This is starting out to be an amazing story, and a hilarious one at that. Although I found the religious section more sacrilege, it did provide a descriptive view of the different racial churches and their various manners of worship. The funniest story was, of course, the poop in the kitchen, and the superstition that followed afterwards. Digging deeper into the work, I see a young Noah growing up unaware of all the "color talk." Innocent and pure of the idea of racism, he merely sees the people who refer to him as by a certain color to be confused, and Trevor refers to himself not as black, white, or colored, but as Trevor. I thought the phrase at the beginning of the book had much to say.
"The genius of apartheid was convincing people who were the overwhelming majority to turn on each other. Apart hate, is what it was. You separate people into groups and make them hate one another so you can run them all."
It was all about power and control, and since the natives were the majority group, the only way for the foreigners to control them was to divide them, a process that Trevor said "took centuries" to complete. People fought each other for problems neither had caused. It was hate that was based upon one's race, look, identity, and language. The laws were even geared to exacerbate the separation.
Looking at young Noah vs. present-day Noah, I wonder what happened. Of course, his rise to comedy as was first seen in the story of the playground, is astounding. I want to view him more as through his beliefs, and by beliefs I really mean his political beliefs. How have his beliefs changed, and is he true to what he writes? From research, I've learned he doesn't want to identify with a particular wing, left or right, but he is progressive, which by nature is left-leaning. I really yearn for authenticity from a writer. When someone is upfront and real, the message carries over. On the other side of the coin though, an author who writes but lives the opposite of what they right, just as much can be learned. It just takes much more diligence (and context). Just look at Wollenstonecraft.
This is another book that is helping me view the author and the work healthily. The last thing that should come from Apartheid should be race and identity politics over here in America. That has been the "push" of the left. Just as in the case of any country, tribe, or family: "united we stand, divided we fall." I do not accredit any of said things to Trevor, because I do not know enough to make any claims. I just want to see how walking through Apartheid and its wake affected his identity, person, and beliefs.
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I commented on Josh and Caroline
"The genius of apartheid was convincing people who were the overwhelming majority to turn on each other. Apart hate, is what it was. You separate people into groups and make them hate one another so you can run them all."
It was all about power and control, and since the natives were the majority group, the only way for the foreigners to control them was to divide them, a process that Trevor said "took centuries" to complete. People fought each other for problems neither had caused. It was hate that was based upon one's race, look, identity, and language. The laws were even geared to exacerbate the separation.
Looking at young Noah vs. present-day Noah, I wonder what happened. Of course, his rise to comedy as was first seen in the story of the playground, is astounding. I want to view him more as through his beliefs, and by beliefs I really mean his political beliefs. How have his beliefs changed, and is he true to what he writes? From research, I've learned he doesn't want to identify with a particular wing, left or right, but he is progressive, which by nature is left-leaning. I really yearn for authenticity from a writer. When someone is upfront and real, the message carries over. On the other side of the coin though, an author who writes but lives the opposite of what they right, just as much can be learned. It just takes much more diligence (and context). Just look at Wollenstonecraft.
This is another book that is helping me view the author and the work healthily. The last thing that should come from Apartheid should be race and identity politics over here in America. That has been the "push" of the left. Just as in the case of any country, tribe, or family: "united we stand, divided we fall." I do not accredit any of said things to Trevor, because I do not know enough to make any claims. I just want to see how walking through Apartheid and its wake affected his identity, person, and beliefs.
_____________
I commented on Josh and Caroline
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