How Race Can Alter History

Made up depictions of race throughout history have developed and staged how we view certain races. In regards to how people shape their views by the content that is available to them, "...shape their interests through the design of messages with resources available to them in specific situations" (Hum 191). The process of design is one in which everything about the design is made up in part by the designer based off certain characteristics that negatively depict a race. Hum uses "radicalized gaze" (Hum 192) in order to describe how these images aimed focus on a  negative aspect of the race, "by directing our attention to how designers may unwittingly sustain practices of racialization and perpetuate racially based sociocultural exclusions" (Hum 192).

We can thus see and notice how societies made up beliefs and stereotypes can be spread by the wrongful interpretation and depictions of certain races through literary works. Hum separates these views into two entities, "sight" and "site". Sight is used as the visual reference that one picks up on and then makes judgments on about the nature of the person and the "truth" about a persons personality based only on the persons look. Site serves as point of reference in order to group certain types of people into a group related to one another strictly by their agreed upon social standing by their race. Both sight and site are used as verbs that group people together and depict them in a negative way that creates negative stereotypes. These negative stereotypes are then instilled into society thru literary works and images. We as a society then perceive history by looking at past literary works and images and construct those ideas as true representations of past time, thus creating what we know to be history. Now, being aware of the wrongful and deeming practices in past designs the process of design must change. "design involves processes of imagining a new the choices and arrangements that promote a socially tolerant and racially inclusive future. Design also provides tools, drawn from existing sources, with which old stereotypes can be re drawn according to the goals of transformation." (Hum 208).

Even though race does not change a person from being a person Gates mentions how we define races in scientific manners and how language has aided such alienation. "in 1973 I was amazed to hear a Member of the House of the Lords describe the differences between Irish protestants and Catholics in terms of their "distinct and clearly definable differences of race". "you mean to say you can tell them apart?" I asked incredulously. "of course", responded the lord. "any english man can"(Gates 5)". As more and more influential people use their power and the power of language to alienate races the more widespread race division will be instilled in society. Works like Gates, Critical Inquiry in contribution with others work together to, "deconstruct if you will, the ideas of difference inscribed in the trope of race , to explicate discourse itself in order to reveal the hidden relations of power and knowledge inherent in popular and academic usages of "race"(Gates 6). As long as common belief is supported by language to take power away from other races history will remain the same. We see how historically some races have been less powerful the others due to societal repression, "learning to read and write , then was not only difficult, it was a violation of law."(Gates 9).

A simple example of how African Americans were denied the right to learn to read and write thus negates them from being able to ever construct their own history. Without specific races constructing their own history, other "superior" have been in charge of constructing their history. Without any own literary work from that race any historical work composed about that race is then only a mere transcription of an outsiders view and perspective of what that "superior"race thinks and perceives of the "lesser" race. This is why their has been instilled hierarchy powers in society, one "superior" race has had the power to frame and construct ideas of "lesser" races without restrictions and repercussions.
(Hum 202)