Jane Elliot, Keeping the White Man Down
I caught a program on the Saskatchewan Learning Channel called "Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes." It was a documentary of sorts, about a workshop conducted in Regina last year. 12 white people and 12 Aboriginals sat in a room. From the beginning, the woman running the program treated the white people as insignificant and the Aboriginals as superior. Basically, flipping the lid on racial relations in Saskatchewan. It was quite the sight to see. She was the perfect bitch, beating down the whites and ‘putting them in their place.’ Afterwards, she explained what she was trying to do: expose standard actions in society that actually hide racist intentions. She tried to show that people who don’t think they are racist still live in a society that makes basic assumptions based on race, which unconsciously affect our actions. By recognizing inherent racism, we can work to improve race relations.
For me, the most startling scene was when Jane Elliot (the woman in charge) was taunting a white person about his lack of motivation and his reliance on welfare. After a few minutes of constant shaming, she turned to a white guy sitting on the left. "Do you agree with what I said to him?" she asked. "No." "Then why didn’t you say anything to defend him?" "Because I didn’t want you to start picking on me." Elliot then turned to the class and asked them to think about how intimidation and silence actually work in society. I was dumbfounded. The white people were too ashamed to contradict her, and that silence was a major instrument in propagating racist attitudes.
I liked the program because it showed how subtle racism can be and how we are all guilty of it to some extent. Elliot just wants racism to be brought out into the open, so it can be talked about and overcome. Jane Elliot is actually an American who has been doing this program for twenty years and has tailored it to fit any situation of racial tension. The link below is specifically about Jane Elliot’s work involving attitudes towards Canadian Aboriginals. I urge you to look through the site, especially the viewpoint section. It’s good to know what other Canadians are thinking.
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/indecentlyexposed/
The link below contains an extremely critical view of Elliot’s work. I don’t agree with what is printed here, but like I said before, it’s always good to know what the other guy is thinking (watch out, Britney Spears!).
http://www.vdare.com/fulford/jane_elliott.htm
Elliot has also done work in Australia, and this link talks about it. These comments are remarkably similar to the Canadian ones. I agree with Pottie, who feels most of the critics missed the mark: Elliot doesn’t want white people to feel guilty, and she wasn’t trying to solve racism with a single seminar. She is trying to make people see that racism exists even where it doesn’t seem to. She’s teaching awareness and understanding. From this, change can occur.
http://www.sbs.com.au/australianeye/index2.html?id=91
In the program I watched, she specifically said to forget about guilt. Guilt gets us nowhere. Acknowledge that wrongs have been done, but don’t feel the need to feel guilty about it. Instead, work to make sure racism doesn’t continue to happen. I find that simple and practical message.
For me, the most startling scene was when Jane Elliot (the woman in charge) was taunting a white person about his lack of motivation and his reliance on welfare. After a few minutes of constant shaming, she turned to a white guy sitting on the left. "Do you agree with what I said to him?" she asked. "No." "Then why didn’t you say anything to defend him?" "Because I didn’t want you to start picking on me." Elliot then turned to the class and asked them to think about how intimidation and silence actually work in society. I was dumbfounded. The white people were too ashamed to contradict her, and that silence was a major instrument in propagating racist attitudes.
I liked the program because it showed how subtle racism can be and how we are all guilty of it to some extent. Elliot just wants racism to be brought out into the open, so it can be talked about and overcome. Jane Elliot is actually an American who has been doing this program for twenty years and has tailored it to fit any situation of racial tension. The link below is specifically about Jane Elliot’s work involving attitudes towards Canadian Aboriginals. I urge you to look through the site, especially the viewpoint section. It’s good to know what other Canadians are thinking.
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/indecentlyexposed/
The link below contains an extremely critical view of Elliot’s work. I don’t agree with what is printed here, but like I said before, it’s always good to know what the other guy is thinking (watch out, Britney Spears!).
http://www.vdare.com/fulford/jane_elliott.htm
Elliot has also done work in Australia, and this link talks about it. These comments are remarkably similar to the Canadian ones. I agree with Pottie, who feels most of the critics missed the mark: Elliot doesn’t want white people to feel guilty, and she wasn’t trying to solve racism with a single seminar. She is trying to make people see that racism exists even where it doesn’t seem to. She’s teaching awareness and understanding. From this, change can occur.
http://www.sbs.com.au/australianeye/index2.html?id=91
In the program I watched, she specifically said to forget about guilt. Guilt gets us nowhere. Acknowledge that wrongs have been done, but don’t feel the need to feel guilty about it. Instead, work to make sure racism doesn’t continue to happen. I find that simple and practical message.
posted by Kris at 11:11 PM
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