Blog 7

I think we all have felt this sense of 'Double- Consciousness' or 'Twoness' that W.E.B. Du Bois first spoke of.  This sense of looking at yourself through the eyes of others. Sometimes constructive and other times destructive, this way of looking at yourself can have lasting effects.  Du Bois describes this feeling when he says, "One ever feels his twoness,--an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings..." He was describing how as an African American, he felt as though he was an American, and yet other Americans made him feel as though he were separate, or cut off from them. The result was a man, and a race, that were never quite sure where they belonged.

This feeling of being torn between two worlds is a feeling that has been felt in the depths of human souls since the beginning of time. A sense of belonging is one of the core human feelings that connect us together.  Although Du Bois was mainly speaking of race when he wrote this chapter, I myself can feel connected to his writings.  This leads me to draw the conclusion that this 'Double- Consciousness' wears many different masks in our society.  This could be seen in how older adults feel living in a world filled with young, fast-paced, entrepreneurs...not really feeling very needed anymore. This could be seen in how women in some cases, even in modern day society, do not receive as fair of wages as men.  This could be seen in how the gay community may feel oppressed by those who disagree with the way they live.  This could be seen in how people with different religious beliefs feel they live in a culture that rebels against what they believe in.  I feel that there are many facets to double consciousness- being part of the whole, and yet are somehow set apart.

One obscure line from this reading caught my attention and made me take a different route of thought. Du Bois says, "The double-aimed struggle of the black artisan...could only result in making him a poor craftsman, for he had but half a heart in either cause."  I passed over this and then thought about it a little deeper.  If we are being torn in two different directions, and do not know exactly where we belong, our whole hearts aren't invested in...anything.  By dismissing others by race, age, gender, etc. we are, at times, helping draw them away from putting their whole hearts into something.  We are forgetting that there is a soul beneath that freckled skin, those sunken eyes, or weathered clothes.  There is someone who has a lot to offer, and if we overlook them, shut them down, and make them feel as though they don't belong...we could be missing out on something great. We could be missing out on someone who could change the world.