Extra Credit

Rebecca Walker

Rebecca Walker is a third wave feminist as well as a graduate of Yale University. She has written several books; one being Black, White, and Jewish, and Baby Love which is her most resent. Walker was standing behind a pulpit, and as she began her speech, she talked about a lady she knew at Yale who called the pulpit “the patriarchal pulpit.” This is because she claimed that it is the relationship between the people and the speaker; it is a shield, and we have to come through it to get to the person behind it. Walker also gave it a name; the guinic pulpit (which I did not understand). She told us that she would like to come out from behind it to become more interactive with her audience, but then she would not have her papers to read from.

The title of Walker’s speech was Today is the Tomorrow that was Promised to you Yesterday. She says that there is a need for societies to be more egalitarian. According to her, people today are too focused on finances and they forget to look at where we are going into the future. Because of this, we will have trouble understanding the world, and how to change it. We need to keep in mind two questions; what future are we shaping and what seeds are we planting. Walker says that the current American media leads people to believe that if they follow what the media says, America will be a safer, cleaner, and more prosperous place to live. However, the truth is that none of us are safe, take for example September 11. “People are too focused on the illusion of progress,” said Walker.

The problem with today’s society is individualism; I, me, and mine, it is the “sacred cow of America,” said Walker. This leads Americans to divisiveness, selfishness, greed, envy, and aggression. She goes on to explain that politics can solve all the problems in the world, while at the same time create all the problems. “We are surrounded by divisiveness,” says Walker, “like a fish surrounded by water.”

Walker’s next topic was on openness. She said that we are chipping away at our most valued resource by not being open with each other; we need to be open to other ways of thinking. According to her, openness is almost non existent in today’s world. People are constantly judging others which makes it difficult to actually be open. Even Walker herself explained how she thought she was open when she was in college, but soon after realized how closed she really was. She always thought that she was right, which led her to be divisive. We can redesign ourselves by being open; divisiveness destroys each other. Walker wrapped up her speech saying that we should be on the path of life, liberty, and happiness.

Rebecca Walker’s speech was kind of deep and it was hard for me to catch on to exactly what she was saying. I did like what she said about openness because it would be a different world if everyone was more open. The unfortunate thing is, I doubt that will ever happen. People are too self-centered, as she mentioned earlier in her speech. I also expected the speech to be more about feminism, but she did not say much on that topic. It was obvious to see though that she is a very knowledgeable woman.