Inequalities still Exist

Racism and sexism have been issues in the United States since it became a country over two hundred years ago. In Kindred, by Octavia Butler, Dana is alienated by society based on race and gender. These are issues that are still prevalent in our society today.

Society's view of skin color caused Dana to be degraded, especially when she travels to the time of slavery. When Dana is in the 1800`s she is reduced to a slave. She is called not by her name, but is rather referred to as a nigger by her master and even some of the fellow slaves. She fights with Rufus to call her "black." She explains to him "I'm a black woman, Rufe. If you have to call me something other than my name, that's it" (Butler, 25). Alice, one of Dana’s ancestors from the 1800’s, tells Dana that she acts too white.  She says, "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, whining and crying after some poor white trash of a man, black as you are. You always try to act so white. White nigger, turning against your own people" (165). Dana's thoughts and feelings regarding equality for blacks and whites alike have caused her to be scorned by her own race. Racism is not just a thing of the past; it also exists in the present. In Dana’s own time period of the 1970's, she is seen with Kevin by her employer and he makes rude comments  about them. He walks by them and utters, "chocolate and vanilla porn” (56). Dana is an outcast in both worlds due to her race.

Another major issue for Dana is her gender. She is treated differently because she is a woman. She was not even allowed to wear pants when she traveled back to the 1800’s. In the early 1800's all females wore dresses. Mr. Weylin thought she was a man because of the way she dressed and Ms. Weylin gave her the title of "just a strange nigger" (25) because she was not the stereotypical black woman of the time. She did not know how to cook, clean, sew, or raise children like any of the other female slaves on the plantation. She is viewed as crazy because she is a female who is educated like a white man, but she does not know how to perform the "basic routine" of a woman. Dana was not only expected to act like a black woman, but she was also viewed by white males as a sex slave. Female slaves were for the use and gratification of their owners and this meant that they could be raped and that would be acceptable. Dana’s gender was just another reason that she was treated differently. However, gender inequality is not just a thing of the past. According to U.S. Time, “U.S. women still earned only 77 cents on the male dollar in 2008, according to the latest census statistics and that number drops to 68% for African-American women and 58% for Latina women” (Fitzpatrick, 2010). These are significant differences that show that sexism and racism still exist in our country. They are not issues that you have to go back to the 1800’s to find.

           Alienation of race and gender still exist in our own society today. It may not be as obvious because there is not slavery anymore and women have more rights than they did in the 1800’s but it still affects many people. I think that we have come a long way as a society but we are not there yet.