Aufgabe II

Outline Marybeth Gasman’s reactions to her father’s racism.

(30 %)

Compare the author’s father with Walt Kowalski from the movie Gran Torino.

(30 %)

WHYY, a public news and media organization, has invited readers to share their ideas about “Living Cultural Diversity” on its website. You have decided to contribute a blog entry in which you assess the relevance of dealing with questions of cultural diversity for members of your generation. As a starting point, you take the following statement by author Audre Lorde: “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

Write the blog entry, also referring to the text at hand and materials studied in class, such as the movie Gran Torino.

(40 %)

Marybeth Gasman, “The Shame of My Father’s Racism” (2017)

It took me years to talk about the racism perpetuated by my father in public settings. I

was ashamed and embarrassed by him most of my early life. He was angry, verbally

abusive, and looked down upon others regularly.

When I was a child, he attempted to fill my head with racist ideas about various

people. He used racial slurs regularly and called me and members of our family these

same names. As I grew older and began to read books in school, I started to push back

at him and challenge his racist notions. He told me I was ignorant.

I couldn’t understand why my father hated most racial and ethnic minorities, even

though he had never met any member of these groups in his entire life. His hate was

deep and angry, and he used “evidence” to try to persuade me that whites were better

than others. He would tell me that African Americans “caused riots and destroyed cit-

ies,” and point to pictures from the Civil Rights Movement. He left out most of the

details. He would tell me that African Americans were “stupid and preferred to live in

poverty,” and point to examples that he saw on television in shows such as “Sanford

and Son¹.” He would tell me how cruel Asian Americans were, citing their efforts to

defend their own nations during wartime. He neglected to tell me about the cruelty that

has cut across our own nation both during wars and at times of peace. He would tell

me how Hispanics were “lazy and took advantage of the government,” citing stereo-

typical pictures drawn by whites of Mexican Americans.

My father was an uneducated man, living in dire poverty most of his life. Instead of

seeing the commonalities that he had with others oppressed in our nation and looking

for ways to bridge those commonalities, he chose to blame others for his poverty and

lack of success. It’s important to note that my father often worked two jobs – one in a

lumberyard and another on our small animal and vegetable farm; he also looked for

odd jobs to make extra money. However, he could never get ahead, making less than

minimum wage in many cases. Instead of hurling insults at the systems that perpetuated

poverty, or becoming more active locally to change these systems, he decided to funnel

his anger into hate for racial and ethnic minorities.

I spent years trying to change his mind – talking with him, trying to educate him,

sometimes yelling at him. I even pursued a career as a professor who concentrates on

race and class issues in American society, to better understand the hate that my father

held in his heart. However, it wasn’t until my father was older, in a nursing home, and

had met someone African American, that he let go of his hate and our nation’s original

sin.

The pathway for my father was friendship, and the eventual understanding that he

and his friend had much in common and were equally frustrated with their lot in life.

It was at this point that my father confided in me that he was unhappy with his life and

chose to blame racial and ethnic minorities – African Americans in particular – for his

pain and failure. It was easier to blame those who so many others blamed rather than

take responsibility or fight the systems that had helped maintain his place in society.

My father’s story is one of hope in many ways, because he realized his wrongs, but

it is also hopeful for me as a scholar. Many of my faculty colleagues throughout the

country don’t believe that we can make progress on racial issues and racism. However,

I do – but only by engaging others in conversation and encouraging them to assist in

dismantling systems. People dismantle systems, not systems themselves.

I have spent hours upon hours talking to people on planes, trains, in hotels, at con-

ferences, in classrooms, etc. about race and have with each conversation tried to get

people to consider the perspectives of others and examine their own biases. When peo-

ple ask me if I get tired or frustrated by these conversations, I often respond by noting

that I worked with and on my father for nearly 20 years, knowing that eventually he

would turn a corner. What I realized in the end, however, is that it was not my intel-

lectual ideas that changed him but the friendship of another and my having heart-to-

heart conversations in which I listened to him openly. We need to do more listening to

each other’s stories to move our nation to a better and more equitable place for all.

¹ Sanford and Son – American sitcom TV series (1972 –1977)

777 words

From: Marybeth Gasman, “The Shame of My Father’s Racism” (2017), https://whyy.org/articles/essay-the-shame-of-my-fathers-racism

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Marybeth Gasman reacts to her father’s racism in different ways throughout her life. As a child, she feels deeply ashamed and embarrassed by his racist attitudes and behaviour. She is disturbed by the racist ideas and insults he regularly uses and cannot understand why he hates people he has never even met.

As she grows older and becomes more educated, she begins to question and challenge her father’s views. Instead of accepting his opinions, she argues with him and tries to convince him that his stereotypes and prejudices are wrong. However, her father dismisses her arguments and accuses her of being ignorant.

Gasman continues to fight against racism as an adult. Wanting to understand the origins of her father’s hatred, she becomes a professor specialising in race and class issues in American society. For many years, she tries to change his attitude by talking to him, educating him and sometimes even arguing with him.

When her father eventually befriends an African American man in a nursing home, he begins to abandon his racist beliefs. Gasman is encouraged by this change and sees it as proof that people can overcome prejudice. She realises that personal relationships and honest conversations are often more effective than purely intellectual arguments.

As a result of these experiences, Gasman remains optimistic that racism can be reduced. She actively talks to people about race, encourages them to reflect on their own prejudices and believes that listening to each other's stories is essential for creating a fairer and more equal society.

Marybeth Gasman’s father and Walt Kowalski from Gran Torino share several characteristics, but they also develop in different ways and for different reasons.

At the beginning, both men hold strong racist prejudices against ethnic minorities. Gasman’s father openly uses racist slurs and believes stereotypes about African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanics. Similarly, Walt Kowalski frequently insults his Hmong neighbours, uses offensive language and initially sees them as strangers who do not belong in his neighbourhood. In both cases, their racism is based more on prejudice than on personal experience.

However, the reasons for their attitudes differ. Gasman’s father has hardly ever met members of the groups he hates. His racism is fuelled by stereotypes, television images and his own frustration with poverty and failure. Instead of blaming the social system for his difficult life, he blames ethnic minorities. Walt, on the other hand, has had personal experiences during the Korean War, which have shaped his negative view of Asians. In addition, he struggles with grief after the death of his wife and feels alienated from the changing society around him.

Another important similarity is that both characters eventually change because they build personal relationships with people they had previously stereotyped. Gasman’s father becomes friends with an African American man in his nursing home. Through this friendship, he realises that they have similar life experiences and admits that he had unfairly blamed minorities for his own problems. Likewise, Walt gradually develops a close relationship with his Hmong neighbours, especially Thao and Sue. Spending time with them allows him to see them as individuals rather than as members of a group.

Despite this positive development, there are also significant differences. Gasman’s father openly recognises that his beliefs were wrong and confesses that he had used racism to cope with his disappointment and unhappiness. His change is mainly emotional and based on self-reflection. Walt, in contrast, rarely admits that he was wrong. Instead, he expresses his transformation through his actions. By protecting Thao and Sue from the local gang and ultimately sacrificing his own life, he demonstrates that he has overcome many of his prejudices, even if he does not explicitly say so.

Overall, both Gasman’s father and Walt Kowalski illustrate that racism is not necessarily permanent. Their stories suggest that personal contact, friendship and empathy can challenge stereotypes and change deeply rooted attitudes. At the same time, Gran Torino presents this change in a more dramatic and symbolic way, whereas Gasman describes a realistic, gradual transformation that takes place over many years.

Living Cultural Diversity – Why It Matters More Than Ever

When we hear the word diversity, we often think about different cultures, languages or religions. However, diversity is about much more than simply living next to people who are different from us. As Audre Lorde once said, “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” I strongly agree with this statement because our generation has the chance – and the responsibility – to create more open and inclusive societies.

Marybeth Gasman’s essay clearly illustrates why accepting differences is so important. Her father grows up with strong racist beliefs and blames ethnic minorities for his own struggles, although he has hardly ever met people from these groups. For many years, neither facts nor arguments can change his mind. Only when he develops a genuine friendship with an African American man in a nursing home does he realise that his prejudices are wrong. His story shows that fear and stereotypes often disappear when people get to know each other personally. Instead of seeing someone as a member of a group, they begin to see an individual with similar hopes, problems and experiences.

A similar message is presented in Gran Torino. At the beginning of the film, Walt Kowalski openly expresses racist views towards his Hmong neighbours. Nevertheless, as he spends more time with Thao and Sue, his attitude gradually changes. He learns to respect them and eventually risks his own life to protect them. The film demonstrates that meaningful relationships can break down prejudice far more effectively than lectures or moralising.

For our generation, these messages are especially relevant. Thanks to globalisation, migration and social media, many of us grow up in culturally diverse schools, neighbourhoods and workplaces. We meet people from different backgrounds every day. This diversity offers great opportunities because we can learn from one another, challenge stereotypes and develop a broader understanding of the world. At the same time, online platforms also make it easy for prejudice, misinformation and hate speech to spread quickly. As a result, simply living in a diverse society does not automatically lead to greater tolerance.

This is why it is essential to engage with questions of cultural diversity. We should not avoid difficult conversations about racism or discrimination but discuss them openly and respectfully. Listening to other people's experiences, questioning our own assumptions and being willing to learn from one another are important steps towards mutual understanding. As Gasman points out, real change begins when people are prepared to listen rather than simply argue.

Of course, accepting diversity does not mean that everyone has to agree on everything. Different opinions are part of every democratic society. However, disagreement should never become an excuse for prejudice or discrimination. Respecting people with different cultural backgrounds is a basic requirement for living together peacefully.

In conclusion, I believe Audre Lorde's statement is more relevant today than ever before. Differences themselves are not the problem; intolerance and unwillingness to understand others are. If my generation wants to build fair and inclusive societies, we must be prepared to meet people with openness, empathy and curiosity. Only then can cultural diversity become a strength instead of a source of division. After all, if we do not learn to recognise and celebrate our differences today, how can we expect to build a fairer society tomorrow?

Let me know your thoughts and feelings in the comments below!

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