Social stratification does more than distinguish people according to their wealth and occupation; it also impacts how people view themselves and others around them. The mental functioning of people is of particular interest to philosophers who propose theories about the holistic psychology of different demographics, focusing particularly on the psychological development of different demographics as they interact with each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Genealogy of Morals, Friedrich Nietzsche explores the psychological development or resentment of those in the position of slave in relation to a master. People who are resentful are those who are in an inferior position and are called various names, including “the slaves,” “the mob,” “the herd,” or “the common man.” The theory that Nietzsche presents about the psychological development and thought processes of slaves both challenges and accompanies WEB DuBois's near-contemporary explanation of the psychological state of African Americans in 20th century America, which he describes as the term double consciousness in his work The Souls of Black People. Although Nietzsche's discussion revolves around the power struggle between slave and master, we can still apply this psychological explanation to the limited scope that DuBois defines for this specific demographic group in a particular era of states' history. -United. In order to better understand how DuBois and Nietzsche interact, we must first understand DuBois' main arguments and context in how he discusses double consciousness. DuBois describes double consciousness as the complex psychological state of African Americans who face two conflicting identities. He describes African Americans as "a sort of seventh son, born with a veil and blessed with second sight in the American world." DuBois continues: “[This world] gives him no true self-awareness, but only allows him to see himself through the revelation of the other world. It is a special sensation to have this double consciousness, this feeling of looking at oneself through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul against the yardstick of the world which looks at us with amused contempt and pity. From this excerpt, DuBois highlights several aspects of this double consciousness, directing us to the ideas of veil and second sight. The veil that covers the black son's eyes is something he was born with. It is not something that is acquired through achievement or experience, nor can it be taken away. As seen in other passages, the veil represents the psychological manifestation of racism. The veil exists in the minds of white people and forces them to structure society according to racist logics. For example, when DuBois is invited to dinner with two white men, he is initially surprised by the open-mindedness of a white man, even thinking he is lucky. But once dinner was served, “then fell the horrible shadow of the Veil, for [the white men] ate first, and then [him] – alone.” For a moment, DuBois believed the veil had been removed from his face, allowing white men to fully see him as a human or an equal. But he soon realized that he was still under the veil, within this marginalized part of society because of his race. The veil prevents white people from seeing black people as Americans and treating them as full humans.In addition to this veil, the black son is “gifted” with a second sight. DuBois uses the word gifted ironically, because as he reveals, this second sight is the black son's view of himself through the white lens of racism. or the “world that looks on with amused contempt and pity.” He sees himself through the same veil that white people see him. This means that second sight rests on the veil, which means that second sight lasts as long as the veil of racism exists. In addition to this second view of himself from the perspective of white America, the black son also sees himself as he sees himself, giving him a dual perspective or, as DuBois calls it, a double consciousness. The black son struggles with conflicting views of who he is as white America sees him and who he is to himself. He “feels his duality: an American, a Black; two souls, two thoughts, two irreconcilable efforts; two ideals at war in a dark body, whose tenacious strength alone prevents it from being torn apart.” The life of the black son consists of an inner duel between two opposing perspectives. As someone born into a white world, he is immediately an outsider. Despite his attempts to assimilate and participate in this white world, he will never be accepted, because white America will never accept him as fully human and marginalizes him behind this veil. DuBois points to his own personal experience where, after becoming aware of this veil, he attempted to surpass his classmates in academic endeavors and physical activities. But “over the years, all this beautiful contempt began to fade away; for the worlds he longed for, and all their dazzling opportunities, were theirs, not his.” Even if the black son offers himself to the white world, learns in their schools, learns to speak or behave like them, he will never be treated as an equal simply because he is a black man in an America that is already a black man. white world. Similar to the black son who is forced into a position of genteel inferiority in his world, the slave who experiences resentment is also in a position of inferiority to the master. Nietzsche begins his analysis of resentment by examining the etymological roots of the words "good" and "bad" as they are coined in various languages, noting an alignment of "good" with "the aristocratic soul", "noble", " a soul of a high order” and “a privileged soul” and an “evil” alignment with “common”, “plebeian” and “weak”. The development of languages ​​was based on the idea that good was related to the noble and evil was related to the common. Nietzsche therefore deduces that it was probably the nobility, which was in power, which defined these etymological associations. Through a series of chain reactions, the social distinction between nobles and commoners favored the development of languages ​​to define good and evil in favor of the nobles, which thus favored the moral perception of good and evil again in favor of the nobles, which thus established a status quo that nobles and their attributes were good and commoners and their attributes were evil. Just as the world described by DuBois is a white America that scrutinizes African Americans, the society described by Nietzsche is ruled by a powerful nobility who define themselves as good and place commoners in the position of evil. It is important to note that the African American described by DuBois is actually the “commoner” or “slave” described by Nietzsche. Nietzsche's terms, although used in different contexts and thus alternating between "commoner" and "slave", refer to the same thing and simply represent someone who is inferior or "bad" according to society's perception . THEAfrican Americans and commoners or slaves are simply those who occupy an inferior position. In addition to being positionally inferior, for people to develop double consciousness and resentment requires a personal recognition of that inferiority. As noted previously, DuBois describes the veil and second sight which causes double consciousness and is inherent to African Americans at birth. But African-Americans must become aware of this veil. As DuBois recounts his childhood, it was only when a classmate treated him differently from other white classmates that he realized “with a certain suddenness that he was different from the others; or as, perhaps in the heart, in life and in desire, but isolated from their world by a vast veil." Although he always had a veil, he did not always realize it until until he sees its effects Later, when DuBois reflects on the birth and premature death of his newborn, he confirms this again when he mentions the presence of the veil when he says that his son. , like him, was born under the veil and will continue to live within it. When his son dies, DuBois is initially in mourning, but also recognizes his son's death as an escape from the effects of the veil. his son's innocence, he "knew no color line...and the Veil, though it cast a shadow on him, had not obscured half his sun. DuBois finds comfort in the fact." that his son will never experience the cruelties of racism, but will simply live a simplistic and innocent life, unaffected by the veil is always present on African Americans, but it is not necessarily always recognized. . Since recognition of the veil causes double consciousness, one way that double consciousness goes unnoticed is that people do not realize the veil. Therefore, double consciousness is only effective as long as the veil is noticed. Likewise, the commoner who experiences resentment must be aware of his inferiority. Resentment, “to exist,…needs a hostile external world…[as] external stimuli.” Nietzsche refers to Jews who, like African-Americans, experienced oppression and slavery. They were well aware of the domination of their masters who imposed the rules of morality and societal norms on them (Nietzsche 34). Although both double consciousness and resentment require the participant to be inferior and to be aware of their inferiority, the difference between double consciousness and resentment lies in how the participant reacts to the awareness of their inferiority. inferiority. Double consciousness initially discourages African Americans, but DuBois points out how people have tried to escape and can escape its clutches. First, DuBois shows the negative effects of double consciousness. Inevitably, double consciousness leads to “questioning, self-denigration and lowering of ideals which always accompany repression and are reproduced in an atmosphere of contempt and hatred”. The internalization of prejudices results in the adoption of self-denigrating judgments directed against oneself. As a result, “the powers of body and mind…are strangely wasted, dispersed, or forgotten.” However, as Dubois points out, this obstruction of human potential and participation in societal life is “not a weakness, but the contradiction of double objectives”. Double consciousness drains African Americans of all their potential, as they seek to satisfy two unreconciled ideals. Despite this crippling disadvantage, DuBois highlights various ways in which African Americans can and have responded to this psychological distress, highlighting only one true wayto escape double consciousness. First, he warns against the philosophy of Booker T. Washington, which compromises the political power, civil rights, and higher education of African Americans for the sake of physical comfort. According to DuBois, failing to achieve these goals is "practically [an acceptance of] the supposed inferiority of the black races." Without this "manly self-respect," African Americans would willingly give up that respect or stop fighting for it and, as has been seen throughout history, DuBois asserts, this would of them people “not worth being civilized”. Washington's program could temporarily secure the physical needs of African Americans, but at the expense of their own self-esteem and the risk of losing an escape from the veil. Second, DuBois warns against the lure of wealth as a goal. DuBois fears that African-Americans are directing their struggle for "another and more just world" towards "cash and the thirst for gold." He recognizes that the ideal of a just world is "vague" and mysterious, whereas wealth is a clear and achievable goal sought by both sides of the color divide. Yet wealth is only a false promise that does not remove the veil and distracts from the goal of self-realization and political and cultural participation. Rather than following the philosophy of Booker T. Washington or pursuing wealth, DuBois views self-respect and self-affirmation as the only way to resolve the inner turmoil of double consciousness, which will be discussed in more detail later late. Unlike double consciousness, which causes inner reflection or self-change, resentment is a rebellion against what is outside of oneself. Resentment looks at what is external and “says no to what is “external”, to what is “different”, what is “not itself”… This need to direct its gaze towards the outside rather only towards oneself – is in essence resentment.” We seek to express hostile behavior towards another who is the source of our inferiority, rather than reflecting on ourselves. Once resentment “becomes itself creative and gives birth to values,” “the revolt of the slaves of morality begins.” This "moral revolt of slaves" is an "imaginary revenge", that is, it takes an ideological form, manifesting itself in ideas and attitudes towards the world and specific aspects of life. Nietzsche cites the Jews as an example. Jews who opposed their enemies and conquerors were "ultimately content with nothing less than a radical reassessment of the values ​​of their enemies, that is, an act of vengeance of the most spiritual ". Seeking to reverse the morality of their master, the Jews, in their slave morality, caused an inversion of values, attributing their own characteristics as good and those of their masters as evil. Nietzsche's resentment is more than just resentment. Resentment has power and spreads until “slave morality” trumps the glories of “master morality.” Nietzsche points to Christianity as the pinnacle of Jewish "slave morality," which took control away from Rome's noble master class and became the new dogma of Rome. Nietzsche condemns resentment as a "fundamentally dangerous form of human existence" that has made man "an interesting animal, and only here has the human soul, in a higher sense, acquired depth and became bad.” Resentment first looks outward, condemns and hates "others", but results in an inner transformation of the slave into an "animal" endowed with depth and,”.