In Du Bois’ time, black people were viewed as worthless to society. They were not seen as intellectual individuals with something to offer the world. Although black individuals may have had knowledge of what they were capable of, the constant argument made by society that they were worthless caused their double consciousness. Due to society’s beliefs, black people began to view themselves the way that white people viewed them. They believed in and accepted the limits that were put on them by white people. According to Du Bois, this double consciousness gave black people a distorted perception of themselves.
Du Bois writes, This waste of double aims, this seeking to satisfy two unreconciled ideals, has wrought sad havoc with the courage and faith and deeds of ten thousand thousand people, — has sent them often wooing false gods and invoking false means of salvation, and at times has even seemed about to make them ashamed of themselves. (Du Bois, 1903, pp. 3) I think that double consciousness still very much exists in today’s American society. I not only believe it exists in relation to black people, but I believe it also exists in other minority groups, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and women. In Du Bois’ time double consciousness was seeing yourself through the eyes of the “other,” and the other represented white men.
Although I do not think that the “other” in American society today is solely represented by white men, I do think that white men still make up a large portion of the “other.” Even though people would like to believe that America is no longer a racist society, black people still receive unequal treatment and opportunity in today’s American society. This inequality causes double consciousness in black people today. For example, black people are less likely to get jobs than white people even if they are equally qualified. When black people continue to lose jobs to white people that are not any more qualified than they are, they begin to question their abilities and worthiness.
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Their perception of themselves is thus damaged because of the double consciousness they have, caused by the way American society views them. A lot of people in American society today still have huge issues with homosexuality. Many people see homosexuality as an attack on their core values or religious beliefs. The way in which many Americans treat homosexual people causes the LGBTQ community experience double consciousness. For example, gay couples are not as accepted as heterosexual couples. For a lot of Americans, seeing a gay couple show affection to each other in public still seems taboo. Because of this, people may stare at the gay couples, give them dirty looks, treat them differently, or make hateful comments towards them. Due to this discrimination, gay people may start to view themselves as society views them.
This double consciousness will more than likely take a toll on their self-image. They may begin to isolate themselves from society because they are made to feel like they do not fit the norms of society. Immigrants are another group in modern American society that experiences double consciousness. Immigrants, much like Du Bois, have to deal with the internal conflict of balancing their personal cultural values with those of America. They want to maintain their own culture, but they also want to be viewed as an American citizen. Immigrants not only experience double consciousness because of this, but they also experience double consciousness because of the way they are viewed by American society. Many Americans have a negative view of immigrants.
A lot of Americans believe that all immigrants are free loading off of America, are responsible for high crime in America, or that they are all drug smugglers. These common beliefs about immigrants may cause immigrants to be ashamed of who they are and their heritage. In American society today, I do not think that women are as valued as men. Women earn less money than men do, they are underrepresented in government, they are more likely to live in poverty, and women are more susceptible to sexual abuse than men. Because of all of these inequalities, women experience double consciousness.
A woman may find herself wondering if she is worthy of making equal pay as her equally qualified male coworker, or she may wonder if she is capable of holding that position in government because she does not see many women in government. Women may find themselves wondering where they went wrong to end up in poverty, when in reality it may have been society that failed them. A woman may even find herself wondering what she could have done differently to avoid being sexually assaulted. These are all viewpoints that were created in the minds of women as a result of how American society values women. I think that there are several groups of people who experience double consciousness in American society today that I did not mention.
Double consciousness, in my opinion, can even be experienced within families and other micro and meso-level populations. For instance, a parent may repeatedly tell their child that they are not capable and will not amount to anything. This discouragement could alter the child’s self-image, thus limiting the child’s beliefs of what they can accomplish with their lives. In my opinion, double consciousness is something that is extremely evident in today’s American society. It is my belief that double consciousness not only occurs at a societal level but also at an individual level. I think nearly every person could identify a time where they experienced double consciousness. Du Bois’ writings on double consciousness seem relevant in today’s society, just as they were relevant in his time.
My favorite work this semester was WEB Du Bois’ “The Souls of Black Folk.” I found Du Bois’ work to be the most interesting that we have read so far. I like learning about cultures that are different from my own and educating myself on the different struggles that different cultures and races experienced throughout history. Du Bois’ writings were also the easiest for me to relate to modern American society, which made the work easier for me to understand. As I mentioned, I enjoy learning about cultures that are different from my own. I think Du Bois did a good job with depicting the life of a black person in the early 1900’s in “The Souls of Black Folk.” I think it is important to read works written by different races that helped shape American history.
The majority of the historical literature I have read in different history classes was written by white males. I think it is important to read works written by diverse populations so that you get a balanced view of America’s history. One may be educated by literature written by a white person on the hardships that black people have faced throughout history, but in order to fully understand how that effected black people, I think one must read a first-hand account. What I find makes this work unique is the fact that Du Bois was not only able to provide an educated view point on the weight of racism in American society, but he was also able to share with the readers his personal experiences with racism.
An example of Du Bois personal experience follows, “Then it dawned upon me with a certain suddenness that I was different from the others; or like, mayhap, in heart and life and longing, but shut out from their world by a vast veil” (Du Bois, 1903, pp. 2). I also find it really neat that Du Bois was a sociologist. His work revolved around him studying social problems in society, and his whole life he personally experienced the effects that a social problem, racism in his case, can have on a persons’ life. I do not think that it was a coincidence that Du Bois chose sociology as one of his fields of study. I think Du Bois is an excellent example of someone who acknowledged a problem in the world and made great efforts to implement change. Du Bois writes, “Nevertheless, out of the evil came something of good, — the more careful adjustment of education to real life, the clearer perception of the Negroes’ social responsibilities, and the sobering realization of the meaning of progress” (Du Bois, 1903, pp. 5).
As I have mentioned, Du Bois’ “The Souls of Black Folk,” was the easiest for me to understand. Although I realize social problems and the government are often times related in some way, I enjoy learning about the history of social problems in American society more than learning about the history of American government. I was able to identify social problems in Du Bois’ writings, so I was better able to relate this writing to my interests. I was also able to relate “The Souls of Black Folk,” to modern American society easier than the other writings we read. Not only is double consciousness, which I discussed earlier in the paper, evident in today’s society, but I also found another point that Du Bois made to be relative to today’s American society. Du Bois writes, “A people thus handicapped ought not to be asked to race with the world, but rather allowed to give all its time and thought to its own social problems” (Du Bois, 1903, pp. 5).
Although I think that Du Bois was referring to the fact that it was unfair for black people to have to compete with white people because black people are not offered the same opportunities as white people, I think that this quote can still be applied to today’s society. In modern American society, many people are not granted equal opportunities based on race, gender, economic status, and many other reasons. Although there are many people who are able to climb the ladder to success in America, I think it is harder for people with fewer opportunities and privileges to get ahead in life and successfully compete with the rest of society.
