Blog Response 3

Tim Rollins was successful in his ventures with the Kids of Survival for many reasons. First, I believe his intentions were noble and true. He grew up with what he felt was disadvantage, and he is proud of the way that he stepped out of his situation to become educated and successful. In a way, Rollins used his privilege to help out those in worse situations. Even though society would be better off without the awkward privilege dynamics that are in place, Rollins using his privilege to benefit those who cannot do so for themselves is a good thing. Since society views white males as authority figures, it was easy for these children to take direction from Rollins. After all, that’s the sort of thing they’d been told to do their whole lives so far - follow rules put into place by (generally white) authority figures. What was different and in a way transformative about Rollins, was that he centered the program on the needs of the children. He didn’t say, “You kids need to learn so you can get decent jobs and be worth something to society.” He tried to make them understand that everything he did with them was for the betterment of themselves, not of society.
I think it would be possible for something similar to happen now in a different society. Many people today are studying social issues and taking an active role in improving the situation, and I think there are many “white males” who would like to step up and do something for those who can’t. An issue that I see arising is that these “white males” (and I put this term in quotes because it could really be anyone outside the discriminated category) assuming that they know what is best for the kids. They could be trying to speak to a need that isn’t actually there, or speaking to it incorrectly. It is important that the authority figure listen and communicate with the youth about exactly what it is they need in their society, use the input of the kids to form goals, and then help guide them through art and education to meet those goals.