Seminar REFLECTIONS
August 29, 2014
Within the Depths of the Human Race
What even is racism? Lately, there has been a lot of talk about racism in our country. Primarily because of the recent event in Ferguson, Missouri, where a young black man was shot by a white man. To me, that sentence should have been phrased: an awful event where another man shot a young man. Race shouldn't even matter. Sadly, it seems that’s all people care about. Which brings me back to the question, what is racism? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary it is defined as: “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Not everyone knows the real meaning of the word racism; they know what they believe to be true from what they have been taught through society.
Racism is a major issue not only in American society but also throughout the human race. In class, it is important to discuss what has been happening, for maybe as long as humans have existed. With all of the recent uproar of racist acts, it’s vital for people to know what is going on in their communities and everywhere else. Even though these new incidents are common, there has been a development of tension across the nation. Everyone is asking what do we do. As I begin to get older I become more interested and passionate about these events and how I can help. I want to learn more. What has built up to these awful incidents? We look back in history and retrace our steps finding out that everything is just repeating itself. After asking my peers and other people around me, I learn that this is common knowledge. I also believe that by talking and exploring racism and then sharing that information with the people that don't understand racism, will remove the dangerous aspect of the prejudices.
For a lot of people racism is just on the surface or just certain people are racists. People think all of the time, “I am not like that, and I don't discriminate people because they are black. No, that’s only white people in the South”, but what they don't know is that racism is so deep in the human culture that everyone is racists to some level. I hadn't thought of this until one of my classmates put this idea into perspective by saying, “On the outside we may think in black or white, that there is a defined line between racist or not. But, in reality we are all racists on a subconscious level.” For a moment, I stopped listening during the seminar to really think about what Becca just said. Have I been racist? Now, we live in a tiny liberal town, where there is not a lot of diversity and exposure to different races. I think I have been racist before. Not that it was on purpose or anything but just a little thought in my mind that passed in a second. So, who taught me this? Society.
In addition to our research on the Ferguson shooting, we looked at other racist acts, whether they were a shooting or a beating. I sound so many horrific stories that I could not believe to be true. One in particular stuck out. This shooting took place just 2 days after Michael Brown was killed. A new father was shopping in Wal-Mart and was thought to be holding a gun, when in fact he was holding a toy gun. He was on the phone with the mother of his 2 children when he was shot, she states; “I feel like they shot him down like he was not even human.” According to the police report this unnecessary shooting occurred because a white couple thought they saw a black man with a gun and jumped to conclusions. I haven't talked to this couple, so I don't know who they are as people. But what I do know is that based on what they knew from societal norms as white Americans they associated a black man with a “gun” and assumed danger. If I saw someone with a gun I would be nervous as well but until I knew for sure that it was a real gun I wouldn't do a thing about it no matter what race a person was. The cops in this situation also jumped to conclusion and shot an innocent man without even knowing his name or letting him turn around. What happened in this Wal-Mart is unjust and most likely happened because of a built up bias.
A lot of people believe that racism is just between black people and white people, but not everyone knows that there is also racial discrimination against other races. In the last few years there has been quite a bit of talk about immigrants and American jobs; that all of these people from Mexico are coming here illegally and talking the true “American’s” jobs. But aren't we all immigrants? If I have been taught my history correctly then I know for a fact that each and everyone of us Americans are of different races. We all came from somewhere else. In the movie Crash, we were able to see the intertwining of many races and how each race is discriminate against another. For example, when a Persian family’s store gets ransacked and vandalized they get called Arab. These people take it very offensively because that is not their race and they should be free to be who they want to be and believe what they want, it is America after all. Or when the DA’s wife calls the locksmith a gangbanger because he is slightly darker skin and has tattoos. All of these circumstances are showing on an extreme scale the bases of racism in our country. That over time small bias of a large race, such as white, becomes a larger problem for a whole nation. I would just like to make the point, which the movie helped show me, that these bias are not only from the white race they are all over the world and from other races.
By watching movies, reading articles, listening to my peers, I have come to realize that this problem cannot be fixed. It cannot be fixed by making everyone view the world as if they were color blind to race, because people need the influence of different culture. It cannot be fixed by removing a whole race. Racism will always be there in some form because someone is always going to make light of what is different. What we can do though is remove the anger aspect. Anger is an outlet for prejudice. People shoot people because of what they believe is different about that person is bad. We need to learn to love people for who they are and stop trying to point out who is different or what's different. By removing this anger in our differences we allow for a change in the layers of our racists society.
Within the Depths of the Human Race
What even is racism? Lately, there has been a lot of talk about racism in our country. Primarily because of the recent event in Ferguson, Missouri, where a young black man was shot by a white man. To me, that sentence should have been phrased: an awful event where another man shot a young man. Race shouldn't even matter. Sadly, it seems that’s all people care about. Which brings me back to the question, what is racism? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary it is defined as: “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Not everyone knows the real meaning of the word racism; they know what they believe to be true from what they have been taught through society.
Racism is a major issue not only in American society but also throughout the human race. In class, it is important to discuss what has been happening, for maybe as long as humans have existed. With all of the recent uproar of racist acts, it’s vital for people to know what is going on in their communities and everywhere else. Even though these new incidents are common, there has been a development of tension across the nation. Everyone is asking what do we do. As I begin to get older I become more interested and passionate about these events and how I can help. I want to learn more. What has built up to these awful incidents? We look back in history and retrace our steps finding out that everything is just repeating itself. After asking my peers and other people around me, I learn that this is common knowledge. I also believe that by talking and exploring racism and then sharing that information with the people that don't understand racism, will remove the dangerous aspect of the prejudices.
For a lot of people racism is just on the surface or just certain people are racists. People think all of the time, “I am not like that, and I don't discriminate people because they are black. No, that’s only white people in the South”, but what they don't know is that racism is so deep in the human culture that everyone is racists to some level. I hadn't thought of this until one of my classmates put this idea into perspective by saying, “On the outside we may think in black or white, that there is a defined line between racist or not. But, in reality we are all racists on a subconscious level.” For a moment, I stopped listening during the seminar to really think about what Becca just said. Have I been racist? Now, we live in a tiny liberal town, where there is not a lot of diversity and exposure to different races. I think I have been racist before. Not that it was on purpose or anything but just a little thought in my mind that passed in a second. So, who taught me this? Society.
In addition to our research on the Ferguson shooting, we looked at other racist acts, whether they were a shooting or a beating. I sound so many horrific stories that I could not believe to be true. One in particular stuck out. This shooting took place just 2 days after Michael Brown was killed. A new father was shopping in Wal-Mart and was thought to be holding a gun, when in fact he was holding a toy gun. He was on the phone with the mother of his 2 children when he was shot, she states; “I feel like they shot him down like he was not even human.” According to the police report this unnecessary shooting occurred because a white couple thought they saw a black man with a gun and jumped to conclusions. I haven't talked to this couple, so I don't know who they are as people. But what I do know is that based on what they knew from societal norms as white Americans they associated a black man with a “gun” and assumed danger. If I saw someone with a gun I would be nervous as well but until I knew for sure that it was a real gun I wouldn't do a thing about it no matter what race a person was. The cops in this situation also jumped to conclusion and shot an innocent man without even knowing his name or letting him turn around. What happened in this Wal-Mart is unjust and most likely happened because of a built up bias.
A lot of people believe that racism is just between black people and white people, but not everyone knows that there is also racial discrimination against other races. In the last few years there has been quite a bit of talk about immigrants and American jobs; that all of these people from Mexico are coming here illegally and talking the true “American’s” jobs. But aren't we all immigrants? If I have been taught my history correctly then I know for a fact that each and everyone of us Americans are of different races. We all came from somewhere else. In the movie Crash, we were able to see the intertwining of many races and how each race is discriminate against another. For example, when a Persian family’s store gets ransacked and vandalized they get called Arab. These people take it very offensively because that is not their race and they should be free to be who they want to be and believe what they want, it is America after all. Or when the DA’s wife calls the locksmith a gangbanger because he is slightly darker skin and has tattoos. All of these circumstances are showing on an extreme scale the bases of racism in our country. That over time small bias of a large race, such as white, becomes a larger problem for a whole nation. I would just like to make the point, which the movie helped show me, that these bias are not only from the white race they are all over the world and from other races.
By watching movies, reading articles, listening to my peers, I have come to realize that this problem cannot be fixed. It cannot be fixed by making everyone view the world as if they were color blind to race, because people need the influence of different culture. It cannot be fixed by removing a whole race. Racism will always be there in some form because someone is always going to make light of what is different. What we can do though is remove the anger aspect. Anger is an outlet for prejudice. People shoot people because of what they believe is different about that person is bad. We need to learn to love people for who they are and stop trying to point out who is different or what's different. By removing this anger in our differences we allow for a change in the layers of our racists society.
14 October, 2014
Everything Is Changeable But Nothing Can Be Made Pure
Everyday people make decisions to follow the laws that are set forth by the government of the United States, a democracy. This allows for individuals to vote for what they want and how they wish to live. However, some people believe that there are unjust laws and do not wish to abide by them. Most people view laws just or unjust based on their morals. The beauty of democracy is the fair representation of the citizens of the state...but is it fair? Not everyone can get what they want and sometimes voices simply cannot be heard based on just a ballot. If a democracy is a government of the people and it fairly represents its entire people, then there shouldn't be a whole lot to disagree with. What can the people do to make a change? Individuals can change the government through civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action, however a pure democracy is not possible.
Henry David Thoreau wrote in his essay Civil Disobedience that in order to achieve the highest and best quality government for the sake of the people, one must expose the injustices and correct them. All for the people. He believed that one should follow their consciences. Our government is based on a majority. Not everyone believes in that majority and that majority is not always correct. Thoreau states, “But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice” (Thoreau part 1, 4). If the majority has created a law that is immoral, individuals should rise and show the government what is wrong. People should not wait and hope that by voting their voices will be heard to persuade the majority. The majority will not allow for a pure democracy because they have already structured the government unjustly leaving no room for morality.
Martin Luther King Jr. believes that there are just and unjust laws, some which need to be broken. He knows that individuals will disobey the laws they see as immoral, he also knows that because of the structure of the government and the inequality of his people these laws will be difficult to change. MLK thinks that nonviolent direct action which he states, “seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (King 1,3) will allow for the government of the people to bring justice to the nation. It is the job of the American citizens to stand up for justice by showing respect for the law by showing the government the needed improvement. MLK says people should continue to expose the unjust laws because it is their duty. However, if everyone citizen expressed their opinion about the government through nonviolent direct action, chaos would erupt because not everyone would get what they want. Everyone would want different things. This would not allow for a pure democracy since there are too many opinions to allow for a fair representation of the people.
During the discussion Bekah talked about the issue of people not being informed about government doings. Groups can rise up and speak as a whole but if they are not informed they may make misguided decisions. She says, “People don’t always have the knowledge for civil disobedience” If an individual sees a law that they believe is immoral and decides to do something about it without all of the information, it would create selfishness which already exist in the government. Occupy Wall Street is an example, a large group of people wanted some change in the government and with economics, but not everyone involved had knowledge about what they were protesting. This made the protest very chaotic and not much was accomplished. Not being well informed on what one is trying to change, can lead to the majority asking for immoral or unjust things, creating a cycle of injustice. This flaw makes it difficult for a pure democracy to exist.
There are lots of people in the world, each with their own opinions and morals. Not all of these opinions can be satisfied. That is why there is a democracy. There is a list of things or people to vote for and the problem with this is it is structured with the ideas already on the paper and no room to write in the citizen’s ideas. That is why there are people representing the majority of other people and their ideas. And the problem with this is that the opinions and ideas become squished into one person’s ideas devolving to injustice. This is a democracy, but not a pure one. So much for a government of the people. Citizens under this government have realized this problem. They see laws that are unjust and immoral. Now, the individuals cannot create a pure democracy solely because it is not possible for each and every person to voice their opinions to get what they want. However, these people that see unjust laws can change the government through nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience.
Everything Is Changeable But Nothing Can Be Made Pure
Everyday people make decisions to follow the laws that are set forth by the government of the United States, a democracy. This allows for individuals to vote for what they want and how they wish to live. However, some people believe that there are unjust laws and do not wish to abide by them. Most people view laws just or unjust based on their morals. The beauty of democracy is the fair representation of the citizens of the state...but is it fair? Not everyone can get what they want and sometimes voices simply cannot be heard based on just a ballot. If a democracy is a government of the people and it fairly represents its entire people, then there shouldn't be a whole lot to disagree with. What can the people do to make a change? Individuals can change the government through civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action, however a pure democracy is not possible.
Henry David Thoreau wrote in his essay Civil Disobedience that in order to achieve the highest and best quality government for the sake of the people, one must expose the injustices and correct them. All for the people. He believed that one should follow their consciences. Our government is based on a majority. Not everyone believes in that majority and that majority is not always correct. Thoreau states, “But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice” (Thoreau part 1, 4). If the majority has created a law that is immoral, individuals should rise and show the government what is wrong. People should not wait and hope that by voting their voices will be heard to persuade the majority. The majority will not allow for a pure democracy because they have already structured the government unjustly leaving no room for morality.
Martin Luther King Jr. believes that there are just and unjust laws, some which need to be broken. He knows that individuals will disobey the laws they see as immoral, he also knows that because of the structure of the government and the inequality of his people these laws will be difficult to change. MLK thinks that nonviolent direct action which he states, “seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (King 1,3) will allow for the government of the people to bring justice to the nation. It is the job of the American citizens to stand up for justice by showing respect for the law by showing the government the needed improvement. MLK says people should continue to expose the unjust laws because it is their duty. However, if everyone citizen expressed their opinion about the government through nonviolent direct action, chaos would erupt because not everyone would get what they want. Everyone would want different things. This would not allow for a pure democracy since there are too many opinions to allow for a fair representation of the people.
During the discussion Bekah talked about the issue of people not being informed about government doings. Groups can rise up and speak as a whole but if they are not informed they may make misguided decisions. She says, “People don’t always have the knowledge for civil disobedience” If an individual sees a law that they believe is immoral and decides to do something about it without all of the information, it would create selfishness which already exist in the government. Occupy Wall Street is an example, a large group of people wanted some change in the government and with economics, but not everyone involved had knowledge about what they were protesting. This made the protest very chaotic and not much was accomplished. Not being well informed on what one is trying to change, can lead to the majority asking for immoral or unjust things, creating a cycle of injustice. This flaw makes it difficult for a pure democracy to exist.
There are lots of people in the world, each with their own opinions and morals. Not all of these opinions can be satisfied. That is why there is a democracy. There is a list of things or people to vote for and the problem with this is it is structured with the ideas already on the paper and no room to write in the citizen’s ideas. That is why there are people representing the majority of other people and their ideas. And the problem with this is that the opinions and ideas become squished into one person’s ideas devolving to injustice. This is a democracy, but not a pure one. So much for a government of the people. Citizens under this government have realized this problem. They see laws that are unjust and immoral. Now, the individuals cannot create a pure democracy solely because it is not possible for each and every person to voice their opinions to get what they want. However, these people that see unjust laws can change the government through nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience.
26 October 2014
We Can Do It
How do we make everyone equal? How do we help each other without upsetting the people? How do we share what we have with others? Let’s go back to preschool, the basis of our learning. The people of America are little children running around the playground we call our economy. Right now, our economy has such inequality that people are beginning to question the higher power. All of these wealthy people seem to control the flow of money in this nation. Some people believe that our government is trying to help and some think they are too involved. The economy of the United States is in trouble; if something does not positively change the economy will come crashing down.
I do not think that there can be a just economic system. We have dug ourselves so deep in this hole changing the economy would be so difficult. However, I believe that we can bring our economy as close to equality as possible. So many people believe that we have a strong economy, and that we are the best of the best…for the most part we kind of are. Yet, you look deep into the roots and you find the flaws. The income gap is so large you want to wince. The people in the middle class, who are supposed to be in the happy medium, are scared and I don't even know how the poorest people feel, probably not good. All of the time, we hear that the top 1% (the wealthiest) want to help…. but will they? Will they give away their wealth for equality? Do they want equality? In order for a society and an economy to work there must be some competition, right? So if everyone had a million dollars our system wouldn’t flow. But just think if that income gap, the difference between the 1% and the 99%, just got smaller our economy would work and people would be happier. If some people had over a million dollars and some had fewer than twenty dollars we would have a healthily economy. How do we do this? I believe that workforce achieves this. Allow the people that don’t have millions work and get what they deserve. Everyone should have the right to earn money. Preschool teaches us to share with everyone, so share the work and money with everyone. Let the farmers and the businessmen say I helped make our economy number one. Who creates the workforce?
The wealthiest people in America want big, big factories and they hirer the middle class to run them. They provide and kind of share their wealth. This is called trickle down economics. I don't necessarily agree with Hilary Clinton’s stance on trickle down economics but she makes a good point on not shipping jobs overseas. I think that trickle down economics should be changed. The main ideas behind it are good but certain aspects and how we go about doing it should be different. I think that it takes a balance of money coming down from the 1% and the workforce, not just one or the other. Looking at history, having a strong working middle class has been the most beneficial for the economy. If the 1% didn't create jobs for people across the ocean but created job for America, and if we built the strongest work force we would have better equality in our economy. We could allow everyone the right to make money for themselves, which would support their economy not someone else’s.
Whose duty is it to change our economy, the people’s or the government’s? I say both. It requires a commitment from the people as well as proper support from the government. But how much government is too much? It is a balancing act between too much government interference and too little. I believe the government should be there just enough to keep everything in order and provide the basic needs for everyone to obtain their natural rights. The government should not go over board with their involvement in people’s lives and how they pursue their success. People are very upset with taxes. Not everyone wants their money going to a war that kills innocent children, I know I don’t. However, a lot of people don’t know where their taxes go. Lia posted a link to an article that shows where our taxes go. At the same time, it’s tricky because some people keep getting rich and some people keep getting poor, the gap keeps growing. It may be a violation of some natural right but I believe their be a cap on how much money a person can have, like a check point at the end of the year, that way the gap stops growing. In preschool, we learn from trial and error, we just have these big tall people keeping the situation under control. It takes everyone to change the economy to make it work for everyone.
With the help of our government, the sharing of wealth and a strong working middle class, we can prevent our economic system from collapsing. Not everyone is happy with how things are working and some people are scared of what will happen in the future. America’s economy needs change and soon or there won’t be an economy. We have done it before; we can be a better economic system, for everyone.
Bibliography
"OOPS- Hillary Clinton:“Don’t Let Anybody Tell You It’s Corporations and Businesses Create Jobs”." YouTube. YouTube, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"Safety Nets." The State of Social 2014. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"Your 2013 Federal Taxpayer Receipt." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
We Can Do It
How do we make everyone equal? How do we help each other without upsetting the people? How do we share what we have with others? Let’s go back to preschool, the basis of our learning. The people of America are little children running around the playground we call our economy. Right now, our economy has such inequality that people are beginning to question the higher power. All of these wealthy people seem to control the flow of money in this nation. Some people believe that our government is trying to help and some think they are too involved. The economy of the United States is in trouble; if something does not positively change the economy will come crashing down.
I do not think that there can be a just economic system. We have dug ourselves so deep in this hole changing the economy would be so difficult. However, I believe that we can bring our economy as close to equality as possible. So many people believe that we have a strong economy, and that we are the best of the best…for the most part we kind of are. Yet, you look deep into the roots and you find the flaws. The income gap is so large you want to wince. The people in the middle class, who are supposed to be in the happy medium, are scared and I don't even know how the poorest people feel, probably not good. All of the time, we hear that the top 1% (the wealthiest) want to help…. but will they? Will they give away their wealth for equality? Do they want equality? In order for a society and an economy to work there must be some competition, right? So if everyone had a million dollars our system wouldn’t flow. But just think if that income gap, the difference between the 1% and the 99%, just got smaller our economy would work and people would be happier. If some people had over a million dollars and some had fewer than twenty dollars we would have a healthily economy. How do we do this? I believe that workforce achieves this. Allow the people that don’t have millions work and get what they deserve. Everyone should have the right to earn money. Preschool teaches us to share with everyone, so share the work and money with everyone. Let the farmers and the businessmen say I helped make our economy number one. Who creates the workforce?
The wealthiest people in America want big, big factories and they hirer the middle class to run them. They provide and kind of share their wealth. This is called trickle down economics. I don't necessarily agree with Hilary Clinton’s stance on trickle down economics but she makes a good point on not shipping jobs overseas. I think that trickle down economics should be changed. The main ideas behind it are good but certain aspects and how we go about doing it should be different. I think that it takes a balance of money coming down from the 1% and the workforce, not just one or the other. Looking at history, having a strong working middle class has been the most beneficial for the economy. If the 1% didn't create jobs for people across the ocean but created job for America, and if we built the strongest work force we would have better equality in our economy. We could allow everyone the right to make money for themselves, which would support their economy not someone else’s.
Whose duty is it to change our economy, the people’s or the government’s? I say both. It requires a commitment from the people as well as proper support from the government. But how much government is too much? It is a balancing act between too much government interference and too little. I believe the government should be there just enough to keep everything in order and provide the basic needs for everyone to obtain their natural rights. The government should not go over board with their involvement in people’s lives and how they pursue their success. People are very upset with taxes. Not everyone wants their money going to a war that kills innocent children, I know I don’t. However, a lot of people don’t know where their taxes go. Lia posted a link to an article that shows where our taxes go. At the same time, it’s tricky because some people keep getting rich and some people keep getting poor, the gap keeps growing. It may be a violation of some natural right but I believe their be a cap on how much money a person can have, like a check point at the end of the year, that way the gap stops growing. In preschool, we learn from trial and error, we just have these big tall people keeping the situation under control. It takes everyone to change the economy to make it work for everyone.
With the help of our government, the sharing of wealth and a strong working middle class, we can prevent our economic system from collapsing. Not everyone is happy with how things are working and some people are scared of what will happen in the future. America’s economy needs change and soon or there won’t be an economy. We have done it before; we can be a better economic system, for everyone.
Bibliography
"OOPS- Hillary Clinton:“Don’t Let Anybody Tell You It’s Corporations and Businesses Create Jobs”." YouTube. YouTube, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"Safety Nets." The State of Social 2014. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
"Your 2013 Federal Taxpayer Receipt." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.