Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Race and Ethnicity Essay The ongoing struggle to fight the skin color prejudice in the contemporary American society is portrayed in Michael Jackson’s song â€Å"Black or White. † Whereas the racism is defined as a superior behavior against other race-thus making it inferior, the singer refers to this term as â€Å"See, it’s not about races, just places, faces, where your blood comes from is where your space is. † Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists in the music industry, calls for equality in how people view and behave towards each other. The question, which this master thesis investigates, does it matter if you’re black or white, is clearly answered by the singer: â€Å"It don’t matter if you’re black or white. † Jackson was trying to influence his society to act in a similar way and he calls for them to live their lives by Dr. Luther’s dream â€Å"†¦. judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. † However, almost thirty years later, it still seemed only as a dream because he sang: â€Å"I’m tired of this Devil†, where the bad is being represented by the prejudice. At the same time, he clearly states: â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color† – this is where he makes his conclusion. This can imply that even though he doesn’t discriminate and would like to see color prejudice gone, he is still being discriminated against. While being the most prominent artist in the music industry, he still calls himself â€Å"a color† and he rebuts against it and wants to be seen for the person he is and not the pigmentation of his skin. It is widely known that Michael Jackson had many facial plastic surgeries and it is controversial whether or not he altered his skin color by chemical peels or was it the disease called vitiligio that changed his face color to white. Therefore, it can be speculated that he modified skin to appear white, which ultimately is his vision. It can be further questioned – since Michael Jackon can’t win his struggle for racial equality, did he give up and go white – just to end his inner battle? Will all his suffering come to closure since now he looks white? Is this the true answer? It may be deemed as so since the skin color is the guide of one’s position in the society where being white claims supremacy-control and power. It should be noted that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest musicians of all times, having sold over 750 million records worldwide. He has accomplished so much in his life, yet still feels inferior and calls for racial equality in the world. His vision for a better world to live in, free of racism, ends on a sad note: â€Å"It’s black, it’s white†. To summarize, through decades, the blacks have fought to be equal, as the American nation shall guarantee those rights, yet, the society is still divided into the superior, the whites, and inferior- the blacks (and other people of color). Blacks have always been portrayed as the dirty, the poor, the lesser-of-a human type whereas the whites are seen as the dominant, the good type. Again, Jackson does not agree with this stereotype in saying: â€Å"I ain’t second to none. † Moreover, he claims that he will no longer be scared and mentions historical symbol of a KKK group: â€Å"I ain’t scared of your brother, I ain’t scared of no sheets. † With his passing in 2009, many of his inner struggles come to the end, but will the next generation start working on being color-free as the king of pop envisioned? America has always struggled with racial issues, especially those of black and white. Some them included racial segregation, education, workforce, banking and even seating on the bus. Black people continuously tried to â€Å"break thru† into community, but were always pushed aside as dirty, poor and unwelcome. We, in modern times, see the United States of America as a country that treats everyone equal. Americans should all be all equal, no matter what race, color, religion or any other characteristics they have. After all, we all remember year 2009, which is when Americans elected their first African American President. Question that comes to mind – why â€Å"first African American President,† not just simply their 44th President? So – the race and color of your skin does matter in modern times. My analyses of selected books, academic journals, films and music video will concentrate and argue if Americans indeed discriminate against race or if it is history and no longer exists in American life. First, I would like to take into consideration the iconic Michael Jackson, one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest singer and performer of the 21st century. Not only his songs deserve a closer look, but also his lifestyle – ideas, fears and the public opinion. â€Å"Black or White† by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell is a one of the greatest singles in Michael’s career. It was released on November 11, 1991. What inspired Michael to particularly select these two topics? Black or white – as implied in the song, he sings about skin color. Songs starts in Africa, possibly showing Jackson’s â€Å"beginning† – he is black. In one of the scenes, Michael sings â€Å"I ain’t scared of no sheets; I ain’t scared of nobody† while he is walking through fire images – which is being compared to KKK and its torch ceremonies. Here, he is portraying his painful vision of KKK and its vision. Later, the performers sing â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color. † What a great statement. Michael, throughout his whole life and his career, shows us his inner and constant fight for a non-racial America. Being black himself, he had struggled and finally came to the top, but still did not achieve the level of happiness – which is â€Å"no color† in his country. Later, Jackson sings on Statue of Liberty’s torch, again possibly reminding us about the KKK, and at the same time – the Statue symbolizes liberty, which for him will be color-free, no discrimination America. We shouldn’t forget about Michael’s actions in this video. In the original version, he is smashing the car, windows and the inn exploded. However, later he had to edit this version to minimize his violent behavior, however. He altered it by adding four racial graffiti messages onto the windows that he was smashing. As I suggested earlier, Michael Jackson is portrayed as an angry black man who simply hates the discrimination against black people and shows his feelings by destroyed his surroundings, as he was being destroyed himself –just for being of black color. In is interesting to observe, the Jackson, when asked to change his destructive aggressive music video, he indeed did change it, but didn’t forget about this hostility towards discrimination. He had just portrayed it differently (graffiti). First message reads: â€Å"Hitler Lives,† then â€Å"Nigger Go Home,† â€Å"No More Wetbacks,† and finally â€Å"KKK Rules. † It can be argued if Michael Jackson is simply smashing windows with those painful ideas – is destroying them – to make a better world? Finally, the song comes from the album â€Å"Dangerous. † What did the author have in mind? Are all of those issues, painful experiences and the fight for non-colored America dangerous? It can be argued that yes. Jackson showed us the dangerous side of being black, where he was always forced to fight and that causes different sorts of trouble. In â€Å"Black or White,† Michael brilliantly portrayed two core problems people were facing daily: black or white. As we look at his lifestyle and constant metamorphoses, Michael Jackson had numerous surgeries that altered the color of his skin and make him â€Å"white. † It is very controversial as many sources quote that Jackson had a condition where one looses a pigment of his skin, called vitiligo. However, Michael Jackson public image is seen as a person who constantly tried to be white, therefore, sought surgeries to help him attain this goal. Michael Jackson shows us that it could have probably been easier to make himself white and not struggle for color-free America, where everyone is equal, no matter of who there are or what they look like. It would also be important to analyze some of the lyrics from Jackson’s music video. He sings: â€Å"I had to tell them I ain’t second to none. † It can be understood that he no longer is accepting the fact that black is â€Å"second,† which is worse, just because of the color. He continues: â€Å"And I told about equality† – he tells us he wants to be considered equal, despite his skin color. Next verse, he has really had enough of being pushed around because he is black â€Å"I am tired of this devil, I am tired of this stuff, I am tired of this business. † Finally, he talks about racism in: â€Å"See, it’s not about races, Just places, Faces, Where your blood, Comes from, Is where your space is, I’ve seen the bright, Get duller, I’m not going to spend, My life being a color. † Here Michael Jackson compares himself to simply being a â€Å"color. † He is less than a human being only because he is not white. He is â€Å"black. † Again, he accents his refusal of living his life being black. He wants to be equal, equal to white. It should be also noted that throughout video, Michael Jackson is wearing black and white clothing (white shirt, black blazer, white accents on his right arm and nails, black shoes, white socks). He seems to be a person caught in a black-and-white world and struggles to change it, showing his pain. However, at the very end, he turns into a black panther. This transformation may symbolize him as a black man who will fight for his rights, yet, still remain black. In book â€Å"The Color of Credit: Mortgage Discrimination, Research Methodology, and Fair-Lending Enforcement† Stephen L. Ross and John Yinger present racial issues and argue the importance of skin color in banking. It should be noted that this book was published in 2002, year where we all think that American people are equal, especially on racial basis. Therefore, why and how does the skin color come into play in banking? First, the American lenders take many factors into consideration when disbursing the mortgage. Such factors include many details such as the creditor’s ability to repay the loan – where the lender accesses the potential risk of losing the loan. There are many different lenders and they base their information on statistics, demographics and make final decision based on the risk factors. Research showed that mainly blacks would seek loans, which are not favorable to all lenders. Therefore such bank does take race into consideration when reviewing for application for credit. It is also shown that blacks will most likely work with subprime lenders (44%) with comparison to whites (only 4%). Blacks generally cannot use the prime mortgage market due to their poor qualifications, thus creating the black to white ratio of getting the mortgage with figures of 2. 28 denial for prime market and 1. 27 for subprime. At the same time, limited research shows that blacks-even though have some qualifications as white – would remain in the subprime market and thus be charged higher fees. Equal Credit Opportunity Act says: It shall be unlawful for any creditor to discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction—on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age (provided the applicant has the capacity to contract). (U. S. Code Title 15, Chapter 41, Section 1691) This would mean that all people should be treated equally in banks, when doing business in banks, no discrimination in credit transaction. However, authors argue that the bank may take a different look at the person and who they are in â€Å"business necessity† can be proved. Therefore, even while it is regulated by law, certain discriminatory practices can and do exist. Later, it would be rather hard to prove that the lender discriminated based for example on race. All regulations are not very clear and courts find it hard to find such a connection of discrimination. It is implied that blacks, with poorer ability to repay, living in lower income communities, must face subprime, expensive mortgages – to possibly make as much money as possible in the shortest time-so if the black borrower defaults on his payments, the lender wouldn’t lose its investment. This is to compare with the white borrower who lives in the richer-type setting, is more likely to meet his payments, therefore, he is offered a prime mortgage rate, without the necessity to further secure the loan. It can be argued if blacks and whites are treated equally, despite many regulations. On one hand, the lender must adhere to all necessary regulations, but on the other hand, such institution can make necessary decisions to make that mortgage profitable – thus, taking all factors into consideration in the application process. We can further analyze that race and color of skin does matter when one is being evaluated for such an application. It is believed that whites pose a lower risk to a financial institution than blacks. This also means, as authors point out, that black are less likely to be approved for a higher-priced home than a white person, which causes the real estate agents to discriminate and not show the more expensive houses to blacks. Maybe they don’t discriminate, they just know that lender is not likely to approve a black person in comparison to the same application of a white person? It is particularly important to note that authors point out that ‘‘on average, black mortgage applications have higher loan-to value and debt-to-income ratios than do white applications. ’’ In closing, it should be noted that while many regulations exist, there is no proof that racial discrimination has gone away and some research suggests that blacks still have lower approval rate in comparison to the whites. It is said that race does play a key role when the lender looks at your mortgage application.

Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - Equal Rights Not Special Rights for Gays :: Persuasive Essay, Argumentative

Gays: Seeking Equal Rights Not Special Rights On October 6, 1998 two men took Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, about a mile outside of Laramie Wyoming. These men took him out to a split-rail fence, tortured him, then tied him put onto the fence, and left him for death. He was found late the next day by two bikers, 18 hours after the attack. When the bikers first saw Matthew tied to the fence, they thought that Matthew was a scarecrow, but realized that it was a person. Matthew remained in a coma until October 12, then died at 12:53 a.m. Matthew always was a peacemaker he wanted gays to be treated like everyone else not as a minority. Matthew once said, "If I could get two people--one straight, one gay--who hate each other to be respectful of each other, I would have done something good" (Miller). He wanted homosexuals and heterosexuals to see eye to eye, which almost seems impossible. Homosexuality has been common in many cultures throughout history, but not always known. When it came about in society many religions thought it as sinful. As a result, being gay or lesbian was a crime, punishable by death. In the twentieth century homosexuality took a turn around. As a result gay bashing became common in America. In November 13, 1986 on The Oprah Winfrey Show, a boy admitted that he and his friends hunted gay men down and beat them with baseball bats (Opposing View Points, "Homosexuals are an..."). It seems that this issue of discrimination of gays is too extreme. Society needs to know that homosexuals are fighting for civil rights, not special rights. They want to be treated equal in the workplace, in housing and in public accommodations. In November of 1992 Colorado tried to pass an amendment against homosexuals gaining special rights. The purpose of the amendment was to deny homosexuals special rights, through any of Colorado's state branches or departments or any of its agencies. When this amendment was passed civil liberties groups and gay rights groups around the nation called for a boycott of Colorado. Consequently, the state lost about $40 million in convention and tourist business. In 1994 the Colorado Supreme Court declared that the state's anti-gay rights measure, Amendment 2, was unconstitutional. Justice Anthony Kennedy states, "We must conclude that Amendment 2 classifies homosexuals not to further a proper legislative end but to make them unequal to everyone else.

Why Video Games Can Be Educational, by You

Over the years video games have been proven to increase addiction to staying inside, along with increased aggression, and various medical and psychosocial effects. However there are many positive aspects to playing video games. Research dating back to the early 1980s has consistently shown that playing computer games (of different genre) produces reductions in reaction times, improved hand-eye co-ordination and raises the player’s self-esteem.Let’s explore into some of these aspects and arguments to determine the ultimate decision on whether video games can help your education. Video games might consume the attention and time of your children, but it is important to remember that technology has and will forever have an impact on childhood as we progress further into scientific research. Here are some things that video games can do well for your children’s health. Video games can be used to research new things.Video games can attract participation by individuals a cross many boundaries Video games can assist your child in making/and completing goals. Video games can be useful by measuring performance on a wide variety of tasks That is some info on what video games can do well for your child, now let’s see explore the possibilities of bad things that can come from this. Over-dependence on video games could foster social isolation, as they are often played alone.Practicing violent acts may contribute more to aggressive behavior than watching TV Many games only offer an arena of weapons, killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting. Most game portray a â€Å"be the most violent† to win scheme. After reading over all of those aspects and points made you are probably leading to think that they are going to do more damage to your child if you let them play video games rather than if you don’t. Sadly I cannot agree with you there and I am trying my best to make you believe that they can do more good than bad.If you are not convinced yet all the evidence points to them being more educational than harmful. Video games are frowned upon by parents as time-wasters, and worse, some education experts think that these games corrupt the brain. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future. When your child plays video games, it gives his brain a real workout. In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These skills are not even taught at school.In most video games you can’t just roam around doing whatever you please. Most of them involve a common goal such as following instructions or problem solving and logic. Even if you make the decision to let your children play some of the more violent video games, they will be focused more on winning then killing and getting blood lust out of it. That was my argument on why video games do better than they do worse. I hope you agree with me now and enjoyed learning the facts abou t this topic. ï » ¿Why Video Games Can Be Educational, by You Over the years video games have been proven to increase addiction to staying inside, along with increased aggression, and various medical and psychosocial effects. However there are many positive aspects to playing video games. Research dating back to the early 1980s has consistently shown that playing computer games (of different genre) produces reductions in reaction times, improved hand-eye co-ordination and raises the player’s self-esteem.Let’s explore into some of these aspects and arguments to determine the ultimate decision on whether video games can help your education. Video games might consume the attention and time of your children, but it is important to remember that technology has and will forever have an impact on childhood as we progress further into scientific research. Here are some things that video games can do well for your children’s health. Video games can be used to research new things.Video games can attract participation by individuals a cross many boundaries Video games can assist your child in making/and completing goals. Video games can be useful by measuring performance on a wide variety of tasks That is some info on what video games can do well for your child, now let’s see explore the possibilities of bad things that can come from this. Over-dependence on video games could foster social isolation, as they are often played alone.Practicing violent acts may contribute more to aggressive behavior than watching TV Many games only offer an arena of weapons, killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting. Most game portray a â€Å"be the most violent† to win scheme. After reading over all of those aspects and points made you are probably leading to think that they are going to do more damage to your child if you let them play video games rather than if you don’t. Sadly I cannot agree with you there and I am trying my best to make you believe that they can do more good than bad.If you are not convinced yet all the evidence points to them being more educational than harmful. Video games are frowned upon by parents as time-wasters, and worse, some education experts think that these games corrupt the brain. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future. When your child plays video games, it gives his brain a real workout. In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These skills are not even taught at school.In most video games you can’t just roam around doing whatever you please. Most of them involve a common goal such as following instructions or problem solving and logic. Even if you make the decision to let your children play some of the more violent video games, they will be focused more on winning then killing and getting blood lust out of it. That was my argument on why video games do better than they do worse. I hope you agree with me now and enjoyed learning the facts abou t this topic.

Lengthy Poem Surrounding - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1710 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/10/30 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Sir Gawain and The Green Knight Essay Did you like this example? Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a lengthy poem surrounding well-known King Arthur of Camelot and one of his most noble and loyal knights, Sir Gawain. Throughout the story, the noble knight is traveling to battle the antagonist of the poem, the Green Knight, a being that challenged Sir Gawain to track down and decapitate him. During his journey, he is tempted three times by Lady Bertilak, the wife of the Lord who is granting Sir Gawain shelter in his time of need, and his knightly honor is challenged by this. Despite being given plenty of opportunities to betray King Arthur and pick the path that would label him as morally corrupt, he remained noble and true to his vows. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written in the late fourteenth century. During this trying time period, the Hundred Years War was raging and the Black Plague was finally beginning to come to a halt. This poem covers knightly chivalry and morals. Throughout the story, these two themes are challenged through the temptation of the main character, Sir Gawain. During the late fourteenth century, the Hundred Years War was still going on with full force and it didnt look like there would be a cease-fire any time soon. In addition, the infamous Black Plague was tearing through Europe and destroying morale in society. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Lengthy Poem Surrounding" essay for you Create order However, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight does not spend time on the dirty aspects of society that were extremely hard to swallow during the time period. The author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight decided, instead, to give the people of Britain an escape through literature, has not mentioned the fact that the British society was crumbling. The time period had an incredibly heavy influence on the story because without the absolutely crushing events going on at the time, the motivation behind the author providing an excellent story to give the downtrodden people an escape and a person to look up to in times of extreme grief, such as Sir Gawain, the poem never would have been written in the first place. At the very beginning of the poem, Sir Gawain is at a grand Christmas feast at King Arthurs court. The author uses imagery to depict how vibrant and red the feast is, providing a stark contrast when the Green Knight walks in and disrupts the monochromatic feast. The unknown author also uses choice words and phrases to describe the feast as jubilant and suddenly turns to an air of unease when the Green Knight is introduced. Not only did the author use imagery to set the tone of the story, but the author also used plenty of alliteration to emphasize a point. An example of the authors use of alliteration is And all his vesture verayly watz clene verdure, / Bothe the barres of his belt and other blythe stones. (Sir Gawain, lines 161-162). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem filled with symbolism, the main three symbols in the story are the pentangle, the color green, and the green girdle. First, the pentangle is made to be a representation of five virtues: generosity, fellowship, chastity, courtesy, and charity. The reader is shown what the pentangle is meant to symbolize through these lines: It is a symbol that Solomon designed long ago / As an emblem of fidelity, and justly so; / /Therefore it suits this knight and his shining arms, / For always faithful in five ways, and five times in each case, / Gawain was reputed as virtuous, (Sir Gawain, lines 625-626; 631-633). Next is the color green, a symbol that remains constant throughout the entire story. While the unknown author does not bluntly state the meaning behind the color green, there are plenty of clues within the poem to suggest its hidden meaning. The Green Knight himself is a solid green color and he carries a massive ax in one hand and a holly branch in the other. Both of these items are directly correlated to nature. The holly branch is a piece of nature itself and the ax as a tool to cut down trees. Another clue is the chapel where the Green Knight is waiting for Sir Gawain. The chapel itself is described as one of the most wild, natural places in the poem (Symbolism: The Color Green, pg 1) thus leading the reader to believe that the color green is meant to represent nature itself. The third and final major use of symbolism in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the green girdle Sir Gawain is given by Lady Bertilak. Unlike the symbol of the color green, the green girdle is a symbol that is much easier to understand and point out to the average reader. The girdle also is a symbol for many different things, the meaning behind it simply depends on the situation it is used in. When Lady Bertilak gives the green girdle to Sir Gawain, it is intended as a lovers keepsake and something to remember her by. She also states that the girdle has the ability to make the person wearing it indestructible. When she mentions that, the green girdles meaning shifts from a lovers token to survival. Then, when Sir Gawain fails to give the girdle to King Bertilak as a part of their agreement, the meaning moves towards desperate desire to survive at the expense of his code of honor (Symbolism: The Green Girdle, pg 1). The story of Sir Gawain was a genuinely enjoyable experience, some older literature can be a difficult read but this poem is an exception. The extraordinary imagery used throughout the tale completely captured me and allowed me to get enthralled in the plot. It was incredibly frustrating when Sir Gawain was constantly being tempted by Lady Bertilak. This was aggravating because, as a reader, I wanted Sir Gawain to succeed in his journey and Lady Bertilak left a bad taste in my mouth because she could get in the way of his ultimate goal. Overall, once Sir Gawain came to the end of his journey and it was revealed that the Green Knight had played somewhat of a trick on him by being the orchestrator of the state of affairs with Lord and Lady Bertilak, I was absolutely sh ocked. However, I must admit that in hindsight, I, and any other reader, should have taken into consideration that the girdle presented by Lady Bertilak was green, a symbol for the Green Knight himself. The story as a whole was truly a fantastic and the unknown author did an amazing job at keeping the readers on the edge of their seats. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight begins with the grand Christmas feast, which immediately establishes a vibrant aesthetic. The hall is decorated to be nearly completely red, tying in with traditional Christmas colors of course. However, the Christmas feast is not the only example of a beautiful aesthetic. The author describes Sir Gawains armor in great detail. Then, the author goes on to talk about the pentangle on Sir Gawains shield and how it is supposed to represent five holy virtues. Another form of imagery the author uses is the changing of seasons throughout the text. The seasons drive the plot and Sir Gawains journey and are mostly described by the cha nging of the leaves around Sir Gawain. A great example of this is when Sir Gawain is searching for the Green Knight. During this time, it the middle of the winter. At this point, Sir Gawain is getting worn, then he notices a green field. This is where the author uses imagery to bring in the supernatural force of the story. Otherwise, it would not make any sense whatsoever that there would be a lush green field in the middle of winter. The sudden appearance of a summery scene is to entice Sir Gawain in a sense, it is trying to make the reader and Sir Gawain feel like the castle is a safe haven. This ends up being a test by the supernatural force, the Green Knight, further proving that the appearance of seasons throughout the story drive Sir Gawains journey. Next, the author uses language to bring life and beauty into the piece of writing. The intentions behind why the author chose to write this story are unknown, but there are key factors in the time period and the poem itself that detail how it could have been so impactful at the time it was written. In the late fourteenth century, a war was raging and the black death was claiming the lives of an unimaginable number of people. Due to these two major facts about the time period, the people needed something to escape to. Reading about war and death was unappealing to them because they were living in that hell every single day. It can be assumed that the author chose to write a story surrounding chivalry and true honor because thats what the people of the time needed to see most of all. Sir Gawain showed the public that it is desirable to be so honorable and noble, something that the people didnt see much of at the time. However, the author also showed a somewhat softer side to Sir Gawain that could relate with the everyday person, he feared death just as much as any normal human being would fear such a fate. This showed the readers that Sir Gawain was human and even though he was the poster child for being noble and chivalrous, he still feared the inevitable. Not only did Sir Gawain and the Green Knight have an impact on readers at the time, but its religious themes have held true. Around the world, Christianity is practiced. The author at the time most definitely had different values and practiced religion in a vastly different way but people now are still majorly impacted by Christianity. This poem was simply a contribution to push Christianity forward as an attempt to express the authors own values and morals but as an attempt to keep Christianity at the forefront of society. The author most certainly accomplished that feat, and it is evident through the fact that millions of people continue to p ractice Christianity and uphold the same values to this day.