Cyber-Assignment for Monday, October 11, 2010
We are still contemplating privilege. Think about how Wideman uses the term "privilege" in a different way here in a three paragraph response on the anniversary of Chris Columbus's stumble, October 11, 2010. It is due 10/11/2010 by 12noon. If any student decides to go to the sunrise ceremony, this assignment is optional.
October 6, 2010
The Seat Not Taken
By JOHN EDGAR WIDEMAN
AT least twice a week I ride Amtrak’s high-speed Acela train from my home in New York City to my teaching job in Providence, R.I. The route passes through a region of the country populated by, statistics tell us, a significant segment of its most educated, affluent, sophisticated and enlightened citizens.
Over the last four years, excluding summers, I have conducted a casual sociological experiment in which I am both participant and observer. It’s a survey I began not because I had some specific point to prove by gathering data to support it, but because I couldn’t avoid becoming aware of an obvious, disquieting truth.
Almost invariably, after I have hustled aboard early and occupied one half of a vacant double seat in the usually crowded quiet car, the empty place next to me will remain empty for the entire trip.
I’m a man of color, one of the few on the train and often the only one in the quiet car, and I’ve concluded that color explains a lot about my experience. Unless the car is nearly full, color will determine, even if it doesn’t exactly clarify, why 9 times out of 10 people will shun a free seat if it means sitting beside me.
Giving them and myself the benefit of the doubt, I can rule out excessive body odor or bad breath; a hateful, intimidating scowl; hip-hop clothing; or a hideous deformity as possible objections to my person. Considering also the cost of an Acela ticket, the fact that I display no visible indications of religious preference and, finally, the numerous external signs of middle-class membership I share with the majority of the passengers, color appears to be a sufficient reason for the behavior I have recorded.
Of course, I’m not registering a complaint about the privilege, conferred upon me by color, to enjoy the luxury of an extra seat to myself. I relish the opportunity to spread out, savor the privacy and quiet and work or gaze at the scenic New England woods and coast. It’s a particularly appealing perk if I compare the train to air travel or any other mode of transportation, besides walking or bicycling, for negotiating the mercilessly congested Northeast Corridor. Still, in the year 2010, with an African-descended, brown president in the White House and a nation confidently asserting its passage into a postracial era, it strikes me as odd to ride beside a vacant seat, just about every time I embark on a three-hour journey each way, from home to work and back.
I admit I look forward to the moment when other passengers, searching for a good seat, or any seat at all on the busiest days, stop anxiously prowling the quiet-car aisle, the moment when they have all settled elsewhere, including the ones who willfully blinded themselves to the open seat beside me or were unconvinced of its availability when they passed by. I savor that precise moment when the train sighs and begins to glide away from Penn or Providence Station, and I’m able to say to myself, with relative assurance, that the vacant place beside me is free, free at last, or at least free until the next station. I can relax, prop open my briefcase or rest papers, snacks or my arm in the unoccupied seat.
But the very pleasing moment of anticipation casts a shadow, because I can’t accept the bounty of an extra seat without remembering why it’s empty, without wondering if its emptiness isn’t something quite sad. And quite dangerous, also, if left unexamined. Posters in the train, the station, the subway warn: if you see something, say something.
John Edgar Wideman is a professor of Africana studies and literary arts at Brown and the author, most recently, of “Briefs.”
From http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/opinion/07Wideman.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
We are still contemplating privilege. Think about how Wideman uses the term "privilege" in a different way here in a three paragraph response on the anniversary of Chris Columbus's stumble, October 11, 2010. It is due 10/11/2010 by 12noon. If any student decides to go to the sunrise ceremony, this assignment is optional.
October 6, 2010
The Seat Not Taken
By JOHN EDGAR WIDEMAN
AT least twice a week I ride Amtrak’s high-speed Acela train from my home in New York City to my teaching job in Providence, R.I. The route passes through a region of the country populated by, statistics tell us, a significant segment of its most educated, affluent, sophisticated and enlightened citizens.
Over the last four years, excluding summers, I have conducted a casual sociological experiment in which I am both participant and observer. It’s a survey I began not because I had some specific point to prove by gathering data to support it, but because I couldn’t avoid becoming aware of an obvious, disquieting truth.
Almost invariably, after I have hustled aboard early and occupied one half of a vacant double seat in the usually crowded quiet car, the empty place next to me will remain empty for the entire trip.
I’m a man of color, one of the few on the train and often the only one in the quiet car, and I’ve concluded that color explains a lot about my experience. Unless the car is nearly full, color will determine, even if it doesn’t exactly clarify, why 9 times out of 10 people will shun a free seat if it means sitting beside me.
Giving them and myself the benefit of the doubt, I can rule out excessive body odor or bad breath; a hateful, intimidating scowl; hip-hop clothing; or a hideous deformity as possible objections to my person. Considering also the cost of an Acela ticket, the fact that I display no visible indications of religious preference and, finally, the numerous external signs of middle-class membership I share with the majority of the passengers, color appears to be a sufficient reason for the behavior I have recorded.
Of course, I’m not registering a complaint about the privilege, conferred upon me by color, to enjoy the luxury of an extra seat to myself. I relish the opportunity to spread out, savor the privacy and quiet and work or gaze at the scenic New England woods and coast. It’s a particularly appealing perk if I compare the train to air travel or any other mode of transportation, besides walking or bicycling, for negotiating the mercilessly congested Northeast Corridor. Still, in the year 2010, with an African-descended, brown president in the White House and a nation confidently asserting its passage into a postracial era, it strikes me as odd to ride beside a vacant seat, just about every time I embark on a three-hour journey each way, from home to work and back.
I admit I look forward to the moment when other passengers, searching for a good seat, or any seat at all on the busiest days, stop anxiously prowling the quiet-car aisle, the moment when they have all settled elsewhere, including the ones who willfully blinded themselves to the open seat beside me or were unconvinced of its availability when they passed by. I savor that precise moment when the train sighs and begins to glide away from Penn or Providence Station, and I’m able to say to myself, with relative assurance, that the vacant place beside me is free, free at last, or at least free until the next station. I can relax, prop open my briefcase or rest papers, snacks or my arm in the unoccupied seat.
But the very pleasing moment of anticipation casts a shadow, because I can’t accept the bounty of an extra seat without remembering why it’s empty, without wondering if its emptiness isn’t something quite sad. And quite dangerous, also, if left unexamined. Posters in the train, the station, the subway warn: if you see something, say something.
John Edgar Wideman is a professor of Africana studies and literary arts at Brown and the author, most recently, of “Briefs.”
From http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/opinion/07Wideman.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 1:15 PM
7 Comments:
Linh Tran
Professor Sabir
English 1A
11 October 2010
Response to The Seat Not Taken
By JOHN EDGAR WIDEMAN
We can all agree that a privilege is a right or benefit that is not available to everyone, a special treat or honor. John Edgar Wideman uses the term in a different way to express his thoughts about racism (or more accurately, unconscious racism) in the 21st century. His article really brings forth the perpetual question of “Will we ever live up to our basis doctrine of “all men are created equal.” Racism has been so deeply integrated into our culture that it has almost become instinctive. Wideman describes how most passengers on the Amtrak, those residing in one of the most affluent and cultured neighborhoods in the United States, would rather stand than take the open seat next to him. Racism has taken deep roots in our past and it continues to afflict our present lives.
Wideman confesses that it is a privilege to enjoy “the luxury of an extra seat to [him]self” as the majority of the passengers, no matter how crowded the train is, would willfully choose to ignore the open seat next to him. He reveals that he is one of the very few colored people riding on the train. Most of the other passengers desire to settle elsewhere on the packed train and feign blindness to the open seat next to him. Wideman comments that this is indeed a strange occurrence given America’s self-proclaimed tolerance toward race and class, most recently asserted with the election of the first African American president in our history.
I have also found myself pondering the same issue as I sit on the bus. It always strikes me as odd that half of the passengers would choose to stand while the other half only occupies a small portion of the open seats. I have often witnessed the resigned look on the faces of passengers who have just boarded the bus when they realize that each of the double seats on the bus have been claimed by just one other passenger. They decide that it would be better to stand than occupy an empty seat next to someone. The bay area is very fortunate in the diverse backgrounds of its inhabitants, but racism is still lurking among us.
Jacob Stabler
Professor Sabir
Eng 1A
11 October 2010
Response to article
Having lived in the norhteast for years, I can honestly identify the maniacal state of chaos involved in a morning commute. I've ridden literally thousands of trains and subways, evrywhere from Boston to to NYC to Philadelphia and many places in between. To say these people have the time or emotional capacity during their frantic morning rush, to squeeze in next to a total stranger, put whatever personal issues they have on hold, and strike up conversation would be a stretch. Most people in the northeast are driven by money and power, just like their ancestors were, it's been that way for hundreds of years.
On another note, I've never seen an available seat unused and people standing to avoid sitting next to anyone. I have a hard time visualizing a packed train with an empty seat because there's a black man one seat over. Maybe the author does have bad breath. Halitosis is often unnoticable to the person affected by this condition, making self diagnosis virtually impossible.
I'm not ruling out racism as a possibility, but it's pretty unlikely. Perhaps the author isn't making himself asthetically available or is just an intimidating person. Professionals in suits are often seen as people of power and typically inaccesable. I just hope that my fellow Americans are moving past the small minded concepts of racism.
It seems like the author considers it a privilage to sit alone and admire the view or do some work. It seems like he doesn't really want anyone to sit next to him, and he's almost challenging people to do so. To me, that's not very inviting.
Denise Martinez
English 1A
Professor Sabir
11 October 2010
Response to
The Seat Not Taken by John Edgar Wideman
Many of us are aware of racism but because we are so accustomed to it, we unconsciously shut it down. Reading something like this definitely does open your eyes and makes you question, how the world really is and if every being is in a way racist. Instead of looking at in a negative way John E. Wideman uses the term “privilege” in a sociologist’s perspective to narrow down why people on the Amtrak train don’t sit next to him. He goes down the list of why people might be intimidated by him; bad breath, hip-hop clothes, an angry face expression or mug, showing a religious preference but even though he has none and in fact is a middle-class man, he concludes that the color of his skin is what seems to be keeping people from sitting next to him. Wideman makes a reference to our president Barack Obama and his ethnicity, stating that he is a man of color. So with him winning the election it should mean that people are past the racist stage and are accepting diversity however, riding along the train solo makes him think otherwise. Although John E. Wideman views his empty seat as a neutral thing because he gets to stretch, snack, and comfortably go over his papers, once he looks over he realizes and recognizes the truth of what many of us are afraid to see, an empty seat.
Frena Zamudio
Ptofessor Sabir
English 1 A
11 October 2010
Response to The Seat Not Taken
By John Edgar Wideman
We all have different privileges, some people can do something that others cant. After reading this article, i became more aware of privileges connected to racism around me. Before, i didn't notice much about it or didnt pay much attention, unless someone actually say it loud, then i'd think back and say 'oh, she/he is racist', but i didnt know, that simple actions like leaving a seat next to a colored vacant can mean something bad to them. I mean, we all have different ways to interpret things, some might think its just a regular thing to do, not something mean, but some might take it the opposite, and be offended.
Its sad how he thought of the things that might explain why people are intimidated by him; bad breath, hip hop style, mug face etc. but it all came to one reason, his color. After that he thought that having a colored president would make everything better, but i guess not, some things changed, people's point of views also changed (some), which hopefully the start of having a better community.
He also tried to make himself feel better by saying things he could do because the seat next to him is empty, like he gets to stretch, eat a snack, go over his papers but once in awhile ,he couldnt help but to think the real meaning of having an empty seat next to him, his color, some people might be afraid of sitting next to him, or some just dont want to, because they think he is different in a bad way.
Rocio Gallardo
Professor Sabir
English 1A
11 October 2010
Response to "The Seat Not Taken"
From reading following article written by John Edgar Wideman, he thought of shining some light on the subject of how Americans assume things just by looking at them. The author, being an African-American, tested the theory that his looks would drive a person away from the empty seat he didn't reserve. He doesn't believe it could be his looks, but perhaps just the way he is. Its practically a racial issue if someone doesn't want to sit next to a person of color just because they are different that you. To be frank, this issue should be behind us as a country whose suffered enough of hardship because of racial segregation. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as if America can forget the racial difference and move on.
Patrick Schmidt
Professor Sabir
English 1A
10 October 2010
Response to "The Seat Not Taken"
The ideas discussed in Wideman's article are not unlike things I witness everyday when coming too and from school on the bus. Although we live in a more ethnically diverse place than he indicates, it is still plain in many situations that people make these distinctions. It is, in my experience, not only white people who will pass an open seat and instead stand but also a common thread amongst asians, blacks, and latinos.
Although there could be many explanations for why people pass up seats, it is only too common for people to feel more comfortable with those who look like them. The other day I had an introspective moment when I realized that a latino man had walked past not 1 but 3 empty seats around me to the middle of the bus where he sat directly next to another latino man that he gave no indication he knew. Now this could be explained by personal preference among other things, but because I am in this situation a racist, I blame race.
The point that Wideman made that I found most interesting is when he said that the existence of the empty seat is "quite dangerous .. if left unexamined." It reminds me of how many things in life are indeed quite dangerous if we do not pay particular care when dealing with them, and keeps me thinking that perhaps that which sets some people above others intellectually is nothing more or less than attention to detail.
Rochelle Predovic
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
12 October 2010
Response to The Seat Not Taken
This writing piece by John Edgar Wideman is a good analysis on racial and Class differences. This young man riding the Amtrak is experiencing the impacts of a stereotype on African Americans. In addition not only do rich, educated people feel privileged but they tend to be incredibly judgmental.
When John Edgar Wideman uses the word privilege he uses it by reflecting on the color of his skin. This implies reverse privilege, because while the wealthy and educated feel privileged to sit next to one another, Wideman felt privileged to have an extra seat to himself.
Therefore the mindset of the wealthy and the educated determines their choices of where to sit. However Widemans mindset is on conducting this experiment, so he's choosing to sit along. His next experiment should be about sitting next to someone who is wealthy and educated just to see how they react.
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