(4.0) Clear arguments, well reasoned with meaningful anecdotes to boot. A bit repetitive and the “ok, so now what?� Chapter is a tiny portion of the b(4.0) Clear arguments, well reasoned with meaningful anecdotes to boot. A bit repetitive and the “ok, so now what?� Chapter is a tiny portion of the book
She makes clear her intent is not a how-to, but to convince whites that racism is systemic and all you need to do to inflict it upon blacks and other groups is to do nothing, or to be offended when someone points out how your actions in a racist environment (the world) can be harmful.
Wanting to be “color blind� reinforces the white dominance that pervades western society. Silencing discussion of how race affects individual interactions reinforces it. Seeing “racist� a label indicating evil, of intentional race-motivated harm lets whites off the hook if they simply do nothing, smile to people of color and never bring up race.
Recognizing that we all live in a racist society is a first step. You can’t magically isolate yourself (and more importantly the people of color you come into contact with) from that context.
Seeing interactions in a racial context can be eye-opening for whites, but is daily experience for people of color. Don’t pretend it isn’t there. Don’t take white privilege as a lucky happenstance. Recognize it has come at the expense of generations of people of color.
White woman’s tears are harmful, near threatening: historically, leads to retaliation on black men; draws attention to white woman who needs comforting; reveals how I frequently she recognizes the injustice of racism if that one moment is when she’s pushed to tears.
White men control the narrative so often use anger, redirect the conversation or resort to “race card� accusations to defend themselves.
Be open to feedback. Don’t get defensive. Take time to process the emotions first of necessary and repair the harm, ask if there is anything else that needs to be **said or heard** (both directions), to keep the door open.
Seek out ways to improve, to act, to do better. Don’t wait for a person of color to take their time to tutor you one-on-one.
(I've got some notes & highlights on this book, though pushing them to Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ from the Kindle app does not appear to be working--perhaps because the book is in my Kindle library via householding accounts? :/ Would like to share them, but can't seem to, no matter which Kindle edition I switch my review to)...more
(4.5) Multi-dimensional view of the US bases in Okinawa through women's relationships with them
Johnson weaves these women's stories with wide-ranging (4.5) Multi-dimensional view of the US bases in Okinawa through women's relationships with them
Johnson weaves these women's stories with wide-ranging historical background from the Ryukyu kingdom; colonialism; World War II; reconstruction; reversion; the Cold War; and the thread of positive, negative (and worse) interactions between the bases, local residents and foreign workers. There were times when some history became repetitive, as though these narratives had been assembled from separate work published independently (and the acknowledgments suggest as much), but overall, the book is terrifically educational, at least for someone with little more awareness of Okinawa than that offered by The Karate Kid.
Most impressive is how comprehensive her scope is on this issue, having lived there for an extended period, and revisiting Okinawa more recently. She speaks with amejo, local single women primarily interested in dating Americans, ethnically Okinawan and mixed race women who have/don't have stable relationships with an American man in/out of the military, protesters, an American military wife, foreign workers who work in bars and hospitality (with some overlap with sex workers), women's support group leaders. She does reveal her personal point of view at times, in particular when skeptical of certain points of view, but most of the time lets these women's voices speak for themselves. She carefully supports her subjects' points of view with historical narrative, fact, contemporary reporting.
All in all, a terrific educational experience to have read. The complexity of modern Okinawa comes through effectively!...more
(3.5) Some shared delights, and some empathy-expanding delights
More musings than I really needed to read in sequence but fun to see someone really ste(3.5) Some shared delights, and some empathy-expanding delights
More musings than I really needed to read in sequence but fun to see someone really step back and smell the roses. Would help a lot of us to reflect more on what makes life that little bit better, if only when we ask ourselves the question....more
(4.0) Entertaining cultural dispatches from Lesotho
He and his wife really embedded while they were there, or at least as well as a white couple could.(4.0) Entertaining cultural dispatches from Lesotho
He and his wife really embedded while they were there, or at least as well as a white couple could. Funny (often self-deprecatingly so) stories, heart-tugging stories, told with respect and admiration for the Basotho. Only criticism is that he jumps around a lot, sometimes to effect, but often short-attention-span-like, preventing deeper immersion into the people, culture or particular anecdote. You feel a bit as if you’re flying over the country rather than inhabiting it....more
(4.5) Fascinating to read events from those at the top/on the inside
Also kind of frightening as so much hinges on their thinking, their connections, a(4.5) Fascinating to read events from those at the top/on the inside
Also kind of frightening as so much hinges on their thinking, their connections, and their powers of persuasion (almost “bluffing�?). I worry that currrnt/future administrations will have nowhere near the brainpower, focus on long-term American interests over their industry connections/benefactors when a future global economy-destroying even occurs. I write this during 2020 COVID-19, which may well prove to be such a scenario....more
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