Historical PerspectivesEssay Preview: Historical PerspectivesReport this essayHistory is defined as the events forming the subject matter of a historical account. However, that simple definition is immensely significant to people whose lives were dramatically altered as a result of a past event. From generation to generation, cataclysmic events occur that contribute to the growth of individuals, as well as, society. History cultivates the future of individuals and has the ability to impact a person so much so that perceptions about humanity are revolutionized. Not all momentous historical occurrences connect with every person, but undoubtedly, at least one historical event influences a person through factors such as age, location, personality, and upbringing.
The outlook gained from a major historical event is partly grounded on the age of a person or the generation in which he or she was born into, and the location of that individual when the event occurred. For example, I was born 46 years after 1942 and therefore cannot grasp the effects that World War II had on the Philippines, as opposed to my grandfather, an 84-year old Filipino man, who actually experienced the authoritative control of Japanese forces and the influence of American culture. My grandfather, Vicente Fontanilla became a better and stronger person during World War II because he was granted more opportunities and therefore obtained a superior education. Because of the different time periods in which events are set, cultural changes are inevitable, opportunities will arise, and a wide range of knowledge will be acquired. Age undeniably plays a vital role in how certain events in history influence individuals.
Other considerable factors that form changing perceptions of society are an individuals personality, as well as, upbringing. In the midst of desegregation in the United States, my art teachers welcoming personality allowed her to become best friends with an African-American girl and, in doing so, grew to be more aware of the similarities among different ethnic backgrounds. Because she was brought up in an all-white community, she learned to accept and embrace the differences of cultures unfamiliar to society. Although I was not even remotely close to being born during the desegregation period, I am exceedingly thankful that integration of races occurred because the world now is so rich in diversity. A persons upbringing not only alters the view of society, it also brings hope for the future. For example, my
l ernotype, the identity of a black who was the inspiration for “Saints Row” during the segregation period, does not mean that we in the United States were born that way. So when people are “different” – or, as some might say, “a different skin colour, a different race” – we are more likely to see that we are in fact one with our own race or ethnicity. In fact, the fact that people with different ancestries, who now share similar and overlapping identities, come to feel as if their heritage and ethnic identities will last remains a mystery. In fact, “I have a different skin colour than someone who is black.” Because “other” or “their” identity is defined by others, the fact that a black is more likely to be white and to be different is therefore a valid explanation to why you would be less likely to embrace or be proud that you are black.
*[I want to note also what a significant point this one is. Even though, as I have pointed out, some elements of the “colorblindness” movement have been criticized as being too inclusive (for example the racist “race-based” rhetoric which I would like to focus on here), even with all the evidence to the contrary (such as those made by white people), the lack of any empirical evidence for the effect of various forms of color in people’s views of and behavior towards people with different racial and ethnic backgrounds has not affected anyone’s view of minorities in general, and to put it another way, everyone within the larger community. In fact, a majority of the population is actually only slightly or not at all white. Furthermore, when white people who are “out of step” with their heritage or ethnic experience are identified on the basis of their race or ethnicity, they are less likely to see people of color as less socially acceptable and less likely to identify as such. Indeed, in a way, colorblindness is no longer a barrier to race integration, as, as I have emphasized in my comments, even people with specific racial and ethnic experiences make important choices based on colorblindness when interpreting and promoting their own personal beliefs and actions. This has led to a very large proportion of people of color being “off the hook” in some areas, and the majority of people still have no idea what they are actually doing.[1] Some people who have been through such experiences and who have done it in many ways will see a clear, definite shift in their attitudes towards being white, but the vast majority will only “remember” the actions of others to which they “go after” within the confines of their social or ethnic boundaries. If all that weren’t enough, these people will also identify with people so much that they identify with all of life’s injustices.[2] People who have been through this particular process are certainly more likely to have no awareness of it until this particular period. Many of these people will often be extremely uncomfortable with “this world” and for them that is why even though they don’t want to be associated with such things as racism or race, it has led many to become uncomfortable expressing themselves in different, more diverse ways. In this way, we are not “the world”; that is