my "scene" : a reflection on royster

I had a speaker come in to an African Studies class where white people were the topic. I felt like she was using her ancestors’ oppression as ammunition to criticize white people today. Instead of listening and trying to grab bits and pieces from the speech that I could listen to maturely and academically, I instead was listening angrily and defensively, pretty much just throwing what she was saying out the window. I felt that if she was criticizing the way white people are privileged today and saying that they do not do anything to earn that privilege, she should have come up with some actual facts, statistics or studies. Instead she focused on pretty much saying that she and her kind has suffered greatly and the white people are still on top... when will they black people get their justice?

I felt so defensive because, sorry to break it to you, but it was not me, my family or friends that oppressed you. And why does everyone always focus on racial oppression? Did she talk about how whites have been enslaved and how blacks enslaved their own people? Or how about how women have been oppressed and still face challenges today? As a subject, it was difficult for me because “when the subject matter is me and the voice is not mine, my sense of order and rightness is disrupted.” These interpretations of human potential create a distraction in the discourse community, which I definitely experienced (613).

Royster spoke of the concept of "home training." It doesn't matter how smart you are (or think you are) or how much authority you have; you cannot go around "name calling", at least without being trained to respect the points of views other than your own. Simply saying your opinion in a dehumanizing and hurtful things are not appropriate and not good manners. She then suggests that we need to have specific codes of behavior to maintain honor, manners and respect. I feel, though, that there are so many ignorant people that just want to get their opinion out in the open and heard that they will not care about respect and manners, although I believe they should. Speakers/writers should research, write and talk with "Others" (people of topic) while upholding a professional demeanor and personal integrity; they must also know that the "Others" of that community will be watching and possibly judging (and perhaps rightfully so!) If that speaker wanted anyone to listen to her, she should have upheld an amount of respect and consideration. It would have been to her benefit to consider her audience so she could modify her voice to produce a productive speech.