Catherine Prigov, Period 8, 11/3/20, Day C

Catherine Prigov

Period 8

11/02/2020

Day C

Socio-political Consciousness

1. What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

In today’s sociopolitical climate, different sides have become so polarized that it’s difficult to come to a clear-cut understanding. As I’m writing this on November 2nd, the night before the most polarizing election in my lifetime, I start to wonder how we’ve managed to get to such a point. Living in New York, we like to think that we’re all equal. Spouts of homophobia, racism, and sexism are instantly shut down in this city, which leads us to think that the rest of the country follows a similar ideal. However, time and time again, certain incidents remind us that America isn’t this wonderful melting pot, everything and everyone mixing easily. Whether we want to admit it or not, the U.S. was founded both on racist and sexist beliefs. The Constitution, a document which defended slavery and didn’t even include women, is still considered the “law of the land.” While amendments have been added, and society has definitely progressed since, I don’t think much of America is nearly on the same page. Some urban environments advocate for all equal rights, accepting all races, genders, and sexual identities. However, at the same time, the KKK is still alive in other hidden corners. The inequity in American society lies in its inability to unite, the people not only being in different regions physically, but different centuries mentally.

Furthermore, I think the power hold that the elite have adds to the economic inequality prevalent in the nation. The current poverty rate is at 10.5%, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but in real numbers, it represents around 35 million people. At the same time, the top 1% hold an unrealistic amount of money, one that the average person simply can’t even fathom. I don’t think it’d be fair to redistribute all the wealth, going back to what Karl Marx suggested close to 200 years ago, but I also think the wealth gap needs to be addressed, simultaneously tackling the poverty rate. 

2. How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

I would like to think of myself as a very socially conscious person. With an aspiration in the legal field, I work hard to make myself aware of the social and political spheres, especially at times like now. Six years older than me, my brother was a political science major, just recently having graduated from Columbia. His views conflicted with my father’s as they argued about the 2016 election, and that’s what initially sparked my interest in the topic. Throughout the past four years, I’ve grown on my views, constantly educating myself on various topics of importance. One topic that comes to mind is the civil rights movement that arose again this spring, which I’m embarrassed to admit that I did not have much knowledge about prior to this year. However, as I watched the movement take over social media, I took the time to educate myself rather than instantly preaching mindless points, and I think that’s the most important thing. Your individual experiences and values obviously affect your beliefs, but at the end of the day, it’s also crucial to keep a growth mindset.