La conciencia de la mestiza: Towards a New Consciousness

I thought Gloria Anzaldua’s article >> La conciencia de la mestiza: Towards a New Consciousness, was a fairly easy read. I felt that she made her point in a straight forward way and explained herself so the reader understood where she was coming from. She is trying to explain to the readers the complexity of being a new Mestiza

In her article she explains that mestiza means to be one of multiple races. She talks of the Mestiza as not belonging to a single category, but many---these many categories intertwine. Basically, a Mestiza has no definitive place to call home. As a mestiza she is trying to figure out who she is and where exactly she can call home.

While I understood the article i felt i was reaading it at face value.  After reading Kayli and Nancy's blogs, though, it helped put the article in perspective for me!  (thanks girls :D)

 

Kayli connected this article to the LGBT article we just read. She says: "In Rich's text she talks about how society or in this case her culture insists on being one way, and any other way or the Mestiza is not accepted in society. it is imposed on us from the beginning to be one way."  What I took from the article and what Kayli also mentioned is that a Mestiza is a creature who is separate and not traditionally accepted. I agree with kayli; Rich talked about society being born with this innate instinct that everyone has to be one way (in RIch's case it was heterosexual) and if they are anything different, well then they are not accepted Well a Mestiza doesn't fit in one category, she is multiple categories—so right away she is not accepted in society.  Kayli also mentioned the outer and inner struggle and how that can lead to not feeling accepted and developing a tolerance.

Nancy’s blog reflected on Anzaldua’s article.  Nancy raised some points that I found important and made me stop and think a little more about what I was reading.  Nancy points out that fitting in is crucial in our society; some even see it as being the most important component.  People crave the need for acceptance and in some cases may change who they are to fit in with a certain group of people.  Nancy makes the point that in order to fit in we feel like we need to follow social norms…like a rule book almost.  Nancy also points out ( and I also took this from the article) that the future depends on the breaking down of paradigms.

 

 

>> I think I’m starting to realize that I may have been a bit blind before this class or maybe I just didn’t want to believe it was true.  I had thought discrimination against certain races had been getting better.  I think I was looking at things in my direct view---in my high school and neighborhood and group of friends, race or skin color or ethnicity etc didn’t matter, the content and character of the person did.  As I’m being opened up to a new perspective I am beginning to see that things may not be as good (for lack of a better term) as I thought they were.  As corny as it sounds, it makes me sad.   Society definitely has a very long way to go.