...Stereotypes (of Muslims), Causes, Consequences and Solutions It is extremely important for People to feel safe and be included in their environments in order to maintain a decent life. Stereotypes against Muslims in America can lead to fear and isolation among Muslim people and prejudices against Muslims can affect the quality of the life of Muslims in America. The following excerpt is taken from an interview with Fatima, a female Muslim worshipper after the Friday prayer. “Because I wear the head scarf I usually get the hateful stares. I just cannot stand that. I fear for my life. Muslims are harassed and targeted. I know that many Americans hate Muslims and Muslims are the victims of hate crimes. I am afraid if America get too paranoid...
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...who worked at a German chemical factory, IG Farben. The killing methods ranged from being lined up at a wall and shot to being put into ‘showers’ that realized a toxic gas. Once the prisoners were dead, they were then burned in the crematoriums at the camp. Essentially the prisoners of the labor and death camps were treated as objects and not as the humans that they were. Many might even go as far as refer to the Germans as heartless for doing the things that they did to the innocent Jews and other monitories. Art Spiegelman’s Maus shows the effects of the German’s dehumanizing treatment of the Jews during the Holocaust and proves that the Germans were monsters toward everyone being victimized in the Holocaust. Art Spiegelman is an American cartoonist who wrote Maus in the early 1900s. Maus is a cartoon depicting the Holocaust. It depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father as a Polish Jew that survived the Holocaust....
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...talk about it. This is possibly due to misogynistic attitudes or because periods are so intimate. Advertisements for the products that women use during their periods -- pads, tampons, menstrual cups -- avoid the word “period.” Instead, they use euphemisms like “time of the month” to downplay the reality of the female body. Women are put on a pedestal of femininity. They are stereotyped and conditioned by media to be docile. This is one reason that we don’t talk about periods. In tampon and pad commercials, the actresses are often wearing smiles on their faces and white clothing on their bodies. They are model-like to perpetuate the idea that women are not real people with real problems. This pushes the “feminine female” stereotype and dehumanizes women. Pad commercials are also infamous for using blue liquid to simulate period blood. Since girls don’t leak blue liquid, how can they connect to those commercials? This censorship is outrageous, as blood is shown on television all the time. The televised blood may not be real, but the image is accurate. The reality of periods should be taught to all people. In addition, the hush surrounding periods poses a health risk. “Endometriosis” and “Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder” are very real, but not widely known, disorders that may occur...
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...Every day children are exposed to stereotypes and misrepresentations of Native Americans, with a stereotype being “preconceived or oversimplified generalizations usually, but not always, involving negative beliefs about a particular group” (Brunette). For children to learn the stereotypes so young and to think that that is how a certain group of people really is, only perpetuates the cycle of how some races or ethnic groups are treated, even something as seemingly innocent as Disney’s Pocahontas or Virginia Grossman’s Ten Little Rabbit, can really be a stereotype in hiding. “…Children between 2 and 5 years of age start to become aware of race, ethnicity, gender, and disabilities…Children learn stereotypes and attitudes about race from their parents, caretakers and the world around them” (Brunette). The knowledge that young children hold about Native Americans can vary greatly form child to child. Some children know about a tribe that lives in their area, while others just have the images that Disney has put in their heads. Most children believe that Native Americans are a thing of the past, that there are no living Native Americans today, A kindergarten class visits a children’s museum on a nearby American Indian reservation. As they enter the foyer, their guide, a member of the reservation’s Native tribe, greets the group. “When are we going to see some real Indians?” asks one of the children. “You are meeting one. I am American Indian,” says the guide. The children are...
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...We see how people with power, for example cops, seem to get away with the bad things they do because of their status, and the excuses they make to hide the truth. Which is using the stereotypes given to men of color as a cover to the real crimes committed, saying that killing a teenage black boy was okay because he was a “gang banger” and a “drug-dealer”. As if it is a reason for shooting an unarmed teenage boy, who posed no threat to the armed white cop, known as 115. As the book progresses Thomas uses harsh dehumanizing labels to describe almost every character we see, whether it is the “black man”, or “rich white boy”, or even the number “115” rather than of the cops given name. It shows the reader how people dehumanize those of color and how the author wants us to realize the real problem happening in our society, which is racism and stereotypes people choose to...
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...Anonymous Race and Identity 512 17 February 2013 Short Paper: 2 One of the main social and political tasks of 1830’s America was to define what it was to be a free American. Challenged by reformist ideals “purifying” the land and the Industrial Revolution cementing capitalism into the framework of the nation’s economy, Black people and Indians found themselves pushed out of the national identity. Much of this struggle can be witnessed through an analysis of American theater at the time. Stereotypical portrayals of Black Americans through Black Face Minstrelsy and of American Indians in Indian Plays highlight how White Americans invented social constructs to dehumanize or ridicule “other’ races and protect an imagined White American identity with no static definition. The basis for arguing in defense of a singular definition or identity begins with the denial of all others. In the case of White Americans, this was accomplished by dehumanizing all “other” races. With the advent of abolition and its ideals permeating society, Black slaves had the hope that freedom was attainable, and free White’s adopted fears of a common people class developing in the future with “unthinkable” consequences like widespread amalgamation. Slavery would no longer be the precondition for separatism. The void was filled in part by theories of racial science as developed by scientists like Craniologist Samuel Morton. According to his studies, races could be determined by the size and shape of their...
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...be for the good of people, but as well for the worst. When censorishop comes into mind, many think of undemocratic or fascist regimes preventing any type of influence other than theirs. Most of the time, certain sensitive topics, phrases, or even words would be redacted to protect the public, but what happens when a famous piece of American literature was modified because of its choice of words that was purposely selected to convey its message? This is the case for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain and is a fiction book about a young boy facing moral dilemmas in the racially-biased South. The book, commonly known in high schools, used the word “nigger”, a word ridden with a dark history of African American...
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...government took power, oppressed minorities, and continue to do so. With the constant persecution and threat to live in Panjab, my family immigrated to Detroit, Michigan in 2001. The choice to move to the United States of America was because of safety and hopes to reap the benefits of the American Dream. An article called “Are Asian Americans Becoming White?”, by Min Zhou explains that “Like most immigrants to the United States, Asian immigrants tend to believe in the American Dream and measure their achievements materially” (Andersen and Collins, 2016; pg.92). My family was the same and...
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...population of undocumented immigrants is continuing a nearly decade-long decline, the circumstance has been an enormous issue that divides Americans continuously. The Pew Research Center estimated that there were approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants, as of 2014. (Guskin, 2013, NP) One side states that undocumented immigrants are beneficial to the US economy through filling the job vacancies, more tax revenue from the immigrants, and sustaining the population...
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...our children and the role politics play in the process. He brings generations together through soulful music and focuses on politics and decisions being made in Washington that effect American citizens. He discusses the Presidents efforts and success within 18 months to make the changes he promised to make despite the media and some of societies opinions that he has not accomplished enough because it will take time for the changes implemented to be seen and benefited from. The quality of education is stressed in this film. The stereotype that low income African American children will never to do well and may as well give up, and if they do succeed they are an exception to the rule and not the norm is addressed. Through quality education children can be motivated to reach their full potential. The questions are raised how do we fix our education system, what’s best for the students, and how do we reach them and allow them to shine to their fullest potential? It is perceived that our society dehumanizes our children and that by humanizing them the issues can be addressed and corrected. By realizing that they do want better in life and it’s our responsibility to reach, motivate and uplift them so that they can do so, we can achieve that by fixing our education system. Only 50% of African American students graduate and only 75% of white students...
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...the gathering of different cultures, and acceptance of those who are different from us, but because of all of the laws in place against people who have immigrated here from other countries (i.e. the travel ban), people are unable to come to the U.S. and feel the security that is supposed to be offered from it. For many people, the United States is the only home that they have ever known, many people were even born and raised in America, but because their parents are immigrants, families are torn apart, and America then becomes a source of suffering and misery rather than a place of refuge. By discriminating against different cultures and turning people in need of a home away, we are going directly against our roots and core values as Americans. It is printed inside the Statue of Liberty that all who are in need of a home are welcome here, our government is now contradicting these sentiments. I believe that all people deserve a place in which they can feel safe, and if they do not feel safe in the place from which they come, they should absolutely be able to come to a new place to be safe and happy. This is why we need to stop discriminating against entire groups of people based on the actions of a few. To truly understand how to fix this current issue, however, I believe that it is of the utmost importance to learn about America’s history with immigration and understand where its stance on immigration stems from. While Trump’s bills on immigration are more restrictive than...
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...MS-13, short for Mara Salvatrucha, is a criminal organization that operates in at least forty-two states and has about 6,000-10,000 members nationwide (The MS-13 Threat: A National Assessment ). This infamous gang – primarily made up of Salvadorans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and other Central/South American immigrants – has ignited terror and havoc in communities throughout the United States by committing heinous crimes, such as drug distribution, murder, rape, home invasions, immigration offenses and many more. The notoriety of MS-13 and the level of violence that has ensured has captured the nation’s attention, as well as the president himself to which he has branded these gang members as “animals.” CNN and The New York Times have commented on the situation: CNN explaining Trump’s attempts to rid the nation of MS-13 members, while The New York Times described how Trump has exaggerated false claims regarding MS-13 deportation numbers. This current spectacle relates to Leo Chavez’s Latino Threat Narrative in the sense that the gang and criminal activity demonstrated by MS-13 is being associated with any person who crosses the border, and the immigration and deportation measures being taken is negatively affecting those entering the United States with good intentions....
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...as: “The Walt Disney Company” has become one of the most popular media outlets to kids and adults from around the world. It has produced multiple movies based on princesses from different cultures and nationalities. These royalties come from around the world; For instance, Cinderella, Belle, and Snow White are from central Europe, Jasmine epitomizes the Arabian princess, Pocahontas the Native American one and finally Mulan the Chinese princess. In 2009, the movie The Princess and the Frog introduced Tiana, the first black / African-American princess, to the Disney kingdom. On the surface, the denotative meaning presents the animated film as a promoter of equality and feminism. They portray women in an optimistic and encouraging image of strength, will, and power. However, once it is really scrutinized down to the connotative meaning and specific details, we can notice lots of controversies and stereotypes. The following analysis will present the differentiation of genders, races, and classes in the movie The Princess and the Frog. The movie is centered on a young hard working African American waitress named Tiana. Ever since she was a little girl, she shared her father’s dream of opening up her own restaurant “Tiana’s Palace”. She crosses path with an arrogant, careless frog who claims to be Prince Naveen of Maldonia. Actually, Naveen was transformed into a frog by a devious voodoo magician named Dr. Facilier. In order to return human, similarly to the children novel, Naveen supposed...
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...in our society that we overlook the actual problem and possible solution. It has been ingrained into our society that wealth defines “good” and poverty defines “bad.” Characteristics associated with this understanding of “bad” include deviance, laziness, and lack of capability. Our system has shaped us to believe that everyone has an equal chance at wealth and success, ignoring the underlying cases of the struggling individuals in our society born into their socioeconomic status that prevents them from this “American” opportunity. We have these preconceived notions of homeless people that have been proven to be untrue yet we only pay attention to the fewer examples that support it and pre-judge based on these mere instances. The situation of being homeless has been stigmatized to the point that we detach ourselves from each other as human beings and avoid facing the real problems prevalent in our system. After indicating all of the awful and dehumanizing stereotypes presented as a society, we went out and interviewed individuals with the intent of finding the truth behind all of these stigmas and gaining a better understanding of the...
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...“melting pot,” and “Salad bowl” theories This paper will examine the theories of the “melting pot” and “salad bowl” and also look at “racial democracy” in Brazil. Secondly, this paper will look at cultural assimilation using these theories. Finally it will look at the myths of these theories and how they have affected the American and world societies. Have Americans really reached either the “melting pot” or “salad bowl” theories of cultural assimilation? Is Brazil really a “racial democracy” or is this also a myth and how does this differ with America? The United States of America is one of the most culturally diverse nations on earth. In 2009, Michael C. Lemay states, “the United States of America is arguably the most ethnically and racially diverse nation on earth”. Who is an American, I am using the term Americans to be defined as individuals who were native born, naturalized citizens, and individuals who consider themselves Americans from the United States of America. Generally speaking most Americans grow up, in ethnically homogeneous communities (Putnam, 2007) vice the differing theories of “melting pot” or “salad bowl.” While Americans live and work in communities that are ethnically and culturally diverse the issues of intolerance and prejudice against various ethnic and racial backgrounds has been a plague throughout much of the United States history. Such as the Grandfather clause or Block busting. The Grandfather Clause is a device...
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