by: Lia
Working this last semester with the topic of “Being an American,” has been a lot better then I initially anticipated. As I mentioned in my first post, I was less then thrilled when the class chose this topic.
There is a lot that can be, and has been, covered under the umbrella of “Being an American.” Good, bad, and everything in between. It’s important to open up avenues where dialogue among citizens can occur. It’s important that we listen to differing opinions, realizing we might not have all the information necessary to make an informed decision. As United States citizens we need to not only learn to critically analyze the workings of our government, but appreciate the freedoms and privileges we have.
As the saying goes, “with privilege comes responsibility.” We must be good stewards of our gifts and use them not for selfish gain, but to better the world around us. Yes, I said world. It’s not just about America and making us happy, but it’s about providing for those around the world that may be less fortunate then ourselves. That doesn’t mean taking over a country and enforcing our rules and power, but giving others the tools and provisions necessary to live a full and healthy life.
This semester as given me the opportunity to look at the world around me and realize that every thing I do, or don’t do, has an impact on others. I must be informed of the actions of my government and take the necessary steps to ensure that we are all being treated fairly. No more us and them mentality. As I think I’ve mentioned before, we are all part of the human race and we need to start acting like it.
Showing posts with label Lia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lia. Show all posts
Monday, April 26, 2010
Prison
by: Lia
It’s interesting that here in America we so willingly lock people away in prison for crimes that they committed instead of spending less money to get them the help they need.
Let’s take someone with a mental disorder for example. Their mental disorder might not be enough to send them to a psychiatric hospital, but it’s enough to make them unable to function properly in society. According to Mental Health America, “An estimated 54 million Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder in a given year.” Yet, with treatment, “many people with mental illness return to a productive and fulfilling life.”
What about drug addicts and dealers? When they are locked in prison for their crime, do they at least get substance abuse counseling? To me, that would be the most logical step. Only 1 out of 10 drug offenders actually get the counseling they need.
Most drug abusers that go into prison end up abusing drugs there as well. When they get out of prison they do what their body has trained them to do, they use again, and then get put back in prison. It’s a vicious cycle.
In the mean time we are spending all this money to keep them in prison, when it would cost less to give them the treatment needed. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, it costs $23,000 each year to keep just one prisoner in prison.
It’s interesting that here in America we so willingly lock people away in prison for crimes that they committed instead of spending less money to get them the help they need.
Let’s take someone with a mental disorder for example. Their mental disorder might not be enough to send them to a psychiatric hospital, but it’s enough to make them unable to function properly in society. According to Mental Health America, “An estimated 54 million Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder in a given year.” Yet, with treatment, “many people with mental illness return to a productive and fulfilling life.”
What about drug addicts and dealers? When they are locked in prison for their crime, do they at least get substance abuse counseling? To me, that would be the most logical step. Only 1 out of 10 drug offenders actually get the counseling they need.
Most drug abusers that go into prison end up abusing drugs there as well. When they get out of prison they do what their body has trained them to do, they use again, and then get put back in prison. It’s a vicious cycle.
In the mean time we are spending all this money to keep them in prison, when it would cost less to give them the treatment needed. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, it costs $23,000 each year to keep just one prisoner in prison.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Health Insurance
by: Lia
My husband and I went out for Mexican food last night, and boy was it good. After everyone had cleared out of the restaurant we ended up talking to our waiter for quite awhile. He was really nice. He said that in 1993, about a year into his marriage, his wife had horrible problems with her gallbladder and appendix. He tried to get insurance through the state, but he was denied. They said he made too much money.
After his wife had emergency surgery the hospital was nice enough to deduct a substantial amount of the bill, since him and his wife couldn’t afford to pay it. That left them with a bill of $10,000. Only recently were they able to finally pay the last of it.
In 1998 I came back from another country and literally almost died. The doctors in the ICU unit said if I hadn’t had an appointment with the infectious disease doctor down the hall from the ICU at the very moment I did, I would have never made it. It was just my mom and I, and she couldn’t afford health insurance for either of us. My mother was paying the hospital bill for years and years and years.
Health insurance is so important, but most people can’t afford it. When they have some sort of unexpected emergency they are screwed. So many people die of curable diseases because they cant afford the treatment. Something is wrong with that picture.
I must admit that I don’t know nearly enough about the new health care bill as I’d like, but I know that something has to change from the current state healthcare is at.
My husband and I went out for Mexican food last night, and boy was it good. After everyone had cleared out of the restaurant we ended up talking to our waiter for quite awhile. He was really nice. He said that in 1993, about a year into his marriage, his wife had horrible problems with her gallbladder and appendix. He tried to get insurance through the state, but he was denied. They said he made too much money.
After his wife had emergency surgery the hospital was nice enough to deduct a substantial amount of the bill, since him and his wife couldn’t afford to pay it. That left them with a bill of $10,000. Only recently were they able to finally pay the last of it.
In 1998 I came back from another country and literally almost died. The doctors in the ICU unit said if I hadn’t had an appointment with the infectious disease doctor down the hall from the ICU at the very moment I did, I would have never made it. It was just my mom and I, and she couldn’t afford health insurance for either of us. My mother was paying the hospital bill for years and years and years.
Health insurance is so important, but most people can’t afford it. When they have some sort of unexpected emergency they are screwed. So many people die of curable diseases because they cant afford the treatment. Something is wrong with that picture.
I must admit that I don’t know nearly enough about the new health care bill as I’d like, but I know that something has to change from the current state healthcare is at.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
"Need"
by: Lia
What we think we “need” in America is absolutely absurd. We “need” a two-story house with 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a Jacuzzi tub, a large kitchen, a flat screen LCD television, two cars, at least 50 different outfits, and 100 shoes, junk food, and the list goes on and on.
In most countries they would be thrilled to have a place with four walls and a roof; who cares about windows or a door. Clean water is a luxury they can’t afford. They bathe themselves in toxic rivers filled with human excrement. Yet, somehow these impoverished countries seem to be a lot happier and grateful for what they do have.
It’s sad that we have to go without before we appreciate what we had. I am blessed that I grew up with very little money, always wondering if this would be the month we had to be out of our home. I am very simple and grateful for every little thing I have been given. That’s why it is hard for me to see people living in the U.S. with so much money and hoarding it for themselves. and wasting it convincing themselves that they “need” all this frivolous stuff.
What we think we “need” in America is absolutely absurd. We “need” a two-story house with 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, a Jacuzzi tub, a large kitchen, a flat screen LCD television, two cars, at least 50 different outfits, and 100 shoes, junk food, and the list goes on and on.
In most countries they would be thrilled to have a place with four walls and a roof; who cares about windows or a door. Clean water is a luxury they can’t afford. They bathe themselves in toxic rivers filled with human excrement. Yet, somehow these impoverished countries seem to be a lot happier and grateful for what they do have.
It’s sad that we have to go without before we appreciate what we had. I am blessed that I grew up with very little money, always wondering if this would be the month we had to be out of our home. I am very simple and grateful for every little thing I have been given. That’s why it is hard for me to see people living in the U.S. with so much money and hoarding it for themselves. and wasting it convincing themselves that they “need” all this frivolous stuff.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Obsession with Beauty
by: Lia
I know there are a lot of places in the world that emphasize beauty. It doesn’t seem like any of them are as obsessed with it as we are, unless the country as been influenced by the U.S. and now looks at beauty under the same lens.
I know there are a lot of places in the world that emphasize beauty. It doesn’t seem like any of them are as obsessed with it as we are, unless the country as been influenced by the U.S. and now looks at beauty under the same lens.
Oh, to be back in the day when curvy and solid women were revered. I think that women with some meat on their bones are absolutely gorgeous; heck, I’d like a bit more myself.
I wish the rest of society, especially the media, saw it that way.
I wish the rest of society, especially the media, saw it that way.
It’s sad to see so many models and actors starve themselves to death just to meet society's belief on what is beautiful. Take Lindsey Lohan for example: she was absolutely beautiful. I thought she was a terrific size; she had curves, and she looked great. Then she started to see the pressures of being skinny, and now she looks horrible. It’s really sad.
So many impressionable young girls have eating disorders because of the media. “1 out of every 100 young women between 10-20 years old is starving herself, sometimes to death.” Girls try to be something they will never be. Most of us weren’t made to look like the models that are projected on the T.V. screen, billboards, and magazine ads.
Dove's got it figured out; real women are beautiful and should be celebrated.
We need to appreciate who we are, celebrate our uniqueness, and embrace what we see as flaws. I’m talking to myself here too. It’s easy to get caught up in what we think we lack and compare ourselves to others. It’s about time we stop and start loving ourselves. The media needs to start getting with it too!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Pharmaceutical Drugs
by: Lia
What is it with the United States and pharmaceutical drugs?
Anyone who has to purchase pharmaceutical drugs knows how expensive they are. According to the 2002 Drug Industry Profits American citizens pay hundreds of billions of dollars every year on pharmaceutical drugs. While citizens loose more and more money as prescription drug prices increase, pharmaceutical companies get richer and richer.
Our government also gets rich off the drug industry. Since 1999, the drug industry has given more than 45 million dollars in political contributions, and it's spent hundreds of millions more on an army of more than 600 lobbyists to work its will on Capitol Hill.
I’m sure you’ve seen the drug commercials on television that show people living horrible lives until they take the magic pill and life is wonderful. Then at the end they quickly spout off the long list of negative side effects some includes internal bleeding and even death! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwljWbg2Vs&feature=related
What is it with the United States and pharmaceutical drugs?
Anyone who has to purchase pharmaceutical drugs knows how expensive they are. According to the 2002 Drug Industry Profits American citizens pay hundreds of billions of dollars every year on pharmaceutical drugs. While citizens loose more and more money as prescription drug prices increase, pharmaceutical companies get richer and richer.
Our government also gets rich off the drug industry. Since 1999, the drug industry has given more than 45 million dollars in political contributions, and it's spent hundreds of millions more on an army of more than 600 lobbyists to work its will on Capitol Hill.
I’m sure you’ve seen the drug commercials on television that show people living horrible lives until they take the magic pill and life is wonderful. Then at the end they quickly spout off the long list of negative side effects some includes internal bleeding and even death! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYwljWbg2Vs&feature=related
There are so many different natural remedies out there that have been used for centuries that don’t have the horrible side effects that synthetic drugs have, but the pharmaceutical companies wouldn’t want you to believe natural remedies are credible, because then they’d loose out on your money.
Gender
by: Lia
No matter how far we have come, gender inequality is still alive and well. The pay gap between men and women has become smaller, but men still receive more money than women when working the same type of job with the same credentials, according to Gender Differences in Pay.
Linda Babcock, a Carnegie Mellon University professor of economics conducted a study resulting in the realization that men are twice as likely as women to negotiate a higher pay raise. This might explain why men still receive more money than women.
Why is it that women do not ask for more money? Perhaps it is because of how women have been, and continue to be, treated in society. Women are taught to be silent and demur, while men are to be outspoken and aggressive.
So we should teach our women to be more outspoken and to go after what they believe they deserve and the problem should be solved, right? Wrong. There are those in society who still believe women should be more “womanly,” meaning quiet and subdued. If women were to possess more of the typical “manly” traits of aggressions, potential employers might be turned off.
All of society, not just women, needs to realize how women have been oppressed and rethink what women and men’s rolls are. Women should be allowed to speak up and receive the pay they deserve, without being looked down upon or penalized for doing so.
No matter how far we have come, gender inequality is still alive and well. The pay gap between men and women has become smaller, but men still receive more money than women when working the same type of job with the same credentials, according to Gender Differences in Pay.
Linda Babcock, a Carnegie Mellon University professor of economics conducted a study resulting in the realization that men are twice as likely as women to negotiate a higher pay raise. This might explain why men still receive more money than women.
Why is it that women do not ask for more money? Perhaps it is because of how women have been, and continue to be, treated in society. Women are taught to be silent and demur, while men are to be outspoken and aggressive.
So we should teach our women to be more outspoken and to go after what they believe they deserve and the problem should be solved, right? Wrong. There are those in society who still believe women should be more “womanly,” meaning quiet and subdued. If women were to possess more of the typical “manly” traits of aggressions, potential employers might be turned off.
All of society, not just women, needs to realize how women have been oppressed and rethink what women and men’s rolls are. Women should be allowed to speak up and receive the pay they deserve, without being looked down upon or penalized for doing so.
Sex
by: Lia
I am working on a feature length documentary on the sex trade in Cambodia and the U.S. and I have amerced myself in the fight against sex trafficking for the last couple years of my life.
Something that I have found time and time again is that people in the United States can’t, and wont believe that sex trafficking happens here in the U.S.. They say, “Nah, it couldn’t happen here, we’d never let such a horrible thing happen.” So they turn a blind eye to the atrocity that are occurring right under their noses.
An estimated 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. every year and at least 300,000 American born children are trafficked within the Unites States annually. That’s a total of 317,500 people, a majority of them children, that we have found that are trafficked in the U.S. yearly. Most experts believe that number is way higher, it’s just hard to determine how many are really out there.
We have this wonderful thing called the Trafficking In Persons Report put together by the U.S. Department of State. The Trafficking In Persons Report explains the issue of Human Trafficking (the overall umbrella that sex trafficking falls under), what’s being done about it, victims stories, and more. One thing particularly helpful is that they break down each country and show how bad the issue of human trafficking is there. Only problem is they have neglected to even include the United States.
No wonder people wont believe sex trafficking is an issue in the United States, when the government wont even acknowledge it!
I am working on a feature length documentary on the sex trade in Cambodia and the U.S. and I have amerced myself in the fight against sex trafficking for the last couple years of my life.
Something that I have found time and time again is that people in the United States can’t, and wont believe that sex trafficking happens here in the U.S.. They say, “Nah, it couldn’t happen here, we’d never let such a horrible thing happen.” So they turn a blind eye to the atrocity that are occurring right under their noses.
An estimated 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. every year and at least 300,000 American born children are trafficked within the Unites States annually. That’s a total of 317,500 people, a majority of them children, that we have found that are trafficked in the U.S. yearly. Most experts believe that number is way higher, it’s just hard to determine how many are really out there.
We have this wonderful thing called the Trafficking In Persons Report put together by the U.S. Department of State. The Trafficking In Persons Report explains the issue of Human Trafficking (the overall umbrella that sex trafficking falls under), what’s being done about it, victims stories, and more. One thing particularly helpful is that they break down each country and show how bad the issue of human trafficking is there. Only problem is they have neglected to even include the United States.
No wonder people wont believe sex trafficking is an issue in the United States, when the government wont even acknowledge it!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Kill, Kill, Kill!
by: Lia
I finally watched Bowling for Columbine the other day, and let me say, I was quite disturbed. The topic wasn’t really anything new to me, it just brought up a lot of emotions.
The movie addressed the school shooting that occurred at Columbine High School where two teenage boys came to school with guns and shot a whole bunch of students. Many students were severely injured and some were even killed.
At one point in the movie it went through many different wars the United States was involved in and showed people that had died because of the United States’ involvement. This is the list that I copied down:
- 1953: U.S. overthrows Prime Minister Mossadeq of Iran. U.S. installs Shah as dictator.
- 1954: U.S. overthrows democratically-elected President Arbenz of Guatemala. 200,000 civilians killed.
- 1963: U.S. backs assassination of South Vienamese President Diem.
- 1963-1975: American military kills 4 million people in Southeast Asia.
- September 11, 1973: U.S. stages coup in Chile, Democratically-elected President Salvador Allende assassinated. Dictator Augusto Pinochet installed. 5,000 Chileans murdered.
- 1977: U.S. backs military rulers in El Salvador. 70,000 Salvadorans and four American nuns killed.
- 1980's: U.S. trains Osama bin Laden and fellow terrorists to kill Soviets. CIA gives them $3 billion.
- 1981: Reagan administration trains and funds "contras." 30,000 Nicaraguans die.
- 1982: U.S. provides billions in aid to Saddam Hussein for weapons to kill Iranians.
- 1983: White House secretly gives Iran weapons to kill Iraqis.
- 1989: CIA agent Manuel Noriega (also serving as President of Panama) disobeys orders from Washington. U.S. invades Panama and removes Noriega. 3,000 Panamanian civilian casualties.
- 1990: Iraq invades Kuwait with weapons from U.S.
- 1991: U.S. enters Iraq. Bush reinstates dictator of Kuwait.
- 1998: Clinton bombs "weapons factory" in Sudan. Factory turns out to be making aspirin.
- 1991 to present (?): American planes bomb Iraq on a weekly basis. U.N. estimates 500,000 Iraqi children die from bombing and sanctions.
- 2000-2001: U.S. gives Taliban-ruled Afghanistan $245 million in "aid."
- Sept. 11, 2001: Osama bin Laden uses his expert CIA training to murder 3,000 people.
How much money would we have saved from the deficit if we hadn't been so gung-ho about war and funding other groups to be better at killing more people?
We teach Americans that it's okay to go to other countries and massacre everyone, because they are "bad," but then we turn around and think we can punish people here for murdering someone. We don’t understand when teenagers come to a school and kill people. How does that make sense? How can't people see that it's the same thing?
I go between being saddened to enraged that people could be so heartless and cruel with no remorse, just killing and somehow justifying it!
No matter where we come from we are all human beginnings with lives, and families, and hopes, and dreams, and fears. How can we justify killing another person, no matter where they came from or what they did?
It hurts me to think that we are capable of such horrific things, then rationalizing the killing, that is unless it’s someone here in the U.S. killings another U.S. citizen. Why are our lives somehow more important than those in other countries?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Indigenous People
by: Lia
Native Americans are the only ones who can rightfully call themselves American. This was their land until the “white men” took everything from them. We took their homeland, their pride, their lives, and in return we gave them diseases, reservations, alcohol, and casinos.
Native American substance abuse levels are higher than those of any other group and
the death of Native Americans due to alcohol is three times higher than everyone else.
Their propensity to alcohol, that we introduced them to, along with their lack of pride, we stole from them, has lead to a great amount of physical and sexual abuse.
Native American women experience the highest levels of sexual and domestic abuse of any group in the United States.
According to Amnesty International, "Many experts in the movement believe that Native women are raped more often simply because there is very little done to stop it. Tribal courts and tribal law enforcement agencies have not been provided with the resources necessary to provide sufficient protection from sexual assault."
What are we doing to change this?
In a monologue a Native American woman tells her story of abuse, ending with, “They took our land. They took our ways. They took our men. We want them back.”
Native Americans are the only ones who can rightfully call themselves American. This was their land until the “white men” took everything from them. We took their homeland, their pride, their lives, and in return we gave them diseases, reservations, alcohol, and casinos.
Native American substance abuse levels are higher than those of any other group and
the death of Native Americans due to alcohol is three times higher than everyone else.
Their propensity to alcohol, that we introduced them to, along with their lack of pride, we stole from them, has lead to a great amount of physical and sexual abuse.
Native American women experience the highest levels of sexual and domestic abuse of any group in the United States.
According to Amnesty International, "Many experts in the movement believe that Native women are raped more often simply because there is very little done to stop it. Tribal courts and tribal law enforcement agencies have not been provided with the resources necessary to provide sufficient protection from sexual assault."
What are we doing to change this?
In a monologue a Native American woman tells her story of abuse, ending with, “They took our land. They took our ways. They took our men. We want them back.”
Monday, February 15, 2010
Dichotomy
by: Lia
As a whole Americans seem to be pro-war when it comes to fighting for freedom and that type of thing. After 9/11 when the Iraqi war began you would see people not only flying their American flags, but bumper stickers, t-shirts, and more with “Support the Troops” were everywhere.
The United States government has gotten us into a lot of wars with, and sometimes without, the support of the American people. With a government and a nation being pro-war and about the troops, why are veterans just disregarded?
Let’s get this straight, I’d be hard pressed to think of an instance that war and killing another human being was necessary or appropriate.
I am saying that regardless if you support war, the people fighting it are human beings that come back with great needs. If you do support the troops, then you should support them even after they have fought the war.
Why are there so many veterans (WWII, Vietnam, Iraq) out on the street, drug addicted, and/or with mental illnesses? If we were treating them with half the respect we gave them while they were fighting, perhaps this wouldn’t be the case.
I don’t support war, but I do support the people that have to fight them, even when the fighting has ceased.
As a whole Americans seem to be pro-war when it comes to fighting for freedom and that type of thing. After 9/11 when the Iraqi war began you would see people not only flying their American flags, but bumper stickers, t-shirts, and more with “Support the Troops” were everywhere.
The United States government has gotten us into a lot of wars with, and sometimes without, the support of the American people. With a government and a nation being pro-war and about the troops, why are veterans just disregarded?
Let’s get this straight, I’d be hard pressed to think of an instance that war and killing another human being was necessary or appropriate.
I am saying that regardless if you support war, the people fighting it are human beings that come back with great needs. If you do support the troops, then you should support them even after they have fought the war.
Why are there so many veterans (WWII, Vietnam, Iraq) out on the street, drug addicted, and/or with mental illnesses? If we were treating them with half the respect we gave them while they were fighting, perhaps this wouldn’t be the case.
I don’t support war, but I do support the people that have to fight them, even when the fighting has ceased.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Spoiled
by: Lia
I don’t know, maybe I see all that the American government lacks and all the negative things that come along with it, because I’m just spoiled.
Like a child that has grown up in privilege, being given almost anything they wanted, and lacking practically nothing, they focus their attention on what little they don’t have…A spoiled brat.
Perhaps I have lived with so much freedom and opportunity that I just take it for granted. Instead of looking at the wonderful things about being an American, and all the freedoms we have, that so many countries in the world only dream of having, I instead choose to look at what is still lacking.
I can’t even comprehend what citizens in other countries go through with a dictatorship and/or no real rights to speak of. There’s obviously a reason why people from other nations flock to America.
We might have a lot of issues we need to overcome, but when I really think about it, we are pretty blessed to have all that we do have.
I think both sides need to be able to look at the merits of each others arguments.
Some people are gung ho about America and believe that what America stands for and what it offers is amazing. That shouldn’t mean you don’t analyze our government and it’s ideals and point out ways in which change needs to occur.
On the other hand, those who disagree with American policy and corruption, need to take a second and see all the amazing things that America has to offer, and realize how fortunate we are to be living in a country that offers freedom and a chance for the people to make decisions.
When I say this, I am talking to myself as much as to anyone else. It’s easy to get stuck on the negative and notice what you don’t have, instead of stepping back and being grateful for what you do have.
I don’t know, maybe I see all that the American government lacks and all the negative things that come along with it, because I’m just spoiled.
Like a child that has grown up in privilege, being given almost anything they wanted, and lacking practically nothing, they focus their attention on what little they don’t have…A spoiled brat.
Perhaps I have lived with so much freedom and opportunity that I just take it for granted. Instead of looking at the wonderful things about being an American, and all the freedoms we have, that so many countries in the world only dream of having, I instead choose to look at what is still lacking.
I can’t even comprehend what citizens in other countries go through with a dictatorship and/or no real rights to speak of. There’s obviously a reason why people from other nations flock to America.
We might have a lot of issues we need to overcome, but when I really think about it, we are pretty blessed to have all that we do have.
I think both sides need to be able to look at the merits of each others arguments.
Some people are gung ho about America and believe that what America stands for and what it offers is amazing. That shouldn’t mean you don’t analyze our government and it’s ideals and point out ways in which change needs to occur.
On the other hand, those who disagree with American policy and corruption, need to take a second and see all the amazing things that America has to offer, and realize how fortunate we are to be living in a country that offers freedom and a chance for the people to make decisions.
When I say this, I am talking to myself as much as to anyone else. It’s easy to get stuck on the negative and notice what you don’t have, instead of stepping back and being grateful for what you do have.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A Loaded Question
by: Lia
What does it mean to be an American? Wow, what a question. Being an American can mean so many different things... it just depends on who you ask.
I am sure there are a lot of people around the world who might not have anything too pleasant to say about Americans. Heck, there are a lot of Americans who don't have anything good to say about Americans.
I must say... When the majority of the class voted on this topic I was disappointed. I thought, "Who cares about being an American? I'd rather learn about any other culture..."
In many ways I am ashamed to call myself an American. All that we have done to others through war (in the name of freedom, but in actuality because of our greed) just makes me sick. Other countries may have corrupt governments, but at least they are open to the fact; not hiding it and pretending things are one way when they're not.
I get that we should count our blessings; that we have democracy and all the freedoms that accompany it (but do we really?). We talk about equality like it's something that we have attained; but we haven't... not for the African Americans, the Latinos, the Asians, and women in general, regardless of race.
It's easy for someone (especially someone who is Caucasian) to be blinded to the sufferings of people they don't usually come in contact with. It is especially easy to be in your own little bubble as a college student; thinking the world is just peachy, and that in America we are free.
Well I have news for you: We have a LONG way to go people... and if you think we don't, then I want to encourage you to truly open your eyes and look around.
What does it mean to be an American? Wow, what a question. Being an American can mean so many different things... it just depends on who you ask.
I am sure there are a lot of people around the world who might not have anything too pleasant to say about Americans. Heck, there are a lot of Americans who don't have anything good to say about Americans.
I must say... When the majority of the class voted on this topic I was disappointed. I thought, "Who cares about being an American? I'd rather learn about any other culture..."
In many ways I am ashamed to call myself an American. All that we have done to others through war (in the name of freedom, but in actuality because of our greed) just makes me sick. Other countries may have corrupt governments, but at least they are open to the fact; not hiding it and pretending things are one way when they're not.
I get that we should count our blessings; that we have democracy and all the freedoms that accompany it (but do we really?). We talk about equality like it's something that we have attained; but we haven't... not for the African Americans, the Latinos, the Asians, and women in general, regardless of race.
It's easy for someone (especially someone who is Caucasian) to be blinded to the sufferings of people they don't usually come in contact with. It is especially easy to be in your own little bubble as a college student; thinking the world is just peachy, and that in America we are free.
Well I have news for you: We have a LONG way to go people... and if you think we don't, then I want to encourage you to truly open your eyes and look around.
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