Black Like Me by Howard Griffin - Term Paper Example

? An Analysis of the Book, “Black like Me” by Howard Griffin of An Analysis of the Book, “Black like Me” by Howard Griffin Black like Me by Howard Griffin is a book that tells of his experiences while travelling in the racially segregated sections of the United States in 1959 while passing as a black man. This was after his skin had been darkened by medication to such a point that he was mistaken for a black person. Through his journey, he experienced what it was like to be discriminated against and treated like a second rate citizen in his own country. He book therefore puts into focus the race relations that existed during the period of segregation. Griffin first confronts his assumptions about race when he attends school in France as a teenager. The experience he had while in France caused a change in the attitudes he held about white supremacy as a Texan and inspired him to seek racial equality and an end to racial segregation. Race is usually taken to include the skin colour and appearance of a person. This is why when Griffin decides to ‘change’ his race, all he has to do is cut off his hair and change his skin colour. Upon looking at the mirror, he feels like he can no longer be identified with the race to which he belongs and therefore feels like he has lost his identity. This goes to show that race goes beyond the appearance to the self identity of a person. Changing his appearance causes him to feel like a stranger and as he explains, he does not feel any sense of kinship with the person to whom he has been transformed. This is because while he may look black on the outside, he is white (Griffin 1961). Another aspect of race is the culture and socialisation that one is exposed to. Race also has to do with the perceptions that are held by the society. The blacks are treated like second class citizens by the whites. The blacks have however, formed a deep sense of belonging within their community and they treat each other with respect. As Griffin learns when he is black, he finds acceptance among the black community but when he is white, they (the blacks) look at him with suspicion. This shows how race can affect the perception that people hold towards each other. Race also influences the belief and value system that the individual holds. While Griffin is white, he feels that he can identify with the suffering of the black people. He is opposed to the injustices that members of his own race perpetrate on the black people, and is also opposed to the justifications that they (the whites) give for their actions. Griffin is not the only one who is opposed to the racial injustices that are meted on the blacks. His friend, a newspaper editor (P.D East) is also opposed to the injustices and uses his work to preach against it despite the opposition that he faces from the predominantly white society(Griffin, 1961). The fundamental attribution error can be explained as the tendency to disregard the external factors and overestimate the internal factors when one is explaining a person’s behaviour. This is because in most cases, people pay more attention to the situation and disregard the individual. This is most common where a person whose behaviour is being explained is unknown. After Griffin’s story is published and he is invited to many televisions shows, he receives a lot of congratulatory messages. He also receives threats on his life and on his family to a point where he decides to move his family to Mexico. Before moving to Mexico, he talks to a little black boy and takes time to explain to him that the racist attitudes that people hold are because of the social conditions in which they live. The racist attitudes as he explains do not have anything to do with the inherent quality of people. This is the case when passing off as a black person, the black people treat him with kindness but when he is white, he is looked upon with hostility and suspicion. The two races are of the opinion that a person’s behaviour is inherent and cannot be changed by the different situations that one is exposed to. While he is hitchhiking with the company of the whites, he is exposed to the stereotypes that the whites hold of the blacks such as their sexual life and which they expect apply indiscriminately without considering the individual differences (Griffin 1961). Self serving bias refers to the situation where people tend to attribute the success that is experienced to internal factors while the failures are attributed to external factors that are beyond the control of the individual. The success of the whites in the segregationist society is attributed to the fact that whites are more intelligent and gifted. The failures of the society as seen in the different instances where injustices are committed are however said to be beyond the control of those who are responsible for the injustices. The opportunities that the white society has and takes for granted such as getting into a restaurant are not available to the black community. Self fulfilling prophesy refers to expectations that one may have about a given situation, which causes one to act in a manner that eventually causes the realization of s person’s expectations. This can apply to negative or positive expectations. In Black Like Me, Griffin sets out to his experience as a black man expecting to have many negative experiences. Among his expectations is that he will be oppressed and discriminated against. As seen in his experiences in the book, this is exactly what he finds. He is in fact shocked at the extent to which racial discrimination extends. This also happens when he is depressed by life as a black man, Griffin starts to alternate between the two races. He visits the same places as a white man and as a black man. As he expects, he receives better treatment as a white man than he does as a black man. When he goes to apply for a job as a black person, he does not expect to get the job, and he ends up getting the response that the black people are being weeded out of the jobs in the factories. Reference Griffin, J. (1961). Black like Me. Signet. Read More