Editorial

After reading the editorials to the Burlington Free Press about the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, I realized that both the group for it and against it have some very powerful points. For someone like me who doesn't believe in the death penalty, I don't think that the hate crime law should be the reason for someone to be sentenced to death. On the other hand, I do believe that some groups do need more protectin then others. Yes our laws do speak of equality, and in that case each crime committed should already be considered a hate crime, but our world isn't perfect, and not all citizens believe every one is equal. This is why hate crime laws should be considered. It is a way of telling every one in the U.S. that the government isn't going to sit idly by while people are getting lynched because they are black, or while people are getting tied to posts and beaten to death because they are gay. Someone mentioned in their editorial how our founders of this land automatically assumed that the laws applied to everyone. This isn't true. The Declaration of Independence was written by white males. At the time, the freedoms they talked about only applied to white males, not blacks, or women. So it is about time to stand up for those groups that have been pushed down. The truth is, the majority of the population need to take responsibility for the minority. We need to admit that the regular laws out there against violence just aren't enough to stop people from killing others because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc... You know there is a difference between these laws, when someone can kill a black person out of hating that persons character compared to hating that persons color. In once incident the murderer knew the person, and hated him, the other incident, the person was killed just because he was black. If we can help stop at least one form of hate, why shouldn't we?

Observation Journal #5

So usually when I go to a restaurant with my boyfriend, I will order a steak, and he orders a salad. The waitress or waiter always hands me the salad and him the steak. I don't know if they think that girls don't eat steaks, or that boys can't eat salads, or what. It just has always been like that. Last night I ordered the salad and he ordered the steak at a well known restaurant chain, and for the first time, they actually asked who ordered what when it was brought out. I know this isn't exactly life changing, but for once I felt like I should have ordered the steak, and I wouldn't have felt ashamed for doing so. Overall its pretty funny. I'm glad I could report something good for once though. :) I think I have been focusing on the bad more than the good in these observation journals, which wasn't exactly the point of them. I think I should have thought more about what happened that was good, instead of negative. I'll remember that if I ever have an assignment like this to do ever again.

Reading Reflection #9

"Just like societies of the present, future societies are molded and shaped by human action." (p 310)
My first thoughts when beginning this chapter was WOW, I have actually finished this amazing book already. I guess I look at it as being a text book, but the material in it definitely isn't dry, or boring. It has always been a very interesting read. I have learned so much from reading this book. It really makes me feel more connected with the outside world as a whole. This last chapter proved to ring true to the statements I just made as well. My reactions was one of inquisitiveness once I had finished reading Newman's final thoughts. What really will happen in the future, concerning ethnic differences? The way the author sees it, is that it can go two ways. Either the world will become a "melting pot" and race will not matter, or people will want their "uniqueness" to last generations, and the race lines will be drawn even more visible. Of course the author tells the audience this depends on a number of different things. One is social movement. This is when a group of people who are either being oppressed or are friends, or want to help the oppressed come together to change a law, or social norm they do not like. It gives an example in the text about four teens during the 1960's who attended North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University at Greensboro. These four teens started a social movement when they continually sat at the counter at Woolworth's restaurant, after picking up followers, doing numerous amounts of sit-ins, and even being arrested and thrown into jail. They were at that counter as many times as they could be to demand service, for during that time they were allowed to shop in the same store, but they weren't allowed to eat at the restaurant. This movement lead to other protests at other Woolworth's stores around the United States. After several months of this, Woolworth's integrated their lunch counter. How amazing is that? This further proves the movements that make the most change require a broad coalition of supporters, not just the oppressed.
The author challenged many biases and beliefs in this chapter. It was basically a wrap up of the past eight chapters. He discussed where he believed the United States would be years from now concerning race, sexuality, gender, and class. He advocates for equality throughout the whole text, and he states how hopefully the U.S. will realize that everyone deserves to be tried under the same justice system, and that everyone deserves to have the same rights as others. What makes this text so incredibly good is that the author really believes in what he is writing. He isn't just writing a text book to state the facts, he is putting his life history into it, and making it personal and real.
I have definitely changed my attitude after finishing this chapter, and text altogether. I realize that it does take cooperation of others to make effective institutional changes in this world, but it all begins with one person. One random act of kindness. From now on, I will do my best not to try and say that I can't change something that is wrong without even trying. I learned that you need to be that one person that isn't afraid to say something is wrong and help change it for the better. Individually, people can do so much more then they might think.