Delpit "The Silenced Dialogue" & An Indian Fathers Plea

"they don't really want to hear what you have to say...they only want to go on research they have read that other white people have written" 22

I think that this quote is incredibly powerful in order for our society to recognize how we are stuck in a tunnel visioned thinking process. One that leaves out many other perspectives and seems to only have one sight in the end. Something ridiculous that I can relate this to is the worries concerning the covid 19 vaccine, around that time many people were hesitant of the contents, but there was also lots of false information being released about what the vaccine contained. Because so much of this false news was on the media, many uneducated people disregarded what people had to say because they believed very inaccurate information that was written by people who were also very closed minded about the vaccine. 

"...all of the nonwhite respondents have spoken passionately on being left out of the dialogue about how best to educate children of color" 23 

I believe this passage relates to "An Indian Fathers Plea" because all of the educators were white along with not having any knowledge on the family's Indian beliefs/practices. But also an immediate connection to make is to the fact that similar problems to "An Indian Fathers Plea" are occurring  today and yet we never hear of a publicized event where nonwhite parents demanded to be given a voice for their children. On the other hand, there are always televised stories about parents in wealthier, predominantly white school districts voicing for the quality of the lunch their students are served. 

"they listen but they dont hear" 21

"you can only beat your head against a brick wall for so long until you draw blood" 21

Through out discussion Delft's "The Silenced Dialogue" and reenactment of "An Indian Father's Plea", several things stuck out to me. In summary, "The Silenced Dialogue" that Delpit dives into is the idea of speaking without being heard. What this means is that someone may be listening to you but not hearing and considering the ideas you have to offer. Delpit ties prejudice and ignorance as the explanation for "The Silenced Dialogue" which is portrayed within "An Indian Father's Plea". 

Honestly this reading made me take a step back and think about if I have ever been on the prejudice side of silenced dialogue. Admittedly, there have been some times where I have let the way that someone looks get in the way of how I think about them. My goal is to love everyone, I don't want to live a life that places anything besides someone's actions be the reason for my opinion of them. What I am beginning to learn is that prejudice is taught and learned, everyone is born the same and because of how they were nurtured defines the person they become. However, habits can be broken there is just work that has to be done. 

I chose this peanuts cartoon to explain a theme that Delpit wrote lots about. He writes, "they listen but they don't hear," in  a way to indicate that although someone might be paying attention to the words that are coming out of your mouth, they're not hearing you in a way to understand and analyze what you are saying. 

What is privilege? | TED TalksTEDhttps://www.ted.com › playlists › what_is_privilege

This hyperlink will bring you to a playlist of ted talks called "What is Privlege" that relates a lot to what we have been discussing in class recently about the wheel of power/privlege and where we can place ourselves in society and understanding the invisible walls society has built.