Factors on War on Drugs

Almost every time I turn to watch the news I hear a new story about people of color who committed a crime. The media portrays people of color in such a way that’s it’s not surprising anymore when you hear breaking news on a wanted felon who is either Hispanic or Black.  I find it odd how the media rarely points the finger at the white criminals who commit a crime. In situations like this the story focuses on the actual incident, but not on the person who caused it, yet when it’s a person of color all you hear about is the persons background and all of a sudden it becomes race based.

Recent statistics were presented to me in class that made me question why our country makes certain things available to us for example, alcohol, only to use it against us. The information I saw says “For more than 4 in 10 convicted murderers being held either in jail or in state prison, alcohol use is reported to have been a factor in the crime. Nearly half of those convicted of assault and sentenced to probation had been drinking when the offense occurred” (Alcohol and Crime: An Analysis of National Data). It is important to understand this because alcohol is legal and drugs are illegal, but according to this, statistics show alcohol is a main factor in 4 out of 10 murders. So why alcohol is legal to us if it is a factor in murders makes no sense to me when drugs are illegal to us and according to this isn’t a factor in murders. This makes me believe that drugs remain illegal in order to be used against us and give the government a reason to incarcerate our people.

Another statistic I found interesting was one that said, “Approximately 32,000 hospitalized patients (and possibly as many as 106,000) in the USA die each year because of adverse reactions to their prescribed medications” (Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitalized Patients, JAMA). This was interesting to me because more than twice the deaths that occur each year occur in hospitals because of drugs we trust to get us better. How funny is that? Not so funny actually when the media uses drugs to target people of color and show them in a different light, yet more than half of us are dying depending on drugs from hospitals to make us better.

Last, but not least, the last statistic that I read which also supported my claim on how the media portrays people of color shows how “Most illicit drug users are white. There were an estimated 9.9 million whites (72% of all users), 2.0 million blacks (15%), and 1.4 million Hispanics (10%) who were illicit drug users in 1998” (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). This goes back to what I said first on how the media rarely focuses on white people who commit crimes. People of color are always displayed in the media when drugs, alcohol, and crime are involved, but not white people. This statistic shows how 72% of people who use drugs are white. How come the media doesn’t point this out? More than half of the people who use drugs aren’t even people of color, but when would you ever hear the media race base drugs with white people? The chances of going to prison are highest among Blacks with 32.2% and Hispanics with 17.2% leaving Whites with 5.9 % (Prevalence of Imprisonment in the US Population, 1974-2001).This of course makes no sense when 72% of people who use drugs are white yet our government uses drugs against people of color. The thought of bringing a child of color into this world is scary knowing everything that is being used against us to keep us down.

Untouchable Essay.

               Overtime I have learned plenty about racism between different races, but I never put much thought into the possibility that a specific race could have classes and stereotypes among their own people. In a novel that I recently read, Untouchable, I learned the different class systems that took place in India during the 1930’s. The novel Untouchable highlights the issues of racial formation by showing us how India has let caste systems determine people’s importance in society.  The author tells his story through Bakha, a teenage outcaste living in the slums of India. Bakha is seen as an “untouchable” in the society’s caste system. Being an outcaste came with the baggage of labor that was to be done, sweeping and cleaning the latrines were duties that Bakha was destined to due to his class system.  His filthy profession was a reminder of the human status Bakha was condemned to from birth. The conflict in the novel between Bakha and his oppressors demonstrates to readers the importance for his emotions.  On one hand he doesn’t question the paradigm he lives in; on the other, knowledge on the Englishmen’s way of living arouses questions and feelings within him that make him question the paradigm he lives in.  Based on Bakha’s hate, resentment, and anger shown all throughout the book we learn that his emotions are what draw him to the Englishmen way of living. These emotions draw him to the English way of living because he has hope in escaping his lifestyle. His experiences help me understand his confusion for the way he’s treated and his confusion for the restrictions he faces in living the way he would like to.

                Throughout the book I see experiences that Bakha goes through that grow into the resentment he has towards being an outcaste. His emotions turn cold in a specific scene in the novel Bakha is roaming around the town and accidently bumps into a Hindu merchant. This is beyond an insult to the merchant and he begins to yell out racial slurs, “Keep to the side you low caste vermin! Why don’t you call you swine, and announce your approach! Do you have touched me and defiled me, you cockeyed son of a bow legged scorpion! Now I will have to go and take a bath to purify myself” (Anand 46). This is a perfect example of the treatment he goes through due to his role in society. Experiences like these are what contribute to Bakha’s hate for being an outcaste. Watching the way English men live is what draws Bakha to their lifestyle and makes him start question the way that he lives. He begins to wonder why he has to do things that Bramines, higher caste people, aren’t entitled to do. He wishes he could go for a walk around town and enjoy a jalebi without having to worry about warning others, walking around, of his coming. If he were an Englishmen he would get the pleasure of eating his jalebi without having to ever worry about being embarrassed or harassed. Witnessing how easy the Englishmen have it influence Bakha to want to dress like then. The clear cut styles of European dress impress his outcaste mind. Bakha wished to be a “tommy.” When he first lived at the British regimental barracks with his uncle he got a glimpse if the British lifestyle. He carefully watched “of the life the Tommie’s lived, sleeping on strange, low canvas beds covered tightly with blankets, eating eggs, drinking tea and wince in tin mugs, going to parade and then walking down the bazar with cigarette in their mouths and small silver-mounted canes in their hands” (Anand 11). He was filled with an overwhelming feeling to live their lifestyle. Bakha felt that if he dressed like them then he too would be a sahib. Her had hope in becoming like them so much that he tried to copy then in everything they did. He sacrificed many comforts like sleeping warm in blankets for the sake of “fashun” Luckily Bakha had a pair of trousers given to him by a tommy and a pair of boots and puttees given to him by a Hindu sepoy. From time to time he would go to rag-sellers shops with money he saved to buy some items and “Red Lamp” cigarettes for his enjoyment. Bakha’s desire to live like the Englishmen took over him and was an escape from his miserable reality. He was wrapped up in being a Tommy that very often he would forget his role in society.

               Bakha’s emotions towards his outcaste lifestyle make him cling to the idea of being a Christian. When Colonel Hutchinson, chief of the local Salvation Army, brings up Christianity to Bakha it opens the door to becoming an Englishmen. Bakha gets drawn to the Colonel’s words on Yessuh Messih. He likes the fact that Colonel Hutchinson being a sahib sees himself as an equal to an untouchable. Although he didn’t care much about who Yessuh Messiah was he still listened to the sahib because he wore trousers and to Bakha those trousers meant much more than being a sahib. To him dressing like an Englishmen and practicing the same religion meant he would also be seen as one. Bakha being vulnerable to his lifestyle listens to Colonel Hutchinson as he speaks of Yessuh Messiahs’ love for all “He sacrificed himself for us, for the rich and the poor, for the Brahmin and the Bhangi” (Anand 129). If being a Christian meant that Bakha would be one step closer to living like an Englishmen then he was in. Another scene where Bakha’s emotions shift is when Gandhi speaks to all the classes. When Gandhi points out how the government has tried to alienate the “untouchables” from Hinduism by trying to give them a spate legal and political status Bakha is touched by this. It was interesting to see how he pointed out the hypocritical way of thinking of the higher caste people and in some way tore down the paradigm that the untouchables lived in. Bakha admires Gandhi’s words and for once hears what he’s wanted to for so long. His hope in becoming an Englishmen almost seems unnecessary after what Gandhi says. After years of being angry and ashamed of being an untouchable, for once he felt that he could walk the same streets as Englishmen one day without having to be one.

               It’s important to understand Bakha’s emotions throughout the novel because his frustrations on being an outcaste are what draw him to the Englishmen’s lifestyle. His cruel experiences are what push him to finding ways of escaping his lifestyle. Bakha’s role in society and unhappiness reminds me of people in our society who are unhappy with where they are. Most people who are unhappy with their position in life let their emotions lead them to wanting to desperately be something else. It was shocking to learn how people from the same country could be so different all because of their status in society. The separation created among the people in 1930’s India reminds me of America now. Although we are all living in the same country its astonishing to see how limited our opportunities can be depending on our status. All throughout history status has been what others pay attention to in order to acknowledge how significant you are. A society where social status is a non factor is a society that I would like to live in. A society where everyone is happy with where they are and have no one to look up at because we are all at the same level is a society that I hope we can someday attain.

 

Chinese Girl in the Ghetto- (immigrant conflict & hatred of thieves)

When Ying Ma comes to America she experiences theft for the first time. She encounters a situation she has no control due to the language barrier between her and her classmates. Three classmates steal her pencil that was a gift from her friends back in China and is very significant to her. When she can’t defend herself or communicate with her classmates who steal her pencil she turns to Cindy, another classmate who also speaks Chinese. Cindy translates to the teacher what happened and the teacher confronts the classmates, but they deny stealing anything. The teacher has no proof so she moves on from the incident and tries to replace Ying Ma’s special gift with an ordinary #2 pencil. Ying Ma is infuriated when she sees the classmates are not being punished for what they did. Her anger turns to hate, “I hated the three thieves. I hated their poverty, which had inspired then to covet my possession and conspired with them to take it from me. I hated their parents, who had failed to teach them that being poor was no excuse to steal. I hated myself for not adequately guarding an irreplaceable gift and for not doing all that I could have done to retrieve it once it was gone” (Ma 82). She blames everything that has to do with her pen being stolen. It is important to understand this specific scene in the text happened when she first arrived in America. All her hate reflects on the struggles she experiences.

 Later on in the text when she has been in America for several years, she encounters another situation where she has to deal with her new neighbor, a new coming Hispanic immigrant. The neighbor’s kids destroy Ying Ma’s parent’s garden so as a result of her parents not knowing English, she has to go next door to talk to the lady. When Ying Ma confronts her neighbor she realizes the Hispanic lady has a language barrier that makes it difficult to communicate well. The Hispanic lady takes Ying Ma’s information and disciplines her children. Confused Ying Ma watching her neighbor spank her kids remembers the struggle of first coming to America. She understands the struggles the Hispanic lady is going through because she also was in the same position once before. She acknowledges the stupidity of having to argue with someone who is experiences the difficulties she did before. This scene was very interesting and connects with her theft experience because when she first arrives to America we see how she hates having to deal with all the obnoxious Americans who bring nothing but hardships to her. Yet once she has been settled in America for a while the tables turn and she all of a sudden becomes the obnoxious American bringing problems to her Hispanic neighbor’s door. For a second she forgets what it’s like trying to make a new life in a country you’re a stranger in.

Ying Ma's Facebook Interests.

When I looked at Ying Ma’s Facebook page I found interest on an article, “Obama Will Let Me Go,” that she posted and her comment was “Obama's promises of amnesty are attracting more illegal immigrants to come across the Texas border. Many are dying in the Texas heat.” I read the article which spoke about all the undocumented immigrants found dead in the Texas Brush country. The article claims that the increase in immigrants trying to cross the Texas border increased tremendously around the same time Obama announced plans to no longer deport young people who come to the U.S the deaths of all these immigrants are said to be Obamas fault for spreading false hope. Seeing that Ying Ma posted this and from reading her comment shows me that she agrees with this and I feel like she doesn’t agree with Obama openly announcing his plans. In my opinion I also believe that in some way it is Obama’s fault. He let the world know of his plans and by doing that he spread hope to immigrants from other countries. His promise on amnesty is attracting illegal immigrants! I think he should address his plans on amnesty more in depth so that immigrant’s wouldn’t be so quick to risk their life’s in hopes of coming to America. If Obama is promising amnesty than there should be other ways for immigrants who want to come here to get here safely. I wish Ying Ma had more of an opinion on the topic, but from what I saw I can get a feel of what topics she is interested in and it seems like she is against unfair rights towards immigrants .

link to article: http://radio.woai.com/articles/woai-local-news-119078/obama-will-let-me-out-11180453/

A Letter to LaGuardia Students.

Dear LaGuardia students,

            This is a warning letter that college life is far from easy! A LaGuardia student has a lot of responsibilities and stress that adds up over the course of the semester. With classes, essays, pages of readings to do, midterms, tests, lack of sleep, and work, the college life can become very overwhelming. We all have other things then school going on and keeping a balance between school and the rest of your life can be tricky. There is a simple solution to this problem though. If you want to be a good student and want more than just a passing grade, then you should be willing to sacrifice social activities and even cut back on work hours.  Statics, made about ten years ago, say that it takes a LaGuardia student up to 6 years to graduate. Now that sounds crazy!  Four years in high school was long enough for me and I wouldn’t want to prolong my college experience. It’s all about how determined and willing you are to ignore everything that is getting in your way from achieving your goals. Time management is also very important. You have to find time to do your homework, do the readings, and read over the notes. Whether it’s between breaks in school, work, or on the train coming home from school, whatever works best for you, just as long as you find the time to do what you have to do.  Being a LaGuardia student means having to say no to hanging out, having to say no if your manger asks if you can work a shift or stay longer. You aren’t getting a free ride being in a community college the work is just as real and hard. Being a LaGuardia student means that you have to prove yourself more than four year school, students. We are expected to not graduate on time or not have good enough grades. We should all want to prove that statistic wrong. In my LaGuardia experience coming to class on time, with my work done, and ready to learn was becoming more difficult as the semester seemed to drag on. I keep myself motivated by reminding myself that the longer it takes me to get school over with the longer it will take me to make real money. I made it my priority to come to every class on time and not miss even one day. Regardless if I worked a closing shift the night before I still come to school the next day, ready with my caffeine to help me get through. If I see work is getting in the way I am willing to cut hours at work. I might be losing out on money now but as I go to school every day I know I’m one step closer to making even more money.  Some days I desperately want to stay at home, but I remember it’s not worth it. This is the reality of being a LaGuardia student; no one ever said it would be easy.

                                                                         Sincerely, Nayara Bottaro

Annotated Bibligography

The source that I’m thinking about using for my next essay is Racial Formation by Omi and Winant. The main idea of this book is that although race is continuously being changed it still has major effects on political and social history. It speaks of color blind vs. color conscious society. We are a color conscious society and up until till now we have always been. It talks about how races other than whites have been oppressed one way or another. Omi and Winant talk about how race is not biological and has been created as a way to organize social structures. I think this source will be very useful in my second essay because in the book Untouchable, India has its own caste system that suppressed people at the bottom. It has has to do with the racial formation and the social structure that has been applied to organize the “different” types of classes. Bakha, the main character in Untouchable, life and social struggles are based around the racial formation applied in his life.  The goal of this source is to focus on the way racial formation influences the way we categorize people and use it to our own advantage. I think this source fits well into my research because Untouchable shows exactly how racial formation is used in social structures.

Racial Formation- Information.

In my English 101 class we have been focusing on the correlation between race and culture. We have read a few texts like Slave and Citizen by Tannenbaum, Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand, and Racial Formation by Omi and Wanant. In my opinion the text that I have learned the most from has been from Racial Formation. In Racial Formation all the definitions that come to play in with Racial Formation are broken down. For example race, racism, racialization, and last but not least racial formation. I got most of my understanding on these terms from a video that we watched in class. As many of you may not know race is not real, it is an illusion. I also did not know race was made up until I took this cluster. I have learned that race classifies bodies. It's the way that we understand these bodies as being different. The way that we classify is culturally. There has been history that has given these stereotypes meaning. Page 55 of Racial Formation has examples of how race is nonexistent. Racism is always related to power. History that gives these stereotypes meaning gives into racism. Page 71 would be a good page to read about racism. Racialization is the active process of assigning racial meanings. Lastly racial formation is the process in which social structures are organized and through which races comes to have meaning. Than other terms like intersectionality, hegemony, paradigm etc. can play a role in racial formation. The book Racial Formation is basically the foundation and explains the other novels I have read like Untouchable. In my Untouchable essay I could use Racial Formation as another source. Racial Formation explains why in India caste systems and ways of classifying people were made up. I might just use Racial Formation and the knowledge I have gathered to show the connection between these two books

Free Writing on Untouchable

Overtime I have learned plenty about racism between different races, but I never put much thought into the possibility that a specific race could have classes and stereotypes among their own people. In a novel that I recently read, Untouchable, I learned the different class systems that took place in India during the 1930’s. The novel Untouchable highlights the issues of racial formation by showing us how India has let caste systems determine people’s importance in society.  The author tells his story through Bakha, a teenage outcaste living in the slums of India. Bakha is seen as an “untouchable” in the society’s caste system. Being an outcaste came with the baggage of labor that was to be done, sweeping and cleaning the latrines were duties that Bakha was destined to due to his class system.  His filthy profession was a reminder of the human status Bakha was condemned to from birth. The conflict in the novel between Bakha and his oppressors demonstrates to readers the importance for his emotions.  On one hand he doesn’t question the paradigm he lives in; on the other, knowledge on the Englishmen’s way of living arouses questions and feelings within him that make him question the paradigm he lives in.  Based on Bakha’s hate, resentment, and anger shown all throughout the book we learn that his emotions are what draw him to the Englishmen way of living. These emotions draw him to the English way of living because ….  His experiences help me understand his confusion for the way he’s treated and his confusion for the restrictions he faces in living the way he would like to.

 Throughout the book I see experiences that Bakha goes through that grow into the resentment he has towards being an outcaste. In a specific scene in the novel Bakha is roaming around the town and accidently bumps into a Hindu merchant. This is beyond an insult to the merchant and he begins to yell out racial slurs, “Keep to the side you low caste vermin! Why don’t you call you swine, and announce your approach! Do you have touched me and defiled me, you cockeyed son of a bow legged scorpion! Now I will have to go and take a bath to purify myself” (Anand 46). This is a perfect example of the treatment he goes through because of his role in society. Experiences like these are what contribute to Bakha’s hate for being an outcaste. Watching the way English men live is what draws Bakha to their lifestyle and makes him start question the way that he lives. He begins to wonder why he has to do things that Bramines, higher caste people, aren’t entitled to do.

Cluster Connections

Being in this Race and Culture cluster has been very beneficial for me these past weeks. It’s been easier to comprehend and have my own opinions on the topics due to the fact that each of my classes incorporates how race and culture play a part in our lives. In my English 101 class I have read books such as 'Slave and Citizen', 'Racial Formation', and 'Untouchables' which have helped me get a better understanding and see race from different perspectives. In 'Slave and Citizen' I learned that because of race the way people categorize others by their physical appearance affected African Americans. African Americans were slaves and weren't considered humans all because of the color of their skin. This is a perfect example of how the idea of race came about and how it affected many people as soon as categories and race came about. In 'Racial Formation' I learned the difference between a color blind society and color conscious society. I learned about ideology, paradigms, and racial formation. This book made a big connection with other conversations I had in my other classes especially in anthropology. In anthropology we have watched many films such as 'The Gran Torino', 'Bend it Like Beckham', 'On Becoming Human', 'Race and Illusion' etc. In these films I have learned the way that culture plays a part in what we define as race. People who have different customs, beliefs, or traditions are seen and treated according to what they practice. This connects with the readings from English 101. Learning about race and culture in English and Anthropology class ties in with what I learn in Sociology which talks about the way our society behaves when it comes to different races. Having a better understanding of our history and the way race and culture played a part helps me see why our society is so stereotypical of different people. Starting from the bottom with race in English 101 on readings like 'Slave and Citizen' have given me a better knowledge on why race has evolved into the idea that it is now. Overall I have learned that race in nonexistent. We have made race up by categorizing and making up these stereotypes that now exist. I have also learned that culture has a lot to do with the way people define race. The way that we classify is culturally. History has given these stereotypes meaning.

@lobojost Informative Tweets.

So far from the new twitter profiles that were suggested I've been reading stuff that @lobojost has posted. He recently posted an article called "The Bronx is Heating Up." This article talks about how high rent is in Manhattan are, 1.8million for a two bedroom apartment. Locations in Queens and Brooklyn are getting pricey as well. All the convenient locations are getting very expensive except for the Bronx. In the article the fact that the Bronx is 20 minutes away, with express trains available to midtown, is pointed out. Bronx is suddenly looking like the “sensible alternative.”  What I got from this article was that not many people think of the Bronx when they are looking for new places to move in. Many parts of the Bronx’s have changed and many "drug dealers have moved out and gay artists have moved in" as said in the article. Not many people realize that buying in the Bronx might be very convenient. I was just speaking to my friends yesterday and she mentioned that she wanted to move out. She was looking for apartments with her potential roommates and got into a disagreement with her friend who was looking for apartments In the Bronx. My friend said that although rent was cheaper in the Bronx she refused to move there. I agreed with her because of the dangerous conditions going on and the stories I’ve heard about living in the Bronx, but after reading the article I’m not as hesitant about living in the Bronx. There are nice areas in the Bronx just as there are in any other area.

If it wasn’t for following this page on twitter I would have never read this article. There are very interesting and informative articles that can be found through peoples tweets and this was one of them. Being on social networks can be very beneficial if people took advantage of all the information that is offered on these networks. I now have a new perspective about living in the Bronx. This article pointed out the positive perspective of living there.

Here is the link to the article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323741004578418682347182750.html?mod=wsj_share_tweet

 

Response to Robert Cruz's Blog.

 This blog was very well written. It was easy to understand you made your points and opinions very clear. You mentioned how Tannenbaum claimed that slaves in Brazil were treated better; you gave supporting details, and gave your opinions as well. My suggestion for this blog when writing the revision would be to be more specific on how cruel the U.S was towards slaves. So that way you can really show the reader the difference between the ways Brazil treated their slaves. You did well in supporting the way Brazil treated their slaves and going on to talk about the way they could work their way out of slavery. I would also suggest to not starting your second paragraph with a question being that you already asked a question in the introduction. Instead maybe you could go on to talk about how the color of their skin played a part in the separation from others. You kept saying perhaps and maybe most of the time in your second paragraph. That made it seem as if there wasn't any solid information to depend on. It would be more informative if you made it a statement or went back to one of Tannenbaums claims on the topic. Other than that I think it shouldn’t be too hard to revise this blog. Overall you were good in making your point and should only have to change some stuff to make it even better. :)

Untouchables- pg. 85

Page 85 in Untouchables shows the struggle Bakha has to go through to get food for his family. On this page the level of callousness he has to put up from the higher caste is shown. The disgust the people above Bakha have for him turns into the disgust he grows to have against his lifestyle. In a scene from this page regardless of how hungry Bakha was he still refused to eat a piece of wet bread he got from the Bramines. The piece of wet bread was a reminder of what Bakha had to go through in order to get it. At that moment the wet bread was a symbol of his human status. It was a cruel representation of the luxury he would never attain. No matter how much work he went through to get the food or how hungry he was he was still prideful and refused to be subjected to eating the wet bread. This moment was Bakha's breaking point. After going through a day being reminded that he was an untouchable and seen as nobody he was fed up. He was also embarrassed to tell his family because he knew they wouldn't understand the reason for losing his appetite. No one but Bakha knew at that moment what it would mean for him to eat the wet bread. To him it meant accepting the abuse from others that were higher than him. Although he couldn't do much about the abuse outside of his home this was his way of putting his foot down and pretty much saying enough is enough.

"Anti-Islamic Hate Crime Incidents" Chart Review

The Anti-Islamic Crime Incident chart shows the way crimes against Islam have increased or remained the same since 1995-2008. It remained at the same rate from 1995-2000 with the lowest rate of anti-Islamic crime being at 21 in 1998 and the highest in 1999 with 32, showing that crimes didn’t change much between those years. It wasn’t until 2001 that crime dramatically increased to 481. Then from 2001 to 2008 crime remained at higher levels than it ever did from 1995 to 2000. The lowest anti-Islamic crime incidents from 2001 to 2008 were 105 which were way higher than the lowest rate in 2000. What I find most shocking is how racism and crime against Islam was still at high levels even after 2001. There was a dramatic change in 2001. The shift was so big, that in my opinion, proves there was a reason for this change in number. It leave leave sme to think that 911 was the cause of these rates increasing. The 911 incident is what triggered as much anti-Islamic crimes in 2001. This chart shows that an unexpected shift can occur again the way it unexpectedly did in 2001. I find it interesting that since then the crime rate has never gone back down to the way it was before and I wonder if it ever will.

Response to Leticia Torraoba's Blog.

I am writing this blog to give my opinion on Leticia Torraoba’s blog. Leticia writes about Tannenbaums claim on “biological type.” Biological type was the mixing of races such as “white” and “black” races having babies together. Tannenbaum agreed with this concept of mixed races having children because he believed that this would bring the two races together. He claimed that as long as mixed children were brought in the Anglo America culture this idea of mixed races could be beneficial for the Anglo Americans. I found it interesting when Letcia pointed out Tannenbaums claim that African American women who birthed more children were held at a higher standard and looked upon at as trophies in a way. Leticia quoted Tannenbaum, "“A girl of seventeen that has giving birth two children were called good breeder” (Tannenbaum82). This was great supporting evidence for her claim. Frank Tannenbaum was very hypocritical of his ideas throughout his book, Slave and Citizen. Towards the end of his book he supported the mixing of races, but in his own racist way. I agree with Tannenbaum’s claim that mixed children would help bring the two races together. I can see how it would help because it gave both races something greater to have in common. There would be a different level of respect and understanding if it came down to the mixing of their races. Unlike Tannenbaum I don’t agree that the “mulatto” children should be brought up the Anglo American way in order for this concept of mixed children to go right. The “mulatto” children would have new ideas and ways of thinking to offer if they embraced both races. Leticia should definitely talk about “biological type” in her essay. This would be a perfect supporting claim for Tannenbaum and her idea on the mixing of races.  

Self Preservation vs. Loyalty

            If there is one thing I look for in people its loyalty. To have someone be faithful to me when it comes down to their friendship and honestly is essential in my eyes. Its fulfilling to know that there is someone out there who will respect and accept the person that you are. There are people who believe they are loyal. When in reality they are only protecting themselves from any situation that could possibly impair them.

             Loyalty is offering to help a friend through a rough time. Loyalty is being honest. Loyalty is being genuine. Loyalty is trying to understand even when you don't agree. Loyalty is being that helping hand that is quick to give than it is faster to receive. When you give your loyalty out to someone it's because in your heart you want to. Loyalty is someone offering beyond what one asked for. If you are willing to put yourself through a situation because in the end you know it will benefit you that does not necessarily mean that you are loyal. There is a thin line between self preservation and loyalty. Knowing the difference between your own good and the person next to you is not loyalty. Abiding by someone else’s cruel intentions knowing it is wrong, but still accepting it because in the end you are protecting yourself from any danger or are benefiting from the situation, is what I'd call self preservation.
             In Slave and Citizen, by Frank Tannenbaum, Tannenbaum claims that African Americans were loyal to their masters, but where they really “loyal”? I think African Americans were just smart enough to obey their masters not because they were loyal, but because they were scared of any potential harm that could have been done to them. They knew better and were smart enough to adapt themselves and abide by what their masters demanded of them. African Americans saw what happened to other races that refused to conform to the expectations of "the white men." As a result they chose to go by what they were told to do. Just because they were there for their masters and did as told does not mean that they were loyal. They did things for their own good.
              In the end of it all African Americans just wanted to stay alive and if that meant obeying their masters they were willing to do so. As I said before there is a thin line between self preservation and loyalty. Many people believe they are being loyal just because they are doing something for you. In realty if you are thinking about yourself in the process of helping someone else you aren't being loyal, you are just letting those natural instincts humans have to keep themselves out of any harm kick in. So next time you think you are being loyal ask yourself, Am I doing this because I genuinely care for another person’s well being or am I only interested in what I’ll get out of this?

 

 

 

Tannenbaum Summary Stumble!

In Slave and Citizen Tannenbaum argues the different roles African Americans played in the New World. He differentiates the way African Americans were portrayed and treated in the South in comparison to the way they were in the Spanish Part. On one hand he claims how African Americans had a different level of acceptance in colonial Brazil which was more loosely interpreted by the people. On the other he claims how they were …… (and I’m stuck)

"Dog Eat Dog World"

        Tannenbaum claimed that it is in all human beings to have a callous indifference to the suffering of others. I believe that there is an evil and selfishness in all of us which under certain circumstances it can be unleashed. Tannenbaum also claimed that the United States is divergent from other parts of the New World in the sense that we have morally separated ourselves from ever accepting an African American. Till this day African Americans are automatically looked upon by the color of their skin. Regardless of all the laws that have been passed stating that African Americans have rights, there is a level of ignorance that will always remain in our society. A level of ignorance so unattainable that we will go as far as to ignore laws that have prevailed over the years and pick at our stereotypical image of what an African American has always been seen for. History has repeated itself and in our times I believe we are more prejudice than ever. We have a larger variety of people and groups to target, not just African Americans.
        This brings me back to Tannenbaums claim on human beings and their callousness. There is a connection with the way we continue to perceive African Americans and the way we all target other groups or people that proves the callousness that's buried in each and every one of us. The ability we have to morally separate anyone from our society now and days is essential to Tannenbaums claim. It really makes me believe that it is in all human beings to put others beneath us if in the end it is beneficial to us. Who ever said it’s a "dog eat dog" world wasn't kidding.      
        Tannenbaum portrayed human beings as such unselfish beings which he was far from wrong. There was something Tannenbaum saw in humans that he knew if in the future we weren't targeting African Americans we would be morally degrading another aspect of our society because it is in all human beings to have a callous indifference to the suffering of others.

Twitter- timeline talk.

I really believe that history has repeated itself. People always talk about slavery back then and how things were with African American, yet many fail to see that the same racism is going on now. On twitter Nico mentioned that the same way African Americans were the backbone of America back then, same goes for minorities and immigrants in our time. It’s sad to see that our society’s way of thinking has been blocked. Many fail to see the similarities that still take place. Another thing that has been on my mind is that Yan Peng mentioned when she learned about African Americans in china, but she didn’t learn about African American history the way it’s been taught to her here. In china they didn’t focus much on how African Americans were brutally mistreated and haggled about like cattle. So I ask myself, what other piece of information are we possibly being misinformed about?

Diagnostic (The Souls of Black Folks, by W.E.B Du Bois)

 

How does one stay true to themselves, their culture, and race without being soaked into the world that is in front of them? Someone once told me don’t forget where you came from, the battles you’ve fought through are the ones that have left you scars that mark you who you are. There is a struggle that comes with blossoming into what you’ve always wanted to be, but not conforming to what you’ve become. There is a difference with adjusting to what’s around you than being transmuted into something else.

In a passage from the novel, The Souls of Black Folks, by W.E.B Du Bois, Du Bois speaks about the struggle African Americans go through with remaining true to themselves and embracing their history and race, but still being accepted just any American living in America would. Du Bois wrote “He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world.” To learn from America is what Negros was willing to do, not to change anything about it. But simply adjust to this lifestyle and learn from other races and cultures. African Americans were willing to take in what America had to offer without having to Americanize themselves. They wanted to stay true to their history which tainted who they are. They knew that to convert into something else would be a deprivation to Americans because we could assimilate from they’re struggle and story. There was a time in my life where it became a battle within me to stay grounded and not forget who I am. I grew up with the Dominican side of my family and had that culture instilled in me. I started to lose a sense of who I was my junior high school years. Going to a catholic school I was quick to embrace my Italian side and the small percentage of me that was white to conform to others around me instead of embracing the culture I grew up surrounded by. I was somewhat embarrassed of being Dominican. At the time I didn’t understand what a beautiful thing it was to embrace who I am without changing myself.

It’s a meritorious feeling to live in a diverse world. You learn so much from what another person’s background has to offer. You don’t have to mold yourself into what’s around you. You can take so much from someone else’s experience and give back from yours. In this point in time diversity should be everything to all of us.