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In the article Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America, Morris Fiorina addresses the issue of the illusion of political polarization. Political polarization is the separation of political beliefs into two separate extremes. The main illustration Fiorina uses is the use the electoral map. The electoral map is used to gauge which party won an election or polling.
America Faces A Conflict In Society After the harsh battle of World War II United States began to take a turn towards democracy. During the 1950 to 1960 a far greater issue happened in United States and this was racial discrimination with unfair policies that opposed many people rights. Furthermore, many ethnic and class groups became well aware that they were not being fairly treated as citizen and the condition that they were living in. This affected American society heavily with many problems striking towards racism, which brought conflicts and fights to happen in court and on the battle with the Civil Right movement.
America is a country with a history founded on people looking for a new start and emigrating from the old world to fulfill their dreams. Immigration is not always happiness, rags to riches, and the American dream. Major immigration periods happened from 1607, 1820-1870 and again in the early 1900’s. Immigrant numbers were growing so exponentially that the National origins Act of 1921 and 1924 was enacted to put a quota limit that blatantly discriminated against immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. Immigrants that made it in faced many hardships such as learning new languages, abandoning family, and accepting the American values.
America is one of the most diverse nations in the world. It is a melting pot of cultures, which has made it a great nation. This variety of cultures has helped impact and build America into the great nation we are today. One of the cultures that has influenced America is the Black Culture. This particular culture is known for their evolution of music and fashion and also their trendsetting skills in hair and dance.
Regimes already in power of nations tend to find ways to keep their dynasty in charge of those nations for long periods of times. Some of those Nations such as the Greeks believed in democracy, while others such as the Persians believed in harsh taxation and oppression of their subjects. Dominance from one group of people to another group of people is a concept that has spanned the lifetime of civilization. A great example of this is Eurocentrism which is followed by the White Man’s Burden during colonial times in early centuries in Europe and the United States. The superior race believed they were the ultimate race and needed to spread their transcendence to the rest of the world.
According to Eric Lott (Love and Theft: The Racial Unconscious of Blackface Minstrels), blackface both in minstrel show and later in movies “spread misconceptions and stereotypes, and was used as a tool to define what constituted ‘blackness’”. One of the impact of The Birth of a Nation was the revival of the Ku Klux Klan. Those stereotypes were composed of a negative portrayal of African-Americans, represented as “idiotic, classless, child-like, unsophisticated, ignorant, violent, sexually aggressive, depraved and morally bankrupt characters” (The impact of negative stereotypes and representations of African-American in the media and African-American incarceration, by Tamara Thérèse Johson) and archetypes popular in the days of slavery and of the minstrel show became even more popular with the new medium of cinema that spread those visions to a larger audience (beginning right in the early 1900's). Donald Bogle describes five archetypes usually used to depict African-American characters, legacy of blackface and minstrel shows, in films. These archetypes consisted of the
1) From personal knowledge, I am aware that throughout history culture has changed overtime and is still developing as we speak. Much like the fifth definition in the book, I believe that culture can be described as the tensions or adjustments between shared and unshared groups of people throughout time ( Martin,P. 89). For example, American culture has altered so much over the years, we went from a country that had laws that deliberately caused injustice and discrimination towards a selective groups of people ( slavery , Jim Crow laws, Women’s suffrage, and same- sex marriage) to a more progressive nation that is implementing acceptance that will impact the world for the better in the future to
The label of white trash even existing is seen to be appalling because of the former notion of white citizens being the alphas and that angered other White Americans(Eastman & Schrock pg 207). Stereotypes were and are a problem but Southern Rock & Roll musicians embraced theirs and appropriated with it because of capitalism. While no one deserves to be put into a category based on prejudice, White Americans made their stereotypes a positive while minorities struggled and still continue to struggle everyday due to stigmas placed on them. Different classes of White Americans were discriminatory against one another. If you were to portray this white trash image, you’d go against the grain so to speak and denounce their privilege.
American 's gained their independence because of a decision by its ' colonial citizens to pursue freedom through the legitimate use of armed force. Disparate American colonies fought on a unified front for a set of defining values and principles centered on their customs, traditions, and desired institutions. Americans ultimately prevailed because of a deep shared sense of patriotism and nationalism. American 's declared their independence from Britain 's control based on the defining principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These values and principles have endured and transcended since 1776 through multiple wars which have challenged American values, principles, and institutions.
Native Americans have been depicted as primitives and salvages since they were discovered by of non-natives in the Americas. These stereotypes were created through oral tradition by explorers and settlers and remained to in the present through books, radio, television, and film. This prejudice has caused Native Americans to suffer this backlash throughout their life. They have been coined noble savages or murderous heathens, especially in western movies, films, and television shows. Native American men were considered a good Indian brave, the villainous warrior, or mystic nature priest.
The United States was perceived as an opportunity for a new life for many of the immigrants. Thus, the many reasons for their immigration was to flee from crop failures, lack of land or jobs, increasing taxes, and shortage of food (famine). Furthermore, many people left to the United States with the intention of having personal freedom and being free from being judged of their political or religious beliefs. As a result of the immigration, tension between nativists and immigrants grew. The nativists in America thought that the immigrants would ultimately affect the future generations of American born citizens.
Growing up as an Immigrant in America, you grow to learn social conformity is prevalent and plays a key role in the systematic oppression of free thinkers. Social conformity does not only dictate the way you view issues but also makes you shy away from letting your own beliefs be heard. There are many ways people conform, television and social norms being the predominant forces. By having observed these behaviors at an early age, I’ve grown to develop my own moral judgment and have met like-minded individuals who share the same outlook on the ills of society. Living in a third world country, America and other European countries are practically seen as heaven on earth or the promised land.
American History Education Reforms The definition as well as the specific parts of accurate American history is a highly debated topic- especially in regards to educating children on American history. In “Let’s tell the Story of All America’s Cultures” by Yuh Ji-Yeon gives her point of view on the controversial topic of the success of American history education. As the author is a Korean immigrant she has a special connection to this topic, and is writing this article to giver her opinion in the debate of reforming education in America. Ji-Yeon successfully persuades the audience that American history education in the United States is discriminatory by using her personal experiences and emotions as she informs the audience of a possible solution
Everyone around the world has different beliefs, behaviors, objects and religion that are common for a particular society or a group of people who enjoys shared values and thus gives positive contributions to the society. This is called Culture. These are carried on by the people from generation by generation. It is the particular view point, customs and beliefs that discern one culture from another. It is transferred from one generation to another through language, material objects, and daily rituals.
Ethnocentrism and its prevalence in U.S culture Ethnocentrism is judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one’s own culture. Individuals who are ethnocentric judge other groups in relation to their own ethnic group or culture. I think The United States likes to refer to themselves as the “big mixing pot” of cultures. I would agree, we do have a wide range of different cultures, but that does not mean that we do not “evaluate and judge other cultures based on how they compare to our own cultural norms.” I think us as Americans feel this way, because we are too scared to change what we have learned and known since birth.
