Power and Privilege: How and Why Is a Social Group Represented in a Particular Way?

...

and the lawn and “perfect” houses, symbolize this. This displays the ignorance of the social group, which Coates further addresses through his personal connection to the Dream. He writes that he wishes to “fold my country over my head like a blanket,” (Coates). This simile shows the American Dream provides a sense of security for the white middle class, and implies that Coates, who represents the African-American population, is kept from that dream. Coates is speaking consistently speaking to the exclusivity of the American Dream, and in doing so, is showing yet again that the white middle class fails to see and act on the deprivation of basic rights in America. By emphatically commenting on the American Dream and its exclusivity, Coates is attempting to distribute this dream to all Americans. He does not believe it fair to provide one group of Americans a dream promised to all, and he is showing this injustice in hopes to end it in the future.

In Coates’ excerpt, he addresses the media’s ignorance of the feelings of African-Americans, all in efforts to bring about equality. Coates describes a news interview he partook in, in which a “host read words for the audience, and when she finished she turned to the subject of my body, although she did not mention it specifically,” (Coates). This intentionally vague imagery is used to emphasize the lack of depth within the media. Coates is suggesting it is a myopic outlet that lacks empathy for ethnic groups, and also lacks a general understanding of societal issues, and this suggests that the white, middle class (who largely compose mainstream American media) are ignorant to the hardships of minorities. Coates further discusses his interview, and recalls a specific moment in which he realized the ignorance of the media: “The host shared a widely shared picture of a 12-year-old boy tearfully hugging a white police officer. Then she asked me about ‘hope,’” (Coates). This imagery is, in its authentic sentiments, quite powerful, as the image of whites and African-Americans coming together aims to show that there is a degree of acceptance within the white middle class subculture in America. However, the media reference to “hope” is where the true injustice lies. Seeing this moving imagery amidst a time of anguish in African-Americans, the white media steers the focus back to a discussion of white people. Coates is showing that the media has an innate tendency to focus on issues from the “white” perspective, which once again reveals the ignorance of white middle class Americans. By revealing this ignorance, Coates is attempting to remove this media bias he talks so much of. He is expressing his desire for fair, equal thoughts of all races in America, with no bias for or against any specific social group.

Coates is not disempowering the ignorant demographic he targets, but rather is attempting to bring African-Americans to that same level of privilege that is currently being held, in Coates’ perception, exclusively by White America. He is attempting to diminish “white privilege,” and rather than establishing an ideology of “black privilege,” he is attempting to bring about an equal society, where everyone is given the same abilities to succeed and thrive free of discrimination. With the ignorance of the white middle class established, which makes up a majority of the American population, Coates is starting progressive conversations that distribute their privilege to all Americans. It is a necessary and admirable notion, and is one that will continue to develop with time.Works Cited

Coates, Ta Nehisi. "Letter to My Son." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 4 July 2015. Web. 14 Nov. 2016. <http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/tanehisi-coates-between-the-world-and-me/397619/>.