Racial segregation: inequality and discrimination
Introduction
In the 60s, in the US. UU, under the government of J.F Kennedy, the social situation that was lived consisted of great discrimination, inequality and segregation. In this period in which one of the protagonists, Katherine Johnson, would be about 42 yearsThey said they maintain equal rights but keeping the African -American race separate.
It is impossible (the same rights cannot be maintained if people from others are separated, having different facilities, usually more deteriorated, and preventing some services from accessing some services. Although it had already been possible to legalize that both white and black.
African -American people were considered lower and even disgusted by some people, so everything was separated for blacks and white, such as buses (they had, bathrooms, coffee shops, etc. Kennedy tried.
Developing
This racial policy also affected the jobs that African -American people could achieve, who were not accepted in most qualified positions, since they considered that they did not have enough intellect to achieve it (although also for fear of being overcome). During this period, there were numerous revolts and demonstrations for the equality of civil rights between races.
On the other hand, there was the discrimination of women, both white and black. Although surprising, they were considered inferior and with less capabilities of men. Her main role at that time was to be a good wife and mother, they had to be submissive and keep her husband happy, because at that time, a woman had to marry almost mandatory.
Labor opportunities were much smaller for them, if they studied, they used to have to leave everything to take care of the house and family. However, in the 60s, a movement against gender discrimination began and some of these problems began to solve gradually. And it should also be added to the social situation of the moment, the manifestations of homosexuals who claimed to be recognized and not abhorred by society, since at that time it was very frowned upon to be attracted by a person of the same genre.
All this joined in a period of revolts and demonstrations for the fight of rights and recognition by the different previous groups. At this time the political situation was tremendously tense, since the tension between the USA. UU and the USSR increased and the development of the cold war was produced.
In 1961, the stage called peaceful coexistence was maintained, in which both blocks maintained a relatively stable relationship. The cold war was based mainly on a war between communism and capitalism, each represented by a block. Thus the arms race and the space race appeared. On the one hand, the arms race occurred due to the increasingly accelerated increase, the war capacity of both countries, which caused a constant fear of a nuclear war.
Both countries constantly threatened, but it was that fear that led them to reach small peace agreements. On the other hand, the space race made great importance and is what we can perceive better in the film, since it is focused on NASA’s works in that period. Both countries competed to be the first to bring a human being to space, what the USSR got first, and then for being the first to step on the moon.
This desire to be the first one, it is probably due to the fact that being the first to achieve something or get somewhere, it is a feat, and that country is responsible for putting the rules for the fact of having been the first. Likewise, getting to the Moon shows greater technological advance and greater power, in addition to demonstrating in this way it is a political system that works best.
NASA’s investigations (National Aeronautics and Space Aministration), in which the three protagonists of the film work, are of vital importance in the space race, as it was and is the agency that takes care of all space issues, and thethat at that time he was dedicated to discovering and calculating how the human being to space. Therefore, their investigations and discoveries were essential to gain this space race.
As one of the main themes of the Cold War, the EE. UU paid great attention to the space race, and therefore a great investment in all the material and personnel necessary to get victorious in this race. The main interest of the space race can depend on the point of view, but mainly it is based, as we have already said, on political or geopolitical interests and even pride.
By [Email Protected] scientist[Email Protected], Being able to bring the human being to space or even the moon, is a great advance of knowledge and scientific research, but all motivated by the patriotism of wanting to serve their country and overcome the opposite block. Of course, this feeling of patriotism and of obtaining power was shared by a large majority of the population, who cared more to overcome the "communists" or "Russians", than the great advance that supposed for science and technology to achieve suchfeat, leaving aside the brilliant scientists[Email Protected] that allowed to achieve it.
Of course then there was the economic part, since if a country made more advances it was presupposed that it was because it made greater investments in its space program and, therefore, it had to have greater economic power. Although this in many cases was not so, it could simply be a blow of luck or hard work that allowed progress more than economic investment.
From my point of view, I think that the film stops more in pointing out racial discrimination, starting because the protagonists are African American and what this entails to study or can access certain positions or jobs or jobs. Many times trying to hide such discrimination under that of being a woman so as not to be so offensive.
They suffer from this double discrimination because the protagonists are black women, which, on the one hand, when working in NASA, an environment dominated by the male sex, makes it very difficult for women to reach important positions. On the other hand, it is added that they are black, that is, they are affected by the racial segregation policy, which makes it even more difficult for them to work in an environment where, so far, only white people worked.
In the film you can see many examples that show the racial segregation of the time, such as having specific bathrooms for “color” people and prohibit entry into bathrooms that are not qualified in this way. Another aspect to highlight is that, on buses, black people had to sit in the back, separated from white.
In the event that a Blanca wanted to take his place, he had to give him the seat. Even, despite being surprising, when Katherine Jonhson reaches her new job, they install a coffee maker exclusively for her to see that she took coffee from which the rest of the workers used. This leads to the repulsion that white people had (and some still have) towards African -American people or another "race" and the fear of being considered the same.
Another case is in studies, since many universities were only for whites, as can be seen when Mary Jackson tries to access one of them and is denied, at first, his application. All this impossible access to quality and complete education for black “race” people, since, although they could go to primary and secondary education schools, they must be remote from white people, which can create a feelinginferiority and demotivate [Email Protected] children to continue studying.
Although laws were approved to allow the mixture of white and black people in schools, some states ignored them, continuing with segregation. In addition, when it came to accessing higher studies it was much more difficult for them to study in certain universities. This prevents a good education from being encouraged and that people with incredible abilities are demotivated.
Of course, having a scientific vocation was more complicated, since they did not have enough knowledge to motivate them and, in case they had them, it would be frustrated by not being able to access certain higher studies. This limitation in access to knowledge is probably due to fear of being overcome by a "race" to which they consider inferior, and to continue maintaining their superiority and control over them.
In the film you can see some examples of sexual discrimination, although these are less striking and abundant than the racials. A clear example is when Katherine is told that in the meeting room is not allowed access to women (although the final allow it to pass) or the simple fact that practically all NASA employees are men, since womenThey could not opt for those positions, or dedicated themselves to their family life instead of a working life giving for fact that they would be rejected.
Actually, discrimination has no justification, it should simply eliminate. However, those who supported (and some conservatives support today) this kind of discrimination said they have reasons for them. The first of them is that they were instilled since childhood, they learned it, so that it became normal and habitual for them.
Thus it became a practice when they were in their own marriage. So discrimination against women is something that comes from the past, we go back to times of antiquity when men thought that women were incomplete men and therefore inferior to them. And so, considered inferior, it was not thought that he could perform the same works as a man, already for physical reasons or for cognitive abilities.
For all these reasons, the woman was relegated for what they considered essential to a woman, having children (offspring) and taking care of them and home while the man works and carries money home, generating a strong relationship of dependency of women with respect to respectof man.
conclusion
In my opinion, all discrimination must be considered serious and eliminated, however, there is one of these discriminations that can be more serious if we stick to the case of the film, it is racial discrimination. However, I think that both are equally important and serious, and that none should be accepted, since all they cause are differences between beings of the same species that lead to trifulcas and revelations.
Despite being towards a smaller group of people, black women were victims of double discrimination, both racial and gender, so they were more vulnerable and had many more restrictions. This accumulation causes them to suffer the consequences of both discriminations and therefore have less job opportunities, less freedom and a small possibility of accessing a good education, in addition to having social pressure on them.
In the event that we analyze racial discrimination over men and sexual discrimination, the racial would probably be more seriously, since, at that time, society began to modernize and women began to access some jobs and of courseto study. While, if we look at the racial, although some did end up accessing higher studies, they were very complex, and they should also support the humiliation of segregation and social pressure on them, since they were rejected by most peopleWhite (although that pressure was also applied to women who accessed universities where there were only men).
However, I think that both are equally important and serious, and that none should be accepted, since all they cause are differences between beings of the same species that lead to trifulcas and revelations.
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