New Ideas are Intriguing

For Instance:

The idea that African-Americans used music as a way to voice their opinions and give themselves a voice. The idea that music is a good way to display emotion and culture is not a new one. In fact people have been doing this since music had been created. What's more interesting to me is the fact that this was the African-American community's only means of having their voices heard. They wrote novels and had memoirs at the time of course, but it wasn't reaching nearly as far an audience as their swing music movement did. By adopting swing culture as their own, the white community took one step closer to integration, a move I know many of the white community did not want, but it was a necessary step towards equal rights. That's what I found most interesting about this past week's readings and classes. Plus the music is fantastic....

whose expression?

Tricia Rose, in her novel Black Noise, states, “Rap music is a black cultural expression that prioritizes black voices from the margins of North America.” Although black artists may have developed and progressed this art form, I feel that other groups (ethnic, class, etc.) have adopted this medium to express their hardships. Specifically I know that the rap scene in Native communities is growing, and many of their songs are about their peoples’ histories and the current struggles of a Native person in a predominantly white world.

Additionally, I would like to make a comment on the blog about women as objects, in the last line, the author said, “maybe if women didn’t present themselves a certain way in the media men would have more respect for them.” In many and most instances, an individual does not get to choose how he or she is presented in media outlets. Why should women have to police their sexuality? When a man is sexually confident in public, he is praised (i.e. The Situation from the Jersey Shore) however, if a woman chooses to demonstrate a sexual confidence in her persona, she is automatically viewed as promiscuous. I agree that this double standard is highlighted in many music videos featuring male performers, but should women have less respect for the men who dance in Lady Gaga videos?

Artists Without Say Keep Saying

Have you ever watched a music video and wondered how, in any way possible, is it related to the actual song?

ALL. THE. TIME.

In the article about rap music (which was actually an interesting read!), they go into detail of how music videos are produced. Although most of the music video production budget is mostly advanced from the artists' royalties, the artists themselves have the least amount of creative control. Once a single is chosen (hopefully it's a song the artist actually wanted to release...), management gets together with possible directors to brainstorm ideas. In the article they say "the video directors draft narrative treatments that USUALLY draw on the rap artists' desires, strengths, lyrical focus, and the feel of the music." But how well do these people know the artists, or even what the artists envisioned for a particular song?

When it comes to pop artists, I don't necessarily expect to see an artist's true vision while watching their music videos. However, when it comes to rappers, who are known for writing their own material, I expect differently. If an artist writes his/her own material, they were involved from the first lyric, so why stop halfway?

I can't wait for the day where all music artists are what they claim to be: ARTISTS. An artist should be in control of everything they release to the public. They should proudly call their songs and videos their OWN.

But 'til then, let's keep watching...

Swing's iImpact on the youth

Swing music at the height of its popularity had its greatest influence on the young generation. The music did not just change the way young people danced, which was quite a shift from the more conservative style before, it changed the way they dressed and socialized. New styles of dresses allowing for freer dance moves and the widespread popularity of sneakers that made it easier to move during the song. It also impacted the way that they interacted, with a freer attitude and looser night lifes. During a period of great change in America and the world it turned itself into a cultural stepping stone toward a less conservative society.

Music, music, music

In class on Tuesday I learned that swing music has a lot of African American Influence in it. Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong are two of the greatest artist of all time not to mention of swing music. In the article "Black Noise" it talked and gave you a brief over over the history of rap and where it all came from. Run DMC is one of the most sucessful artist in rap history, he revolutionized rap. But the one thing i do not agree with is how she makes male rappers out as thugs and just gangsters, she makes it seem like there life is about drugs, sex, and killing people. When there is a story behind each song each rapper sings. Its just like any other song an artist may sing. People can say srcremo music is just about killing yourself when its really not. each type of music has its own still of lyrics.

Respect for Rapp

I thought the article was strong in explaining that rap music has a true meaning behind it. The music isn't just angry people talking about, drugs, violence, and living in a tough neighborhood. Those things are incorporated into the music, but its to tell a story. Rapping isnt about just wanting people to feel sorry for them and what they've been through. Its about showing how they were able to come out of the "ghetto" and make something of themselves. That's why I liked when the article said they were true artists because rappers are truly inspirational to all people. Not just black people from bad neighborhoods, but white people as well. Their rapping stories have the power to touch anyone, and I feel thats why it is such a success. There are ofcourse problems with rap to, such as portraying too much violence or sexuality in vidoes. However, there are problems with all kinds of music .For example, There are plenty of rock-stars who are addicted to hard drugs. I think rap should be respected overall.

Rap music : Good or Bad?

I was looking at the beginning section of the reading and noticed a topic that i have discussed with people many times before. Tricia Rose states that Rap music is a "confusing and noisy element of contemporary American pop culture". I agree with her that it is confusing. People try to argue that "ALL" rap music is very violent and not influential. Others say its the best genre of music because rappers are "ALL" so real when they speak about their lives. In my opinion, you cannot generalize rappers, some have great lyrics that have nothing to do with gang life and violence and those who do speak about life on the streets are telling their story. Maybe it isn't something you want your 7 year old to be listening to but then again, the rappers don't make their music trying to persuade kids to live the life they lived. Overall, Rap is only another genre of music, people can pick up violence and bad habits in many other genres so why is rap music usually the one attacked?

Rap and the portrayal of race

I feel that rap gives people the ability to express themselves in unique and creative ways. Even though rap music has only gained widespread popularity only in the last few decades, there has been much debate on this topic. People have argued over things from lyrics to racial representation in rap. Mainstream rappers over the decades have mostly been black performers with only marginal representation from other races. The lyrics in a great deal of rap music may be considered offensive to some audiences. One of the bigger issues with lyrics has been the use of "the N-word". I feel that some rap music excessively uses racial lyrics without considering who may be offended by the lyrics. The use of the N-word by mainstream rappers may be hurting the portrayal of blacks in society.

Afrosimilation

This week's theme of swing music demonstrated an interesting part of African American assimilation post slavery. The slave songs of the early and mid 1800s relate to the underground and closeted culture of the African Americans, with their hidden messages and spiritual meanings. This led into the jazz following the turn of the century that held a much more joyous and energetic tone and finally swing music. The collaborative nature of black and white swing musicians illustrates the beginnings of integration in American society. The more the races mixed through music, the more the two cultures were able get used to one another and more smoothly integrate.

Swing

I was surprised to learn in class last Tuesday that the Swing genre of music is actually an evolved form of Jazz. I was didnt know that African Americans developed Swing music along with the sylized dance routines characterisitic of the Swing era. Its unfortunate that black artists were manipulated and used by the industry.

Hip Hop

I like the article "black noise" even though i don't like the title of the article. I like that it talks about the origin of rap music; the people who were the pioneers of rap music like Public Enemy, Rakim and Run DMC. The article talks about lable seen the potential in rap music; how rap video came on to the scene, some of the videos where shown by MTV. I don't agree with the fact that the artist said rap music was confusing maybe it's because I understand it. Or when he ask if rap was music, but overall it was an interesting article to read.

Telling a Story

In "Black noise: rap music and black culture in contemporary America" by Tricia Rose, she explains how others view rap music and how it is in society today. Her descriptions bother me honestly. I think that the way she describes women rappers are "rare pro-women lyricists." I find that very odd when I think that most women rappers are all very strong, independent women and are certainly looked at in that way. Another thing I don’t agree with is how she describes male rappers only speak about gang life, drug dealing, or attack other males for a sense of security. I think rappers, black or white, just tell a story. Whether those things might be included in their story, they are true and that why people like them. They are interested because they can either relate, or because it is a lifestyle they know nothing about. I liked her chapter but I just think she does a lot of generalization and rappers don’t portray their lives through music to be similar to others, I think they do it to be different.

Meaning in babel?

Music has made a drastic transition from what it was to what it is now. Initially songs like "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow showed how the margins coped during hardships and exposed the squalor of the ghettos. Modern songs like (and I apologize if I sound prejudice against pop music) "Your Love" by Nicki Minaj can seemingly make random new words and rhyme them with others (no lie, look at the lyrics.) To me, it seems like a major regression. It reminds me of when we were in second grade and attempted to rhyme "orange" with "core-ange". Now don't get me wrong I don't oppose Hip-Hop Music as a whole, there are plenty of artists and groups on the outskirts of the genre who are bringing Hip-Hop back to its roots. Songs like "Uncommon Valor (A Vietnam story)" by Jedi Mind Tricks and "Show Me a God" by Tech N9ne, expose the undercoated atrocities of not just the African American Culture, but the American culture. So as a retrospect, Hip-Hop as a unit has not fallen to the shadows of a meaningful way of conveying events in the history of not only the individuals life, but the nation as a whole, However popular Hip-Hop has.

Women as objects

When reading Black Noise by Tricia Rose, I couldn't help but to incorporate another class of mine in my observations. When reading about the black culture of hip hop and rap, the women came to mind. Not the female rappers but the females in the background. You know, the ones shaking everything and gettin down. These girls/women feel so empowered being in a music video, or a back up dancer on stage, they think of it as success, even though most of the time they're half naked. What I don't think they think about it that the only reason they're in that video or on that stage is for men to look at them, they are merely an object. If women took the time to think about that I feel that there might be a few less women up on the stages half naked dancing, but then again, maybe most women already know this and just don't care, as long as they feel good about it and make money they may be happy. My point is, that when men see women acting that way they may just think of them as objects or sexual slaves that are just easy. For example the woman and the famous rapper at the Def Jam video shoot conference. He kept trying to feel her up, and give her sexual looks or comments. Maybe if women didn't present themselves a certain way in the media men would have more respect for them.

Rap Music Effects in Society

Rap music today is an expanding part of american culture. Many artist's portray a certain image for the black society. This image consist of fancy cars, clothes and beautiful women, and give there society a false hope. Young African Americans believe they can make it big as a rapper or a drug dealer and don't need to get an education and get a good job in life. This is not just for African Americans many other cultures are influenced by hip hop and rap music in this negative way to. As stated in Black noise I agree with the fact that young white Americans are attracted to this music because of the different look on life and interesting aspects of life. These portrayals in music videos show a fantasy life which many people are not capable of achieving, and are often a exaggeration of there life. One of the biggest names in hip hop Lil Wayne has just gone to jail for openly sharing how he lives his life and how dangerous he can be.This provides a negative role model for all young hip hop listeners including myself.

Story Telling

Rap music is viewed as a way of expression. Often the music tells of living life in low income areas and fighting to survive. Rose says that rap music brings together a tangle of the most complex social, cultural, and political issues in contemporary America. Often many rappers songs are viewed as violent and encouraging violence. For example NWA's song F*ck the Police. This song created a lot of controversy when the song was released in 1988. Society looked at it as motivation for young black youths to attack police. The song was basically describing the tensions between young blacks and the police. At one part of the song they say "Searchin my car lookin for the product, thinkin every n***** selling narcotic". This goes along with Roses idea of storytelling because the group is discussing the harassment they got from cops just because of their skin color. These types of songs were written so the world could know of the struggles living in the ghetto.

I was surprised to find that rap music is mainly distributed by independent label rather than large companies. The article associates this with smaller labels understanding of "cultural logic." The smaller companies also shoot the videos in urban areas. I think that it makes a lot of sense to center a shoot around the lyrics of a song as compared to a simple concert shot. Does this footage generate more stereotyping though? They are filming in a real area but yet, it is still just a scene. There are people set up to stand in certain spots and play certain roles. I guess to me, this might not alway present an accurate picture. For the artists and label owners, it may be profitable to only portray what views expect; like in the case of MTV, the early audience was mostly white teenagers. I wonder if these videos implanted false representations or if the artists made the videos realistic.

Rap and Popular Culture

The article gives a very informative insight on the evolution of rap, its style, and ascendancy from the margins into mainstream culture. According to Rose, the most important vehicles for the rise of rap appear to be the evolution of technology and the vast increase in popularity of cable TV during the 1980s. During the 80s and early 90s, MTV was one of the most surefire ways to send a song/music video from obscurity to prime time. But I believe that media and technology are only half the story on why rap experience a sharp increase in popularity during the past few decades. For one, and despite all of the efforts of radio and TV to block or downplay rap due to its "ghetto" culture, both black and white audiences can relate to and feel strongly about the struggles and frustrations echoed through rap songs and hip hop culture. The crack epidemic and unchecked inflation were struggles that affected millions in America at the time, and rap served as a popular outlet for frustration of people who seemed powerless to do anything about them. On a more personal level, rap songs concerning troubles with relationships, money, jobs, and school really struck a chord with audiences regardless of skin color, as these problems that are common to much of working and middle class Americans. Despite critics' arguments about sexism and promotion of violence, rap music became a vent for many problems people experience each day, political and personal, about feelings of helplessness, hope for the future, and the determination to beat the odds and become a great success. This especially resonates with young people, who's power to control what is happening in their lives is especially limited by institutions and authority figures who seem distant and out of touch. Rap music serves as a voice for those who are frustrated by a crooked system where the playing field is anything but level, but with a desire to succeed despite it all.

Superficial Trends

Rap's roots lie in some seriously disturbing racial contexts. The cities and slums during raps inception were a pretty terrible place to live, and a lot of the songs described the horrors and hardships of living in the ghetto. Progressively, though, as with all music, rap began to differntiate into what it is now, a conglomerate of different styles. One of the things I have always liked about rap, is that since it is made electronically it isn't pigeon hold to one style of music. One song may use a jazz sample and another a classical sample. However, this digression holds no bearing on the actual point that is: A lot of rap today is glamorizing the ghetto. I have a serious problem with this. It's different when you hear wu-tang essentially playing out a scene in which one of there friends is stabbed in front of a corner store, to what now jay-z, rick ross or kanye west seem to ellude to it as some sort of right of passage. That's garbage. One shouldn't NEED to be from the ghetto to be able to rap. It's often an insult to other rappers to say they aren't from the ghetto so they couldn't possibly understand rap as a genre. The distinction here is that, a group like wu-tang just uses their experiences as lyrical material. However, other groups use it as a selling point. "I'm from this ghetto therefore I'm really hardcore and good at rapping." That's utterly ad hominem and I won't stand for it.

Rap and Race

Rap music is currently the most popular expression and outlet for young black men in this country. The songs of many of these rappers touch issues that the African American male faces on a day to day basis, a main one of those themes is racism. The problem is those songs don't help to alleviate these stigmas and problems. For instance, the use of the n word in these songs don't help people not using the world it makes seem almost acceptable when it certainly isn't. While rappers are doing it for the money they still are trying to use the messages in there songs to try to inflict change, the only problem is the way they go about can cause an adverse effect.

Rap and African American Culture

Rap has had a lot to do with the portrayal and culture of African Americans. Some see it as a representation of moving forward during tough times, memories of old hoods and gangs, or as an extreme exaggeration of how bad it can get. Depending on the rapper or group, the reality of the situations they speak about may be exaggerated or very real. The point they aim for is to sell records, make money, and represent. Some say that rap and hip hop drives the culture lived by African Americans and some say that it is close to irrelevant to how the culture changes through the years. I think that this depends on the person and the setting that they actually do live in. If the context of the lyrics applies to a listener's actual setting, the lyrics may have more influence on that listener. If the lyrics do not at all apply to the context of an individuals life, the influence tends to be less. Rap and it's lyrics only start affecting people if they let it and its applicable in their lives. The roots and cultural backgrounds of individuals have the tendency to stick with and drive them.

Rap/Hip-Hop and the Media

While rap/hip-hop music is one of the most popular genres of music in today's society it does not always do much to help with racism problems that are still present to this day. Songs about how rappers are going to attack each other and how they will have their way with women does not help stereotypes that African Americans are a violent race. These stereotypes are only enhance by other forms media. Looking at the Wikipeia pages of Tupac, T.I., and 50 Cent there are direct links to their legal troubles and for the most part these are the biggest sections on the page. Generally, one will most likely see a rapper on the news because they've been arrested. What both of these forms of media fail to show is the charitable work that these artists are involved in. For all three of the artists that I've mentioned their Wikipedia page does not even list any of the charity work that they have done. A quick Google search shows that Tupac was involved with "A Place Called Home" program that helps underprivileged children, T.I. regularly helps with the Wheel Chair Charity Inc. to get wheel chairs to those in need of them, and 50 Cent is on the Board of Directors for the G-Unity Foundation which helps low-income communities. Even though a lot of songs in rap do not help them it is easy to say that the media is also playing devil's advocate.

Hip Hop, Race, and Gender

I think women are targeted more in hip hop and rap music. They are there for a reason: to bring sex appeal, especially in party hip hop music. Sex will always sell. These women are scantily dressed, or usually just in the background, sitting in a VIP booth, dancing somewhere in the corner, or are near the bar. And when they are dancing, they are suggestive. With no fear, they scream "Look at me, take me, I'm promiscuous!" with their gyrating hips and open legs. I think more artists are trying to incorporate skillful performances into their videos, where one watches not just for the sex, but to take in the movements, the beats, and maybe actually learn something about the style. These women often feel this is the only way to go--they may think, if I want to make it to the top or go somewhere in life, I need to start with a music video and get noticed. There was a VH1 documentary a couple years back that told the behind-the-scenes stories of women who were "video vixens" and have built a reputation in the industry as such. Most of the women documented were black, but white women are also trying to break into the industry. We just don't hear about them as much. We have Lady Sovereign, who is British, and female, and she has been quite successful by breaking into the American industry (we haven't heard of her recently, however). She isn't gyriating or wearing a tube top and daisy dukes. She goes hard in a cap and oversized tee and a side-ways pony tail. I would like to see some more female white rappers break the mold. Fergie sometimes raps on her tracks. Pink started as a R&B/ hip hop artist, but has since moved toward a more mainstream, rock/pop direction. We need more women telling their stories from a new and fresh perspective. By doing so, they will make it known that girls can go just as hard as the guys, and that race isn't an issue. There's a place for them, not as an object in the background, but as a powerful voice in the forefront. And if they can tell their stories with just as much passion as a black or white male rapper, then they will have no choice but to give credit where credit it due.

Black "Noise"

The Rose article defines rap as "a black cultural expression that prioritizes black voices from the margins of urban America." In the past rap did tend to effect African-Americans negatively because of the topics which tend to violent, drug-related and sexual. Also the use of profanity does not help. However, rap is primarily a black voice. The opportunity for artists to discuss real issues that they have faced. Many people say that rappers make black people look bad and that it effects the youth negatively but that is not the case. Rock music has similar themes of sex and drugs and it has been glorified for years. I think that response to rap was partly an attempt to marginalize African-Americans further "hold them down." That is clearly displayed by MTV that didn't decide to play black artists on their network until it was deemed profitable. Currently rappers are all black. white..etc and making millions in the music industry.....it appears that rap as it relates to race has mad some progress.

Rap Music

Rap, which is primary component of hip-hop, is one of the popular style music in the present day. Initially, Rap music was created by African American with their noisy element. They created rap with confusing and noisy element because they desire the notice from society. In the past, African American created rap music mainly attributed to seek for respect and indicate their hardship in money and live. Since African American was an ignored group in American society in the past, American White society was disregarded the rap which produced by African American. After struggling for a long period of time, African American’s rap was acknowledged by the White dominated American society and accepted by contemporary White teenager. It was glad for African American to get the response from the society. Also, it was a beginning step for other to pay attention to African American. For the rapper, they could earned money by producing a rap song to alleviate their finance problem. I got a question from the rap music in present day. Nowadays, most of the lyrics in the rap song is including promote crime, drug abusing, violence and disrespect to women elements that might cause the negative effect to the listener. Does it mean the essence of African American producing rap music have changed? In the past, the rapper always see White people as devil's follower. Does this changing represent African American is not anti white as rapid as they did in the past?

Race

I think race is a socially constructed concept. Unfortunately for us, it's embedded in our society, such to an extent that we will never be able to forget it. I remember watching a TV game show which the objective of the game was to guess a 5-letter word in five or six tries. The white contestant yells, "Black! and realizes her teammate is black, and she teammate does not look happy, prompting the white contestant to purposely misspell the word. "B-L-A". She actually thought about it for a second and said, "K-E". Blake. So was the white teammate then conscious of her race, causing her to consciously misspell "black"? I think she was. White men & women don't think about the color of their skin. On the other hand, non-whites are constantly reminded of their "non-whiteness". In the show, this "slip of the tongue" caused the contestant to realize that she would be in an awkward position if she does finish the word because of the different color of their skin...

Or she may really not know how to spell black.

Racial Portrayal of Rap and Hip-hop

Unfortunately, rap and hip-hop do tend to portray African American men and women in a negative way. Most of the genre makes men seem violent and misogynistic while turns women into sexual objects. This has a very negative effect on the youth in our country and is certainly a catalyst (but not the only one) in the breakdown of the moral fabric of society. I do feel that it is unfair to categorize the listeners of rap with the rappers themselves. In rock music, many songs also may have drug use or sexual implications but that does not mean that the audience has the same views. The same can be said for rap and hip-hop as well. While many rappers may talk about drug use or violence it does not mean the audience agrees with him or her. However, this does not mean everyone who listens to or creates rap music acts in this manner. Rap music does bring to mind certain struggles African Americans have lived with in this country and rappers such as Biggie Smalls or Tupac give us much insight as to what those struggles may have been.

Female Rappers

One thing i didn't like about the reading, "Voices from the Margins: Rap Music and Contemporary Black Cultural Production," by Tricia Rose, was the way she portrayed female rappers. She talks about how rap in general is sexist, and sometimes females get to write lyrics about things like "stories about a young woman who is skeptical about a males love for her," or "who has been involved with a drug dealer." Maybe this article is outdated, but I feel like this writer has never heard of Nicki Minaj. Nicki is currently one of the most popular female artists for rap/hip hop music. Her lyrics are all about being independent and shes almost cocky about it and talks to men in a degrading way. Many people love her because of her clever lyrics and crazy performances. It seems like every male and female artist wants to collaborate with her from Lil Wayne to Mariah Carey and Sean Kingston. Nicki Minaj is 100% the opposite of everything in this article that speaks of female rappers, so I just think the author was kind of ignorant in her writing.

Stereotypes from Way Back Then

In the readings we see the beginnings of now common and "popular" racial stereotypes that we see everyday and are aware of. We get an understanding that their origins stem from exaggeration, misunderstanding, and crude humor of common white Americans during the times of slavery and colonizations. These people back then did not realize that they were creating an atmosphere for blacks and other minorities that would be a constant struggle to correct for generations to come. Today the wrongs of the past are slowly being recognized and corrected, though we as a society have a long way to go.

Racism

Racism is a term that is used every day by people around you. Whether in a joking matter or in a serious conversation the word racism is always used. But what does racism really mean? People have different ideas of what race and racism is. There is the obvious idea of stereotyping or attacking one specific race but if one says something "joking" is it considered racism? Also, is making racial comments alright now a days? Usually you find people making fun of their own race or using stereotypes targeting their own ethnicity. Most of this is overlooked so is this an input to why racism is so impossible to halt?

Ideologically Relevant

In the article, Racial Formations, the differences, in categorization of race in Latin American countries and the Unites States, are discussed. In many Latin American societies, race is not generally a white and black concept; the lines are blurred. The authors suggest that this system would not be comprehensible “within the logic of racial categories in the US.” (15) What is the logic behind the racial categories in the US? Are these categories a continuation of racist principles?

What is race?

Its funny when you look at race. Some of you I bet ask yourselves what race so and so is when you walk by them in the halls at school. But in the end does it matter. Yes back before Brown V. Board of Education it did matter, but now it doesn't. I want to know who makes you black and what makes you white? Derek Jeter arguably one of the biggest athletes of his time is mixed but he has never answered the question is he white or black and should that matter? He is a human being and everyone should be looked at the same.

Past or Future?

Towards the end of the chapter three it talks about how rap music is a way of story-telling. "...rap has taken forward by embracing technology to construct a musical style that pushes African-American story-telling into the future. Rap refuses to languish in the past, but instead has found a method of speaking to the future." Do you think rap music defines the past or the future? Why or why not? I agree that rap is certainly a way of story-telling, however, I believe that it could be the past or the future. Or even a representation of the present and what is going on currently.

Living in the Ghetto

The movie Boyz n the Hood shows the different types of black youth that live in the ghetto. Ricky is the good kid going to college to play football. His brother Doughboy is the kid that fell prey to the gangster life and Tre is the kid that is friends with both brothers. Throughout the movie Tre does not take sides of either brother but at one point of the movie Tre is pulled over by the cops. During this traffic stop Tre is harassed by the cops and is verbally assaulted basically for the fact that he is black. Why does society think that just because someone is black that they are a bad person or for that they are doing something wrong?

Racial Formations

In the Article, Racial Formations, whether or not race is a social concept or a biological one is argued. Race is a very important thing in today's culture and it has been in the past. Someone's race affects how they are perceived by the world, but is what color you are and your physical traits something that society made up to judge people or something that is truly biological? Why or Why not?

Riverbeds and Railways.

Throughout the history of the African people music has played a key role in the lives and everyday occurrence of the common man. No more important had the song been than in the days of slavery. It's become common knowledge that most songs sung by slaves during the back breaking arduous work, were in fact clues to freedom. Two of the most famous songs from that slaves sang were "Wade In the Water" (telling of how to lose bloodhounds by drowning their scent in water)and "Drinking Gourd" (telling of marked trees and times to escape to "Jordan" or Canada) were successful in leading those wishing to escape to riverbeds running north and safe houses along the path. Looking at the history of music as a medium to convey secrets, what songs come to mind currently that have a double entente? If none come to mind, what has music evolved into? Has it evolved from a form of literally escaping slavery to something helping to escape the figurative slavery of ones thoughts on life, or something more?

Black history

The "master-culture" of white slave owners made efforts to wipe out any African culture, there were those that continued to resist and defy the white culture. Slaves continued to keep to their ancestral roots in many expressive, but secret ways such as storytelling, music, and dance. This history was not mainstream for many years due to any harsh punishments administered by white slave owners. One woman's tongue was cut out as punishment for telling stories. These type of harsh actions provided strong incentive to keep silent and oppressed for many years. It was almost impossible to express black culture when white culture violently struck down any sort of expression. Why would black history be heavily suppressed by whites? Have cultures throughout history tried to suppress one another? Is history truly written by the winner?

History Repeats Itself

The final conclusion of chapter 3 in our text book states that, "It has been a struggle to "position" oneself rather than be positioned by others that we have followed in African American life, but as many critics have commented, these processes are unfinished and cannot be ignored in the contemporary world."

How are African Americans still dealing with stereotypes or the way people expect them to act? In society today, I feel many homosexuals are dealing with negative stigmas being set on them that make people look down upon them or create stereotypes. What are some of the similarities between what African Americans have faced throughout history and homosexuals are facing today? For example, 40 years ago many people looked down on interracial relationships. Today, same-sex marriage is highly debated. Is there a connection between the two?

Racial Formation

In "Racial Formation" the female  Susie Guillory wanted her birth certificate to read that she was white; for what reason? If she looked white why didn't she just say she was white when she was asked her race? If she didn't look white was she going to carry her birth certificate around just to show people she was white?

What if the roles of slavery had been switched? For example, if blacks had enslaved whites, what do you think the world would be like today if this had occurred? Do you think white and black roles would be completely opposite, or would race not even be an issue today?

Rap Discussion Question

Chuck D of public enemy was quoted in the chapter as saying, "I'm trying to alert as many people as possible and thats why on my records I like to put noise in them, I consider then alarm for Black Americans." My question is does the noise in these songs actually accomplishment that goal or is it more just background noise that can distract from the actual message of the song?

A "new " Voice

According the the text, John Singleton's Boyz n the Hood, gave African- Americans "an audience in a way that rap had done in music." The movie reflected the ghetto, violent lifestyle of three young men on three different paths. And in each case it was either kill, be killed , or barely make it out. Like most rap the major themes are violent, abrasive, and associated with some form of dysfunction or nontraditional families. For example, being in a gang, being raised by a single parent etc. I believe that the movie was great because it was relevant to African-Americans culture and experiences but not all. Why is that in African-American culture there are not many other movies that give us another voice? How long are the themes going to be associated with "struggle, dysfunction, hope??? Was Boyz n the Hood a good medium to establish African-American identity?

Agency

The Africans during the slave era in the U.S. were able to create and sustain a sence of "agency" despite the horrible practices employed by the slave owners. In what ways were the Africans able to keep their traditions alive? What role did this sense of agency play in the developement of African American culture?

Discussion

Chapter 3 of the text makes reference to the fact that having a new found political voice, acquired during and after the civil rights era, allows African Americans to "break the silence" of slavery and share with others the valuable contributions African Americans have made over the past 230+ years of American history. This is indeed very important, as for most of America's history, only white protestant men have had a consistent, powerful say in the way things were run in America. One of the purposes of slavery, and later the Jim Crow laws, in America was to deny a voice to a significant part of the American population, thus perpetuating the power of the ruling elite. The fact that the voice of African Americans was largely squelched for a full century after slavery ended is staggering. What institutions/political actors were responsible for keeping this "hidden" slavery running for so long? What events led to a breakdown of the status quo during the 50s and 60s? How does the remnants of slavery and discrimination in America shape African American identity today?

During the time of slavery, all of the African American beliefs, customs, and speech were oppressed. Even though the African Americans were stripped of their identity, they managed to keep parts of their past and culture alive. This is seen in other parts of history as well, such as the with Native Americans or the Holocaust. All of these groups had ways of securing thier identity. What was the importance in the African American slaves keeping their culture alive, and what were some of the ways in which they did this?

Discussion Question

My question is, if you could extinguish slavery from existence, like it never happened, would you? I know everyone's knee jerk reaction is going to be "of course! what they did to those people was wretched!" And it was, but consider this, the continent they were taken from is now ridden with the same problems America had only worse. Drug lords and diamond mongers run the gun trade and keep mostly everyone that isn't in the good graces of that particular lord in tiny, barely livable slums.
Before anyone comments on this claiming that I'm endorsing slavery, safe your breath, I'm clearly not. I'm just posing a question I have been thinking about since I took world civ I. Would I single handedly remove the wrongs of the past to bring hell on the people currently?

May the N-Word rest in peace?

Use of the "N-Word" has been heavily debated about since the start of the Civil Rights movement. And, more recently on college campuses across the country efforts have been made to, literally, lay the "N-Word" to rest in memorial services. However, since the readings have introduced the concept of racism as a social concept, the question I ask is, can the "N-word" ever truly be laid to rest? Or are the recent efforts to cease use of the word simply futile?

Equality by Malcolm X

In the text there is an excerpt from Malcolm X's autobiography which states his goal as "truth, no matter who tells it" and goes on to say "I'm a human being first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole." Do you think that Malcolm X wishes for African Americans to assimilate into white society? Does he wish for whites to "come off their high perch?" Or does he wish for something entirely different?

Noisy Messages, Or Just Noise?

In Chapter 3, "African Americans," a discussion of New Black Voices describes how people try, with new mediums of pop culture, to express their beliefs. Chuck D, of "Public Enemy," describes his goal as: "I'm trying to alert as many people as possible and that's why on my records I like to put noise on them. I consider them an alarm for Black-Americans." Do you think this form of expression and awareness is useful? Or do you think audiences focus more on the way these messages are portrayed (advertising, music videos, album covers) rather than the messages themselves? If you think audiences do receive these messages, and are not distracted by the “noise” in which they are delivered, are they being put to use?

ps- the text is getting a little better...

The article introduces the idea that people use racial stereotypes to "provide clues" about a person. Furthermore, it states"Without a racial identity, one is in danger of having no identity." What does this mean? Is this identity a stereotype or how a person views himself or herself? Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Tomorrow's Discussion

Great discussion questions so far to those that have posted them! I am quite impressed. So what I think we will do for tomorrow's discussion (after we watch the pbs documentary on slavery) is use the questions you have created.....so rather than look for the questions I create-just look on the blog to check over the questions your classmates have made! If there are any questions I really wanted to ask that no one covered, I'll include them, but otherwise-to get an idea of what we will be discussing tomorrow....check the blog. From now on, on the week's that you are required to create discussion questions for the blog, this will most likely be the procedure. I'll post this announcement on UBlearns as well.

Have a great day everyone!

African American

According to the reading, African Americans were group of lower class people in the past. Throughout history, most of the Africans were forced to come to American and become slaves. In the beginning, African Americans did not have any history, identity, humanity, community, knowledge and language. After a long period of time, they finally and successfully struggled to become free men in American society. Today, everyone believes slavery is wrong. America created affirmative action as a way to compensate African American for past mistreatment. Do you think affirmative action is fair? Do you think the America should ever stop affirmative action? Do you think racism becomes less intense than the past?

Generations of Racism

The readings elaborated on how race effected how African Americans were treated in the 20th century. How has racism and race in general progressed since the 20th century? Does it still affect our society today and if so, how? How has race formed our society today?

Black History today

African people have come so far today from overcoming slavery to having a present day African American president. How do you believe this race has become such a important part of American Culture today? Many historical figures have contributed to the African American race, Which do you believe put a significant footprint in their history? Black music stated by Malcolm X has had a major impact on African American history, Which Artist's do you believe carry on the traditions and tell the story of Black culture? In Campbells book he talks about the group "Boyz in the Hood" and how they tell the story of young African Americans living in the ghetto. Think of ways young people struggling in the ghetto can overcome there environment and become successful?

Free Weezy

In this weeks readings, as well as lecture, there was much discussion regarding minstrel shows and their origins. These shows perpetuated stereotypes and reinforced the racism of the day. Many argue that modern media is having a similar effect on today's society. What are some modern day examples of entertainment leading to more ignorance and racism and why?

What's Race Got To Do With It?

Until 1960, census takers categorized people into certain races by their physical appearance. In 1970, that changed, and people were given the freedom of self-identification, as on job applications where one checks what race he considers himself to be. Everyone in the U.S. has the right to refuse to answer such questions about race and gender on certain documentation. Are there any instances when it is not optional? In what other instances are we asked to identify ourselves according to race and how is that information used? And does it benefit us or put us in harm? Is this type of classification vital to the maintenance of our society?

As we can plainly see, even today, stereotypes are a prominent part of our culture and society. Stereotypes such as "mammy" or "the happy and laughing slave" were used during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and even the twentieth century. Where do you think these stereotypes, as well as others not mentioned, came from? What kind of effect could they have had on African Americans during and after the time of slavery?

koh.02

I recall reading this article, Omi and Winant's Racial Formations with Jeffry in American Pluralism. We discussed how racism is a socially constructed concept that is now etched deep within our society that there is no real plausible way to get rid of it. I feel that 'race' is really a social phenomenon. It's a way for us to separate ourselves (or distinguish ourselves) from one another.

It's incredible to know that even in the 80's, the Louisiana government refused to change Susie Guillory Phipp's racial classification from "black to white". A law from the 70's (which is extremely backward) states that "anyone with at least 1/32 'Negro blood' is constituted as 'black'. Who is to judge one's race except for themselves? Take a look at Brazil. Brazilian racial classification is based on self-classification and is established on physical appearance and not of hereditary traits, leading to self "whitening".

Omi and Winant writes, "Once we understand that race overflows the boundaries of skin color, super-exploitation, social stratification, discrimination and prejudice, cultural domination and cultural resistance... it becomes possible to speak of racial formation." Racial formation, being, the realization that race is a social construct and nothing more... Unfortunately for the world, ignorant people will continue to use race as a biological concept to create false ideas of superiority over certain groups of human beings.

Running on Indian Time

The massacre at Wounded Knee is a violent reality in the continued push of Manifest Destiny and the American hope of conquering the west. Although, this was also the same time that the formation of “Indian schools” had begun, which marked the beginning of more crimes against Native children.

The continued resistance of Native peoples across North America eventually led to an attempt at “forced assimilation.” The Campbell/Kean text mentions the “establishment of Indian schools, like the Carlisle School,” but it does not go into the detail of how these schools affected Native communities. I was upset that the book did not go into greater detail on this issue and instead filled a paragraph about the movie Smoke Signals. (51) Anyways, Captain Richard Pratt was the man who coined the phrase, “Kill the Indian and save the man,” as the mantra for the formation of “Indian schools” across Canada and the United States. Native children were, in many cases, forcibly removed from their homes, and taken to these schools, where they were mentally, physically, and many times sexually abused by their “care takers.”

In recent years, Canada has made public apologies and given “compensation checks” to the Native people who attended these institutions. On the other hand, what has the United States done?

Past to Present

I find it quite disheartening that throughout history, there are several instances of brutality, destruction and severe mistreatment towards a particular group whether its based on race, nationality, etc. And this history has followed us into the future....ex. the common bully who harasses someone that they feel is inferior to them. Several individuals and the enactment of the Dawes Act helped the strip the Indians of their culture and the unity they established amongst themselves. Legislators didn't agree with the custom ways of the Indians and wanted them to assimilate to Western ways. So strip them of their land, families, culture and history ????!!! Its mind boggling, that individuals past and present had the the audacity to treat people in such despicable ways.

The Irish Mystique was in interesting tale about different Irish families. It was interesting to see that the common theme amongst families were the arts- music and poetry. It kept the people grounded when times were hard and encouraged them when they had nothing else.

Irish Immigrants

The potato famine lead to a massive immigration to America from Ireland. Over a short period of time the urban landscape was changed dramatically and caused many social issues. Discrimination against these immigrants was common and caused crime rates to rise since they couldn't get many jobs to support themselves. This is a reoccurring event in human history. Every time a culture clashes with another there is always one that loses and becomes the "lesser race" or assimilates and loses its identity. In America, cultures clash because of the freedom of anyone to be a citizen. Unfortunately human nature hasn't changed and racism and discrimination and highlighted. There is no unified social norm in America but only a meshing of different races coexisting but not truly accepting the others.

Social Construction

Befor the lecture, I had no idea that the term "race" was a social construction made by those in society intent on dividing us. Moreover, race is not a scientific term at all. One can imagine how many times througout history those who crave power, and those who want to preserve it have used race as a means to dominate the "lesser" race. It's unfortunuate that humans in general are so consumed with determining what makes us different from one another, instead of realizing the many things that we all have in common.

Native American and tranformation...

In the text they talk about the migration to America and what was acceptable behavior for an America. Any Immigrant was seen as a threat until they were “Americanized” an assimilation into American society.  For Native American assimilation the white men thought to put the Native Americans on reserves. They wanted the Native Americans to learn about religion and become more domestic, the Indians did not want to lose their own way of life while going through this assimilation. The Americans’ saw the Indians as savage people and did not wanted to live amongst them unless they were assimilated.  The American thought the Indians ways were to unusual their ceremonies and ritual. The white American seen the Indians as inferior, savage and child-like. The Indian people thought if they were Americanized they would lose their heritage, all their story would be lose in the transformation. Stories played a big part in the Indian way of life, every story was intertwined with another story.  If the Indians were fully Americanized their stories would disappear when they learned English. Some Indians resisted, some fought back the massacre at Wounded Knee was an example of the Native Americans resisting the transformation to American culture.

Irish Immigration

I knew about the potato famine and irish immigrants before reading the article, "Emigrants from Erin" but I feel like the article gave a lot of insight that I hadn't seen before. I didn't realize how rough they had it as immigrants. Or how bad it really was in Ireland. I liked how descriptive the article was on the history of Ireland. It made it easier to understand Irish culture, and not make stereotypes.

The Irish Emmigration

When I first read this article, I was surprised at the poverty level of the average Irish family. There have been several accounts of the horrible conditions they were living under. What was even more disturbing was the fact that the English were the cause of this harsh oppression on the people. I originally thought it was simply a famine that caused so many Irish immigrants to flood the United States. The death toll of the famine was also a lot higher than I initially thought. Many of these people could have been saved had the English not neglected their workforce. Instead of using the cattle and other livestock to feed the famished population, the exporting continued and more people died of the Great Famine. There was no choice but to emigrate from Ireland or die. With that the Irish had to carve out a new existence in America. This emigration saw thousands more die due to inhospitable conditions aboard the ships and starvation. This story of Irish emigration is an example of the tragedy suffered by many races due to the wrongs of others.

Hard Working Irish

It is always good to see someone overcome a stereotype. In the case of the Irish, according to Takaki, proving that just because someone is Irish does not automatically make them a lazy person. There were children of Irish immigrants that held high positions in the workplace. The way that they would acquire these jobs would be through hard work; whether they worked their way up through the ranks or focused on school. This shows that it took only one generation for the Irish to become "assimilated" into American culture. Not something that a group of lazy people would be able to do in my opinion. Maybe one day people will be able to look at others without automatically attaching a label to each other.

koh.01

The treatment of natives in the early 19th century really got me going. I'm still astonished as to how they were looked down as "savages" for leading a different way of life. Although, in retrospect, it makes sense; Americans still view the world as "us" against "them". Take a look at the "war on Islam". Book burnings? Really? What does burning the Koran do? It creates more animosity [from Muslims] towards America. Similarly, what did pushing the natives out of their land and attempting to 'assimilate' them into 'American culture' do? Created animosity towards Americans. I see a trend growing. 

America was founded on 'white' principles. 'Land ownership' is extraordinarily 'white'. Because the white settlers 'worked' on the land, they thought they had ownership over it, leading to the 'altercations' between the natives and the settlers. Just like present-day Europe, America is beginning to fear the de-whitening of America (or Western society as a whole). Marginalizing the minority is never a good maneuver (French riots 2000's) and it will only lead to more racial tensions and violence.

Freedom?

As we look at local current events, it's extremely difficult to escape the stories about the Native Americans and their plight to remain able to sell cigarettes tax free on their reservation. Throughout the course of history the Native Americans have lived in fear of the white man and their government. I personally believe that the Takaki article demonstrates the Native American history in a neutral light, while at the same time that neutral light casts a shadow on the neutrality of the white man's actions towards the Native Americans. Throughout my recent years of diving deep into music, I came across the band Rage Against the Machine. my favorite song by Rage Against the Machine is actually off of their self titled debut album; the song is entitled Freedom. Normally this would just be considered babbling but the only reason I bring this up is that the music video for Freedom has a powerful music video that narrates a true story between a Native American tribe and the U.S. Government. Please if you have time check out Youtube and watch the video, the story and the music to support it makes you realize how far the government and white man has come as compared to how far it says it has come.

The Irish

As an Irish-American I am lacking knowledge of what really happened when the Irish fled Ireland to American during the potato famine. I like how the author went into detail about what families had to go through. Now you may think 1 million people is not a lot of people in thirty years but in reality it is. You got to think not only were the ships not as big as they are now but they were also competing again other countries. Another thing that shocked me, was the amount of exporting Ireland did as a country. I didn't know they were so heavily involved with trade in the 1800's especially with England. Now I think the Irish could have saved themselves if they stopped worrying about exporting good and worried about there own countrymen. Some 186,483 cattle were exported. Instead of worrying about making some money they should have been worried about saving themselves and there families. I did not know that a lot of Irish immigrants went to Philadelphia, that was something I had no idea. I liked the detail the author gave to me about the 1800 and 1900's and immigration to America. I could also be bias because i am Irish American as well and enjoyed learning about my culture.

The Irish Exodus

There's a quote in the article that said " the migrants were leaving dear old Ireland without warning to shtart for Philadelphia in the morning." This line really stuck with me cause in my life i have lived in Philly, Buffalo, and New York city and i have to say that Philly is far and away the most Irish city in the country. Philly still has Irish pubs on every street corner and most of your big families and neighborhoods are mainly Irish. I also would love to know how Britain could be so selfish during the potato famine. They have a country that is being decimated with half of its population dieing yet still forced them to send sheep and cattle. If all of Ireland died how would they be able to get those without the Irish, they should have let the keep more of those goods so they would have had more people in the land to raise more livestock and to replace the potatoes, that seems like it would be a win win for the British in my opinion.

The Good of Immigration

Immigration has always been a significant part of United States History, and has refelected many different attitudes among the people of the U.S. There has always been a great opposition to immigration. I feel that part of the reason for this is that people are afraid that their opportunities for prosperity will be taken from new waves of immigrants entering the country. This is evident when the Irish came to the U.S. and faced discrimination while trying to find work. This is because all immigrants come for ultimately the same reason: to gain opportunity for a better life than their home country. However, current citizens that are against new people coming to the U.S. should realize that they have the opportunity to be here because someone in their family stepped up and came to the U.S. for the better of their family. Therefore, they should not deny it from others.
Immigratoin is what provides the backbone of the country. I am here because my grandparents came from Ireland. If they hadn't faced discrimination and stayed here, I wouldnt have the opportunities that I do today. After hearing their story, I was able to see that immigration is what made up so much of our country. They took all the hard jobs and grind that peoplealready here wouldn't do. This is a major reason why even today we should accept the people that want to come to our country because it can help us in the long run.

The Immigration Question

Us Americans have a tendency to assume a lot. As that is the case, we have always assumed that this country we live in belonged to us, and that we have always had the right to live here. However that isn't the case. The subject of the article "The Indian Question" really angered me. It spoke about the way we handled the movement of the Native Americans. In the process we managed to ruin thousands of years of culture and tradition. This is more frustrating when taking into account the fact that we are all immigrants to this country, and that they were here first. This country has been more or less built on immigration, but in the process we nearly wiped out an entire culture of people. Yes, I still say that I am an American, and I do love my country. However, it makes me angry whenever I sit and realize what we did to get the land that I call home.

Ironic

This world is full of hypocrisy and irony. This is clearly shown when addressing the immigrant topic. People come from all around the world, to the United States, looking to achieve the so called "American Dream". They come in search of a better life but run right into a wall. America pictures itself as the place to be but racism and discrimination is still a constant problem. Most of the time its the people already living here who don't allow the newcomers to expand. Even from way before, the harmless Native Americans were simply going about with their lives and not harming anyone but the Americans decided to put an end to that just because. Immigrants come and help the country but some Americans don't see it that way, therefore, they make the "American Dream" simply an unreachable goal for immigrants.

Irish Emigration and "Assimilation"

"The Irish Exodus" illustrated the waves of hardship that led to the mass migrations of Irish to America. When initially subjected to political oppression under their British landlords, many Irish fled to the more prosperous West in search of work and food. Despite the adversity, many Irish remained, too proud of their motherland to leave it. Unfortunately, soon thereafter, the potato famine gave many remaining Irish another reason to head West.

I thought this gave good insight into the background of the whole Irish influx during the 18 and 19oos. These were worn down people with oppression in their blood and nothing but hope for a better tomorrow, along with whatever money they had sewn into their pockets. It only makes sense that once in America these people took full advantage of all that the states had to offer. When people in your homeland are pushed to subsist on potatoes and grass, any change of pace is a welcome relief. It was interesting to read how Irish women, who emigrated in larger numbers than the men, created their own place in the workforce, dominating the maid market.

These resilient people were able to take oppression and a devastating blight and turn it into a success story. Many could even argue that the story of the Irish is one of the best examples of a people achieving the American dream.

A Journey

I'm not going to lie... reading the textbook was a little painful! So... I'll talk about the articles instead!

I really enjoyed the Irish emigration stories. As an immigrant myself, it's really cool to learn about others' experiences. Emigration is basically leaving one's home country to settle in a completely different one, in our cases: the United States! The Irish fled their country because of famine and hopes for a better life. My family and I left Ecuador for a hopes of a better life as well! When I think about the Irish and their journey to the United States, I can't picture myself being strong enough (mentally or physically) for that. While the Irish crossed the ocean in overcrowded ships, at times without seeing any daylight, my family and I hopped on a plane and were in New York in six hours. You can say the trip here wasn't as bad, but the assimilation, or better yet, the making of our salad, was just as hard. Getting used city streets crowded with diverse people was took a while! Another thing that hasn't changed is the competition for jobs. My parents, like the Irish and all immigrants, had a hard time finding jobs, even though they spoke English. The United States was, and still is, filled with immigrants looking for jobs to maintain their families.

I'm not entirely sure how complicated immigration laws and processes were back then, but now they're ridiculous. After an eleven year waiting list, my family and I could finally call ourselves American! Like the Irish, my family and I fell in love with the United States, but never forget where we're from. Like the end of the reading says... at night, while in bed, there is always a little voice calling us back...

Native Americans

Throughout American history, Native Americans were some of the most well-known tragic groups of people . In fact, the things that I learned about Native Americans are the Columbian Exchange and the spread of diseases from the "old world" that killed most of them. After reading this chapter, I realized that Americans were mean, callous, and subjective. Americans thought that the Native American's tradition was meaningless and tried to re-educate and assimilate them as Americans desired. In my opinion, the main reason should be attributed to American"s individualism and egocentrism. For example, they imposed their American values onto the Native Americans, giving them the best education to get jobs. According to the chapter, one of the social historians advocated that American history should only encompass immigrant groups and exclude Native American history. I totally disagreed with it. Native Americans should be an important part of American History because they were indigenous. America was originally the Native American's homeland and they had their own lifestyle before Europeans came. After Europeans came, they took over the Native American's land. Moreover, they tried to dominate them to alter all of their traditions, culture and institution. From my point of view, the Europeans were the foreigners who were compelled to stay in the Native American's homes and destroy their culture. Why were Americans too harsh to Native American? Why didn't they use a kinder method to assimilate Native American into their Society?

Irish Immigrants

Reading the Article about how, when, and why the Irish immigrated to America opened my eyes to a certain culture in America. Before, I had no idea why there were so many immigrants from Ireland flocking to America. Learning about the conditions in Ireland under the British and how poor the living conditions over there were really interesting for me because my heritage is mainly Irish. I did not realize that it was a means of survival, instead of ambition to come to America. The conditions were so horrible that they were forced to leave for the chance of a better life.

Assimilation

The chapter said assimilation was not possible because customs and traditions of Native Americans were “too alien.” How does that even make sense? To assimilate something is to make it adjust and/or adapt to a different way. If America was so “new,” then how were there already standards, rules, and regulations for it? Racial inequality is something I feel very strongly about and I find egocentrism to be very unacceptable. I do not necessarily agree or disagree with the author, considering I believe that he is only stating facts, not opinion. “The reservation policy aimed to ensure that Native Americans would be systematically educated and ‘civilised’ into the American way of life.” Everyone tried so hard to change the way people were to make them “White Americans.” When no one can really even define what that really is. Native Americans had to suffer the loss of their culture, tradition, self-belief and many other things. To look back on it now, I think assimilation is something that is unfair. You shouldn’t have to make someone, or a group of people, change the way they are in order for them to live somewhere.

Irish Immigrants

After reading the articles I definately got a better view of what life was like for Irish immigrants. They come to America for a better life but it was not as simple as they thought it to be. Some of the Irish that work as migratory workers. I really respect the fact that people were able to leave their families for periods of time to make money. It takes a lot of courage to be able to do that. The thing that amazed me the most was that many did not look as Ireland as their home anymore. They wanted to leave that part of them behind them. It was like they were ashamed of where they came from. This I kind of see as their assimilation into the idea of being American. They were willing to give their past up so they could be part of a new and better society. It was also interesting to see that the Irish were looked down upon so much. Also like the article said if a black man could not do it then we get an Irish. I knew a little about the Irish and their immigration but I never knew they were viewed so low. It is almost in my opinion that work in Ireland was better than in America for them. I feel like after reading these I am glad that our country did not assimilate into one big culture. The diversity adds a unique twist of living here and makes life a lot more interesting. Why were Irish immigrants looked at differently as others?

Wounded Knee

The Wounded Knee Massacre or "The Battle" others may call was a deliberate and terrible act from the U.S 7th Cavalry Regiment. The soldiers one day before the the Massacre escorted the Lakota led by "Big Foot" and set up for the night. The Native Americans had no Idea what was going on. The next morning the U.S soldiers began to take away the weapons of the Native Americans and began to become suspicious as would I. One soldier shot one of the Lakota for not giving up his weapon the massacre of the Lakota began even there own U.S soldiers were killed by friendly fire. I cannot believe how nervous the government was becoming over the spiritual gathering of the Native Americans praying for a flood to kill all the White Americans in the Americas. I believe that was just a excuse for the government to exterminate the Lakota tribe and take there land.

Before reading the text, I did not know about the hardships that people in Ireland faced. I could not believe that families partially cooked their potatoes, leaving the center still hard, to digest them slower. i never knew that there was suffering before the famine or that over one million people died from hunger. To escape the starvation, people boarded a ship where they would face more starvation to reach America, a land with "riches growing like grass." Once they reached America, it seems like they were encouraged to forget their journey and create a new life. In the reading, it states that the Atlantic Monthly predicted there would no longer be an "Irish question" or "Irish vote" and instead, just people "one in feelings and practically one in race." Why does everyone have to take the same position and be a single race? I think it would have been interesting to read more about why there was this push for the "melting pot." Why did people need to be similar?

Racisim

Every time I read or learn more about the history of Native Americans, I am shocked at the way they were treated. It's astonishing to me how white males could show absolutely no compassion or sympathy to people just because they could not relate to or understand them. In our reading, "The Indian Question," it obviously seems ridiculous that Wovoka claimed the "Ghost Dance" would protect his people and get rid of white men, but it is also just as absurd to think about how the white soldiers felt threatened enough by these harmless, uneducated people to arrest them and then shoot at them with no warning. Within minutes, generations of Native American families were wiped out. The sentence, "Hundreds of Indians lay dead or wounded in the icy ground, along with scores of soldiers, most of them hit by their own fire," is a prime example of how this was one of the greatest misunderstandings of mankind in history. It seems like it will never be fully understood how humans could treat each other so poorly, not only in this situation but also with slavery, the treatment of African Americans up until the civil rights movement, and even the holocaust. Even today, in the year 2010 we still have parts of the world where people absolutely hate each other. It makes you wonder what needs to happen for people to think clearly?

Both the Irish and African Americans were trying to find work in America around the same time, but they were competing against each other. I think that if these two groups, along with other minorities tried to unionize in some way they might have had an easier time finding work. One thing that I really liked about the readings is that it gave insight to how Irish nuclear families worked in Ireland and America. If I were to change or add anything, I would have incorporated the lives of children in Irish families more. We got to see how the lives of the average Irish mother and father went from a day to day basis and I think it would be interesting to give more insight to how children assimilated into American culture.

Stylistic Issues

Since this is a general response and it's early in the year; and as such the content has not reached a point in which this sort of response would exclude some pertinent material, I feel as though it's nessecary to address this texts fatal stylistic flaws. The main flaw in this text is it's glaring and conistent generalities that permeate virtually any sort of logical, or linear thought process. It seems as though this author sincerely likes the sound of his or her own voice, espicially in conjuction with big words. Often times you can find the book randomly throwing out vocabulary which is either obscure (sometimes to the point of irrelevance) or never defined.
I will not quote the entire passage but basically from page 31 paragraph 3 and downward in that same paragraph the author essentially just talks a lot about something that could easily be explained in lamens terms. He or she seems to have the need to make simple things MUCH more complex then they really are. In this passage the author is talking about the myths this country has come to adore. Naturally, the author makes this sort of assertion "...Of course, we must suspect such a discourse and interrogate its operation, ideologies, assumptions and exclusions." Firstly, this presents two problems. Firstly, this implies that leaders using these sort of myths are doing so in almost a malicious manner in which to persuade otherwise disassimilated inviduals to join some sort of "american only" ideal. Secondly, and more importantly, it implies that anyone cared. I'm not sure about the rest of the world, but I wouldn't just assume everything being presented in front of me was true, espicially about undoubtably unverifiable facts considering the time period and those presenting the facts. It's truly mind boggling to me that anyone would read a text from one of original voyages to america and just accept it as absolute fact. I find this sort of text almost insulting. This author presents these sort of "revolutionary" skepitc notions about stories past in a manner which is purposefully hard to understand. What is difficult about doubting a 15th century account of an imperialistic adventure?
To be fair, I'm not sure if it's truly the author or if there really is that many naive people in this country, but long story barely shorter, this book feels like it's talking down to me about something I already know.

Turning to America

It's crazy to think that immigrants come to America to better there lives and are still happier in the slums and ghettos of America than in their own country. They believe in America, in a better life for themselves and their families. I agree with the book in that these immigrants do have a
"'hunger' to posses the dream, to be taken up by America". Even though they are looked down upon by most Americans and payed low wages, they still believe it's better. Yezierska believed that education would open their possibilities of social change, leading to economic change. To turn America into a "transnationality" to create all equal. The author also said "Ethnicity in America is precisely this blend of antagonism and coalescence, a mix if different voices struggling to be heard, some restricted and silenced, whilst other dominate, and yet always with the possibility of finding expression and authority."

Dividing a people

The Dawes Act was used in order to organize indian land and to facilitate their assimilation into society. American Indians were suppose to benefit from this parceling of land. Unfortunately, the reverse happened, and I think it just strengthened tribal bonds even more to their traditions and way of life. Private ownership was intended to create a more independent way of living. The tribe, as a people, were broken up into smaller families and were to learn to care for their land on their own, for themselves. American Indians do not share this type of mentality. They do not "own" nature, though they created it and learned to utilize it the best. They look out for all, not just themselves. When they run, they run together. They are one herd, not a bunch of small ones. For the Navajos, the sheep was their sustenance, because it was who they were, not just what they did. The Navajo father said to his son, "So with anyone who comes to you and tells you to let the herd go, you mustn't let the herd go, because as soon as you do there'll be nothing left of them..." The herd: sheep, a tribe of people, in jeopardy of dissolving. When the government stepped in, thinking they knew what was best for a group that already knew what was best for them and who knew the land far better than the government, all "good-intentioned" plans failed.