Park wrote about what she learned from that last scene:
At the end of the video, when James catches himself being unfairly judgmental of people on welfare, when he realizes that he is not so different from the people he'd been judging, you can see the light bulb go on over his head. It took me months longer, but a light bulb went on for me as well when I revisited this experience watching the video: I'm not so different from James...There are actually several layers to these stories. First of all, there is the historical record of dates and events. We create our story of America by giving priority and meaning to the historical record. That is not simply something that some people do - it's the human experience. Finally, there is the interplay of our own personal stories and the story of America that we have created. It is at that intersection that we watch James experience a moment of cognitive dissonance when the two stories come into conflict. An opening is created for the possibility of expanding his story of America.
James' personal need is in terrible conflict with his political beliefs, his sense of self, and a story about America, I'll call it the Confederate South story, that he had being using to make sense of life. The basic story that I had been using, I'll call it the New America story, is different from his, but it operates in the same way in my life.
The basic story gives us a constant framework for understanding most of what happens in the public sphere and where the public and private intersect: these are the good people; these are the bad people; these are our values; these are their values, etc...
Looking back, it's amazing that James opened up to us about his dilemma and the details of his situation. If he hadn't done that, I may not see him as a person with a unique personal story. This conversation challenged the three of us to go outside of our basic story of America to understand each other.
We can maintain the priorities and meaning we've given to the historical record by refusing to allow the individual stories of others to challenge our story of America. That is how we maintain the divide. The alternative is to recognize that our own story of America is something that can evolve as we listen to how it intersects with the individual stories of others.
I am reminded of what Robert Kennedy said during another moment of great division in our country.
But we can perhaps remember - even if only for a time - that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short movement of life, that they seek - as we do - nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.
Surely this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can begin to teach us something. Surely we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our hearts brothers and countrymen once again.
We can maintain the priorities and meaning we've given to the historical record by refusing to allow the individual stories of others to challenge our story of America. That is how we maintain the divide. The alternative is to recognize that our own story of America is something that can evolve as we listen to how it intersects with the individual stories of others.
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Generally speaking POC live in two worlds...their world and the world of quote dominant culture....in order to survive it is something that we lean to navigate at an early age....
not true for those folks of the "dominant" culture...hence they have trouble seeing what we see...and in addition..."they" do not want to see what "we" see...because it causes as you call it "a moment of cognitive dissonance"....
then there are those political forces who have a stake in not letting members of the dominant culture have "a moment of cognitive dissonance"...
which why folks of color continue to struggle...and why we keep having to fight the same battles over and over again...although victories are won...but if we do not defend them....they will be chipped away...aka VRA
We had our best chance with President Barack Obama...to transform America...i mean to really transform....that window is closing....
reminds me of the scene from Star Trek in with the Positive and Negative were locked in forever conflict without resolution....
It's interesting that Park seems to have done well with this. My only knowledge of here is through the Coffee Party, which seems to me to be a pointless exercise in developing cynicism generally and self-aggrandizement for her.I have never been impressed.
ReplyDeleteI know so many people like James. But when they do sit and think quietly about it, most come to that same conclusion. I don't know anything about Park - never heard of her before - but like the respect she gave him and the others. The fault is clear to some of us who have studied plant closings for decades, but to call it out means calling out the very forces that we're taught made us great. The people who decide the fates of James and all the other mill workers - and those who will never have a chance to be that - are not well known as presidents, senators, and reps are. And we believed if we worked hard enough, we'd BE them one day. At the core of who we are it's not just values that shape us - it's mythology, too. To see a little understanding creep in through James is to understand we need more of this low-key discussion and less shouting. Fewer slogans. More compassion. Changing mythology is the hardest work we will ever do. Finding common values in order to accomplish that is sometimes harder still.
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