Not Who You Believe Him To Be President Lincoln is viewed as one of America’s greatest presidents. Although this is believed to be true, that is not the case. President Lincoln had many faults within his term, that started right before the Civil War. In the story Remembering Who We Are: Observations of a Southern Conservative written by Melvin E. Bradford, talks about five keys points as to why Abraham Lincoln was not America’s greatest president. Starting with Lincoln’s well known legacy; his name was simply just that, but without the help of others in his life he would of been no one.
For example, Maisami felt no good toward her Iranian family. She was americanized and nothing like them. Maisami felt like she has to be more Iranian to fit in with her family. Toward the end of Maisami’s story she asks her mother, “Mom, am I Iranian or American?” and her mother tells her “you have to look at yourself in order to find out who you are - it's not where you are from that defines you”.
The Unfavorable Offspring of the Humanistic Tendency to Form Bonds In the article “It Takes a Tribe,” David Berreby utilizes the example of students’ immediate college loyalty to claim that humans identify with groups because they desire to have a sense of belonging. In the article “ ‘Blaxicans’ and Other Reinvented Americans,” Richard Rodriguez talks about categorization by race to claim that Americans, in particular, feel the need to be in separate, defined classes. Berreby and Rodriguez emphasize different effects of humans’ natural tendency to classify themselves. Berreby focuses on the formation of opposition between groups while Rodriguez focuses on the formation of false perceptions of groups.
Moreover, according to Cohen, society is basically a “pyramid structure…so 90 percent of the world's population is (a) potential ally, (and) therefore it’s very important to think in a coalitional way and look at how these things intersect” (5). It is also essential to recognize that “social identities are not fixed” and that science’s “reliance on the null hypothesis” can be misleading (8,9). Thus, the author urges psychologists and sociologists to “develop a more sophisticated and interdisciplinary understanding of historical and sociological aspects of the social construction of race, gender, class and other categories of identity, difference and disadvantage” (10). By employing this intersectional methodolgy, society will be able to broaden these coalitions and begin to address the most marginalized of
He also argues that racial groups can develop equally and still a person can know their own worth
In such an environment, it becomes easier for people to identify themselves and easily resolve issues affecting them using strategies that are better suitable for them. Ethnorace also proves to be effective because it allows all members of society to start learning more about the other different types of ethnicities that exist in societies around the world, from those that are different that theirs and even from their own. In doing so, they will not only start to appreciate the different cultures that exist, but also learn about their own biases against others and explore their own views about others, and how they can change any of their own behaviors, attitudes or beliefs that may be harmful or disrespectful towards others. Therefore, the theory of ethnorace also proves to be a learning opportunity for all members of
While reading both the Tressie McMillan’s essay “The Logic of Stupid Poor People” and Scott Russell Sanders essay “The Men we Carry in our Mind”, I thought about the social identity (us-them) theory which states that we have all divided the world into an "us" and a "them"; a root for all stereotyping and prejudice present throughout society. The "us" is one's view of an in-group and the "them" are the out-group. When we split society into these two organizations, the in-group begins to discriminate against the out-group leading, inherently, to stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. This is clearly present throughout the two essays in that McMillan was taught that she was part of “them” and in order for her and her family to be more accepted
World War II was one of the most destructive conflicts in human history, with an estimated 60 million deaths, America's use of the atomic bomb to end WWII gave rise to a debate on the ethical justification for using such weapons. The carnage began in September 1939 the day that Germany invaded Poland, and in 1945 it ended with a mushroom cloud enveloping Nagasaki. This bloodshed involved two main powers, the Axis powers made up of Germany, Japan, and Italy battling against the Allied forces of the Soviet Union, Britain, and the United States. This war was caused by the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles and the economic depression in Germany, leading to the German conquest of regaining former power. After Germany's defeat, sights were
In the article People Like Us, the author, David Brooks, argues that while the United States is a diverse nation as a whole in terms of racial integration, but block by block, community by community, and institution by institution, the united states is a rather a homogenous nation. People separate themselves to be around the ones they feel most comfortable with, be it by race, religion, social status, gender, and even sexuality. Instead of everyone in our nation coming together to be unified and diverse, “people make strenuous efforts to group themselves with people who are basically like themselves” (62). In the article, Brooks says, “But as neighborhoods age, they develop personalities (that’s where the Asians live, and that’s where
Growing up in a home where your identity is shaped by the culture and ideas of those around you makes it extremely difficult for a child to find their own way in the world. To truly become your own person without being weighed down by your race, sexuality, gender, or beliefs is an enormous task that sadly many of us never accomplish. In Daisy Hernandez’s memoir “A Cup of Water Under My Bed” she talks about growing up with a Cuban father and Colombian mother and how her family’s views on what’s right and what’s wrong heavily influenced her choices and how she had to fight or conform to find her way. In her book, Hernandez talks about how she had to learn, adapt, and fight against the “norms” of the times and the “norms” of her culture. As we analyze Hernandez book
Into Thin Air, written by Jon Krakauer, details the author’s expedition to Mt. Everest along with his teammates and many fellow climbers, in 1996. Through straightforward and in-depth details described by Krakauer, readers are able to imagine what it’s like being on Mt. Everest, which is further enhanced by Krakauer through his selection of details. Krakauer also uses diction and syntax to emphasize the major theme of the book, which is teamwork. As for Krakauer, he also lets out parts of himself that reveal who he is and what kind of person he is like in real life, a kind and hardworking person.
The most powerful message encountered in the Coates work “Between the World and Me” is the message to his son about the prevalence of racism in America in society today. Coates provides his son with a plethora of scenarios and personal experiences that showed how racism is still common in society today. Coates encourages his son to be cautious and also aware of these instances because they are numerous and can happen to him at any moment. One key idea about racism in America that Coates explains to his son is that racism gave birth to race and prior to racism there was no such thing as race. Instead, everyone lived as a human being, not feeling entitled to certain societal expectations such as school systems, jobs, or living conditions depending on the color of their skin.
Race and ethnicity as socially-constructed categories separates friends from the same background. In the article “Best of Friends, Worlds Apart,” Cuban immigrant Joel Ruiz finds himself stuck between two worlds after landing on American soil. Ruiz’s childhood friend Valdes traveled to the United States together and settled down near one another. Valdes lives a well-off life in the Caucasian community as a Cuban. On the other hand, Ruiz identify himself as Cuban, yet, whites see him simply as black.
When people are met with prejudice not directed to themselves, they often act as a bystander in the situation. They do not side with the oppressor, nor the victims; often, no side at all. In Ellie Wieser’s speech, he states, “Neutrality helps the opressor, never the victim.” When strength is given to
Marquez’s deliberate attempt to create confusion convey that there is not always a solution to rid a community of differences. The differences in individuals in a community create diversity. Marquez’s short story is an example of how society discriminates differences of individuals instead of accepting
