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Rhetorical analysis my racist introduction

Rhetorical analysis my racist introduction

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Rhetorical Analysis: My Racist Introduction

Kendi, Ibram X. Stamped from the beginning: The definitive history of racist ideas in

America. Random House, 2017.

In his introduction to How to be an Antiracist, “My Racist Introduction,” Ibram Kendi

describes the life of Blacks, with the use of the dressing code and practice of going to church as

major points in the culture of Blacks. He delves deep into the concept of racism from a Black’s

setting, using his life experience to convince the readers of his work that people are either ‘racist’

or ‘antiracist’ and not in-between.

In My Racist Introduction, Kendi posits to his readers that racist ideas are harbored even

by the blacks themselves. He supports this by using the example of his speech during the MLK

Day in 2000. He had been trained by circumstance that Blacks are inferior, which is why he

placed the bar low for him when it came to his academic life. He applies to only two universities

for the fear of being rejected since he didn’t have the best grades. Kendi distanced himself from

“young Blacks”, speaking from a point of observation rather than experience. By this, he instills

racist ideas in his audience and it is not until way later that he regrets having made that speech.

In a way, Kendi’s behavior in his young age is understandable. How many people don’t fear

rejection?

Kendi takes the readers through the language and thinking of racists. Donald Trump’s

words are quoted as he sees Blacks as being lazy, and routinely branded his Black critics as

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being stupid. On the other hand, Trump praises White Supremacists as being very fine people.

Richard Spencer, a White Supremacist, is quoted as having said that racism is equivalent to

saying, “I don’t like you” instead of being a descriptive word. Both Trump and Spencer define

themselves are “not racist”. According to Kendi, a person is either for racism or against it but

cannot hold the middle ground. Through this, he appeals to his readers that there is no neutrality

in racism. He supports this claim with the use of color blindness. Not seeing racism continues the

harboring of racist ideas by racial passivity.

Kendi has discussed the past and experience of racism with the example of his dad.

Kendi’s father goes on life unbothered, and lives his life by his own terms. In the statement, “It

was the sort of defiance that could have gotten him lynched by a mob in a different time and

place—or lynched by men in badges today”, Kendi takes us on a journey through time. During

the old days of slavery, the kind of life his father leads would have led to flogging and even

beating by mob, while in today’s life the Blacks are very weary of the police. With this

statement, Kendi is trying to show exactly how far back racism dates. That there are eyes cast on

his dad by the Whites present for disrupting his practice session to give him a letter shows that

there is still a journey to be covered to attain equality.

According to him, Kendi sees the struggle for people to be fully human and treat others

as so as the ultimate struggle we have. From My Racist Introduction, Kendi shows us his journey

through racism, having been a racist and now antiracist. This work takes us through his journey.

He appeals to his readers that focusing on power and not the people, and focusing on changing

policy instead changing groups of people will make it possible for the racism curve t be

flattened.

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Last Name 1 Your Name Instructor Name Course Number Date Rhetorical Analysis: My Racist Introduction Kendi, Ibram X. Stamped from the beginning: The definitive history of racist ideas in America. Random House, 2017. In his introduction to How to be an Antiracist, “My Racist Introduction,” Ibram Kendi describes the life of Blacks, with the use of the dressing code and practice of going to church as major points in the culture of Blacks. He delves deep into the concept of racism from a Black’s setting, using his life experience to convince the readers of his work that people are either ‘racist’ or ‘antiracist’ and not in-between. In My Racist Introduction, Kendi posits to his readers that racist ideas are harbored even by the blacks themselves. He supports this by using the example of his speech during the MLK Day in 2000. He had been trained by circumstance that Blacks are i ...
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