Works Cited

• 
  Takaki, R. (1993). A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Bay Back Books, Little, Brown and Company.
• 
  DC Metro Moms: Children Deserve the Best of Parents, Even in the Worst of Times . (n.d.). retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://svmomblog.typepad.com/dc_metro_moms/2009/05/topic-dayrtpchildren-deserve-the-best-of-parents-even-in-the-worst-of-times.html
• 
  ABC, N. (n.d.). ABC Unleashed: Government and Politics:World Politics. Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed
• 
  Jewish Family Praying in Jerusalem Photo and Wallpaper (Public Domain). (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.photos8.com/view/jewish_family_praying_in_jerusalem-other.html
• 
  YouTube - Laugh at the Fat Kid. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_qYKCc9m0A
  
  

Life notes 2 week 4

"My father ran and fell down and blood came out of his mouth" [ He was shot through the head ] recalled Yellow Birds son, who was four at the time.( Takaki 1993.)
I have been fortunate in my life to have two loving parents. Yellowbird’s son on the other hand was not so fortunate. His father was shot and killed at Wounded Knee right in front of his eyes. I feel a great amount of empathy for him having to grow up without his father and can only imagine the pain that he must have suffered. In my own life this experience hits close to home with me. My best friend John lost his father when we were in the seventh grade from a work related accident. I remember talking to him on the phone for hours during that week. We didn’t really talk about the accident, but when we did I could here the sadness in his voice. I recall telling him that I was there for him and that he could call me at any hour of the day or night to talk. John was already a very strong person, but I really saw his strength in light of this awful tragedy. I saw my best friend grow up into a man that year. Even though I knew he was going through a lot of grief, he rarely let it show. He always kept everything together and became the man of the house in his home, he was like a rock. I compared John to a rock because it is so fitting of his character. He was always strong willed, level headed and was there to support his family during this time of mourning. John is also like a rock in that he is very physically strong and worked his way to bench press four hundred and twenty pounds by our senior year of high school. John always had the qualities of a leader and he soon became the leader within our group of friends. I have been best friends with John now for thirteen years. I really admire the great person that he has become, despite the hardships that he has faced in his life. Not only was I there for him, but he has always been there for me. John is not only my best friend, he is a brother. The quote from Yellow Bird’s son also reminded me of my father.

My dad also lost a parent in his life. He is the oldest of five siblings in his family and had a very a very close relationship with his mother. When he was twenty-six years old he got married to my mother and had my older brother Shane. It was a great time in my dad’s life until one day his mom went missing. No one knew where she went or talked to her during a period of about three days. On the fourth day my dad’s family received a phone call about a woman being found in the water where my grandpa’s boat was docked. My dad decided that he would go to the coroners to see if it was her. At first, he didn’t recognize this women whose body was swollen and filled with water. Then he took a second look at her face and came to the grim conclusion that it was his mother. It turns out that she had been cleaning my grandpa’s boat to surprise him, but hit her head, fell in the water and drown. My dad and his family were really torn up by this heartbreak. I can not even imagine how terrible it must have been to identify the body of his own mother in that state of being. He was the oldest of his five siblings and took on that role during this tough time. I remember asking my dad where my grandma was when I was very little, and he would say she is up in heaven with God. To this day, I still know her as Grandma in Heaven.

“Their hope to be both Japanese and American would be violently shattered on a December Morning in 1941.” (Takaki 1993.)
This quote dealing with Identity and mistreatment towards Japanese Americans brings me back to the eighth grade when I read the book “Farewell to Manzanar”. The protagonist in the book is a young Japanese girl named Jeanne who lived on the coast of California before, during and after World War Two. Much like Monica in the Takaki readings, her family also faced prejudices and discrimination due to their ethnicity. Things only seemed to get worse after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. World War Two brought about a lot of problems for Jeanne’s family and many other Japanese American families in the United States at this time. I was fourteen when I read this book and was shocked to hear some of the things that went on in this country. The book described how Jeanne and her family were relocated to a concentration camp called Manzanar shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, along with many other Japanese Americans at this time. I could not believe that I had not learned about these camps in school prior to reading this book. Jeanne’s father was a fisherman and boated on the Pacific Ocean between California and Japan. The FBI became suspicious of Japanese fisherman at this time and detained Jeanne’s father because they thought he might be a Japanese spy. He was held until there was no evidence to find him guilty of such a charge. Like Monica, Jeanne experienced prejudice in her everyday life. I was particularly disturbed when a read about one of Jeanne’s high school experiences. She was very involved in after school activities and was a strong candidate for homecoming or prom queen. One of Jeanne’s teachers attempted to throw away some of her votes so she would lose. However, one of the students caught this teacher in the act, and Jeanne ended up winning queen. Many Japanese Americans during this time in history faced a great deal of prejudice not only because of their ethnicity, but because of war. My roommate who happens to be one of my closest friends also experienced a heightened prejudice after an act of war against the U.S.

I have been friends with Ahmed since the seventh grade. He has a great, outgoing personality and was always very popular in school. Ahmed is a Lebanese American and also happens to be a devout Muslim. Even though he was well liked he still had to face a lot prejudice and ignorant comments. One of the worst examples of this was during our sophomore year when we were coming back from Sandusky on the football bus on September 11th 2003. One kid on the bus yelled “Hey Ahmed isn’t September 11th like Christmas for you?” Some kids were laughing and others told the kid to shut up. I was mad and Ahmed was infuriated. We grabbed Ahmed to make sure the situation did not escalate any further. When we got back to Brunswick our coach gave us a speech about racism and made the entire team run because of the incident. Another incident occurred during our senior year at practice after the first day of school. I was playing offensive line and Ahmed was playing outside linebacker on defense. After one of the plays one of our coaches made a cynical comment to Ahmed: “Ahmed, did they actually let you carry a book bag at school today?” I was in complete shock after hearing the coach say this. I can still remember everyone on the field looking at each other in disbelief. The coach had a smile on his face and thought it was funny. Ahmed somehow kept his composure and just looked at the coach and shook his head in disgust. I could not believe that our coach had just made a comment insinuating that Ahmed was some kind of a terrorist and might have a bomb in his bag. Through all of these situations Ahmed always seemed to keep a level head and handled himself very well. I always respected him for this and know that he will be successful in life and in any endeavors he pursues.


"When they used to call me names like greenhorn, I felt that I would rather die than hear it again.” (Takaki 1993)
I found this quote to be very relatable and a feel that it holds a universal theme. Most people have been called names or made fun of at some point in their life based on appearance at some point their life. This quote can relate to a couple of experiences in my life. One of these experiences took place during my freshman year at John Carroll. One night my friends and I were walking to party and saw a group of students that we knew walk past a Jewish family on the sidewalk across the street. I could tell the family was Jewish because of their attire and they were wearing yarmulkes on their heads. As the students kept walking one of them turned around any yelled at the family: “Keep it kosher Jew Bags!” They started laughing and ran away from the family. I felt bad for the family because it was probably humiliating to be yelled at like that. I also felt bad for the father in the family because he had just been harassed in front of his own kids. In this situation I merely witnessed people being ridiculed because of their dress and appearance. However, I also went through my own personal incident in which I was the subject of mockery being labeled by my appearance.

When I was about fourteen years old a couple of my friends and I went to a water park called Dover Lake. I was at an awkward stage and was short and overweight. When we first got there I insisted on keeping my shirt on, but my friends told me to not worry about being heavy and not to be self-conscious. So I decided to take my shirt off and go one the water rides. To my delight no one said a word to me about being fat until the end of the day. My friends were about fifteen feet in front of me and I had fallen behind them. I saw a group of older teenagers smiling as they walked towards me and one of the guys said: “Nice tits fatty” I laughed even though I really didn’t think it was funny. I was actually really hurt by these words and none of my friends had heard the kid say this to me. I decided to never tell anyone about what had happened.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_qYKCc9m0A

How much different would our world be if people just thought about how their words can affect others?

Works Cited Page Weeks 1-3

• 103 outline 10. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://faculty.umf.maine.edu/~walters/web%20103/outline%2010%20umf%20103_06.htm
• Buchanan, P. (n.d.). Pat Buchanan: Slavery "brought blacks freedom and prosperity". Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://impiousdigest.com/index
• CBS. (2009, July 22). YouTube - Black Panthers vs. White Supremacists. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urpJ7iP-kFg&feature=fvw
• Nast, T. (n.d.). The Great Irish Famine. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.nde.state.ne.us/SS/Irish/Irish_pf.html
• Odoyle, D. (2008, April 7). YouTube - The Irish Emigrant by Danny Doyle. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkcZMMgDc_w
• Pearson, C. (2007, July 27). Intolerance For Tolerance « The Black Sentinel. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://theblacksentinel.wordpress.com/2007/07/27/intolerance-for-tolerance/
• Picture History : James Hammond (1807-1864). (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.picturehistory.com/
• Spring, J. H. (2006). Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality. Boston: Mcgraw-Hill College.
• Takaki, R. (1993). A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Bay Back Books, Little, Brown and Company.
• unknown, b. (2007, June 27). YouTube - Boarding School Native American Indian Student richheape.com. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ48PlBr7Oc
• unknown. (2008, November 14). SOCI 2308 Cultural Diversity. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from https://avivainstitute.org/register/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=68
• Simoneau, Y. (Director). (2007). Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee [Motion Picture]. United States: HBO Films.

Life notes week 3

“ The hands are required to be in the cotton field as soon as it is light in the morning, and , with the exception of ten or fifteen minutes, which is given to them at noon to swallow their allowance of cold bacon, they are not permitted to be a moment idle until it is dark to see.” (Takaki 1993) This quote really helps to illustrate how hard the day to day life of a slave was. From what I can see the life of a slave was a lot of work and no reward. I really hold a lot of empathy for slaves. I work landscaping in the summer and it is very hard work. Everyday I would come home and blow mulch dust out of my nose as well as from my eyes. Labor like that is no joke and unlike the slaves at this time I got paid by the hour, a one hour lunch break and probably worked only half the hours that were demanded from them. On top of all of that, I am sure my employer treated me much better than their plantation owners. If I messed up a task, I was corrected. On the other hand, if a slave did not perform a task correctly, he or she would be punished and whipped.

“Irish laborers, an immigrant complained, were “thought nothing of more than dogs… despised and kicked out.” (Takaki 1993.) there seems to be a pattern of harsh conditions and treatment pf minorities that immigrated to the United States. It started with white indentured servants, african American slaves, and continued with other immigrant groups such as the Irish. The Irish laborers were treated like pieces of meat. Many of these men earned their petty wages building railroads and even died doing so under extremely dangerous conditions. Evidently, workers compenstation had not yet been implementd in America. My own relatives immigrated to the United States in the mid 1800’s. I am definitely thankful that I grew up in the 1990’s rather than the 1850’s after reading this. I realize that if I grew up at this time in America, I would have probably worked on the railroads my entire life with terrible arthritis, or died by some kind of freak accident wile laboring. I feel both empathy for these people and fortunate for my life.
“The Irish were imaged as ape like and "a race of savages,” at the same level of intelligence as blacks.” (Takaki 1993) I personally found this quote very interesting because I had never realized the parallels in the treatment of irish immigrants and African Americans at this juncture in time. The stereotypes, and prejudice that many of these groups faced is unimaginable. If people today could just take the time to put aside their racial and cultural differences, I feel we would find each other very relatable as human beings. Although I am glad that as an irish American I have never really had to deal with stereotypes from the excerpt above, I find it disturbing that some of these negative stereotypes are still given to african Americans by some racist rednecks in today’s world.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkcZMMgDc_w





Will there ever come a day when people are looked at as human beings rather than a label in another category?

Life notes week 2

“In the English mind the color black was freighted with an array of negative images: “deeply stained with dirt,” “foul,” “dark or deadly” in purpose, “malignant,” “sinister,” “wicked.” ( Takaki 1993) The color black in general has always associated with negative connotations such as evil or death for example. When white men came over to the New World, it was supposed to be an opportunity for freedom and a chance for a new life. For some people this was the case, for others it was just the opposite. From at the first encounters of white and black people, their was a preconceived prejudice. The mere sight of people with black skin put fear and judgment into the early white settlers in Virginia. From what I have learned and experienced in my life, misunderstanding leads to misjudgment, misjudgment leads to fear, fear can lead to prejudice, and prejudice leads to an array of negative outcomes.

“ In the 1705 Virginia legislated that” all horses, cattle and hogs, now belonging, or that here after shall belong to any slave, or of any slave mark… shall be seized and sold by the church wardens of the parish…and the profit there of applied to the use of the poor. ( Takaki 1993) It is now not even good enough to enslave African Americans for life, but now any possessions of value were stripped from them as well. The poorest whites were given charity not from pockets of wealthy landowners, but from enslaved blacks that were even worse off then themselves. That is one of the most ass backwards and twisted lines of reasoning that I have ever come across. At this time there was more free dirt in Virginia then free blacks.

“Driven by immediate economic interests and blinded by a short time horizon, the planters had not carefully thought through what they were doing to black people as well as to American society and future generations.” (Takaki 1993) A few more words that sum up the them in this quote are greed, stupidity, immortality, and misguided power. Not only did slavery the lives of African American hundreds of years ago, but its repercussions are still present in society today in the United States. To enslave a race of people is not only terribly wrong and cruel; it is also a product of stupidity and greed. At the time, slavery was economically satisfying for rich landowners and socially convenient for whites as well. It eased the minds of the rich that feared revolt from white indentured servants as well. The government and the rich through society was the easy fix at the time. However, it was a deep root that would produce an enormous tree of problems in the future.

One of the biggest problems in our country today is racism and prejudice. It started in the colonies hundreds of years ago and is still an issue in today’s society. Socially it is the biggest issue in the United States today. Prejudice views and racism have resulted in violence, death, misunderstanding, fear, hate, and most of all confusion. Early on prejudice ideals produced a domino effect of laws that completely restrained any hopes for African Americans to excel in this country. However as many years passed conditions slowly improved starting with the emancipation of slaves following the civil war, eventually leading to the civil rights movements and progressively moving towards equality of all human beings in this country. Socially I fell that huge strides have been made in the relationship and feelings between white people and black people in the last fifty years. Unfortunately, from my own personal experiences, I have come across people who are still prejudice against African Americans. On the other hand, I have also met African Americans who still seem to have animosity toward white people.




Football has been a big part of my life. What I love about the sport is that eleven different guys go out on the field and work together toward a common goal despite their differences. With about one hundred guys on a football team, you are constantly in a social atmosphere, especially in the locker room. As a junior in high school, we played Canton McKinley. They had a predominately African American team in contrast to my high school, Brunswick, a predominately white team. I remember I was on the sidelines and our offense was on the field. We were down by fourteen and our one receiver was tackled by a McKinley cornerback. Frustrated, he got up and called the McKinley player a foul name. I was shocked and disgusted when I saw that. Before a fight broke out, one of the coaches grabbed our receiver and gave him a piece of his mind. I was upset because it was wrong and because it made our team as a whole look bad. Another incident happened during my sophomore year of high school. We were playing Cleveland Heights and were riding the bus to their stadium. Our bus stopped at a red light in a rough area and their were four African American teenagers standing at the corner. One of the guys looked at our bus and smiled, pulled out a gun and pointed it at our bus. The bus driver hit the gas and ran the light. I was in awe and remember thinking to myself, “Oh my God, did that just happen?”




How can misunderstanding one another escalate into acts of violence, fear or conflict?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urpJ7iP-kFg&feature=fvw

Life notes week 1

“America does not belong to one race or one group.” (Takai 1993) The United States has been through its good times and bad times. America has become one, if not the most racially and culturally diverse countries in the world. This being said, we have had a lot of issues dealing with our differences. However, the citizens, the government, and society in general have made great strides in promoting equality and justices in a country that got off to a rocky start. The United States is a “melting pot” and every person no matter their race, cultural background, religion, or economic standing is equal share holders. Without anyone of these diverse groups, the United States would not be the country that it is today.

“Tell me and I will listen, show me and I will understand, take me in and I will learn.” (Charles 2007.) At first, Charles was very reluctant and resistant to changing his lifestyle. In the classroom, Charles was extremely intelligent and finally accepted the traditional European name Charles. This was his first big humility, but it was very significant because it exemplified that Charles really wanted to excel and succeed in this new life that he was pushed to live. His attitude in acceptance of assimilation was what really allowed him to persevere through these hard times of turmoil. Charles was highly motivated and utilized his intelligence and education to become successful.

“Get a torch over here I don’t want to see a single t p standing.” (General of the 7th calvary 2007.) When the general and his soldiers arrived at the Native American village they has one goal, and that was to destroy. The mind set of the whites during this time was to basically demoralize the Indians physically, psychologically, and spiritually. They did this through brute force, racial/cultural prejudice, forced religious conversion, and really smothered the Native American culture through government laws. This specific example of the complete destruction and burning of Indian’s settlement really symbolizes how the whites attempted to completely erase and bury the cultural and spiritual identity of the Native American people through assimilation.

“You must go there is no future outside the white mans world.” (Charles’ father 2007.) At this point turmoil between the whites and Native Americans was high. Charles’ father had already been absorbed so to speak by the European lifestyle. However, it was by his own will and he led Charles in this direction out of concern for his son’s future. He had already lived among the whites and knew that Charles would have the most promising life if he accepted this new life. The whites were in power and unfortunately for the Native American people that was a rapidly ensuing reality. It is almost like the saying goes, if you cannot beat them, join them. Equality is what was being preached, but the sad truth was the hostile take over and stripping of an entire culture. The Native Americans were pretty much the victims of genocide in early United States history. What Charles and thousands of other Native Americans went through was horrific. They were basically robbed of their land, culture, spirit, pride, and identity. I feel fortunate that I did not have to grow up like Charles and many others alike. I did not have a perfect childhood by any means, but I feel blessed and appreciate the life that I have been given. I grew up living in the suburbs with caring parents, and a roof over my head. I grew up in a Catholic family with a strong Irish and German heritage. Although I never experienced what Charles and other Native Americans went through, I can only imagine what that must have been like. It would be like if some other group in power such as Iraq came into the United States and took away my rights. I could not imagine being taken out of my home, and watching my hometown burn up in smoke. On top of that, being taken away to some settlement under Iraqi law and having a dress code would be horrible. Furthermore, I would be forced to change my religion from Catholicism to Islam. One thing I would also really struggle with would be the schooling aspect. I feel like it would be difficult to learn Arabic, for example, and be expected to speak fluently. Furthermore, much like Charles, I would have a hard time giving up the name I was given by my parents to something such as Amir for example. This whole experience would be very devastating and humiliating. Just simply imagining and writing up this scenario makes me feel a great deal of empathy for the way the Native Americans were treated. I have no problem with Muslims or Islam as a religion. My roommate who happens to be one of my best friends is Lebanese and my brother converted to Islam about two years ago. I have been fortunate enough to have been exposed to Islam and the rich culture that comes along with this religion. However, I know that id some other group tried to change my life and take away my freedoms, I would hold deep resentment. After analyzing this created scenario and reflecting on the documentary, I really disagree with how the Native Americans were bullied and assimilated. The major issues that caught my eye were the prejudice, mistreatment, violence, and absence of choice for the Indians in assimilation. This country was supposed to be built on the principles of freedom and equality, none of which were present in the forced assimilation of the Native American people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ48PlBr7Oc

Globalization and Culture

“Hybridization involves the melding of cultural lenses or frames such that values and goals that were focused on in one context are transposed to a new context.” (Spring 2006 ) There is definitely hybridization occurring in the United States today. This quote kind of goes hand in hand with the idea that the United States is known as a “melting pot.” The United States is a very diverse nation racially, ethnically, and culturally. At the same token however, as individuals, we can pick up on each others cultures and integrate it into our own lives purposely or even unknowingly. This cohesion is what broadly makes up American culture. We all come from different backgrounds and cultures that we individually identify with, but interacting with people or different backgrounds can help shape us into more well rounded or melded individuals.

“Through the use of educational methods that promote cultural pluralism, Singapore has been able to maintain Chinese, Malay, and Indian cultures and languages.” ( Spring 2006) There seems to be a high sense of cultural identity in cultural pluralism. This example in Singapore allows students to maintain their culture and language. This style of education supports the household upbringing of the students. Cultural pluralism seems to value the notion of separate but equal. Although this education system seems to work well, it almost parallels segregation in the Untied States before the civil rights act in the mid 1900’s in my opinion.

“Understanding how republicanism, democracy, and equality are compatible with racism and religious intolerance in some people’s minds is key to understanding American violence and the often tragic history of education.” (Spring 2006) This quote is relevant to social, racial, and educational problems of the Untied States in the past, which are still questionably present today. We live in a democratic society that has contradicted itself in many ways. Although their have been vast implements socially and educationally in the United States, there is still a lot of room for improvement. We have come a long way since the days of segregated schools, but prejudice views continue to plague our schools and country in general. Our laws have been modified in a positive direction, but old prejudice views and animosity still seem to lurk in the shadows of our society.

Which educational method would be best in promoting educational equality in the United States?

I went to Brunswick High School at a time when the student body consisted of about ninety percent white students. In the last few years, the student body has progressively become more racially and culturally diverse. I see this as a big positive for the students, the staff, and the teachers alike. I grew up with a great group of friends that consisted of relatively the same ethnic backgrounds as me. I have always been a good people person, but I wish I could have been exposed to more kids that differed from me both racially and culturally growing up. I have always liked meeting new people and I think we should all get out of our comfort zone to meet people that are different from ourselves. If there is one thing that I have learned in my life so far, it is that you cannot judge a book by its cover. We all come from different backgrounds, but we all have similar problems and can relate to each other in many ways. I personally feel that the best education system for the United States would be a happy medium between cultural pluralism and hybridization. In the system there could be a balance of cultural identity and cultural interaction between different people.