Generations of Sag Harbour

For me, it's interesting to think about the differences between the generations that go to Sag Harbour. Benji's parents lived during the 1960s; therefore, they are very aware of their racial identities and the implications of them. I think that, while the time they lived in was outright racist and discriminatory towards black people, I don't think that we can really call Benji's life easier than his parents. 

Rather, I think he faces different problems than his parents. For example, he goes through more indirect racism than the direct assaults his parents may have faced. As far as his community goes, I think the segregated drinking fountains were exchanged for disadvantages when it comes to looking for jobs or interacting with law enforcement. I think that's another place where we can see a generational difference between the attendees of Sag Harbour. For example, his parents--especially his father--are very interested in listening to the news and remarking on racist incidences while Benji and his siblings have no interest in listening to it. It seems they just want to live their lives without having to worry about such things. 

However, he lives in a society where people just can't believe that a well-to-do black person like him really exists. Therefore, he is constantly ridiculed and singled out by his classmates and people in general. Even though he ultimately can't escape it, I think that mindset is probably the most notable difference between the generations.

Comments

  1. FarahMay 21, 2021 at 1:49 PM

    I definitely agree! It is always good to look back on the progress that has been made, but progress shouldn't invalidate the problems that Benji and his friends still face in society. Racist microaggressions are still invalidating and uncomfortable (as we see with the head patting incident) and while Benji would definitely prefer to ignore these problems (like you said), sometimes that is just not possible. Great post!

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  2. AndrewMay 26, 2021 at 7:16 AM

    I totally agree with your points! Every generation faces different (but sometime similar) challenges and circumstances that need to be handled differently as well. I think it's also interesting to think about the scene in the last chapter where Benji talks about younger generations replacing older generations as he tries to find who he's replacing and who's going to replace him. In the end though, I think evolution would be a better term to use than replacement because like you said, each generation is going to have their differences.

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  3. MitchellMay 26, 2021 at 8:29 AM

    Banji and his crew may *wish* to "live their lives without having to worry about such things," but we repeatedly see throughout the book how they can't help but engage with the larger context of race and racism, even in the "sanctuary" of the Sag Harbor Black community. Benji and his friends don't have the luxury, or the privilege, of just getting to experiment with their identities and "figure out who they are" in a vacuum: Benji gravitates toward "white" music like Bauhaus and the Smiths, and his friends tease him for not listening to rap as much as they do. Bobby can't just get interested in black militancy as a philosophy that happens to appeal to him; it will be always seen as a reaction against his privileged upbringing and his comparatively light skin tone, an overcompensation, an assertion of racial identity. They don't face really blatant and obvious forms of discrimination, like their parents did, but we see ambiguous interactions like the Head-Patting Incident rise to the level of a major controversy and conflict.

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  4. EssraaMay 27, 2021 at 1:38 PM

    I also find it kind of interesting that Benji doesn't really care to pay mind to racism displayed through media, which is a somewhat positive outlook all in all, it shouldn't really be something to hugely reflect on and circulate in life but I do think looking at past generations and experiences relating to discrimination and race make an interesting point and comparison and I think Benji does reflect on it a bit be it mentally.

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  5. Katya S.May 28, 2021 at 1:46 AM

    Yes! I totally agree! I think this is especially evident in the way that Benji's father freaks out whenever there is some racial incident at school, encouraging his son to get into physical fights. However, when Benji gets revenge on a racial incident like the head pat, he does it in a much more indirect way. Benji tends to feel racism more through microaggressions, so he also responds with indirect punishments while his father favors direct confrontation.

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