“Policing the National Body”, by Jael Silliman discusses the
aggressive laws and the impact of them, placed on communities of color. She
also speaks on the regulation and criminalization of the reproduction of many
poor women.
According
to Silliman politicians are aiding the division of class and race within the
U.S. By trying to gain the support of the middle-class, the media begins to neglect
issues of race, poverty, and criminalization in communities of color. The ideal
liberal way to deal with is this is through “good policing”. However, if the
woman’s movement does not view the state as an opponent, where women of color
are concerned, then change is less likely to happen any time soon. The mainstream reproductive rights activist appears
to have swept cut backs on welfare, and rights for immigrants, under the rug. Since this group is made up of predominately
white women, who are most likely in a different class than women of color, not
pay much attention is paid to the rights of these women.
The state
plays a major role in regulating, surveillance, and control of both the individual
and collective bodies. This power enables the state to criminalize the
reproduction of poor women, by sometimes giving mandatory long lasting contraceptives
and sterilization.
“Hunger
and homelessness. Inadequate housing and
income to provide for themselves and their children. Family instability. Rape.
Incest. Abuse. Too young, too old, too sick, too tired. Emotional, physical,
mental, economic, social- the reasons for not carrying a pregnancy are endless
and varied.”
Poor women have still fought for their right to safe,
accessible birth control, and good health care for their selves and their
children.
The
criminal justice system continues to be its own instigator, and continues to
incarcerate more peoples of color. With more and more aggressive policing it
fattens its self, continuously filling its jails and prisons. In 2001 prisons are expected to surpass two
million people. Housing these prisoners are nowhere near enough to rehabilitate
and release them back into society. They instead are expected to serve their
sentence, and then returned to the poor conditions from whence they came.
People of color are usually the ones to
populate most of the prison systems. Judith Scully claims that “the war on drugs
is used to justify the control over the Black community. Scully believes that
the government fails to properly punish whites who committed crimes. The prison
system has also seen an increase in female inmates; most of these women being
Black and Latina.
Do you feel as if prisons are made up mostly of people of color?
Do you believe that contraceptives and other forms of sterilization are
marketed more towards people of color? Do you believe the government is keeping
your rights to reproduction under surveillance?
Reading Comment: This reading really ruffled a few feathers that I do not have. These politicians feel as though they are doing a great justice for and in gaining the support of the middle class, but before doing so I believe they need to work on the issues that effect every class, such as poverty and racial decriminalization. They are busy worrying about family values and abortion but in reality a vast majority of women or families who push for it aren't financially stable or aren't of an appropriate age or conceived the child of terms not agreed upon by them (rape). What many people don't realize is that with fixing poverty you aid in terminating most piety crimes because they are often done be people lack the funds to get something they need or want. For instance most people who sell drugs or stolen items do so because it's "easy money". Many times you can apply to jobs but only so often are you gonna get an interview and followed by actually succeeding in getting the job. This discourages people especially when many job options want you to have experience but none are willing to give you the experience.
ReplyDeleteNow to answer your questions:
*I can say that prisons are made up mostly of people of color because of the percentage they are of the colored people in the US. In other words the US is majority white therefore the fraction of whites in prisons to that of the coloreds in prison is far less.
*It maybe marketed but most can't afford or rather use their funds towards something of greater value. Also various forms of contraception are seen by most because they have to have access, funds, or coverage to visit proper doctors who v=can introduce them to them and then be able to pay for them.
Silliman does a good job in this article linking the increased policing in the neoliberal period and the increased prison population to things other than crime such as media and surveillance. I do not think that she makes a convinving argument about the regulation and criminalization of reproduction by the state.
ReplyDeleteThis idea of the State recruiting the sensibilities of the middle class in order to effect control over the poor class reminds me of Foucault's Panopticon, where the oppressive power of the ruling body is transferred into individual behavior. The rules of the State are internalized so much that the policing is done by the oppressed individuals upon themselves and their neighbors, and the government needs only to make examples of those who do not follow the 'group-think' of the masses to propagate this self-policing social machine.
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ReplyDeleteI think we also need to focus on the poor state of sexual education in the country and how that could have a visible effect on women of color, considering many are victims of state-inforced segregation into areas with a lack of proper funding or any at all. There seems to really be no division of church and state when the group being heard is spouting ideas that were born from the scars of this "nation under god."
ReplyDeleteNot only is the rehabilitation system a total joke, but so much time and money is focused on the oppression of minorities and our nation still hasn't woken up and realized its a dreary cycle, meant to continue propelling the idea of white America.
It is a known fact that the prison system consists mainly of black males. I do not believe that contraceptives are marketed towards people of color, as the price of contraceptives create a problem for colored people with a low SES. By putting a price tag on contraceptives, this prevents women who are not financially stable from obtaining the reproductive treatment that they need, which leads to unwanted pregnancy. These unwanted pregnancies, and having a child in poverty stricken conditions, influences how the child is brought up, and essentially whether or not that child will wind up in prison. Hence, more people of color imprisoned with the regulation of birth control and abortion. The government has absolutely become too involved in reproductive rights, on the platform that it is a political issue. Womens rights have no place in politics, but apparently religion influences the decision of lawmakers, therefore causing womens bodies to become a political battleground.
ReplyDeleteI am not actually sure if the prisons are made up of mostly people of color, but I feel as though what we hear on the news and in the media, in the newspaper and online, we get the sense that they mostly are made up with people of color. We hear about all the different crimes that are committed and the majority of the time, the bigger crimes that get the most press are of those involving people of color. For this reason, I feel as though I get the impression that a lot of colored people are in prison. Also, I do not feel as though the contraceptives and other forms of sterilization are marketed toward people of color. The ads I see for contraceptives and that kind of stuff, I don't feel are marketed toward people of color. I do see how they can be seen as aimed toward people of a lesser income and people who may not have all the resources available to get help and information.
ReplyDelete