Cornel West

Oftentimes, philosophical discussion short-circuits diverse representation, forgoing its promise to include a wide variety of perspectives. In today’s blog, we will focus on Cornel West, a vital philosopher and political activist who has had a huge impact on modern race scholarship and social critiques. It’s important to note that past historical figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. play a vital role in West’s philosophy, who hopes to communicate his legacy to the audience of today. From a young age, West became surrounded by prominent religious figures, regularly attending Baptist church where he listened to testimonials of those whose grandparents [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:01:52+00:00November 5, 2021|Philosophers to Know|Comments Off on Cornel West

Parasite

Parasite (2019) is a world-renowned film, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture and Palme d’Or. However, it presents an interesting philosophical outlook that is worth analyzing, especially as it relates to pervasive societal issues and inequality. The purpose of this post will not to be to give a summary of the movie but to discuss the philosophical background behind the film and the themes it concerns. The main philosophical issues displayed in the film are class conflict, social inequality, and wealth disparity. As the film progresses, it is easy to notice how capitalism and the exploitation created by it [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:02:55+00:00October 22, 2021|Things to Watch|Comments Off on Parasite

Black Queer Pessimism

We have discussed antiblackness studies and queer theory, but we have yet to analyze the intersection between the two. Like mentioned in the “Black Marxism” post, exploring the intersection between different marginalized groups can be invaluable in influencing our strategies. So in this post, we will talk about black queer pessimism and what black queerness is. “Quare” was a term coined by Patrick E. Johnson to describe the position of the black queer. Johnson argued that black queer men specifically should not be grouped with white queer men because it doesn’t address any underlying reason for why violence occurs in [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:03:20+00:00October 8, 2021|Things to Learn|Comments Off on Black Queer Pessimism

Queer Theory

Despite mentioning it previously, we have to analyze the extensive work of queer theory. However, it’s important to note that queer theory covers a vast amount of concept and ideas, so this post will focus on providing a brief overview and historical background of this rich area of study. Queer Theory became really defined in the 1990s as a mixture of feminism, post-structuralism, gay-lesbian movements, AIDS/HIV activism, and different practices. In hopes of representation of non-sexual practice in discourses, queer theories impacted government groups who were provoked due to a lack of action of AIDS and HIV action. The AIDS [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:03:47+00:00September 24, 2021|Things to Watch|Comments Off on Queer Theory

Ruha Benjamin and The New Jim Code

“The sticky web of carcerality extends even further, into the everyday lives of those who are purportedly free, wrapping around hospitals, schools, banks, social service agencies, humanitarian organizations, shopping malls, and the digital service economy.11 Technology is not just a bystander that happens to be at the scene of the crime; it actually aids and abets the process by which carcerality penetrates social life.” (Captivating Technology race, carceral technoscience, and liberatory imagination in everyday life) This quote from Ruha Benjamin serves as a reminder of how influential technology is in everyday process, a phenomenon that continues to expand unseen. We [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:04:39+00:00September 10, 2021|Philosophers to Know, Things to Learn|Comments Off on Ruha Benjamin and The New Jim Code

Black Marxism

Karl Marx remains one of the most influential philosophers of all time, theorizing the exploitative nature of capitalism that would require an uprising by the proletariat (working class) against the bourgeoisie (the “owners” of the means of production). However, Marxism suffers from a similar problem to its historical counterparts: the question of race. Thus, Marxism requires an update to account for the racialized aspects of the economy and exploitation in the first place. For Marx, there is a heavy emphasis on economic relations rather than race, stating that racism is not structurally induced but more about prejudice. Yet, an analysis [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:04:15+00:00August 27, 2021|Things to Learn|Comments Off on Black Marxism

Critical Disability Studies

Another area of philosophical study that is often overlooked in disability studies, specifically critical disability studies. These theories deal with marginalized folk due to their disabilities, which come in a variety of manners and are particular to each individual. However, it’s crucial to consider disability in terms of other areas of violence as well, such as racism and gender, an aspect we will explore a little later. To begin, Fiona Kumari Campbell defines ableism as “a network of ‘beliefs processes and practices that produces a particular kind of Self and body (the corporeal standard) that is projected as the perfect, [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:02:32+00:00August 13, 2021|Things to Learn|Comments Off on Critical Disability Studies

Jiang Shigong

Jiang Shigong is an advocate for the “conservative socialist” exponent of Xi Jinping Thought, a set of policies and ideas that are derived from the Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping. Jinping advocated for a socialism (think of it as a branch of communism but instead citizens share equally resources as allocated by the government rather than the government owning most things under communism) with Chinese characteristics, using the ideals of Marx (think of Karl Marx, founder of the idea of communism which consists of an equitable redistribution of wealth and a state-centered economy rather than capitalism, the dominant [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:05:07+00:00July 30, 2021|Philosophers to Know|Comments Off on Jiang Shigong

Settler Colonialism

Settler colonialism. A complex, vast, and diverse theory that encompasses a wide array of things. But, nevertheless, I’ll try my best to break it down for you, especially since this is such a foundational theory to understand when analyzing Indigenous scholarship. Let’s be clear. Settler colonialism is NOT a thing of the past. It wasn’t simply Christopher Columbus or Jamestown settlers showing up to the Americas and displacing the indigenous. Settler colonialism is a global and transnational phenomenon that is a thing of the present. It differs from “colonialism” in that settlers come to stay, founding a political order that [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:05:29+00:00July 16, 2021|Things to Learn|Comments Off on Settler Colonialism

The Great Debaters

This movie is one that hits close to home, considering the fact that my interest in philosophy, argumentation, and persuasion came about through my introduction to debate. The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington, tells the underdog story of how Wiley College, a historically black college, attempted to compete with the white-male dominated institution of Harvard University in a speech and debate competition. The timeframe? The 1930s, during the height of the Jim Crow Era. This was no easy task. Not only were the debaters already disadvantaged due to their lack of resources, but anti-black racism was so pervasive that the [...]

By |2021-10-31T00:05:51+00:00July 2, 2021|Things to Watch|Comments Off on The Great Debaters
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