When I was younger, I nearly always had the beginnings of a smile splashed across my countenance as I walked through the winding halls of Smith Middle School or Troy High. I had little wrinkles around my eyes from smiling so much, so it looked as though I was ready to burst into a full-fledged grin or open guffaw at any moment.
It was around the November Paris attacks and the ever-increasing police shootings last year that I sobered up and saw the world for what it really is. I saw the violence and death that comes with extreme jingoism; I saw the pain and anger that comes with racism. Everywhere I looked more people were dead or dying, with the world’s most powerful countries seemingly crumbling in front of my eyes. I couldn’t stand it. That was when I stopped smiling as often.
On Tuesday evening, as I watched ABC News and the electoral college votes piling up for Donald Trump, I thought I was hallucinating. Never in my wildest dreams did I think he would be elected. The rest of the week I didn't smile. Well, not genuinely - just a well-practiced upturn of the lips that did not reach my eyes. I felt defeated.
The very being that promotes racial intolerance and dangerous hatred is now the president-elect of the United States of America. It is supposedly the land of the free, but we as a nation are now chained to his bigoted views. How ironic.
The other day in English, though, got me to reevaluate my perspective. We discussed the New York-based painter Kehinde Wiley, who is famous for recreating notable old paintings by replacing the old dead white guys with African American men and women. His subjects are painted with a powerful stance and defiant looks on their faces.
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| Wiley's paintings replace white men with strong African Americans. |
His words have helped liberate me from the grasp of Trump. If this painter can make a stand for himself and what he believes in through art, then I can do the same. I will stand through the next four years of wind, rain, and snow with the rest of the nation, and I will fight harder for all the things I believe in.
-MC
Today is the one-year anniversary of the attacks on Paris, France, which resulted in 130 unnecessary deaths. Please take a moment out of your day to acknowledge all those who have lost their lives through violence.
Wow Michelle, this post is so touching on a personal level. I can completely relate to your idea the we've smiled less and less as we've grown more aware of the real world. I do remember you in Chinese school smiling a ton :P I guess the same story applies to me, as when we were children, we just tend to smile at stupid things and be happy for no reason. Now, I find it harder and harder to smile, as stress and the craziness of high school is so overwhelming that it's quite hard to smile. You're post has really made me aware of these problems and has reminded me to just smile more often :) Thank you and great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to comment!
DeleteMy goal in blogging is to post my own views and experiences in order to prompt people to reevaluate their own perspectives. I'm glad that this post has achieved that for you.
I really liked the thought and devotion you put in all of your posts Michelle. The use of another painting depicting black empowerment really presents itself as the solution for our characters in the Bluest Eye. I think that your liberation from Trump will change as time passes. He will not be able to do some of the horrible things he promises us!
ReplyDeleteI guess this is why we sometimes feel like ignorance is bliss. The more we know, the more horrors and faults we see in our society. On the other hand, that means that we are capable of correcting what is wrong. As you said, keep on fighting for what you believe in; the fire will not stop burning as long as its embers are still there.
ReplyDeleteNice post Michelle! I like how you incorporated Wiley's painting to show a stance against the norm. We are all capable of fighting for what we believe in. We may dwell on the results of the election, but it is more beneficial if we voice our opinions to create change!
ReplyDeleteLove this post. The world is a sad place. There is so much discrimination, violence, and destruction that it really is difficult to smile. But people like Wiley give me hope that stereotypes and prejudices will change, and that maybe one day we won't have to compensate for the lack of representation because we will be represented. Your analysis of the painting also got me thinking that the African American man was wearing plain clothes because he didn't need to be fluffed up to be the strong man that he already is.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I love this post so much. Throughout this election season, and especially this past week, I too have found it hard to smile. However, it has made me genuinely smile to see your analysis of how Wiley has rose above hate to create a symbol of power for the oppressed. I find it interesting in the painting how the rich red cloak is behind the African American man, but he shrugs it off and refuses to wear it. He, and you, and the comments, show that we will all stand with you and fight to shrug off and reject society's red cloak of hate and intolerance.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support:)
DeleteTo me, the African American man in the painting is protesting against the norms of society by throwing off what is usually a symbol of power, the robe. By doing so, he is showing that he does not require the acceptance of society in order to truly thrive.
SUCH a nice post, Michelle! I thought that the abrupt opening really did a nice job in conveying how tragedies like the terrorists attacks or even other world events like the election come as a surprise to unprepared viewers, and it leaves them vulnerable. The part about the smiling is (quite sadly) a truth that I've seen among my peers and myself throughout the years; we've all had less to smile about lately. Overall, this post truly intrigued me and I loved the rawness of it all. I look forward to reading your future posts!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very eye opening post! It really evoked a lot of emotions out of me that I didn't even know I had. You incorporated the painting very nicely.
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