Racism in America

I followed this webquest based on the novel Native Sun. It dealt with the issue of racism in America.



Richard Wright’s novel Native Sun, documents the racism in one small community that accuses Bigger Thomas of rape and murder based on the dark color of his skin. Seventy years later we are forced to ask the question: Does racism still exist in today’s society? Racism is defined as: the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races. I do believe that racism is still apparent in today’s world. Although we have come so far from the times when Martin Luther King Jr. preached about equal rights for all men, there are still some absent minded people who refuse to believe that all men are created equally.
Sadly, in today’s society, racism does still exist. Racism isn’t something that can be eliminated. Being racist means having feelings of hatred towards others. It means being ignorant and being close-minded to the diversity of the world. This state of mind cannot be erased. There are still racist jokes in shows and movies and people still discriminate in the work force based upon race. Racism is an unavoidable and horrible way of thinking that we unfortunatly can do nothing about.
Although racism is still apparent in today’s world, we as a nation have made radical steps in proving that as a whole we do not discriminate based upon race. In November of 2008 we elected our first African American president, Barack Obama. The historic day will be remembered as a day where we embraced differences and that the dreams of all people were made possible. President Barack Obama stated on the night of his victory, “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.” The impressive voter turn out proves that the people of America were ready for a change and were willing to embrace an African American president because he had new ideas and was extremely qualified. The majority of the people were able to look past the color of his skin and see what he was going to be able to do for the country. Hopefully, the election of the first African American president will prove to those with racist beliefs that all men are equal regardless of their skin color.

Life Without Illegal Immigrants..... Could You Imagine?

What would the country be like if they're no illegal immigrants? How would it effect your life? Would it effect your life? The presence of illegal immigrants impacts our daily existence more than most of us even realize. In this web-quest you will be able to browse the many sources that document the roles of illegal immigrants in the community. You will be surprised to see how life would change if all illegal immigrants were sent back to their native countries.

The Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle is a novel that tells the story of an illegal immigrant couple and a middle-upper class couple living in southern California. It compares their point of views. Candido and America, two illegal immigrants struggle to stay alive as they pursue their dreams. Delany and Kyra, two established and wealthy american citizens, live day to day fazed by trivial issues. When their worlds collide we see their true thoughts of each other. This novel makes for a real and honest description of how citizens view immigrants and how immigrants view citizens.

Follow these instructions then complete the assignment below:

1. Browse through the following sights on my delicious homepage. These resources give insight into the roles illegal immigrants play in our communities and how life would be different if they were sent back to their homes. Check under the beingsaxonmdb tag to find the sources!
2. Go to Anderson Cooper's blog about illegal immigration. Read about the violence in Mexico that drives illegal immigrants to cross the border. Look at the pictures and make note of the emotion seen on the faces of the illegal immigrants and try to think of how they must feel living in such a violent place.
3. Read over the following blog. Read the article titled Hispanic Identity and the Tortilla Curtain. Try to understand the Hispanic Perspective.
4.Go to Questia and search ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA, A REFERENCE HANDBOOK . Read the section titled Undocumented Immigration to the United States. Read a few pages and note the statistics.
5. Click on this page and view the quotes from the book. It shows the white upper class point of view of illegal immigrants.
6. Go to the iTunes store and search CHRIS SCHEDLER ON THE TORTILLA CURTAIN. Listen to the podcast about immigration and and how it ties into the book. Think about illegal immigrants and the roles they play in communities.
7.Research the 2004 movie, A Day Without A Mexican. Think about it. Take Note.
8. Read this Time article titled A Day Without Immigrants: Making a Statement. Note the positives of illegal immigration

Assignment:
The articles above have given you both positive as well as negative views of illegal immigration. You have read about the reasons why the immigrants come to America and the ways they stay alive. Now think about what the country would be like if they're were no more immigrants. Make a powerpoint showing both the positive and negatives to having a country with no illegal immigrants. You should include pictures and statistics. Then, write a short blog post detailing your opinions of the subject. Make sure you answer the following questions. Do illegal immigrants play an important role in our communities? Do you think the country would be a better place if there were no illegal immigrants? What would it be like if they're were no illegal immigrants? How would your own life be different if there were no illegal immigrants? Please go into detail with your opinions.

Illegal Immigration and Healthcare

There are approximately between seven and twenty million illegal immigrants living in the country today. These people are living in communities, working, and trying to establish themselves as something greater than they could have become in their own native countries. Illegal immigrants have no rights to any of the advantages that this country offers. This is where the issues start. What happens when an illegal immigrant gets sick? How do they get the medicine they need to get better? They have no healthcare insurance and because they are illegal immigrants they have no healthcare benefits from their jobs. Walking into a hospital emergency room is very easy, but there is always fear of being confronted for being an illegal immigrant. Many immigrants end up waiting until it’s completely necessary before seeking medical attention. An article from USA Today, titled Rising Health Care Costs put Focus on Illegal Immigrants, documents the rising healthcare costs that this country faces due to the healthcare needs of illegal immigrants. It discusses the difficulties that immigrants face due to language barriers and an irregular income. The author states, “For many illegal immigrants, the fear of deportation outweighs the pain of illness or injury, so they live with their afflictions rather than seeking help until their health problems become critical. That makes things worse — for them, for hospitals that eventually treat them, and for taxpayers who ultimately foot the bill.” (Wolf Scared To See Doctors Paragraph 1.) This healthcare crisis has become an issue for taxpayers as many of them voice their disapproval of illegal immigrants receiving healthcare. The article discusses the money issue; Steven Camarota of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies states, “offering non-emergency Medicaid to illegal immigrants would be more expensive than leaving them uninsured and in need of occasional hospital care. In those cases, hospitals lose money, and taxpayers pick up the tab,” (as stated in Wolf Political Paragraph 3.) The article discusses the very relevant topic of Illegal Immigrants and the free healthcare that they are receiving. It’s an issue that is highly debated throughout the country that should be addressed in more depth.
After reading T.C. Boyle’s Tortilla Curtain, the author accurately describes the healthcare situation from a perspective of an illegal immigrant. A car in the opening scenes of a novel hits Candido, an illegal immigrant living in Topanga Canyon in southern California. He takes a hard hit, knowing immediately that he is badly injured, but he does not seek medical attention. Candido thinks to himself, “He didn’t need a doctor. He didn’t need to put himself in their hands- his bones would knit, his flesh would heal. What would he say to them? How would he pay? And then when they were done with him the man from La Migra- Immigration- would be standing there with his twenty questions and his clipboard. No he didn’t need a doctor.” (Boyle Page 11 Paragraph 1.) Even though Candido tells himself that he doesn’t need a doctor, he knows otherwise. He fears deportation so he doesn’t put himself in the position where that could happen. This is not similar to what happens in real life though. Hospitals have no choice but to accept everyone who walks into an emergency room. Emergency rooms around the country are filled with illegal immigrants who have no way of paying for the medical attention they receive. These illegal aliens are getting healthcare without paying. I know first hand the frustration that hospitals face when caring for patients who aren’t legal citizens. My dad, a hospital administrator in an area known for its illegal immigrant population, complains constantly about the bills that the hospital faces for taking on these patients. It causes hospitals to go into debt. He complains for the doctors who treat these patients and don’t receive the payment they deserve. Although I agree with my dads point, that illegal immigrants receiving healthcare isn’t fair to the taxpayers and hospitals, I think action needs to be taken so these people do receive necessary medical attention.
Illegal immigrants make up a large part of our countries population. They fill job roles that ordinary citizens would refuse to take. The jobs they do help communities and cities run smoothly. Without these citizens many jobs wouldn’t be filled and necessary tasks wouldn’t get performed. I think that because these people do contribute to the bettering of their communities that they should have a haven to go and receive medical attention. Whether it’s a clinic that opens once a month or a local physician that keeps his office open late, its important for the communities that are being supported by these illegal immigrants help them stay healthy and well. It is vital that illegal immigrants receive some sort of healthcare so they can continue on pursuing their dreams and contributing to the community.

Wolf, Richard. “Rising Health Care Costs put Focus on Illegal Immigrants”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-01-21-immigrant-healthcare_N.htm

The Gay Best Friend

Can men and women ever be just friends? Isn’t there always a sexual attraction between men and women permitting a true friendship? How can women avoid the awkward tension between her and her male friends? The answer to this question: find a gay best friend. The stereotypical gay best friend is represented all over television and movies. It has become the “it” thing. From celebrities to socialites, the gay best friend who is there to tag along, gossip, and have fun, has become a staple in most women’s entourage. It gives women a male perspective without the sexual tension in-between. Stereotypically, the fantastic shopping partner as well as the gentle, opinionated listener, serves an escape from the stereotypical male who notices little and rarely pays attention. On the ABC hit show Ugly Betty, the character Marc St. James, who fits his standard mold quite accurately, represents the gay best friend.

Ugly Betty breaks the heterosexist perspective, mainly due to its fashion-based theme. Stereotypically, the gay community is very apparent in the fashion industry. This makes it easy for the producers of the show to incorporate the roles of gay men into the cast. Marc St. James is an assistant at the glamorous Mode magazine. He works closely with the editor and always finds it necessary to incorporate his opinion. His stylish, flamboyant lifestyle represents a large portion of the fashion industry as well as the gay community. On February 26ths episode, Marc, who strolls down the street with his designer pocketbook while dressed in his pea coat and cashmere scarf, is there for Betty while she is struggling with her own boy problems. She looks for his guidance and values his opinions. She enjoys his perspective on certain issues that she wouldn’t be able to ask any of her other male friends. Marc also fills the role of his boss’s personal shopper. He has a great taste for fashion and knows what looks good on a woman. He serves as the voice of reason to many of the female characters in the show. Marc St. James adds a type of humor the show that wouldn’t be present if the show had a heterosexist perspective. It is easy for the viewers to relate to his character. Whether you fit the mold yourself or your “gay best friend” is similar to Marc, he helps to break the heterosexist perspective that is apparent in many television shows. The producers of the hit television show do a fabulous part in incorporating the roles of gay characters into the cast

On television as well as in movies, the roles of gay characters have not been as apparent as the gay community may have wished- that is, until now. From shows like Ugly Betty, to Gossip Girl, to Grey’s Anatomy, the roles of homosexuals have been cast to generate an entirely new audience. There is someone for everyone to relate to making these shows more and more popular. Producers of movies like Milk, and Broke Back Mountain have been recognized for their fabulous portrayal of the gay community. Through Ugly Betty’s representation of the gay best friend, more audiences and types of viewers are reached. It gives the gay community a positive representation through a stereotypical portrayal. By breaking the heterosexist perspective that is commonly taken on TV, more and more people will be able to appreciate and relate to the characters in the shows.

Stereotypes and Miniskirts

Goths wear all black and are unapproachable. Nerds wear thick glasses and high wasted pants and are only focused on their studies. Jocks wear varsity jackets and have no intelligence. Preps wear Polos and they are very proper and refined. Cheerleaders wear skimpy outfits and they are always the center of attention. These are stereotypes; Molds that society has created that help group people under different categorizations. Rather than allowing their own identity to shine through, people allow others to associate them with different social groups. This means that standards are set for them and expectations are put into place. Once molded into one social class, it is hard to be associated with another. Of Skirts and Discrimination is a blog post about a woman who goes to work at the Filipino Association each day dressed in pants and suits. She enjoys staying comfortable and practical but one day decided to deviate from her usual attire and wear a mini-skirt to work. On that day, feeling confident and fresh, this woman gave a presentation to a group of her peers at the office. Usually she is respected for her intelligence and her ideas, but on that day, a man whom she had never met sat in on the presentation. She noted, “This person, at that moment, saw us wearing skirts and immediately commented:“Hindi kayo dapat nagsusuot ng ganyan.” (You shouldn’t wear that kind of dress here.)” (xiaui). On that day, she wasn’t taken seriously and was disrespected by this man of authority. He couldn’t respect her for he ideas and her opinions all because of her choice of clothing. The man acted very childish and impolite throughout the duration of the meeting. She came to the conclusion that “Men rule almost all the public sphere, even if our president is a woman. Women are expected to shut up when the men are speaking, even if the men talk rubbish most of the time” (xiaui). She discusses the fact that men will always be more respected than women and that men are less respectful towards women than they are towards men. Frustrated, the author declares, “And don’t underestimate me just because I wear a skirt. If I do not have the capacity for anything productive, then maybe I shouldn’t be here, or I shouldn’t have graduated from the premier university in my country” (xiaui). Of Skirts and Discrimination discusses the lack of respect that women receive due to their styles and dress. The author of this blog raises a very good point: Women get less respect than men because of how they dress and the way they present themselves.

“I went there in a mini skirt. Society’s stereotyping says that a woman wearing mini skirts, or anything with less cloth, lacks logical and leadership capacity. He labeled me as someone incapable of handling organization matters just because I wore a mini skirt” stated the woman (xiaui). The author of the blog discusses the discrimination she felt when she wore her mini skirt compared to the respect she felt when she wore her more professional attire. I think that as a whole, women are stereotyped based upon what they wear and the way they carry themselves. Although most people would say that we live in a world where brains are put before beauty, in actuality people put beauty before brains. The first thing that you notice when meeting is the way they look. Do they have clear skin? Does their hair look clean, or is it greasy and a mess? Is their clothing bright and fresh, or worn out and distressed? These are some of the thoughts that go through people’s minds when first meeting someone. Once those impressions are in someone’s head, it is hard to change them. Because women have their own personal style, they become grouped based upon the message their clothing conveys. Girls who wear less clothing are called “sluts” and are rarely taken seriously. Girls who wear turtlenecks and high wasted pants are reserved. These are examples of the negative attention that clothing brings upon its wearer. Women, especially, have the tools and resources to change up their wardrobe and create their own personal style more so than men. It’s easier to discriminate against women because there are more styles to associate negative stereotypes with. Just because it is easier, doesn’t make it right. The author, who went to a prestigious university, brings up the point that women will always be second to men. Even though we all have equal rights, there are still those men out there who refuse to accept the fact that women and men are all equal. It is those men who create the negative stereotypes that are associated with women due to their choices of clothing and their appearance. It is important to understand that even though women are discriminated against because of their clothing, their opinion and values should be what matters, rather than the length of their skirt of the cut of their shirt.

Clothing should be a reflection of your style, but it shouldn’t be the factor upon which we evaluate people. The moral of this story is don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s always easy to make first impressions last, but its more important to look towards someone’s intelligence and personality rather than the way they present themselves. We all have our own opinion of what is beautiful. That is the exact reason why it is important not to judge someone based upon his or her clothing. What you’re wearing might not appeal to someone else even though it appeals to you. It’s important to be confident in your appearance and back that up with your intelligence and ideas. Don’t let negative stereotypes define you. Break the mold from the negative stereotypes that your clothing might convey and make people question why they would ever stereotype you in the first place. As Coco Chanel once said, “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” Be spontaneous, be innovative, be thoughtful and be wise. When your personality shines through, it will be easy to be judged for your mind rather than your appearance.

Works cited:

Xiaui. "Of Skirts and Discrimination." Weblog post. Dusty Typewriter. 11 Feb. 2009. 12 Feb. 2009 < http://xiaui.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/of-skirts-and-discrimination/ >.