Meaghan wondering where do we go from here?

This past weekend we stayed in Plettenberg Bay and finally got around to jumping off the world’s highest bungee bridge! I’m a little bit surprised to be alive, but mostly can’t believe it all happened, and am shocked at how quickly it went by. Jumping off of that bridge was probably the scariest thing I have ever done, and it amazes me how much less scared I was than I anticipated being. I am so glad that I actually went through with jumping and hope I can do it again some day. I don’t think explaining it through typing will exactly do the experience justice, so I look forward to talking about it with family and friends when I get home. 

On a more serious note, lately it has become increasingly difficult for me to sit down and write these blog posts due to the complexity of processing all of the thoughts and feelings I have running through my head. To take all of the ideas, emotions, and opinions that I have and mold them into a smooth paragraph or two is much more difficult than simply spitting back information about the activities we have been doing or what fun plans we have for the weekend.

With that in mind, I wanted to talk about how much I enjoyed the film from class last night and the thoughts and conversation it generated. I know the anxiety I feel about returning home is something I have discussed before, and it was nice to hear that my friends are experiencing the same emotions. One point that was made in our post-film discussion dealt with not knowing where to go from here, and how we can take our knowledge back from South Africa and apply it to a UConn campus. We have all reached the point where we can openly discuss our position of privilege, and the difficulty that comes with accepting this and how to work with it. As it was pointed out last night though, this isn’t the hard part. Sitting amongst a group of white people who can relate and discussing the positives and negatives of privilege is not the solution to the problem. Open dialogue and cultural celebrations are not going to obtain the same results that action would. However, I genuinely believe that a vast number of people are unaware of the privilege they hold and to what extent the privilege exists in their lives. I can say that personally I was completely unaware of how greatly being white influences nearly every aspect of my life. In this respect, I think it is necessary to go out and spend time informing people of the situation that exists uncontested. My fear is that if the focus solely shifts to moving forward, only the small percentage of people aware will continue on, and the population of those unknowing will continue to grow. I think there needs to be some sort of balance between people going out and co-educating, and people moving forward with social justice. It sounds a lot easier than it would be to assemble, but it is the only way to promote a continuous stream of people who know and care. I see the whole situation in sort of a time crunch, racing against the clock to inform people as quickly as possible before too much time passes and no work is done. Once again I’m not really sure of the point I am trying to make with all of this, but I can see the need for reform in the way things are being handled. As the saying goes, knowledge is power. I am interested to see why it is that those who have been well-informed all along, those who have been oppressed and discriminated, aren’t receiving the power they deserve.