WHEN: 1957, later, 1965
WHERE: Pittsburgh, PA
EVENTS: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070805/13badlands.htm
a couple was on a murder spree, they inspired songs & films years later. Charles Starkweather & Caril Ann Fagate were the two misfits.
technology wise: first video recorder, transistor radios, satellite, first computer hard disk
Economics: Civil Rights Movement, The Eisenhower Era, "Americans achieved a level of prosperity they have never known before", Increase in college attendance, Arms Race begins, Population shifts,
Entertainment: Rock & Roll became famous, television became very popular,
Politics: Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat, Alaska & Hawaii become the 49th & 50th state, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president,
Sports: football, basketball, baseball & boxing. Racial barriers were about to come down in sports.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Who is the Real Outsider?
When someone asks "What do young people understand about racism?", they don't seem to realize that the "young people" can be as little as five years old. We grow up in a society where we tend to question ourselves in a negative way. Ask ourselves if we're good enough because of the colour of our skin, our backgrounds, our heritage, ethnicity, every little thing we could think of seems wrong at some point in our lives. Those young people know more than we do about what racism is. It's coming to a time where little boys and girls are picking on each other for something older generations didn't have to worry about until they reached high school!
In the short documentary, A Girl Like Me, the director decided to retry an experiment that was conducted a long time ago. She put two dolls on the table, a white doll and a black doll. Then she asked children, who looked about four or five years of age, to pick which one was better, nicer, and which one they preferred. It turned out that we have not really changed. The first time the study was conducted, most of the kids chose the white doll, the result came out to be the same; kids today still think that being white is what you makes you better. The video also interviewed a couple of African-American, young girls, they were talking about how society made them think that being light skinned made them beautiful. You had to be a certain shade of this, your hair to look like that, you have to talk in a certain way, dress like this, do that, all this unnecessary pressure was laid upon these young people's shoulders. Some even shared a story about how they know someone who uses bleaching cream to become lighter, or when they, themselves, thought they were ugly because they where darker than the rest of their family members.
We live in a world where you are judged by who you are, that does not seem like it is going to change anytime soon, it is an awful thing to think about or say, but it seems true. We can go deeper into discrimination, it is not only about your skin colour, it can also be about your gender. In the Hispanic community, a female is viewed as delicate, sensitive, as if our bones were made of glass and any little thing will make us crumble into pieces. The males of the family are viewed as the warriors, hunters, the one's in charge. Hispanic families definitely have different sets of rules for females and males. The male, for instance, has more freedom, they are able to stay out late at night, go out anywhere they want, among other things. While the female has to be home at a certain time, can't leave during a certain time, can't wear certain things, can't do certain things. The female is expected to know how to cook, clean, and tend to the house. The male has less responsibilities, and it is not just in Hispanic families anymore, it is in the eyes of society.
At a young age you already know what is expected of you, but not only because of the way you are raised, but by the way that society molds an image into your head of what you have to look like. Since you are still young and trying to find yourself, of course you will give in to those images, but soon enough you will realize that there was no need for that. Soon everyone will realize that racism is nothing but ignorant people who cannot stand someone else being different. Among your "own kind" you are different, not every Hispanic person looks the same, not every black, Asian, English, Australian, or any other race is the same! Before you judge others for what they are, take a look at yourself, are you any better?
In the short documentary, A Girl Like Me, the director decided to retry an experiment that was conducted a long time ago. She put two dolls on the table, a white doll and a black doll. Then she asked children, who looked about four or five years of age, to pick which one was better, nicer, and which one they preferred. It turned out that we have not really changed. The first time the study was conducted, most of the kids chose the white doll, the result came out to be the same; kids today still think that being white is what you makes you better. The video also interviewed a couple of African-American, young girls, they were talking about how society made them think that being light skinned made them beautiful. You had to be a certain shade of this, your hair to look like that, you have to talk in a certain way, dress like this, do that, all this unnecessary pressure was laid upon these young people's shoulders. Some even shared a story about how they know someone who uses bleaching cream to become lighter, or when they, themselves, thought they were ugly because they where darker than the rest of their family members.
We live in a world where you are judged by who you are, that does not seem like it is going to change anytime soon, it is an awful thing to think about or say, but it seems true. We can go deeper into discrimination, it is not only about your skin colour, it can also be about your gender. In the Hispanic community, a female is viewed as delicate, sensitive, as if our bones were made of glass and any little thing will make us crumble into pieces. The males of the family are viewed as the warriors, hunters, the one's in charge. Hispanic families definitely have different sets of rules for females and males. The male, for instance, has more freedom, they are able to stay out late at night, go out anywhere they want, among other things. While the female has to be home at a certain time, can't leave during a certain time, can't wear certain things, can't do certain things. The female is expected to know how to cook, clean, and tend to the house. The male has less responsibilities, and it is not just in Hispanic families anymore, it is in the eyes of society.
At a young age you already know what is expected of you, but not only because of the way you are raised, but by the way that society molds an image into your head of what you have to look like. Since you are still young and trying to find yourself, of course you will give in to those images, but soon enough you will realize that there was no need for that. Soon everyone will realize that racism is nothing but ignorant people who cannot stand someone else being different. Among your "own kind" you are different, not every Hispanic person looks the same, not every black, Asian, English, Australian, or any other race is the same! Before you judge others for what they are, take a look at yourself, are you any better?
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