paper 5

America is made up of one of the most diverse populations in the world. With people from different cultures, religions, race, and ethnic background, sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint the exact characteristic that makes one a true American. In my paper, I want to discuss the American Muslims in the United States and their treatment by other Americans. Although there are a small percentage of small minded people, overall the treatment of Muslims by Americans is respectful and sincere.
I reviewed a piece done by CBS news where they put together a test in a local restaurant to see how average Americans would react to the mistreatment of a young Muslim girl wearing the tradition head scarf. The test including an actor who acted as a waiter and he would refuse to serve the Muslim woman, who is also an actor. The waiter would say many negative and derogatory remarks to the Muslim woman out load and tell her to leave, meanwhile waiting to see how the other customers would react, if they reacted at all.
At the beginning of the test, a few customers did not say a word as they watched the Muslim woman being refused to be waited on and told to leave. In fact, some of the customers actually commended the waiter on his refusal to serve the Muslim woman and one even gave the waiter the thumbs up not once but twice! Afterwards, the CBS reporter questioned these men that had encouraged the waiter’s discriminatory behavior. When question, the older man stated that he would not serve the woman either if it were his restaurant because the woman “was not dressed right.” The other man who was middle ages and gave the thumbs up was angry when the reporter questioned his actions. In turn, he accused the reporter of not being American and drove away.
The reporter discussed this video footage with a social psychologist. The psychologist pointed out that the man had accused him of not being American because he felt “threatened.” The psychologist explained that when one feels that you don’t agree with him and that your views are different, then one assumes you are against him. Therefore, if you’re not with him and you’re against them, then you’re not patriotic and not a true American. However, what dictates what a “true American” actually is? Apparently, the rest of the customers had a broader definition of an American than the first two men in the restaurant.
The rest of the customers who came into the restaurant and witnessed the discrimination of the Muslim woman take place, all voiced their opinions and shows sympathy, but most of all respect for the young Muslims woman. At one a point, a young man gets extremely angry at the mistreatment of the Muslim woman and begins to yell at the waiter telling him to “Go F@#% yourself.” When the wiater accuses of the young man of not being a good American, the young man responds by informing the waiter that hes actually the son of an army veteran. This is a very important detail, because there is nothing more patriotic then fighting for your country. If the family of a veteran is accused of not being a good American, then what does make one a “good American?” It is clear that sometimes people create their own image of the perfect or real American, but through this experiment, it is clear that most people so share the same idea of what being an American actually is.
The following customers also voice their opinions without hesitation. One lady tells the waiter he need to stop segregating, while another old woman and her husband walk out letting the waiter know that he has just lost a couple customers for good. The courage of standing up for a total stranger who had nothing to do with them and who was extremely different them shows the kindness of these people. The fact that some customers even decided to stop eating at the restaurant just because he refused to serve the Muslim woman shows an admirable quality in these genuine people. As all this is going on, the customers are being accused of being bad American and not being true Americans.
Yet, the most touching part of the experiment is when an old man steps in on the mistreatment of the Muslim woman. At first he threatens to leave, as he begins to walk out the door, he hears the waiter accusing him of not being a good America. This hurts the old man who returns and informs the waiter that he is indeed a good American and that his own son his serving in the army in Iraq. The old man goes on to tell the waiter that the war in Iraq has absolutely nothing to do with the Muslim woman and her rights. The man was deeply offended by the discrimination he witnessed and vowed to never enter that restaurant again. When interviewed later, he was deeply moved and began to cry, stating that “every person deserves to be treated with respect and dignity in every situation no matter how they are dressed.”
The report also discusses this part of the experiment with the social psychologist and asked him why were these customers so offended and angered by the mistreatment they witnessed. The psychologist explains that “ They saw an injustice. . . it’s justice that binds us together. Its justice that makes up a society. Any threat to that kind of sense of justice and fairness undermines the entire system.” Here the psychologist discusses the theme of inclusion and how Americans are brought together with a sense of equality, and anything other than that unravels the unity that they share.
As the day goes on, more and more customers walk out of the restaurant as a protest to the young Muslim woman’s mistreatment. The beauty of this experiment is to see the variety of people who stand up for the Muslim woman. People of different races, white Hispanic, and so on defended the woman. People of all ages, from late seventies to their late teens, that all spoke up for the mistreated Muslim woman. This shows that no matter the race or the age of the person, most of the Americans that entered that restaurant knew what was going on was wrong and there was no excuse for the waiter’s behavior. This suggests that the customers acknowledge the fact that Americans come in all different kind of race, ethnicity and religion, and that in the end of the day they are all Americans.
The two customers that went the extra mile to make sure the waiter’s discirmintory behaiver didn’t go without punishment are the two young girls who were appalled at the mistreatment of the Muslim woman and demanded to speak to the manager. Ironically, one of the girls pointed out that she herself was in fact Muslim too, but she was dressed like a normal westerner. However, the waiter said it was the fact that the way the woman was dressed and covering her hair that made her unfit to be served. The white young lady who was with her Muslim friend expressed great sorrow for how sometimes she sees Muslims being treated differently, and it hurts her personally because her best friend is Muslim. The young white woman even said that it “hurts” her to see such treatment take place.
As the social psychologist examined the two young girls fighting for the Muslim woman’s right, he was impressed and stated that their actions were like “fighting for America.”
At the end of the experiment, thirteen people stood up for the young Muslim woman while six stood against here. Meanwhile, twenty-two customers said nothing at all as they witnessed the mistreatment, which the CBS reporter pointed out as the worst of all reactions. This is because knowing that people would stand at watch someone being discriminated against and not saying a word is dangerous because it is allowing the mistreatment to take place, suggesting that it’s okay. After the experiment raps up, the real Muslim woman comes out and thanks the people that stood up to the waiter, like the old man, with whom she exchanged thanks, tears, and a hug.
This news piece by CBS shows that American have different opinions of what defines a true American and who do and do not accept people who are different than them. However, even though there are small minded people who are discriminatory, there still are a majority of Americans who are open minded and have no room for racism or discrimination in their hearts.


P.S. here is the link if yall wanna see the video, its really sweet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAr84D5UI7g

paper 4 draft

Tim O’Brien’s If I Die in a Combat Zone gave an insight on the Vietnam War through the eyes of a soldier who reluctantly served in a war that he solely did not believe in. In the book, O’Brien discusses his controversy with the Vietnam War and his personal beliefs. He also goes on to confess to the reader how he had planned to run away to Sweden and become a deserter to avoid fighting a war that was unjust in his eyes. In the end, O’Brien was forced to succumb to the command of the United States’ government and its army. Tim O’Brien shows that sometimes a person is forced to go against his or her own personal beliefs and submit to actions against your will in order to maintain pride and honor within your family, community, and most importantly yourself.

Tim O’Brien begins the war with total disagreement with the United State’s decision to go to war in Vietnam. He discusses his plan to run away and become a deserter. O’Brien learned of an escape route from Seattle that lead to Canada and eventually ended in Sweden. Tim actually went to Canada and stayed overnight. However when the morning came, he could bring himself to board the plane to Sweden. He thought of how him running away from his obligation of serving in the army would affect his family and how it would reflect upon himself and his courage or lack thereof. In the end, Tim headed back to his boot camp and continued his journey to becoming a soldier in Vietnam.

Tim never believed it was right or fair that he had to put his life on hold and serve in a war he didn’t believe in. However, he knew he had no choice. In the beginning, Tim went against the army’s views and actually held conversations and arguments with the officers. He made it clear that he was not for the war and was not happy to be serving in it. He wasn’t interested in making friends because he wasn’t planning on making this journey a personal one. He was planning to serve his time and get out of there as soon as he could. Yet in the end, he ended up meeting a nice guy named Erik who he become friends with and pen pals throughout his term he served in the war.

Tim O’Brien gives us an insight on the war and how it affected the Vietnamese people. He discusses actions of the soldiers and the treatment they showed the native people in Vietnam. He talks about certain actions by the soldiers that were despicable and showed the American soldiers in a negative light. He also talked about the Vietnamese people. He talked about how the children in Vietnam would clean the rifles for the soldiers and do little things here and there for them. He also gave us a story about when a blind old Vietnamese man helped give the soldiers baths, however was returned the favor my something thrown at his head by a soldier, but he just smiled and kept on helping. This showed that the Vietnamese people were kind people.
Tim O’Brien also discusses the negative outlook on women from the men serving in the Vietnam War. Their chants they said while marching portrayed women as somewhat evil and good for nothing. They mention women in sexual situations and talk about them as if they are the enemy. I was very shocked by the things said about women, but understand the anger felt by the men who were forced to serve in a war against their will.

Eventually, Tim O’Brien stops going against the war and the fact that he must serve in it. Instead he goes with the flow and just accepts his circumstances and that he must fulfill his obligation to the army. He still keeps his views that the war shouldn’t take place, but he just stops arguing about it and displaying his emotions and views about the whole situation. He eventually sits back and does what he has to do and just looks forward to the end.

Tim O’Brien’s experience shows that no matter how strong you feel for or against something, there sometimes can be a higher power that prevents you from acting upon your beliefs and instead against it.

paper 3 draft

America in the 1930’s was an era when all citizens were looked upon as equals. No matter the person’s occupation or gender, they were considered the same status as everyone else. Women began to obtain job that were never allowed for them to have before. Black men were able to work the same jobs as white men. Farmers were being encouraged to work hard just as much as corporate leaders were. Citizens of America were coming together in order to support their country in a time of crises during the depression.

During the depression, money was scarce everywhere. The government was forced to put money into the economy in order to circulate money and get the economy back up and running. In order to do so, the government had to get the people of America involved. To do so, propaganda was made to encourage all different kinds of people from different race and gender to chip in and do their part in helping the country’s economy.

Women were encouraged to work jobs that were never offered to them before. They held office jobs and even helped in the army. Propaganda made such as Rosie the Riveter was made to support the work of women and to show them that they can do the same jobs as men. Cosmetics and clothing were advertized that supported the new working woman of the 1930’s.

Black men were holding jobs and even entering the army. Although they weren’t quite seen as equal as white men, black men were becoming more accepted in the American society. As a result, they were given better jobs to work and given a chance to support their country in the army in World War I.

Farmers were definitely encouraged to do their best and keep their farms running and producing crops. Advertisements during that time showed young men in a strong and respectful view of working the farm. The pictures showed farmers and their boys in a positive light and showing them as hard workers and the back bone of this country.

Movies also played a part in the 1930’s to help boost people’s moral and give them a sense of hope. Also, some movies related to the 1930’s current situation which in some ways was a documentary of the era’s problematic issues. Movies and plays also helped give work to those who need money and could perform. Since work was hard to find, people looked in all kinds of places for a salary.

As the depression continued, Hoover called for American’s to come together and help build back up the economy. He encouraged farmers to continue their work on their farms. He also encouraged corporate companies to continue their business. Although what Hoover asked was a lot harder to get done then he made it sound, he firmly believed the only way for the economy to get back on track is for the American people to keep doing what they always did.

However, Hoover’s system to restore the economy did not work as planned. Jobs were still hard to find and people were lacking an income to care for themselves and their families. The American people were angered by the state of their economy. Farmers were angered by the low prices their products were being sold for. They were fed up with the entire situation that they began to throw their crops in the road ad protest.

The pressure of surviving through the depression forced army veterans to ask for their bonuses early which caused problems. The problem got so out of control that police had to handle the protest of veterans which angered many Americans. If army veterans aren’t being heard and are being ignored by their own government, then that is a sign that the country is in a great deal of trouble.

As I said in the beginning of my paper, Americans were equally looked upon to get into the work force and help bring up the economy and support their country in the war. Hoover believed America was a “classless country.” Therefore he believed that no matter the race or gender, people could all do their part in rebuilding America.

Immigrants

Immigrants in the 1900’s sought out to become welcomed and make America their new home, by becoming “Americanized.” The immigrants achieved this “Americanization” by changing the way they looked, lived, and even their way of thinking. However, no matter how much change they went through, their traditional values were instilled in them and therefore were still very much a part of their lives.

Since the immigrants were looked down upon and blamed for most of the American society’s problems, immigrants strived to be accepted by the American people. They tried to dress like the white people did. The women tried to find nice dresses that looked similar to what a rich white lady would be wearing, but still affordable for their low income. The immigrant girls used cosmetics to try and make themselves look more acceptable and blend in with the rest of the American people. An example of this is when Sara is working at the laundry mat in New York. As she sees her fellow co-workers all looking pretty and their faces done up in makeup, she decided to do the same. Also, when she was in college, she saw what the other white girls were wearing and she wished she could look as clean cut as they were. So when she finally became a teacher, she went to the store her classmates shopped at, and bought nice clean plain clothes that she had always hoped she could be able to wear. Although the clothing she had picked out were plain dresses, they made her feel more confident and accepted by Americans. Men also tried to look their part as being “Americanized.” They tried to buy spiffy suits and dressy shoes.

Although immigrants were poor and didn’t have much money to work with, they tried to use their resources to live like the white American. They would try to make the inside of their house look neat and clean by using a couple accessories. For instance, Bessie, Sara, and Masha all fix up their kitchen with a white tablecloth and some other accessories so that their kitchen look pretty, and not old and run down like the rest of their home. Something such as this may seem so small to us, but to them made them feel proud of their home. They felt that they had a nice clean pretty kitchen just like the white American families had.

Families also tried to fit in with the American people by having the same jobs as white American people had. An example from the book is when Sara and her family try to run their own grocery store. Like American families, immigrants liked to open their own family business. When the opportunity came for Sara’s family to run their grocery store, they were all filled with excitement. Although their chance at running their own business wasn’t successful, for the couple seconds that they thought their dream had come true, they were all happy and thought that all their troubles had come to an end.

A major part of becoming “Americanized” is for the immigrants to change their way of thinking. Some things that would have been acceptable or not acceptable in their old country would not be the same in their new country. A major example of this is when Sara decides to leave home and live on her own. Since Sara had grown up in America, her way of thinking was different than that of people who had lived in her old country (Russia) and grew up with the old traditional values and way of thinking. Her family and the rest of the community who still had their old tradition instilled in them, looked down upon her. She went off to college and lived on her own for six years. She took care of herself and made a career for herself. All this would have been unheard of in her old country, but here it was a possibility for her and she made it happen.

Although immigrants lived differently in their new home and tried to become accepted by the American people by being like them, they were still influenced by their old traditions. As we see with Sara, throughout the whole book, she strives to be like the white American women. She worked hard to live, look, and even have the same occupation as American women. Yet, in the end, her old traditional values get the best of her when she decides to let her father live with her. The life she had been trying to escape from finally caught up with her. For so long she had wanted to be on her own and not support her parents, but after so many years of running, in the end she did exactly what she had hoped not to be doing.

Although it is not uncommon for parents to live with their children in an American home, it is not considered as important as it is in other cultures. In America some parents in old age may live with their children, or they maybe be put into a home. However, it is unheard of for children to put their parents into a home in other countries and cultures. It is expected for parents once they cannot take care of themselves, for them to go live with their children. In Sara’s case, she wanted to stray away from that way of life and just focus on her self and bettering her life. Yet in the end, she ended up taking her father in when he was old and sick. Besides showing a caring side and love for her father, this also shows her deeply rooted traditional values that were instilled in her at a young age, but covered up as she went through her “Americanization” stage. For years she tried to become something that she thought would make her happy and accepted by the American people. Yet when she returned home, although she was happy, she didn’t feel the feeling that she thought she would by accomplishing her dreams. In addition, she ended up living the life she tried to escape, but in her heart she knew what she was supposed to do. She knew that it was her duty to take in her old aged father.

Another traditional aspect of immigrant culture is to have acceptance from the father so that a woman may marry. This is shown in the book when Bessie, Fania, and Masha all give up the love of their lives and marry the men their father had brought to them. Even though its not what they wanted, they gave in in order to please their father. Of course this way of thinking is totally not accepted in the American society, but even thought the girls tried to Americanize themselves, their traditional values influenced their decisions which in the end made them do what a girl would normally do in their old country.

In order to be accepted in their new country, immigrants had to change many aspects of their lives so they could blend in with the American society. However, in the end they still have their old traditional values that eventually influences their decisions and way of life even through there process of becoming “Americanized.”

Overall Argument

The inauguration material that people had showed that the American people are patriotic and no matter what their background, they can all come together to celebrate new change for their country.

The Obama posters, t-shirt, and so on were mostly red, white, and blue which represented America's colors and therefore showed the nationalism of the American people.

The fact that these materials were sold all over the place on every corner shows the excitement of the American people for the new change in hopefully a good direction.

Colors of The Obama Inauguration

As I did my research about Obama's inaugural material and the colors used, I found that the most used colors are red, white, and blue. I know it seems obvious that these three colors would be used, since these are our nation’s colors and are used on the flag. However, I was expecting a more variety of colors to be used. Every now and then I would come across a colorful poster, but most of them were red, white, and blue. Also, Obama's official inaugural poster was red, white, and blue, so basically everything following it, like buttons and t-shirts, used the same colors. Occasionally, I would come across some material that was all black or some sort of dark color. Therefore, I noticed that the colors used, even the red and blue, were dark. I think the use of dark colors represent Obama's inauguration in a serious light.

Also some inaugural coins were in gold color. This shows Obama in a positive light. Since his coin is gold, I think people can assume that he has reached a high, or maybe even the highest status a man could reach career or goal wise. You could compare this to an Olympic gold metal or something in that sense. Gold represents a high level of excellence, and that, I think, is symbolized with Obama’s gold inaugural coin.

As I watched the Inauguration today, I watched people hold up the posters that I had found online. Also they wore the Obama t-shirts and waved the American flag in the air. All these items meshed together, because they were all of the same color. I guess as a whole, when you step back and the whole crowd and area are covered in the nation’s colors, it’s a pretty cool picture.
I would like to, however, find an interesting poster of Obama that does use a different variety of colors rather than just red, white, and blue. I could swear I saw a poster like that, but I couldn't find it. Overall, I saw basically the same colors throughout the inauguration: red, white, and blue. It had to be expected though, because this is the inauguration of the next president of the United States, and the colors of the United States are red, white, and blue.

Some posters about Obama that I did find were I think more geared towards the environmental aspect of his campaign. They had his slogan “We can do it,” and a tree, or some sort of plant centered in the middle of the poster. Same goes for t-shirts, I saw they same time of picture posted on t-shirts and buttons as well. Of course they were not as common, but they did exist. They were not as patriotic either, but they still stood for something.

At the inauguration, I also noticed people wearing a button that had a statement written on it that said something to the fact that they had witnessed history in the making. These buttons that I saw were sky blue. That was a complete change from what I spent hours looking at before. I’m not sure what the sky blue represents. Maybe that light color was to represent a more brighter side of the inauguration after it had ended. Maybe it represented a new day, nice clear blue sky after the storm called Bush…I don’t know, take it for what you will. Everyone has their own opinions.

In the end, I think the colors used in the Obama inauguration were pretty much expected. Even though, it was a nice scene to watch millions of people in the National Mall covered in America’s colors: passionate red, innocent white, and majestic blue.

my first post...

.....have no clue wut to write....