So, Here I am again. :) After delinquency in it's greatest form, I am back with a fervor. I am laying my heart out for this guy. After a shady and difficult past, I am nothing but hopeful that I have a keeper... 

I doubt I have anyone to look at my page, but for those of you who may stumble upon my unsuspecting home, hey, any tips??

Thesis Statement

Prejudice:

Prejudice has been deemed as a problem with other individuals, but essentially there is another issue. The issue that is even a greater problem, is that the real prejudice is lies within yourself. More common is the issue that YOU believe that you are an issue, not that someone else is. If YOU believe that you are the problem, then you will not rise up against the issue.

Neither Here... Nor There

Dogra, Aastha. "Examples of Prejudice." Buzzle.com. N.p., 2 June 2010. Web. 26 October 2011.

The article submitted gives different examples of common prejudices that are common occurrences in today's society. The first example was a scenario. You are walking down the sidewalk at night and you come across an elderly couple holding hands. One wouldn't typically be frightened, correct? The author compares it to that of a group of teenagers with leather jewelery, dyed black hair, and baggy pants. As you met them on the walk, the author says that "...the person might feel threatened a little."
The author continues with examples of women in the workplace, and racism.
As I read this, I taken aback. I didn't realize that I myself make these silly stereotypes every day. I do recall making these exact same assumptions despite my attempts to combat prejudice. This article is enlightening to me as it would be to others and I believe that it is a good tool to use for that of myself and others. 

The Sky is Green and the Grass is Red

Williams, Patricia. "Having Barack Obama as President doesn't make America colour-blind." The Guardian. The Observer, 25 July 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.

Written by Patricia Williams, the article is a British take on prejudice in America. It is a humorous take on what other people think of all the hype about race in America. Right away Patricia opens with an Obama blunder. After an interview where President Obama was commenting on the acts of Cambridge police who arrested an African American Professor in his home. The President's comment was,  "… I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry. Number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. And number three – what I think we know separate and apart from this incident – is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately…" Needless to say, the next morning's papers talked about Obama calling Cambridge police "stupid". The article then goes to talk about Supreme Court Judge Sotomayor and her race-related drama in her ascension to the court. In an interview she mentioned that her struggles as a Latina woman have strengthened her. The press returned her comment with accusations of "reverse racism". The article then goes on to summarize that America from the outsider's opinion is turning into an establishment that "punishes" the white male. The demographic is being beaten down for being common.
The article is a good take on this topic. I don't exactly believe in the concept of reverse-racism, but I do believe that it happens. I know that in college applications it takes into consideration one's race and other demographics that legitimately affect one's acceptance into college.
I believe that this article as a whole was a good topic for me because it mixed humor with a subject that I am passionate about. I believe that it would be good for others for the same reason. I think that the article tends to be biased against America, almost coming across with the opinion sometimes that America seems "stupid". It pokes fun at our political leaders and  I think that is something to be appreciated considering that they have such a huge impact on our everyday lives.

Beating Down the Weary

"People with low self-esteem show more signs of prejudice." e! Science News, 23 Feb. 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.

The new article that I read had to deal with self esteem itself. in the article, Jeffery Sherman is quoted to have said, "This is one of the oldest accounts of why people stereotype and have prejudice: It makes us feel better about ourselves." Prejudice is something definitely still applicable into today's lifestyle.Sherman used a test designed to assess people's automatic responses  and reactions to words, phrases, pictures, etc. People were shown positive and negative words, and pictures of black or white faces. The first time, they were told to press one key for negative words and black faces, and another key for positive words and white faces. The next time, it was reversed. Positive with black, and negative with white. By measuring response time, they determined which test was more difficult for the person. If the first was more difficult and their response time was slower, they weren't prejudice. the opposite for the second test. They also did one more experiment. Sherman had the people take an incredibly difficult test. No person got more than two answers correct. Half of the participants were given their tests and told that the average score was nine, to make them feel bad about themselves, and the other half was told that their test would be graded later. the participants then repeated the first test with the words and faces, and there was indeed a change in those who were feeling bad about themselves. They also applied a mathematical model to the situation that processes the data. There was in fact a difference in people and Sherman believed it to be a correct assumption that there is a difference in people and their prejudice when they are feeling bad about themselves.

It is apparent that all in all, people can't avoid being bias. It seems like people can't avoid being prejudice about something or other, especially when they are upset about something. The author of the article did a good job of showing the results of Sherman's work, but the entire article's intent was confusing. The experiments themselves are a little juvenile, and there results wouldn't be respectable to a statician or a scientist. Also the assumption to make a distinctions among simple "faces" on a screen is simplistic and silly.

I think that this topic has promise in general, but I would venture to experiment about it in other ways. It is too simplistic in my opinion. I like the topic, but I don't think it would work for me, simply because I don't like how they went about experimenting. It may be good for others, because they would be more satisfied with simple results, but in my opinion, it isn't in depth enough.

Reflection

Looking back upon the articles I have done, I am immediately drawn to the Butterfly Circus. One of the things that bothers me most in more ways than none is the fact that prejudice is raging rampant on our socient under the observations of the common man. People as a whole are quick to judge and even quicker to blame people who are different. In the Butterfly Circus, the main character is rendered useless due to his lack of limbs. Wildly underestimated and misunderstood, he defys everything thrown against him. I'm not going to tell anyone that it is bad to have an opinion about someone else, but I do believe that mankind is much to quick to call another person "the bad guy," or render someone incapable. Everything that we do is for ourselves and that is something that I would love to change.



Wouldn't it be wonderful

if the world could just live a little?

We are a diverse people and looking at my articles has been interesting. I have found that we judge people who are different and blame their lifestyles for trajedies of the present, when perhaps it just has to do with the instability of the patron, or we blame mothers for making choices for their children. We call a man with no arms or legs incapable because he was born different, or we blame obesity on the world around us instead of standing up on our own two legs and walking a bit.

I am finding a common ground within my interests and I think it is because I have dealt with being the person being judged and I have been the judge of others. I know this all too well. The real question is this; our dealings with prejudice are many but what affects us as human beings? What makes an impact to us emotionally, physically, spiritually? These topics speak to me because I have been there and I know what it is like to be on both sides of this debate. I know what kind of hurt you can have because you are thought to be something that you are not, or when you believe that you are someone or something that you are not. Until that changes, here we are stuck, between the rushing river and a mountain.

Suicide Spotlight...

Thompson, Carolyn. "With NY teen's suicide come spotlight, caution." Charter. The Associated Press, 28 Sept. 2011. Web. 29 Sept. 2011.

This article summarizes the unsettling account of a young man in New Y ork who was being cyber-bullied. After years of name-calling and torment, 14-year-old Jamey took his own life by hanging himself infront of his home in New York. Grabbing the attention of celebrity Lady Gaga, she dedicated a song in her tours to the boy. The article itself isn't about the suicide of the boy, but instead the negative effects of the potential glamorization of suicide in today's society. As suicide is becoming more and more frequent in our world, the author is afraid that celebrities are glamorizing the concept with the dedications, and extra attention. The negative part of the this story is the fact that the author points out that many young adults look at suicide as an easy way to grow into a fit for the attention. Thompson says that If we portray it as something that is admirable and very sympathetic, vulnerable youth may hear that as, `Look at the attention this case is getting and everyone is feeling sorry and praising this individual,' and it can form a narrative that can be compelling," said AnnHaas, senior specialist at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Sadly, that is too often the case and kids make the wrong decsion without being properly informed.
The author made a point to reaching out to the prople that don't tend to be reached out to. I feel like it was obviouly biased towards Jamey, and the children who have commit acts of self-violence. It tends to stay near the opinions of them rather than an outsider.
I believe that the article was informative but a little difficult to follow. The article felt to me like it didn't exactly fight for the kids in need of help, instead, fighting a bat. It felt to me that the entirity of the article was all about the fight for the kids. It was just difficult to follow.
I think that the article would be alright for other guests because it is easy to relate to little thinks that would happen.