Artifact 4: Objectives Within the Syllabus

For Artifact 4, I picked Journal 5. I believe that this piece coincides with one of the main goals of the course which is to "read with attention to ideas, structure, and style and recognize the ways that writers convey their ideas and explain what is difficult to understand". I think I did a great job of analyzing the article and understanding what the writer was conveying in their article.

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Roxane Gay, an editor, and writer from New York, does a brilliant job at displaying how respectability is surrounded by politics. This essay is derived from her 2014 collection, "Bad Feminist", which portrays her personal experiences and thoughts on being an African American bisexual woman. They mention how when some black people behave in ways society does except, their “authenticity” of their race is questioned. One element that stood out to me was her usage of black public figures, like Bill Cosby and Don Lemon, as examples of people who believe that their statements, at least in their views, can help with racism.

For instance, Cosby noted that “if we act right, we will finally be good enough for white people to love us.” Lemon suggested that there are five things that black people should do to get rid of racism: young black men should pull their pants up, black people should stop using the N-word, etc. It was also implied that Lemon believes “the white, heterosexual man is the cultural ideal toward which we all should inspire.” Gay mentions that she believes their intentions are in the right place, however, makes the argument that respectability politics overlook racism in the education system, justice system, and many others. I do not necessarily agree wholeheartedly about this statement however when Gay continues it is clarified for me. For example, with the recent killings of black men by the police, we could search for more ways to support black children specifically black boys. Overall, I think Gay made some interesting points about this type of politics and hopefully, this can put a light on these issues within the black community.