Arranged Marriage

Arranged marriages are common in Hindu culture, however in the West, this is something we're not used to. I have never met anyone who has had an arranged marriage, but I know how valuable of a practice it is to cultures. To say that an arranged marriage is wrong would be naive and based on personal bias and not a full understanding of the meaning of arranged marriages. As westerners, we all are used to the romanticized perception of marriage but to many other cultures, getting married isn not for love but rather for sense. We're used to fairy tale love that always ends in marriage. This is what we are told is important, loving the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with. When I read the article on arranged marriages from the perspective of a girl who is a part of a culture that supports and engages in arranged matrimony. She stated in the article that she didn't trust herself enough to make the decision on who she should marry because she had no experience in the area of marriage. Letting her parents take responsibility for arranging her marriage was normal and ideal, she didn't worry that she didn't know the man she was going to marry because she had the rest of her life to get to know him and love him. People in these cultures are generally okay with arranged marriages; they do not feel as if they are vein robbed of romance or their emotional independence. I think that this is something many westerners overload when they jump straight to the conclusion that arranged marriages are wrong. Just because we consider marriage to be romantic and based on two-way love does not mean that everyone else believes this. 

Gladwell on Race and IQ

I found this article to be really interesting.

Audio version. 

Literacy Test

Some questions that serve no use:

1. WHAT SPECIAL GROUP ADVISES THE PRESIDENT?
2. WHO WROTE "THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER"?
3. WHAT IS THE HEAD EXECUTIVE OF A CITY GOVERNMENT CALLED?
4. WHAT IS THE HEAD EXECUTIVE OF A STATE GOVERNMENT CALLED?
5. WHO SELECTS THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES?
6. HOW MANY SUPREME COURT JUSTICES ARE THERE?
7. CAN YOU NAME THE TWO SENATORS FROM YOUR STATE?
8. NAME ONE PURPOSE OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
9. WHERE DOES CONGRESS MEET?
10. WHAT IS THE INTRODUCTION TO THE CONSTITUTION CALLED?
11. HOW MANY TIMES MAY A SENATOR BE RE-ELECTED?
12. HOW MANY TIMES MAY A CONGRESSMAN BE RE-ELECTED?

How could these questions be viewed as racist or racially insensitive?
Some of these questions have answers that only American citizens could answer. One in particular is "Who wrote 'The Star-Spangled Banner'?". Why anyone who did not grow up in America or go to elementary school in the United States would be expected to know the answer to that question is beyond me. These questions all serve no purpose and there is no real reason for them to belong on a US Literacy test. Not everyone is fully educated on the makeup of the government of the United States, nor is everyone educated in US History which is why I think some of these questions should be removed. General 21st century knowledge of the United States would belong on a test like this but questions as specific as this are not necessarily fair and can be considered racially insensitive. 

Voting Simulation 1965

I attempted to vote, as a black citizen in 1965 in Selma, Alabama. I was asked questions I am sure the sherif couldn't even answer herself; when I could not answer these I was turned away at the registration table. "And you call yourself an American when you can't even answer these questions?"

Peter attempted to vote, as a black citizen in 1965 in Selma, Alabama. The sherif ignored his question, two, three times when he kept asking. Then she turned to the other sherif and engaged in a conversation. When Peter tried to ask again, he was threatened by the sherif for "interrupting" and kicked out of the voting hall. "You can wait outside."

Ethan attempted to vote, as a black citizen in 1965 in Selma, Alabama.  He approached the sherif and asked politely if he could register. She asked about his family, specifically his younger brother who had been doing well in school. "It would be a shame if something happened to him. Wouldn't that be a shame, to see something happen to your younger brother, Ethan?". He left, without questioning the sherif.

Personal Opinions on the N Word

1. Do you have a word that hurts deep? (if not, why do you think that is?)

      Something that hurts me and has hurt me since I was little is the word 'brat'. It's nothing too serious, and it's not necessarily an incredibly insulting word nor is it a racial slur, but for some reason, whenever I hear it it makes me really upset. Hearing it from my parents when they would get mad at me is probably the root of this feeling. Something I always tried my hardest to do when I was growing up was to be the opposite of a brat because the word brat comes off as selfish to me. I've always found greater pleasure in doing things for other people than taking things for myself, and because of all the effort I put in doing this, it hurts the most when someone uses that word to describe me. 

 

2. How will you treat the word ‘n*****’ (or other racial epithets) going forward?

      The word will continue to disgust me; I don't think that I can simply forget about that feeling. I think the best way I could handle it is to stay neutral and not pick sides. I have never actually met someone who has used the word freely in conversation, but that's not to say I won't in the future of course. 

 

3. Do you think you have the word in you (there is no right or wrong answer to this)?

      No, I honestly believe that I don't have the word in me. I even changed the wording in question 2 by starring out the word. I have never said it and I refuse to ever use it. 

The 'N' Word

When I read Randall L. Kennedy's article "Who Can Say N*****" the first thing that struck me was the almost casual usage of the n word, especially in the title of the article. When Kennedy writes, he raises the question of who can say this word and get away with it. I personally think the word is abhorrent, but I have heard others, especially in America, using it in friendly, non-insulting ways. I have been brought up to know that using that word is exceptionally rude; especially since I am a white American girl. I have never used the word and hearing others use it even if they don't use it in a derogatory way makes me wince, and I have found myself feeling embarrassed being in the company of people using that word. Is the n word really that bad though, if people are able to use it freely with one another and not have others question it? What Kennedy gets at in his article is that it's different for everyone, meaning it depends on who you are and who you're talking to that determines whether or not it will be offensive. He also states that no one really understands why the word became so controversial, because the literal meaning of the word is not necessarily bad, it's only bad if you want it to be. On the question of who can say it in modern day society, I don't think it's appropriate for anyone to use if it will mean different things to different people. The n word is associated with cussing for many people, and if cussing is frowned upon then I think the use of the n word should be too. Too much controversy surrounds this word for exceptions to be made for certain groups of people who use it.

Race and Universities

Is it wrong to have an all-Black student dormitory at University? What about an all-White dormitory? 
Yes, it is wrong. To pair students together who are generally all at the same level of intelligence (ie. all were smart enough to get in to the university) and are of the same age with those of similar race does not seem necessary or fair. Why does the color of one's skin matter? The mix of different people from cultures and backgrounds is one of the great things about university, people get to know other people that are unlike anyone they have ever met before. Having an all white or an all black dormitory is ridiculous; people are just people and college students are just college students, the color of their skin should not matter and everyone's differences should be celebrated rather than judged and grouped together.

The integration of Ole Miss University, Mississippi. James Meredith, October 1st, 1962