In Toni Morrison's "The Origin of Others" she confronts how otherness is socially constructed, in reference to racial difference. "…the social racism, the Othering" is a human belief that Morrison explains by a "social/psychological need to a stranger, an Other in order to define the estranged self." Morrison uses experiences, politics, and other literary works to further her point.
While reading this book, I didn't quite get into it. I am not that familiar with Toni Morrison's work; I have read bits and pieces of "Beloved" and there has always been a large community of people who have bragged about her works. Therefore, I kind of expected a little bit more from her, especially considering the argument she was making. The second chapter, "Being
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Morrison uses "Artificial Nigger" by Flannery O'Connor, a short story of a white man that is poor teaching his nephew how to view blacks as the lesser, to begin her argument. She highlights the scene of Mr. Head and his nephew on the train, where they see a well-dressed light-skinned man, which causes the nephew to say, "You said they were black...You never said they were tan..." I believe this is one of the many examples of how racism is indeed taught, and how children are so easily influenced, yet still not understanding the concept in full. The scene shows how race cannot be exclusive to just color. Some might probably see it as how classism also exists... reasons why the lighter your skin was, was why you were less oppressed. We could connect this to today's society and use how black people in Hollywood, sports, or even in the government are still scrutinized by white people, but are of a "better class" because of their wealth. Does wealth then separate those with more wealth from the "others"? Or also note that many lighter skinned women in the industry are fantasized, glorified, and fetishized more than a darker