Raymond Evans
English 123
Eric Drown
4/29/19
With today’s society, we have researched and come to understandings of what it takes to create a large social movement .We have also seen many different perspectives of what racism is but how it is viewed throughout different people. We have also learned about the problems surrounding race, identifications, and the natural human habits that our society needs to change in order to actually create change.The past articles specifically “Civil Rights to Megachurches” and Kyle Korver’s “Privileged” we can see how strong ties, social habits and weak ties can all work together to social movements being created. Here at UNE we struggle with our diversity as a whole;but done correctly an anti racism social movement can be accomplished effectively.
In Charles Duhigg’s “From Civil Rights to Megachurches” , he explains that “ social habits are why some initiatives become world-changing movements while others fail to ignite. And the reason why social habits have such influences because at the root of many movements be they large-scale revolutions or simple fluctuations in the church as people attend is a three-part process that historians and sociologists say show up again and again. Of movement starts because of the social habits of friendship in the strong ties between close acquaintances. It grows because of the habits of the community and the weak ties that hold neighborhoods and clans together. And it endures because of movements leaders give participants new habits that create a fresh sense of identity and feeling of ownership.” He identifies the key terms of strong ties, weak ties, and social habits. He sheds light into the reason why movements grow so big due to these relationships. He examples the Rosa Parks story and how her being the figure she was with her relationships of strong ties in large groups they were able to create a voice for the civil injustice that occurred. He mentions how her ties felt a natural pressure to act out and speak up to the oppositions facing them. He also explains how weak ties have sometimes almost the equal role of strong ties. Weak ties may have access to things such as social media outlets, people of political power, or maybe just people in different areas with a strong base of people to spread the word. Kyle Korver’s “Privileged” sheds a light on what Duhigg would explain as “social habits”. He says “ when it comes to racism in America think that builds in sports ability tends to be as seen as more or less the same thing. But I’m beginning to understand how there. As white people are we going to have to send our forefathers? no, I don’t think so. But are we responsible for them? Yes, I believe we are. And I guess I come to you realize that when we walked back from the systemic racism police reform, workplace diversity, affirmative action, better access to healthcare reparation? It’s not about guilt. It’s not about pointing fingers or passing blame. It’s about responsibility. It’s about understanding that when we’ve said the word equality for generations that we really meant for a certain group of people. Not understanding that out when we spell the word inequality for the generations that we’ve really met slavery and its aftermath- which is still being felt to this day. It’s about understanding on a fundamental level that black people and white people, they still have it different in America. And that those differences come from an ugly history….. not some random divide.”This quote personally opened my curious brain to think more about the mindset of the majority. He speaks about how he himself can start to be apart of the solution by changing his social habits. Korver came to realize a few things about himself that would be very crucial of getting the majority race to understand about the movement. He understood that he would need to be educated on the history of racism in America, he will have to listen to the people who do know about, he will have to “ support leaders who see racial justice as fundamental — as something that’s at the heart of nearly every major issue in our country today. And I have to support policies that do the same”; and lastly that he will have to do his best to get out of the way so that the voices of the marginalized can be heard.
I think it would take a powerful effort to start an “anti-racial” movement here at UNE.Personally, as a student of color my strong ties are very important connections. I have a handful of powerful weak ties as well. People like Erica Rousseau, who knows a wide range of people with a platform and very strong support. I can choose from to start this movement here. I have a huge group of athletes that I know would help me start this movement and get it known to the student body. I also have a good relationship with my basketball coach and our Athletic Director who seem to favor things such as social movements or bettering our student diversity.I would consider my relationship with our school president as a weak tie, but he would be very important with this process.
There are many social habits that are problematic to the full power of this movement. One of the biggest social habits that will be ran into is that this topic will be touchy for most of the majority due to the lack of knowledge and inexperience to the subject. As Korver said, the majority does not know that they are not responsible for their ancestors doings, they should not feel guilt. They should feel responsible and be open to listening and learning about what’s going on in our world today. I feel as if we can just get people to overcome that fear or that initial feeling of guilt it would help people be open to talking about it. As far as spreading it, I would have to develop ties with the people who have access to social media accounts, and things like the media group to get people used to seeing what I am trying to do. In doing this, it may cause a situation similar to what Duhigg explains; that people will undoubtedly start to feel the need to speak up and act out.
As a student at UNE, I believe we need to take ownership and view the lack of diversity here as a problem. As a community we need to target UNE’s social habits of diversity and how the marginalized students and faculty are seen and presented. As a community, we need to open the topic of conversation so that we as a school can grow.
