and put up on displayed to satisfy the public’s curiosity of her unique appearance. Saratjie was objectified and only deemed valuable to the public for her entertainment value. Even upon death Saartjie was not able to rest in peace as she became the subject to gruesome, hyper sexual dissection.
The following link is where I learned about the story of Saaratjie Baartman https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/books/review/Elkins.t.html
Though this story took place in the 1800’s over 200 years ago, the problems that Saarahtjie faced is still very prominent in today’s world. Although we have changed and improved as a society it is undeniable that people still face this sort of objectification and dehumanization. To me, the most surprising thing is this happens right in front of our faces every day but it has become so normal to the point where we are numb to it. For example if you look at pop music videos you will see a disturbing trend of near-naked women being sexualized and objectified for entertainment. These women are present not because of their voice but rather for their beauty or their appearances. It is so easy for us to look at the people from the 1800’s and say what they did was disgusting and abusive, yet we turn away when it is happening in today’s society. This tells me that as a society we know what’s right and what is wrong but we are still very hesitant to change.
The documentary American Psychosis really highlighted the idea of history repeating itself for me and how we as a society are subconsciously ignoring these problems. The documentary talks about the “illusion” in modern society that temporarily makes us feel good and ok. The documentary talks about how we have developed the dangerous amount of hope and optimism to the point where we are blind to the issue around us. American Psychosis made a very disturbing connection between modern-day entertainment and how the Nazi’s made sure every household got a free radio. The radios in Germany were meant to discretely spread propaganda and to distract the public through entertainment from real world issues. Fast forward to today I realized how much propaganda there is on social media and how people also use entertainment (sports, movies, music) to distract themselves or to escape from the real world.
The American Pyschosis documentary can be found on the following link https://vimeo.com/293802639
Reading about Saaratjie Baartman and watching the American Pschosis has really opened my eyes. I am genuinely worried about or society and where we are heading. This week’s discussion has made we realized that history really is repeating itself and that we need to move forward and change.
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