Stuart Hall and "The Floating Signifier"
Stuart Hall refers to “The Floating Signifier” in his essay while attempting to describe the essence of prejudice. Racial disparities are still variable, hence the expression "floating" (Hay, Hall & Grossberg, 2013). The title allows readers to learn about bigotry and to be able to examine ideas in diverse ways. Understanding bigotry necessitates careful examination and a commitment to researching the many phenomena that it exhibits. Stuart Hall also uses the title to expound on the various facets of quenching in order to better explain the topic. The speaker further discusses how people struggle with issues of which they are conscious. For instance, people can only get motivated to fight racism and if they comprehend how it works. Stuart Stuart Hall aslo argues that racism is a philosophy that dictates that there is the natural connection between how people look regarding their hair, color and the way they think and act. The author also explains that there is a natural connection between the way people look, the differences of color, hair, and bone, and what they think and do. With how intelligent they are, with whether they are good athletes or not, good dancers or not, good workers, civilized or not. Racists believe that these characteristics are not a result of our environment, but of our biological genes. Blacks, for instance, are born not as intelligent as whites. (Hay, Hall & Grossberg, 2013)
The Influence of Stories on Racism
The race is a unique philosophy that operates in its mechanism. The statement justifies how stories lay a foundation for comprehension of various analogies and ideologies of racism. They evoke a certain curiosity that leads men to identify what differentiates them from other people. Through stories, the perception of racism has transformed a great deal over the periods. In the article, the speaker notes that "but to the stories, the cultures spins for us about what the physically differences we are born with mean. This involves examining the discourses that surround race. That is, analyzing the metaphors, the antidotes, the stories, the jokes that are told by culture about what physical racial differences mean" (Hay, Hall & Grossberg, 2013). The statement justifies how stories are relevant on the subject of racism. They are powerful tools of transformation since people get various views on racism Based on the videos, we can identify that race is like a movement. It uses various methods to fit different society, and it is subject to time. However, our perceptions changes and as time goes by we tend to embrace new ways of thinking and understanding the subject. Race works on various aspects such as color, ethnicity, sex, mental capacities and abilities, talents and power. It works through contemporary ideologies and philosophies to influence our perception. It doesn't work as a single entity (color). It is modified and embedded in other aspects to make relevance and to justify its meaning to people. (Hay, Hall & Grossberg, 2013)
Racism: A Subject for Continuous Redefinition
Furthermore, racism is a dominant issue in the society. Various notions about race have been attributed to diversification and societal changes. Moreover, racism is constantly linked with biology to the extent that some individuals believe that it is inherited. People often find new philosophies to ensure that the subject remains significance to the society just like language it is relational and not essential. Therefore, racism cannot be fixed but continues to be a subject to continuous redefinition and appropriation processes. Stuart Hall also uses the analogy that people adopt new ideas and drop the old meaning of language. He describes the process to be endlessly and continuously signified. Different culture, therefore, makes various observations, in the different time, in different phases of historical formation. There is always something left untied to language; an aspect that can be analyzed and various perspectives drawn from it. Both race and language have a margin that cannot be fixed.
The Role of Stories in Oppression and Resistance
The argument presented in the article resonates around the term "floating signifier". The article also supports the fact that there is no scientific proof that supports racism and as a matter of fact, people need to pay attention to stories about physical racial disparities. The topic of racism requires keen analysis of the discourses attached to it. The differences are signified by the way the society observed racism earlier. Physical aspects were historically explained using metaphors, antidotes, and jokes which had a different perspective compared to what the current society holds. However, over the years every physical aspect has been given a different meaning that is linked to racism. Thus, justifying the title since the subject seems to shift and slide as time goes by; it is never static (Hay, Hall & Grossberg, 2013).
Stories and Group Identity
Mary Douglas notes that classification is vital in the society. Every culture has its way of creating a balance among classes. Therefore, people can relate to their counterparts as they compare themselves where they are. The classes result into disparity among the inferiors and superiors. Classification introduces ranks to the society. Mary calls the natural selection and classification as 'matter out of place' (Hay, Hall & Grossberg, 2013). The society has a way of differentiating races. The whites and blacks always have something that distinguishes them regarding their abilities and capacities. The differences in such aspects result into unnecessary tensions depicted in racism. She relates the term to the feeling of belongingness. Racism ensues where there are order restoration and maintenance. Those who don't fall into a class will always feel the pressure of misplacement. To be matter out of place signifies the fixed boundaries that human beings cannot surpass in their quench to civilize themselves
The Power and Impact of Stories
The story is an analysis and summary of other stories regarding racism (Chang, 2009). It subjects other articles and scholars to psychoanalysis. The author revolves around the protest that white scholars dominate civil rights avenues leaving no space for minorities. The original pointer is the white scholars but to ensure that the story creates enough attention as one critic notes, "it enlightens on the grave charge of invidious racism on the part of respected legal scholars" the story had to focus on the minorities (Chang, 2009). The agenda isn't profound because the author is establishing a foundation for a legal protest on civil rights. Using the same analogy, I would say that to understand the impact of Republicans policies people ought to analyze the minorities. This doesn't mean the majority who belong to the white class should not be analyzed. An understanding of the non-whites defines a lot of the policies and the impact of ideologies to the whole society.
The Role of Stories in Social Politics
In his article "Storytelling for Oppositionists and Others: A Plea for Narrative" Richard Delgado holds that a story is not always just a story, but rather a function which creates order and coherency and which manifests a certain meaning, thus being a shared reality experience of a group, and in fact forming that group. The linkage between narrative and group identity, especially out-groups, turns for Delgado the field of social politics into an arena of competing stories, different accounts of the same reality. A story, the argument goes, has a sort of double function. On the one hand Delgado argues that oppression is not just a statutory or social matter, but rather something that has to do with mindset and a perception which are manifested in narratives, meta- and sub-, designed to justify in the eyes of the ruling class and group the situation as it is, a narrative that they impose and coerce on other groups in order to fend off any attempts for change. On the other hand, stories can subvert dominant narratives and be a means of deconstructing ruling mindsets. In other words, stories create a shared reality and agreement, and so do counter-stories that serve as cohesion for out groups.
The Power of Narrative Choices
Delgado also analyzes how stories pick and choose facts in order to depict a clear image of an otherwise ambiguous course of events. Stories are not only manifested by the things they note and the questions they answer, but also by what is left out and the questions that are not asked. Delgado shows how the story of the in-groups (the white professor) is designed to quell criticism and reassure that everything is the way it ought to be. On the other hand, a report of the same story, as it were, by a different party (the black candidate) can offer a completely different account which destabilizes the agreed upon narrative and reveals its problems through different details, emphasis, and organization that turns against the standard narrative's guiding logic. The court's narrative, on the other hand, uses a factual screen to determine which details will make its narrative and codes them into law lingo the works to disarm them.
Stories as Tools for Learning and Change
Stories assist in connecting people with their past and also provide a glimpse of the future (Chang, 2009). It lessens the burden of going through the same process of pain and heartache. Stories enlighten us more and evoke people to view themselves regarding their position and ideologies in the societies. To the out-groups stories are like cautions as they explain what happens when various human tenets are not fulfilled. Human learns from their ancestors and past events through stories. The probe into activities and assess different decisions that made some years ago that have an impact on them. In this case, the subject of racism has been carried for many seasons. The predecessors had their perspectives on differences regarding their colors, races, and ethnic groups. The ideologies then transformed over the periods and through civilization different perception aroused. The contemporary society has a different perspective of racism compared to the past. For instance, from the article, it is evident that ancestors in the past used their natural differences to create groups and societies. Some cultures were superior compared to others. The excellent organization was guaranteed favors from the entire community. They had the upper hand in matters that of society and policies. The classes represented other categories on various issues, and in most cases, the minorities were underpinned. Moreover, Chang 2009 observes that stories are vital for making people evade the tedious nature of life. Through stories, people relate other contemporary issues and thus realize the importance of life. It enlightens and broadens human beings understanding and knowledge of racism. (Chang 2009)
Empathy and Reflection through Stories
On the other hand, the in-groups are often catalyzed to feel shame, guilt, and fear by learning about others. Stories provoke people to see their deeds and mistakes. It also makes the society learn about the wrongs that other people did. Through them, the society strengthens its tenets and moral codes. People will justify the need for observing the laws and moral codes because from experience of other people and societies they learn the outcomes. The fear and shame are attributed to the fact that people see themselves in others. They can always picture themselves in their shoes and thus understand how racism can yield animosity among human beings. People get to know that they have misplaced ideas and notions about others. In the article, Mary echoes the words of the authors in an illustration which states, "Every culture has a kind of order of classification built into it, and this seems to stabilize the culture. You know exactly where you are; you know who the inferiors are and who are the superiors are and how each has a rank. What disturbs is matter out of place which means none worries about the dirt in the garden since it belongs in the backyard but the moment it is in the bedroom you cleanse it, you sweep it out, you restore order, you police the boundaries, you know the hard and fixed boundaries between what belongs and what doesn't" (Hay, Hall & Grossberg, 2013). The statement enlightens on the outcome of stories and learning from other people experiences. Stories transform people from being uncivilized to being civilized. The stories can also distract people from the tensions that are facilitated by racism.
References
Chang, R. S. (2009). Richard Delgado and the politics of citation. Berkeley J. Afr.-Am. L. & Poly, 11, 28.
Hay, J., Hall, S., & Grossberg, L. (2013). Interview with Stuart Hall. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 10(1), 10-33.
