Sunday, September 24, 2017
We are the Other - David and Lou, South Minneapolis, MN (2012)
They were like an echo. Whatever question I asked one would answer and then the other would nod in agreement or repeat the answer. They met seven years ago when Lou (right) moved here from Chicago. “I don’t ever want to go back,” he said. “It’s hard for a young black man there. Mofos robbing each other.”
David lives a block away in the house he grew up in. They are “brothers from another mother” they said. Some other things they are:
“We love women.”
“Real recognize real.”
“We’re two bosses, entrepreneurs. We’re always gettin’ it.”
“Whatever gets the money, that’s what we’re into. And family. That’s about it.”
In this blog post from Wing Young Huie, there are two men sitting on a porch in South Minneapolis. Both are wearing glasses and have a similar type of facial hair. The one on the left is holding a cigarette in his hand. Even though one is caucasian and the other is African-American, the color of their skin is irrelevant in terms of their relationship.
When looking at this text from a broader perspective, two men with largely different backgrounds have a strong relationship. While it appears that Lou has had a tough past coming from Chicago, David still lives in the house he grew up in. This post shows that although people in the US have a wide variety of backgrounds, it should not and will not prevent people from coming together. In doing so, David and Lou consequently find out that they have more in common than not. If we are going to progress as a society and become a more harmonious nation, we need more people like David and Lou.
In The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood presents this concept of "othering" by creating and formatting a society (The Republic of Gilead) that is, in a way, a combination of a variety of societies from the past and the present. She picks and pulls from the likes of the Iranian Revolution and a 19th Century conservative Southern US to create The Republic of Gilead, which seems so "fundamentally different," is in reality is not.
In contrast, Wing Young Huie's formatting of her image of David and Lou works against this concept of "othering." When any viewer initially looks at the photo, the first thing they realize is that one man is white and one man is black. However, the formatting of this photo sheds light on the similarities between the two men, and that they are not as different from each other as viewers might think. First, both are sitting on the railing in a similar position with their backs slightly slouched and their hands at their sides. They both have glasses and similar facial hair, and their heads are both turned towards the camera. Finally, their facial expressions, although slightly different, both show a sense of toughness and brotherhood. While Atwood's formatting of her society promotes "othering," Huie's formatting of her image works against it.
In this blog post from Wing Young Huie, there are two men sitting on a porch in South Minneapolis. Both are wearing glasses and have a similar type of facial hair. The one on the left is holding a cigarette in his hand. Even though one is caucasian and the other is African-American, the color of their skin is irrelevant in terms of their relationship.
When looking at this text from a broader perspective, two men with largely different backgrounds have a strong relationship. While it appears that Lou has had a tough past coming from Chicago, David still lives in the house he grew up in. This post shows that although people in the US have a wide variety of backgrounds, it should not and will not prevent people from coming together. In doing so, David and Lou consequently find out that they have more in common than not. If we are going to progress as a society and become a more harmonious nation, we need more people like David and Lou.
In The Handmaid's Tale, Atwood presents this concept of "othering" by creating and formatting a society (The Republic of Gilead) that is, in a way, a combination of a variety of societies from the past and the present. She picks and pulls from the likes of the Iranian Revolution and a 19th Century conservative Southern US to create The Republic of Gilead, which seems so "fundamentally different," is in reality is not.
In contrast, Wing Young Huie's formatting of her image of David and Lou works against this concept of "othering." When any viewer initially looks at the photo, the first thing they realize is that one man is white and one man is black. However, the formatting of this photo sheds light on the similarities between the two men, and that they are not as different from each other as viewers might think. First, both are sitting on the railing in a similar position with their backs slightly slouched and their hands at their sides. They both have glasses and similar facial hair, and their heads are both turned towards the camera. Finally, their facial expressions, although slightly different, both show a sense of toughness and brotherhood. While Atwood's formatting of her society promotes "othering," Huie's formatting of her image works against it.
Your connection with Gilead and the Iranian Revolution/19th Century Southern US was really well placed and I had never looked at it that way. Thanks for opening the #door. I also thought the last sentence of your first paragraph was a great way of connecting the meaning of Huie's work to the meaning of your blog entry; twas a very impacting and heart-felt message.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. My favorite part was in the last paragraph when you linked the 2 character's personality through the way they are posing and the way they were described in the mini summary about the picture. A lot of good details in your blog post Mr. Luke White. Very good
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