In the book (part II), I found it interesting how Miss Theenie does not approve of David because his skin tone was dark, although they are the same race. No matter what, Ida’s suitor must have lighter skin even if he is African American, in Miss Theenie’s point of view. This concept shows that is it about ethnicity or race, but more about outer appearance. Unfortunately, in modern day, skin tone is still highly valued. For Asians, I know having light (close to white skin) is very important, that there are actual beauty products you can buy in stores to try to help you look lighter.
As we discussed in class, long time ago, children walking to school my themselves was not a horrific, terrifying event for parents. In the story, it was said that the children formed a walking train together (a bit like a school bus, in which the child living the farthest away “picked up” other children along the way). If children went to school in groups today, I believe parents would be less nervous and scared. In addition, the community looked out for the kids. When it was raining, the elders of the neighborhood cut down a tree to form a bridge for the children to cross to go to school. Today, I feel like people keep to themselves more and do not care for others as much.
The way life was and how to survive based on the book seems more physical than in today’s world. The labor is more about strength (e.g. picking and hauling cotton, planting crops, tending to animals and slaughtering them, etc.) rather than intellectual labor (e.g. being a lawyer, doctor, businessman). In addition, people seemed to have more courage back then. I found the part where Ida stabbed and killed the snake quite disgusting, and I know I can not do that. I feel most people today cannot do what she did–we live in a society where we do not interact with nature that much. If a snake were to be seen in the city, someone would call for animal control immediately. Most people would not take it into their hands to deal with the situation, and others would run away.
An idea that was valued back then that is somewhat still now is gender choice of children. Ida was really upset when she found out she had a girl, but eventually had a boy on the third try. Similarly to today, men are seen for their masculinity to help around and to work. To be honest, I would want a boy as well. I would not feel as worried if he were out by himself, at night, as I would be worried if I had a girl. Especially since we mentioned how cities can be unsafe, I think I male would be better suited for safety purposes. Then again, I am not too sure about the statistics of which gender is targeted more concerning crimes.
Finally, I want to return to the Part I of the section reading. It is stated how when African Americans moved to the North and West, they were blamed for rise in unemployment, dysfunctional families with children born from wedlock, and an increase in welfare. However, studies have shown that Southern blacks had more people working so unemployment was low, income was higher, not a lot of welfare was through them, and the family households were usually of two parents and not from wedlock, compared to Northern blacks. If this is the case, then why does the stereotype still exist? And how did the stereotype grow? If about 30% of the blacks moved from the South to North/West, and their values are against the stereotype, how did it form in the first place? Because that would mean a lot of African Americans migrants would be countering it, not supporting it.
