Post #1

We are the Other - David and Lou, South Minneapolis, MN (2012)

They were like an echo. Whatever question I asked one would answer and then the other would nod in agreement or repeat the answer. They met seven years ago when Lou (right) moved here from Chicago. “I don’t ever want to go back,” he said. “It’s hard for a young black man there. Mofos robbing each other.”

David lives a block away in the house he grew up in. They are “brothers from another mother” they said. Some other things they are:

“We love women.”

“Real recognize real.”

“We’re two bosses, entrepreneurs. We’re always gettin’ it.”

“Whatever gets the money, that’s what we’re into. And family. That’s about it.

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A picture of David and Lou in south Minneapolis, Minnesota taken by the extraordinary photographer Wing Huie in 2012. At the first glance, the picture seems ordinary just two adult friends hanging out on the porch of a typical American house, you can see two men of different races one black and the other white. looking closely at their faces, you can see similar features as both of them are wearing glasses of the same color and have similar facial hair. Also, both of the men seem to be uncomfortable in their poses and lack the interest of being in the photo shut. However, despite their lack of interest they seem to except where they are and how they appear to the world. in addition the man on the left is holding a cigarette and is okay with his posture in front of the camera. The status of the house seems to be old because of the peeling paint off the wall, based on the picture the house seems to be small.

looking at what both of the men are wearing, we can assume that they are on a day off or work part time. Therefore, they spend most of their time hanging out with each other from the picture they seem to be close friends. Furthermore, the peeling paint on the railings shows that they cannot afford to keep their home in better condition or maybe they are renting and cannot afford to buy a home. However, the picture shows that these two men of different racial status are willing to overcome all their differences with a friendship that has lasted seven years and more to come.

Wing Huie and Margret Atwood present "othering" in different forms. For example, Wing Huie represents "othering" by presenting two low class men of different races in a friendly picture and demonstrates that when people are willing to accept who they are and love themselves before others, we can overlook color and accept diversity. Also, the choice for the angle of the picture makes it easier and clearer for the reader to distinguish and examine the differences that make the two men similar and closer to each other.

In Margret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale, "othering" is presented through the use of different colors that place each individual into a different group and the specific clothing that separates each social group from the other. Also, each individual is assigned a specific  life style and task based on the social group they relate to. Furthermore, females are also grouped into different social groups and are not allowed to read, count nor write and few men of power are allowed to read from the Bible. In addition, the Bible is manipulated in the way that approves to the Gileadean governments needs and wants. Lastly, information and media in the Gileadean society are filtered and conserved so the people are completely unaware of what is going on in the country.