|
Watch the video above of Chris Crass - discussing the need for us to think about an idea called COLLECTIVE LIBERATION.
After watching the video answer the following questions
Requirements for BLOG POSTS
82 Comments
Elena Saldivar
3/3/2016 05:15:05 pm
The Idea of collective liberation that Chris Crass talks about is that it is a movement to end the idea of white supremacy in America. He wants people to get this idea of white supremacy out of their minds and to not be so color blind to people who are of color or who are of a different ethnicity and to not see them as bad people. In taking about collective liberation and getting the thoughts and ideas of white supremacy and end it completely we could actually see a huge change in our political and social to all people and not just certain groups of certain people. If this change were to happen we could see people actually have better lives and actually see an improvement in city’s that are run down, less poverty, less people on welfare and who are homeless as well, and see less people in prison. I don’t think that my life would have changed whither or not my rights or access to others were restricted. Even though it’s a little hard for me to envision right now that dose not me that this change could have an affect on my life. Yes. I do believe that it I possible for people in the US to have this collective liberation The reason is in my mind I feel that everyone has to power to do it but not saying there aren’t people who don’t want to be a part, but its all about education.
Chelsea Payaqui
3/6/2016 09:15:47 pm
I like how you mention that education plays a big part. I think keeping ourselves informed is a big step towards making ourselves unbiased. I feel like instead of working towards being "color blind", we should work towards just accepting each other's color and culture.
Mosima Sona
3/6/2016 10:14:20 pm
The last part about education is more true than anything, keeping informed and updated is the best way to achieve anything in big groups. Acting as a collective is really the only way to get things done more efficiently. So I like how you pointed that out
morgan brum
3/13/2016 11:49:16 pm
i for the most part agree with the color blind idea however what if we lived in a utopian society that was able to recognize color, recognize differences in races, religion, and sexual orientations without hate or discrimination? like instead of being blind it almost seems like we forget or not know where these people come from similarly how blind people dont know certain sights. i think its as equally important to recognize and appreciate the diversity in where people come from
Payton Palazzolo
3/3/2016 06:29:53 pm
When Chris Crass talks about collective liberation in this video, he makes it known that it's not only a value, but an action. Chris strongly believes that when people/citizens work together across the barriers kept in place to divide them, these people/citizens strengthen their organizing. With that being said, I believe that there truly is powers in numbers, and if the majority of U.S. citizens stood for or against a certain political cause, they hold the power to decide what's right and what's wrong in government. Overall, I'm not entirely sure how my life would change if I were to live in a way that didn't take away the rights and access of others. I do my best every day to be open and available to anyone who is willing to reciprocate that favor, and I do my best to not be closed minded and restrictive. When it comes to collective liberation in the United States, I believe that it is entirely possible for citizens to make a change. With proper education, strong will, and a solid backing, anything is possible and can promote change.
Adriana Serna
3/3/2016 11:52:05 pm
I love your positive attitude toward change in the United States with regards to collective liberation. Although I do not believe the United States is anywhere near close to collective liberation I think it is people like yourself that will push for an open minded society where no one is judged or discriminated against. Never lose your positive attitude and you will create change.
Kevin Manago
3/5/2016 03:56:34 pm
I love your stance towards collective liberation and how it's possible to make a change with the right numbers. I agree in that strength does come in numbers. I agree that the citizens can make a change, but there will always be a huge number that is against this collective liberation.
Yunlin Xie
3/5/2016 11:51:59 pm
Even though I am not as positive as you, I also believe it is possible for collective liberation can make a change to America. I am always hopeful for America. If America cannot do it, it is impossible for this happens in other countries. If there are more people like you, we will reach this goal one day. And we need persons like you to push others forward.
Trevor Davies
3/6/2016 12:43:20 pm
It would be a pretty unique thing to have collective liberation happen. I do see things similarly, that it is hard to say for curtain what your life would be like if people actually worked together breaking down barriers, strengthening our communities. All of this is possible for us to achieve, as long as Donald Trump isn’t president.
Ha Mac
3/6/2016 06:30:57 pm
In my opinion, our lives would be better if we live in a way that does not takes away other people's rights and access. However, it would be really hard to do it because the white supremacy in the U.S. is promoted strongly. It would be good if we could try our best to make a change.
Andrew Luft
3/6/2016 08:09:09 pm
I think that collective liberation can only happen as a result of a personal liberation on a grand scale. What I mean by that is that as a result of people leading by example, I think that there would be a development of momentum that could in turn lead to a transformation of our society as a whole. However, until that point is reached we will continue to merely treat symptoms of the problem rather than the root cause of our societal problem.
Mosima Sona
3/6/2016 10:22:47 pm
I like the way you think in relation to the potential of the majority grouping together to stand for a similar cause to cause actual change. While I do believe that the people working together hand in hand is a very far off dream, I do believe it'll eventually be possible
Rohit Mathew
3/6/2016 11:56:54 pm
it is very right of you to point out that the public holds the greatest power, be it united. But on the contrary, it us who are considerably weaker as well. For us to have throw riots and plea protests just to stand an outside chance of getting what we rightly deserve, that is a very humbling experience, and one that makes me think if it is us who truly has the most power.
Lorena G
3/7/2016 12:01:37 am
Wow Payton, I totally agree with a couple comments down below. So opened/. positive minded attitude. We all need to make a change and everyone deserves an education, so everyone can have a better life in opportunities. Collective collaboration can only be started with new generations because everyone else is just brained washed and set minded and will be hard do have the agree.
morgan brum
3/13/2016 11:56:31 pm
i completely agree with what you are saying and agreement with chris cassy. when we do criticize people for where they are only tearing down each other and not building themselves up. we are living in a time where people are tearing others down too much for pointless reasons such as racism, sexual orientation, or religion. we do need some sort of color blindness to help set us on the right path.
Chrissy Bishop
3/3/2016 07:07:14 pm
Chris Crass’s view on collective liberation is his support of his buddies against white supremacy and how our choices and actions no small they may seem create a big impact. How the people around you can help you figure out things when you are feeling down, when you feel like what you are doing isn’t worth the fight. Your comrades will be there moving you along the right track. In our social lives I think as a whole we would work a lot better. We might judge each other less just based on the way we act or the color of our skin. Even perhaps fight a little less, no clans dedicated to one thing. Politically I’m not sure what would change. Maybe people in power would be more accepting of others. I don’t think my life would change much if I lived in a way that didn’t take rights and access of others. I tend to live life without judgement, sure sometimes I get angry when someone hair looks better than mine in this humidity but I would never just hate someone by the way they appear to me. I hold the door open for everyone else and walk in last, wait for everyone to be seated until eating. I’m too nice to see this unjustness around me, maybe that’s why I don’t think much will change. It could be possible in the U.S. but not today. Just as Chris said when his friend was telling him about how white supremacy effects Chris too. We are raised in a color blind fashion. How we were raised to not know anything of our backgrounds. I don’t think people are up for changing their ways any time soon. Maybe this generation can change that though.
Eskarletl Ruiz
3/3/2016 08:59:55 pm
I do believe that people would fight less if white supremacy was no longer an issue. However there are always going to be people who disagree. This could start fights, because it's not like of history will be erased and forgotten, and everyone will live happily and merrily. People who preferred when their race was in charge would want to go back to that, thus possibly creating new clans to get it back, or simply to create hate.
Kevin Manago
3/5/2016 03:59:53 pm
I fully agree with what you've said, and one thing you said resonates with me.
Trevor Davies
3/6/2016 12:49:20 pm
It can be a tough battle to speak up for what you believe in. But just because there can be someone else more powerful, doesn’t mean that you should give up your fight. Everyone can stand to gain with collective liberation. It’s all about coming together and working towards living in a better world.
Ha Mac
3/6/2016 06:33:48 pm
I think it would be hard for us to delete the white supremacy because it's power is too strong. To me, we can still change or at least make an slight effect on this situation by studying. Knowledge would give us an opportunity to do the right thing.
Ha mac
3/3/2016 08:33:15 pm
Chris Crass brings up collective liberation as the action of deleting the white supremacy. He says that the white supremacy is hurting people by colonizing people’s minds, cutting people off from the deepest tradition and democratic struggle in society. He suggests doing a study group to be prepared what they are fighting in terms of historic institutional power and to learn how people could change society in the past. If we acted in way that brings about liberation for all people, the time we take to change our society and make our lives better would be shorten. Crass believes that people should learn more about African history, Chicana history and other ethnic history to better use our knowledge to fight the white supremacy. In my opinion, life would be happier if we could live in a way that does not do harm to other’s rights and privileges. Everyone would come close together, there would be no racial discrimination, and no one would ever be bullied at school or at any place just because of their race. It is an ideal world that I wish to live in. However, I do not think it would be possible in the U.S. at this time. Collective liberation has not been approved by everyone yet. We are still blind by the white supremacy. Too many people are still suffering from racial discrimination and there is not any actual champagne that really make a big change to change this situation yet.
Eskarletl Ruiz
3/3/2016 09:05:27 pm
I also agree that deleting white supremacy is nowhere near, in our future. People have already embedded it into their minds that white people are dominate over everything and things will probably never work out great for them because of their race. Because of this people won't even want to try to change things because they know in their minds that nothing will really change.
Rohit Mathew
3/7/2016 12:01:57 am
By exposing oneself to other cultures and traditions, norms and way of living, I believe it is possible for them to eventually understand the and respect another's culture. But given the time that we live in, a time of white supremacy, why would anyone give that up... just to feel equal again? to some, it may seem appealing, but to most, it is an idea that would seem ridiculous to them. This is why I share the idea that equality can only exist in an ideal world.
Eskarletl Ruiz
3/3/2016 08:54:29 pm
The Collective Liberation that Chris Crass is talking about, is the action of getting rid of white supremacy. Literally everything in this country is run by white people. It has always been like that since the beginning of time, and is still going on to this day. Not everyone who isn't white, is bad. Crass believes that most people think this way and he would like for it to end. If we achieved this action, and were no longer so racist, we would have multiple viewpoints to hear from and the world would be a better place to live in because everyone's voices would be heard, and not only that, but they might actually be taken into consideration and be fulfilled. My life would change quite a bit. I am not white, so I don't take priority in the eyes of the government, but I would then and I would actually live a happier life. When I hear racists acts, like white cops getting paid leave after killing someone, or people of color being wrongfully imprisoned, it makes me sad that we still live like this. I want to live in a world where everyone loves themselves and don't cause trouble for others, like your class objective. If that happened everyone would be happier. Right now some people who aren't white are sad because they're not the superior race and they know they will be discriminated against if they are considered to be a minority race. This is causing people to not be happy with being themselves, and it's truly tragic. I believe it's possible to happen in the US, but mainly because I think anything is possible. I believe change needs effort from everyone. White supremacy leads, so i assume white people are happy with that. However in order for change to happen , not just the discriminated side has to want it, but the dominant side as well. Because many white people wouldn't want to lose their supreme power, I believe that no real change will ever happen until they change their minds. It would be incredible if I got to live long enough to see it happen with my own eyes!
Brandon L
3/3/2016 09:58:47 pm
when you said " Not everyone who isn't white, is bad" i had to ponder on this statement for a minute or so to understand. but I think what you're trying to say is like white people are good, but then there's some non white people that are also good, and that there's also some white people who haven't done anything wrong like slavery. That's what i understood./
Elena Saldivar
3/4/2016 11:48:38 am
Very interesting on how you view what Chris said about collective liberation, yes it would be a miracle for us, to end racial hatred in it’s entirety and love everyone of different ethnicities, races, but as humans we are also born imperfect as well and know its still exists today.
Andrew Luft
3/3/2016 09:12:08 pm
The collective liberation that is referred to by Chris Crass is the idea that when people across the societally constructed racial, gender, financial, and any other separative classification come together to overcome those barriers and live in true equality. In other words, he wants us to overcome the white supremacy upon which this country was founded. Changes in our social and political system as a result of collective liberation would probably consist of a lower poverty rate, a higher national financial average, and a more objective and neutral law enforcement policy. However, this could conversely result in the restarting of the same pattern in which some tyrant could take advantage of the more peaceful and content equality. Honestly though I think it would absolutely be a change for the better that this country has had a long time coming. I think my life would be fundamentally different if this change had occurred before I was born and I had experienced my whole life, however if it were to happen now or in the near future it would almost certainly take time to adjust. In all honesty I don’t believe that it is possible in the U.S.A. today strictly on the grounds that the deeply-seeded white supremacy that this country was founded upon require a process to be uprooted. I believe that this idea of a collective liberation, or a true equality of all, is possible in the future. The good news is that this process in my opinion has already begun and as a result our society has in many ways been growing in the direction of equality, however there is still quite some ways to go.
Brandon L
3/3/2016 09:58:53 pm
I agree that the main idea would be to fight against white supremacy within this video. But i do feel in a broader sense as well it is to stay connected with people, and not to just look past race as something of course to be equal about but as people connected and equal.
Brandon L
3/3/2016 10:00:24 pm
I think collective liberation means that many problems that people have should be dealt with regardless of ethnicity. If liberation was brought for all people our social and political systems would have a lot more diversity of people who have roles in those systems. As well the systems themselves would change to maintain, and further progress ways in which liberation for all people is fair. I'm not sure how my life would change if I lived in a society that didn't take away rights of access from others. I'm not sure about direct affect it will have towards me but I am sure a lot more differing ideas will be implemented that will change the structures in which these social and political systems were built upon. I don't believe the U.S. is currently able to make this happen until more knowledge revolving white supremacy is shared to many people. Most important I felt to be shared that was within this video as well was his talk that white supremacy changes your way of thinking. If someone were to change their way of thinking especially against white supremacy then I believe the United States would be closer, but the United States isn't just yet.
Payton Palazzolo
3/6/2016 02:47:47 pm
I definitely agree with your comments regarding the issue of White Supremacy in America, and how it changes people's way of thinking. Unfortunately you're also correct on how far the majority of citizens in United States have to go in order to change their thinking habits on this subject. Fingers crossed I guess.
Lawrence Erispe
3/3/2016 10:07:02 pm
Adriana Serna
3/3/2016 11:44:25 pm
I agree that SF Bay Area is the most diverse part of the U.S. so it is really sad to think that this area has a lot of work to do in becoming completely tolerant of all people. I feel and see racism here where I live, in this beautiful area I call home. But people are rooted with this idea that they are better then others because of their skin color or ancestry but everyone is connected in some way. There is no pure race and if one looks down upon others then they should being looking down on themselves as well. We have to learn that all people our equals and that none should be put above another for any reason because there is no valid reason.
Elena Saldivar
3/4/2016 12:00:56 pm
Yes if this idea of collective liberation took place we could see massive change in our community and also in different states as well and be an improvement in peoples lives. Even though we try to not be racially judgmental, even if it was an accident it is only human.
josue monroy
3/4/2016 10:53:40 pm
I agree with you. Getting educated and understanding the basics of life and where we all come from, can completely change someone point of view. Most racist people if not all are ignorant, and some just refuse to accept the fact that we’re all equal human beings, regardless of out asking color.
Yunlin Xie
3/6/2016 08:28:34 pm
I agree on the statement that even in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are still injustices and ignorant people here. Bay Area has diverse ethnic groups and is one of the richest place in the world. However, the inequity still exists even though it is much better than other places, a lot non-white people need to work harder to make a living but still cannot get respect from some other people.
Lorena G
3/7/2016 12:09:13 am
Hi Lawrence, I am glad to hear that you are one of the positive people in the world still hoping for equality. I agree that we as a whole need to work as a collective liberation to speak out to people and make these changes. Not everyone is getting the education one needs. Not everyone is getting treated the same or how we deserve. We need to get the word out to the young kids the right way and not let them contribute with the madness that is being thrown at us.
Justine Calso
3/3/2016 10:12:51 pm
Collective liberations are the movements by civil groups to end white supremacy in America. If we brought liberation for all people instead of just some groups, the world would be more equal and calm. People would be a lot more empathetic and allow themselves to see through the perspective of others. Ignorant comments would be made less, or hopefully stop altogether. I think people would get along a lot better, instead of constantly trying to marginalize minorities and keep them in boxes. White supremacists would also stop othering. Liberating all would help more than just people of color as well. Feminists and the LGBT party would also be better understood. My life would change because I wouldn’t be as angry as I am with our country. I would hope that everyone has a better understanding of each other, and that we are all treated equally. I wouldn’t be as disappointed with the system since racial profiling would hopefully stop. Those who are actually guilty of crimes would have a more fair trial, instead of scapegoating those who are innocent like in the Central Park 5 case. Honestly, I don’t think this is possible in the U.S. today. While there are several groups who push for change, equality and fairness, there are people like Trump in this world. White supremacy is still very much alive and I don’t think it will ever go away because it’s so deeply rooted in our history. Our government is literally tied to white supremacy! There are also so many hate groups in this country and throughout the world who feed off oppression and injustice.
Caitlin Hoover
3/3/2016 10:29:45 pm
The Article in the Bill of Rights most violated by the tactics is the Third. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This is violated by the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth tactics. Examples of this include infiltrating citizen’s groups, such as protests and anti-war/death penalty/ect groups, like we saw in the Weather Underground movie, where the FBI infiltrated the Weather Underground movement in order to discover and capture key players. The Patriot Act and Espionage Act are other examples of the repression of the Third Article. Whistle-blowers like Snowden are arrested.
Caitlin Hoover
3/6/2016 01:42:02 pm
what the heck? I'm absolutely sure the prompt was different on Thursday morning. Was the prompt changed, or what?
Adriana Serna
3/3/2016 10:59:41 pm
Collective liberation, according to Chris Crass, is about making a change in our society to stop white supremacy, to end racism and to come together as one community that does not judge others by their skin color and to see everyone as equals. It is an effort by everyone of every color to make this happen. It is an effort on not just people of color but people with white skin to see that collective liberation happens here in the United States and everywhere. The white community has to see the actions of others who believe in this idea of white supremacy so they can help turn things around for the better. If we do not have every race helping change this idea of white supremacy then we will never end it and bring about collective liberation for all people. 3/3/2016 11:02:26 pm
The collective liberation that Chris Crass discusses is basically where America becomes equal in all aspects. Right now, whites, and more specifically, white males, rule America. Although many think we are getting better than how we were in the past, it is still not anywhere close to where we should be. White people are seen as dominant and think that this land is their land. A majority of them hate mexicans, blacks, muslims, any person that isnt extremely white, and even asians. Don't get me wrong, im not saying all white people are like this, only the ones that think this land is theirs and that no one else deserves to be here. I hear stories from my family about how when they came to America in the 70s and 80s how many people were racist to them. At the time their was the Hostage crisis going on in Iran, and so all the Iranians that were in America got crap for it. And then this more recently, when the Iran Deal was passed, people started being racist all over again saying iranians are a threat. We literally love everyone.
Chrissy Bishop
3/6/2016 04:51:05 pm
"Lets make America great again!" kinda of people? I agree with you fully, not all white people are bad. Hell that could be said for all people. There is just the few people who beilive in the rights for all people. Thats what will make America great.
Chelsea Payaqui
3/3/2016 11:07:22 pm
Collective liberation is the joined act of all races to remove the thoughts of white supremacy from our minds and society. It's not only just the thoughts of racism coming exclusively from our skin color, but the actions people take because they believe that skin color is the determinant for power in society. I think what would change in from liberating everyone is the disappeaing of the wage gap between minorities, the justice system (racial profiling, sentencing being longer for minorities), and overall things would be truly equal for everyone. In everyday life we see things like interracial dating getting fussed over, we hear stories of people of color being watched when they walk into a high end store, things of this sort. I don't think it's possible for white supremacy to disappear from our lives, since there will always be families passing down to beliefs to future generations. Even if the majority of the world stands for collective liberation, people will find another aspect of life to tear down another person. We stay oblivious to the fact that the civil rights era was not too long ago, and we're still working on the issues. Maybe in the far future it's possible, but considering that we only just had our first African American president or that we just passed the legalization of same sex marriage, we have a long way to go.
Charbel Mawad
3/4/2016 12:47:29 am
I really liked how you said that collective liberation is not only trying to remove white supremacy from our society, but from our minds. People can try and avoid being racist in society, but that doesn't mean their thoughts aren't racist. As I mentioned, we are headed in a good direction to collective liberation, but I still think we have a lot of work to do. There has been good progress in our society, but there needs to be political liberation as well.
Justine Calso
3/5/2016 04:47:53 pm
I like how you tied in the closing of wage gaps between minorities and the improvement of the justice system to help liberate people. I also think that it is impossible for white supremacy to disappear, as older generations teach that mindset to younger generations, and the system just repeats itself.
Payton Palazzolo
3/6/2016 02:54:26 pm
I like your comment about "Black people being watched when they walk into a high end store." It really makes you think about how some people may subconsciously be more cautious of some individuals just because of the color of their skin. Although a security guard (Or other employees) may not physically or verbally show racism, the thought alone should still be worrisome enough.
Andrew Luft
3/6/2016 08:03:44 pm
I think that the fundamental idea of collective liberation goes a lot further than skin color, as does white supremacy. I think that if we focus explicitly on skin color and what the current oppressive force is, we will invariably leave the door open for another type of segregation of sorts. Consequently, if you trace the history of American settlement and development that is exactly what has happened again and again. I think you are correct in saying that this fundamental racism needs to be destroyed in each person’s mind before there can be any true equality, which is the real issue at hand.
Nimsy V
3/3/2016 11:12:02 pm
According to what Chris Crass discuses in this video collective liberation means to have a motion to end the concept of white supremacy. Crass says that he wants to get rid of this idea of people being color blind towards people of color or different ethnicity and to not view them as criminals or bad people. I think that if a change were to happen in our social system if we acted in ways that brings liberation for all people would be that people of every ethnic group would bee able to live in a better and safer way. For example people of color like blacks, latinos, muslims would not be judged by there appearance or stereotypes that are attached to them. Maybe there wouldn't be as many people shot or killed for reason because of how strong white supremacy is in our society. Crass makes a good point in saying the people should acquire more knowledge of African, Chicana and many other types of ethnic history not just to just to be able to say interesting facts about them but to gain knowledge about what they did in our country because they were leaders. Some thing interesting that he also mentions is that one of the ways white supremacy hurts white people is that it teaches them to think that they have nothing to learn from communities of color. I think thats why he mad the point for people to learn about different ethnic history. I don't feel that my life would change as much living that way because I tend to live my life as closely to these concepts already. In the society that we live in today would be able to live this way of the reason that there is still many people out there that are ignorant,and we can still see racism also.
Noel Alejandre
3/6/2016 08:34:43 pm
I agree with him because you need to know how a culture is before making any judgements on them. It sucks how some people close their minds to people, instead of trying to know them or understand them. At the end of the day, there is no one more blind, then the one that does not want to see.
Matthew Mullen
3/3/2016 11:12:52 pm
Collective liberation means for all people, people of color and white people, to be able to share space together. More than that - that being a starting point Crass mentions – white people need to develop the understanding and empathy of what people of color go through and treat their problems as problems that directly affect them, because racial inequality should not be tolerated by anyone. Even white people who are not directly affected by racism should have empathy for those who are and help them by any means nessacary.Things that would change in social and political systems if people acted in ways to progress liberation for all people would be that all people would be able to live free of worry. People of color would live free of the worry that they could be convicted of a crime they didn’t commit at any moment because of racism and white people would no longer feel guilty for just being white. If I lived in a world where the rights of others were not taken away, then I would no longer feel guilty about my skin color. I am very aware of the completely unearned, disgusting privileges I have just by being white. For example, I have no reason to be afraid of doing something out of line in front of the police. I could spit in a police man’s face and barely get a slap in on the wrist, but if a woman or man of color did the same thing, they would be beaten and suffer more consequences that have almost nothing to do with them spiting in the police man’s face and has everything to do with the justice system being full of racist majority. I definitely do not think it is possible for collective liberation in the U.S. of today. I think the U.S. has made progress on collective liberation, but as long as we have leaders like Donald Trump and people racist and ignorant enough to support leaders like him, there is no way that we will achieve collective liberation. We might achieve that in hundred years, but not today.
Charbel Mawad
3/4/2016 12:36:33 am
I like how you defined collective liberation. Crass definitely does want to end white supremacy. He wants all of this racism and discrimination to come to an end. I do personally think we as a nation are on the right track to collective liberation, especially if a woman president will be in power, and with a black president already have served 2 terms.
Noel Alejandre
3/3/2016 11:40:30 pm
Collective liberation is learning and understanding new cultures and getting rid of the idea of white supremacy that is taught to everyone by a white supremacy society. Growing up, everyone is taught that the white people have control of everything, not knowing that white supremacy hurts the white people too. All the white people are taught that the people of color do not have anything to teach and do not have good leaders. If there was liberation for all people, I think people would have better jobs and all cultures would get along better. Right now there are not many people of color holding good jobs or careers, and once everyone get on the same state of mind, more jobs and opportunities will open for people of color. In the political system, there will be more Blacks, Asians and Latinos running in politics. More benefits would be offer to communities of color too. I think my life would change in a good way, because i would feel that i have the same equal rights as everyone else. White supremacy would not be constant on peoples mind. I think this is possible to happen in the US. because there is more good people then bad people. As long as we teach our kids and people the differences of right and wrong, most of the people will choose to do the right thing. But it starts with how we raise our children and the values we teach them. This is why i think that we can still live in the U.S. with a collective liberation state of mind.
Matthew Mullen
3/4/2016 05:35:43 pm
I appreciate your optimism and hope when it comes to achieving collective liberation. I agree when you say that teaching our children is our most likely possibility in achieving this. I feel like we can, and should, continue to push anti-racism to racist people to try and change their minds, but it seem that the saying "You can teach and old dog new tricks" kind of applies. There is an entire generation of people who were taught the ways of white supremacy and that it is proving very difficult to change a mindset so cemented in one way of thinking, so yes, teaching our children growing up to accept all people is absolutely key to achieving collective liberation.
Nimsy V
3/6/2016 10:52:28 pm
It is interesting that you mention how some white people can be affected by white supremacy, Crass gave a good example when he talked about how his friend taught him that he should learn the history of different ethnics to actually know how great leaders they can be and can learn things from them.
Landon Tang
3/6/2016 11:52:57 pm
It's refreshing to see other progressive minds in this era. It's stifling to hear the repeat speech of white supremists over and over, as their message and delivery hasn't really changed in the past century. I agree with your assessment of better educating the future generation to not hold the same prejudices as the generation of old.
Charbel Mawad
3/3/2016 11:43:40 pm
Collective liberation by definition is not only a value, but it is an action. When people work together across barriers that are kept in place meant to divide us, then we are indeed strengthening our organizing. Chris Crass describes it as an action, and an action to get rid of white power. We see white supremacy every day, whether it is on TV or on the streets. He is saying how that is how most people think, and it is programmed like that into people’s minds. Crass wants this to come to an end. I may be white in skin color, but my ethnicity is Middle Eastern. My physical features are different than “white people”. A police office once made a remark to my father and I which was extremely racist. He said something along the lines of “This isn’t a third world country…” We were both definitely very angered at that comment. I can only imagine how people of color, especially black people, feel when they are harassed and discriminated against for looking the way they look. If we as a nation acted in ways that brought about liberation to all races, then the social and political systems would have no choice but to listen. Although we are nowhere near equality in the US, I definitely feel like with there being a black President, that was a huge step in the right direction. There might also be a woman President very soon, and that just shows how far we have come. It is possible for some liberation to happen in the future, but white supremacy will always be the case unfortunately. Some people have a certain type of mindset and will not change their views for anyone.
Justine Calso
3/5/2016 04:52:44 pm
I appreciate your empathy and admire how you applied your history with a racist cop and applied it to other races as well. If only this country were more empathetic and less ignorant to be able to let themselves learn more about other cultures. Racial profiling and hate crimes would definitely drop.
Maria Garcia
3/6/2016 11:10:34 pm
The mindset of people like that police officer you unfortunately had to interact with is exactly why we wouldn't be able to have collective liberation in America today. Some people still think that it's okay to say racist things and are quick to separate themselves from others who don't look like them. It's extremely sad that people are still like that.
Nadia Villanueva
3/3/2016 11:48:34 pm
Chris Crass talks about a group of white social activists that are concentrated in the idea of collective liberation which basically means the action of disintegrating the white supremacy and to deepen the anti-racism idea. If we implement the ideas about dividing the white community away from the white supremacy and break it off so we can get the support from them and break the ideas of racism. With regards to the change in the political system there are two aspects to considerate. First, there is always going to be leaders and politicians like Obama, Luther King, Sanders, etc. that support anti-racism and break the stereotypes about race, but also there is always going to be people who will never change their way of thinking and they will still being racist.
Matthew Mullen
3/4/2016 05:23:59 pm
I think it is noteworthy that you point out how long it took America to elect a Black president. I agree with you also when you say that we need to hurry up on achieving collective liberation. People of color are dying because of racism. I do not think rich white leaders can wrap their heads around that. Racism not only tortures the mind, but racism kills.
josue monroy
3/4/2016 11:42:42 pm
You’re completely right. There are people who will never change. The best thing to do in this situation is to not let those close-minded individuals influence others in a negative way. Our current presidential elections are a perfect example. If we fail to elect the right candidate, racism and white supremacy will raise and things will only go from bad to worst. 3/6/2016 05:26:18 pm
I agree, that our country has so much diversity it should be the best. Unfortunately, diversity in America just causes problems because people think that because of their race they are entitled to more. I don't know if this is true, but i heard that in other countries there isnt as much racism, maybe because they are less diverse? Im not sure.
Chelsea Payaqui
3/6/2016 09:08:10 pm
I like the part where you mention how long it's taken this country to give rights and power to people who are not "white." I still think it's not possible for white supremacy to disappear, but then again that's what everyone else thought about never having an African American president.
Landon Tang
3/6/2016 11:36:23 pm
Your progressive thoughts about the notion of a black president in this modern era are well founded.I believe the notion of white supremacy is fading with this modern era as the notion has those of the mind of white supremacy to become complacent and unaware of the slowly changing enviroment surrounding them.
Rohit Mathew
3/3/2016 11:55:26 pm
The Collective Liberation that Chris Crass is talking about, is the action of getting rid of white supremacy. Literally everything in this country is run by white people. It has always been like that since the beginning of time, and is still going on to this day. Not everyone who isn't white, is bad. Crass believes that most people think this way and he would like for it to end. If we achieved this action, and were no longer so racist, we would have multiple viewpoints to hear from and the world would be a better place to live in because everyone's voices would be heard, and not only that, but they might actually be taken into consideration and be fulfilled.I don't believe it's feasible for white supremacy to vanish from our lives, regardless of the fact that most of the world stands for aggregate freedom, individuals will discover another part of life to tear down someone else. 3/6/2016 05:28:33 pm
Good Point, Rohit. People will always have something, someone, or a group of people, to bash on and push down. A lot of people live for this kind of stuff. They don't have an important career, family to go to, or things to do so instead they spend their times being racist., sexist, etc.
Nadia Villanueva
3/6/2016 11:30:46 pm
I agree that not all white people is bad, is not about the color but about their beliefs and the way some people act when they are racist. Sometimes what also happens is that people that is not white are racist because we feel resentment, but like you said, the world will be a better place if we achieve the actions that Crass talked about and we stop being racist.
Kevin Manago
3/3/2016 11:57:27 pm
Crass describes collective liberation as the ending of white supremacy.By definition. this is the recognizing of the struggles of everyone as a whole, and believing that we are all connected. We need to work together to make a world, our world. Everyone suffers together, everyone loves together. I believe the change that would be brought about if collective liberation were to be put into place would be very huge. Everyone would be peaceful with each other. Conflicts would cease. If we lived in a world where rights of others weren't taken apart, the world would be peaceful. I believe in the U.S. (and also the world), it isn't possible at all. Disagreements will always happen and there will always be those people who choose to take those disagreements to the next level. I believe that violence is always going to be inevitable at one point or another.
Nadia Villanueva
3/6/2016 11:55:36 pm
I liked that you said everyone suffers and also loves together, but thats not the reality.. while there is people starving in the streets there are others having a parties like nothing bad is happening, and like you said, with collective liberation everything would get better and its really sad that all the ideas are just a “would”.
Lorena
3/4/2016 12:00:56 am
Collective liberation means getting together with a group of people revolutionizing trying to make a change. I would like to change in our social and political systems if we acted in ways that brought about liberation for all people colorblind racism , social inequality for example, having middle class people give lower class the same opportunity as those in higher class. Educate the younger people so that the wont fall into gender stereotyping. Make a change in different races on education levels. For example any other type of races other than whites having an education other races should make a change in that way. Equality needs to be spread out through out.
Chrissy Bishop
3/6/2016 05:09:09 pm
I dig your view on equality. Just as somone said before unfortunately it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. That's why I'm hoping in this new generation that equality between people's will be more accepting.
Maria Garcia
3/6/2016 11:05:44 pm
I agree completely with what you said about educating younger generations to not fall under stereotypes. Whether it's gender or race. It's the younger generations that are gonna make or break America when it comes to Collective liberation in the future. I believe it's possible for future generations.
Maria Garcia
3/4/2016 12:01:54 am
Chris Crass discusses collective liberation as ending white supremacy. It is understanding that the white race is not the only race put there that gets equality. Collective liberation is giving equality to people of other cultures so we can all stand together with the same rights and values. If we all acted in a way like collective liberation then I think we'd all have a better life. No one would feel that they are less than someone that's white just because they are of color. It would give people more confidence and it would decrease racism. As for the political system, I believe there would be more people of color in positions of power. It would just be people of the white culture. Being a person of color, I believe that it would affect me the same way I described above. I would have more confident in my skin and with the way I look. I would stop trying to compare myself to someone that's white. I would feel equal and like I'm important to the world as well. I would love for there to be collective liberation in America but right now I don't think it's possible. Racism and segregation has gotten so much better than before but it's still out there. Some people are still set in old ways of White supremacy that it would be hard to try and have collective liberation. Hopefully as generations go on more and more people will be open to it.
Melissa Nevarez
3/4/2016 08:29:20 am
I do agree that racism and segregation is still out there even though it isn't as bad as before. I too am a person of color, I may not have the skin color but the color of my skin doesn't define my race. I feel like if we all work together we can take down the white supremacy and everyone can have equal rights.
Yunlin Xie
3/4/2016 12:16:26 am
Collective liberation means recognizing that all of our struggles are intimately connected, and that we must work together to create the kind of world we know is possible. We believe that every person is worthy of dignity and respect, and that within systems of oppression everyone suffers. Collective Liberation is not just a value, but an action.
Melissa Nevarez
3/4/2016 08:25:12 am
I do agree that it won't be easy and due for this to occur everyone does need to fight hard and put a lot of effort. But again anything is possible. Also I believe it will happen because a lot of foreigners from different countries came to the U.S. to have "a better life" NOT to be controlled by the white supremacy. So in the end they will fight against them to earn their rights they deserve.
Noel Alejandre
3/6/2016 08:49:22 pm
I agree with you when you say everyone is equal. I also think that there could be a day where everyone has a collective liberation state of mind and treat each other with respect. It needs to start with us, teaching our own kids the difference between wrong and right, and teach them that everyone is equal. That way, they do not grow up hating any other culture.
Melissa Nevarez
3/4/2016 08:19:16 am
In this video Chris Crass explains what he means about collective liberation. He defines it as every single one of us needs to work together and take action to bring down the white supremacy because they are controlling people's minds. In our social and political systems of we brought liberation for all people not just some, I feel like just by all of us joining together it'll definitely be possible to bring down the white supremacy. I feel like my life and the life of others would be better even Chris Crass believes we should learn more about all ethnic history to pretty much use our better knowledge and come up with better ideas to bring down the white supremacy and earn back our rights. Life would be so much better if everyone just accepted each other and no one cared what race you are. It would bring our world so much more peace. It's definitely possible if we do this in the United States today because whatever action everyone does together to bring the white supremacy down...there is always going to be groups of people disagreeing with what we're all trying to do. Sooner or later if the people just keep fighting for their rights the others might just change their minds. Another reason why it's also possible is because everywhere we go there are millions of people who are different races and some are even mixed, if the white supremacy kept controlling everyone then we wouldn't have the rights we deserve. It may not be easy, but definitely possible to bring them down. All everyone needs to do is fight to make our world freely and peaceful for everyone.
Nimsy V
3/6/2016 10:31:52 pm
Hey Melissa, great job on this post really great points. I agree with you that if we all join forces we can take down white supremacy and actually have equality in our rights. And also that our environment would be more peaceful and better if there were no racism and be all seen with an equal eye. It is true, there are always going to be people who opposed to what other people think but that should not stop them from fighting in what thy believe in.
josue monroy
3/4/2016 09:00:03 pm
Chris Crass discusses collective liberation, an Anti-racist movement against white supremacy. Chris talks about how white supremacy can hurt the minds of people and how white people feel somewhat obligated or feel the need to involved in white supremacy and support their race in whatever decisions or actions they might take.
Landon Tang
3/6/2016 11:32:02 pm
The notion of white supremacy exists in everyday society. Crass touches on a number of these aspects and does a good job on highlighting key issues that need to be addressed. The idea of a unified and cooperative nation without any notion of superiority from a specific group would be truly a nation to be reckoned with however, I believe that due to human nature this concept of a perfect nation will never exist. Since this is the United States, the notion of white supremacy is widespread, however, I believe "whites" need to understand the notion that many other nations exist outside the United States borders and that notion of "white" supremacy is nonexistent within another countries borders. As American's we have the priviledge of changing our own future for the better or worse and I believe if we as a nation started to address these controversial issues, we can only emerge stronger and more solidified as a nation.
morgan bru
3/10/2016 11:58:18 pm
what chris cassy was talking about was that we have a racist problem in america and we need to be able to fix it. for hundreds of years we have seen people in different ways just by the color of their skin. we see stereotypes in prison, in poverty, and even in sports such as all white people in hockey and mostly black people in basketball. he states that we should all be color blind and accept everyone as equal. but i dont look at difference as a bad thing. i look at it as a good thing that people are so diverse. its what makes us great. so why would we want to be color blind and forget where we came from. in a perfect utopia society i think it would be best to be color appreciative instead of blind but be able to recognize someones cultural background and not be treating them differently. however i do that we are going on a right path. we have recently elected twice now, a man in our oval office of the african american ethnicity. it first started off in 2008 when he was elected and i feel that we came far in that time from 100 years ago. we have changed a lot however chris cassy is correct in the sense that we still have a lot more to go in the events of racism. i personally dont think that we ever be a society that will ever completely get over racism however we can get it down to the smallest possible form. i still like racist jokes and i think they are funny. does that make me racist? because i feel like i am appreciative and like all races. Leave a Reply. |
Poli 1 - DeAnza
Winter 2016 |
RSS Feed