Georgia's Blog Response #3

Audre Lorde’s piece entitled “Age, Race, Class and Sex” really opened my eyes to Black women literature in education. To be completely honest, not being from the US, it has been a really culture change coming to school here in the United States and being surrounded by African Americans. I only ever had one African American in my small high school and my education never revolved around American history or writings done by African Americans. I completely agree with Lorde when she states that it is “the responsibility of the oppressed to teach the oppressors their mistakes.” I never viewed it that way, but after applying it to my own life, it makes a lot of sense. What stuck out to me was Lorde’s recognition of differences. It is true, it is not our differences that is separating us but our inability to view those differences positively.

I was proud to know that USC is defying the stereotype explained by Lorde, of ignoring the experience of women of Color as a resource in women’s studies courses. I am glad that we are reading pieces from women and men of all races and that my courses are taught by both sexes, both white and African American. Lastly, in relation to our discussion in section about why only men are highlighted in these movies such as Boyz In the Hood, I believe what it comes down to is, as women, digging up those internalized patterns of oppression within ourselves and move beyond the most simple aspects of social change. We have to recognize the equality of all women, and to learn from our differences.

After reading Enrenreich and Hochschild’s “Global Women” what stood to me most was this underlying cycle that I had never seen until reading this article. It is the wealthy Western families who have nannies or maids from third world countries, who play the role of “mum” to their children while the real mum is off working and the males travel to 3rd world countries (sometimes where the nannies originate) to do business. The rely on their natural resources and agricultural products for their companies, in which they hold high positions, in which they earn a lot of money to afford to live the affluent lifestyle and be able to have a nanny to look after their children. When looking from a broader perspective, it seems very odd to me that it is almost this cyclic relationship between worlds.

I have to completely disagree with that fact that “situated knowledge” is an impediment to seeing the world clearly. I am definitely biased as this is my third country in 17 years of living but I truly believe that if it wasn’t for my life experiences from where I have lived, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Having embraced so many cultures, lifestyles and have had the opportunity to being educated in various locations, my personal knowledge is a mosaic of my life experiences. Experience is what we use to understand and comprehend everything. I believe we draw on previous experiences in order to understand current situations.