Society plays a very important role in our individual lives as they help shape our perspectives of life and thus how we interpret the world around us. Most people are born into social groups that were equally born and brought up in a social group that in turn dictated to a certain degree how they perceive the world around them. A person describes himself depending on what he or she considers as their strongest ability. Therefore, if for example, I am good at mathematics I will automatically conclude that I am a smart mathematician, designating myself to be smart relative to my mathematics knowledge. This attribute is described as competency based identity that together with other aspect help in formulating an individual’s opinion of who they think they are. The other aspects may include race and gender. As such, I may describe myself as either white or black or Asian depending on the values that the society has assigned to be my racial identity.
In the documentary, Girls like me, the narrator show the various ways that the American society has played a role in defining the African American culture and how it has in turn shaped how African Americans think of themselves in relation to the larger American society (2007). Based on systemic racial profiling that has existed within most of the United States for years, that seek to undermine the African Americans and based on their racial identity, the society has formulated various definition of what is perfect skin color and what defines a human being. In the real sense this construct physically do not really exist or play an important role in who we are as individuals but society and the various groups of interest have made them into a reality through social agreements based on people’s collective preference. Therefore, when the American society at large undermines one for being from Africa or black, the idea takes root and shapes how they perceive themselves and thus become discouraged to identify with Africa or as Africans or Black. This, for example, being black is something that is not necessarily looked at by the society as something to be proud of. Kiri Davis (2007) in the documentary states that of the 20 children interviewed 15 preferred the white dolls over the black ones stating that the black dolls were “bad”. She additionally points out that a young girl who decided to do her natural hair was looked down upon by her own mother over the fear that she may not fit into the American society for being “African”. This automatically points to notions cultivated by the society that seeks to exalt being white over being black because the majority of society is white. This is purely shaped on individuals’ preference not biological factors as research shows that race is only skin deep and nothing more. Cassata (2017) states that beyond skin everything else is similar. But due to society’s value for designating identities based on collective individual thought, differences arise that seek to exalt one group over another. Over time, the group being profiled (African American) increasingly becomes oblivious of this and perceives the world in this light.
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References
4TruthandJustice. (2007). Kiri Davis: A Girl Like Me [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0BxFRu_SOw
Cassata, C. (2017). Racial Differences Are Minor Biologically. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/biologically-race-only-skin-deep#1
