I think that our discussion of the relationship between race and the prison system was very important from last class. Throughout time there has been a noteworthy trend between these two variables. For instance, black males are disproportionately incarcerated in relation to any other race. I found the story of George Jackson to be an interesting case in American history to analyze. It was fascinating to me that even from the confinements of a prison cell he was able to achieve public outreach and support for his case. Additionally his case can teach us more about the dangers of the radicalization of the prison system. Both prisoners and guards died as a result of this conflict. The George Jackson story also gives us a better understanding of the criminal class being a part of the population that could drive gnostic religion. He was able to present himself as a refined intellectual through his book and this led to great appeal from the New Left. Additionally he was able to manipulate the public with his charismatic attitude and motivational speaking skills. He was a major reason why the New Left sought out to use prisoners as the vanguard of political movement. I also think that it is fascinating that upper-middle class and educated white students would seek out the assistance of criminals in their political agenda. With two groups so structurally different it is surprising that the New Left thought their unison would achieve an utopian society. This especially surprised me because these two groups were fighting every different inequalities (The New Left was more concerned with classroom politics and the black prisoners more concerned with civil rights movements and prison reform).
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One reply on “Week 8 blog part 1”
I agree that the relationship between race and the prison system was an important topic from last class. I think that this is relevant to modern times. There have been changes in particular states to release those who are incarcerated for marijuana. This is due to the fact that black men are imprisoned for marijuana related offenses at much higher rates compared to their white counterparts.
Furthermore, I found the case of George Jackson to be interesting. I had only heard brief details about him when I was studying Angela Davis prior to this class session. I find it fascinating that he was able to have a platform and promote these radical ideas from inside his prison cell.
I agree that it was interesting that the New Left chose black prisoners as the vanguard for their political movement to achieve a utopia. The platforms that each group was fighting on were very different. Additionally, the composition of the people in these groups likely did not have any shared experiences. When I think of utopia, everything is “perfect”. However, it seems difficult to achieve a perfect, utopian society when the groups do not have much in common. I wonder if they thought because the groups are different, the new perspectives would help to bring out the best parts of both groups?