https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0 Race in Modern America en-us 2017-12-07 16:26:32 UTC 2018-01-23 15:27:06 UTC hello@padlet.com sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214201497 "Over 200 black people die prematurely every single day in America, in part because of racism in society" - David Williams
According to the polls taken, African Americans are still discriminated against in many ways, involving the police, health care, neighbors, and in their workplace. 61% of of police officers are more likely to use unnecessary force on African Americans, and 31% of blacks avoid calling the police for assistance due to fear of discrimination, proving that cruelty unfairness within the government is still apparent today. In Huckleberry Finn, Jim could not go to anyone, especially the police for help, he would be lynched for being a runaway slave. Blacks also avoid medical care for the same reason, which relates to when Jim brought Tom to the doctor to save his life. Jim knew the discrimination he would face, and for that reason did not really want to go, but put his life and freedom after Tom's, which saved the boys life. African Americans today still face discrimination and unfair treatment in all aspects of their lives, from buying houses to becoming involved in politics, but it is still a step forward from the time period of Huck Finn, where black people were still treated like objects not people, and they had no rights at all.]]> 2017-12-07 16:35:24 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214201497 sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214210163 Hysteria and confusion surrounded the old woman howling in Arabic. Her flight had been delayed, but the poor woman thought it was cancelled- she was on her way to El Paso for major medical treatment the following day. The flight agents were frantic and did not know what to do about the woman, unable to understand her. People are afraid of what they can't understand. When Naomi began to speak to her in her native tongue, they began to have common ground, the situation deescalating. Naomi had her call her son, to tell him the situation, followed by the rest of her sons, Naomi's dad, and Palestinian poets. Talking to people allows them to connect and form relationships. When the lady offered up her cookies to everyone, they graciously accepted. Unity comes with understanding; people need something to help them understand and feel confident in the situation. There could have been many different endings to this story, like if security was called because no one could the poor old woman who was merely confused. Understanding gives people security, which is what all people inherently want. Everyone in Gate A-4 put behind their ideas about foreign people, to become a part of something bigger than any race- unity.]]> 2017-12-07 16:51:03 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214210163 sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214224810 Asking "What kind of Asian are you?" puts into perspective the way people are treating people that seem foreign to them. As said in Gate A-4, understanding gives people clarity and security. Being stereotyped is a major issue today in America, people generalize anyone from the Middle East to be Muslim, which causes people to fear that they are a terrorist or have bad intentions. They fear because they do not understand. Stereotyping people is prevalent throughout all races- black, white, Middle Eastern, Asian, everyone. People are uneducated on the history of those who come to America, they may have escaped wars, poverty, bad situations, but no one thinks about that. Instead , they ask "What kind of Asian are you?", inaccurately grouping people by how they look, not their pasts. Versions of this was apparent in Huckleberry Finn, anyone who saw a black person would automatically assume they were a slave or a runaway- just because they're black. Falsely grouping people together because of their looks has been occurring throughout history. Jim was technically a free man, but because of his appearance, he was treated poorly and unfairly because he was black. People try to oppress what is different to them, what they do not understand. But only when they understand will they see clearly and feel security.]]> 2017-12-07 17:16:26 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214224810 sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214529472 Today, African Americans can hold numerous High level positions, like the government. People idolize black people who become mayor, senator, president, but they seem to push aside the growing number of the African American working class citizens who are having their income shrink every year. As people say, "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer", and that seems to be the case here. There have been obvious strides taken towards equality, in the time of Huckleberry Finn, black people were enslaved and never truly free from the grasp of the white men, they didn't have any representation, couldn't vote, and they were treated like dirt in society. Today, more African Americans have the ability to succeed everyday, though that is not consistent throughout the whole country. The number of African Americans living in poverty is significantly higher than white people, the average black child is nine times more likely to be a victim of homicide, four and a half times more likely to live with neither parent. These statistics show that though America has made progress in black equality, the overall truth is that black people are still treated unequally in society today.]]> 2017-12-08 15:32:48 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214529472 sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214532344 When nearly 90% of white people in America show an innate racial bias towards white people than black people, there's a race problem. When 60% of non-African-Americans think that blacks are less intelligent than whites, and two thirds of people think blacks are lazier than whites, there's a race problem. These statistics prove that racial issues are still apparent today, though it has been over a century since Twain's novel. When Jim was a slave in Missouri, he was treated like an object, lesser to anyone else, anyone white. The fact that these issues are still circulating today is proof enough that racial segregation is still an issue throughout America, though the severity in which it is depicted is less than that of the time where Jim and Huck Finn lived.]]> 2017-12-08 15:38:48 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214532344 sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214534914 Compared to the treatment of African Americans in the 1800s, America has made great progress in the racial equality and freedom of black people. They can hold office, own big businesses, be anything a white person could be. This is an idealized version of reality. In reality, black people are still discriminated against in their day to day life. More than 70% of the prison population is made up of African Americans, as well as those on death row. Around the country black people have been victims of police brutality, being injured and subject to types of unnecessary, harsh treatment. In that aspect, not much has changed since the time of Huck Finn. There is a seeming lack of opportunity for colored children, especially those in a large city where crime and violence runs high. Unemployment rates are also higher for black people, and they are more likely to be uninsured. Facts like that are why African Americans still not treated equally and given equal opportunity, and are subject to live in areas of poverty and face discrimination in everyday life.]]> 2017-12-08 15:44:05 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214534914 sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214539870 When police officers in New York stop 700,000 people a year, 84% being black or Latino, there is a problem with racial profiling in America. During the time period of Huckleberry Finn, African Americans were often stopped by police, accused of crimes they had no connection with, arrested with no probable cause, and even thrown in jail with no evidence. While those extremes are not seen today in America, racial discrimination is still evident. Law enforcement is still more likely to stop someone of color than a white person. In other aspects, racism has been steadily declining- schools and companies are seeking minority applicants and make efforts to lessen unemployment gap between blacks and white. For underclass African Americans, this seems to not apply to them; they are stuck, unable to climb the "social ladder". Many of them continue to struggle to find jobs, get food on the table, and they are still subject to racism and discrimination. This facet of America today is most relatable to the life of Jim in Huckleberry Finn. Jim was a slave, therefore the lowest class on the social scale, and was treated disrespectfully, did not get proper nutrition, no schooling, unable to fix his life because of extreme racism that was apparent in the 1800s.]]> 2017-12-08 15:54:59 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/214539870 sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/215065393 The discrimination of African Americans in has been an issue since before the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. According to a study, 92% of African Americans felt there is discrimination against there race. If compared to the experiences and treatment of blacks in the time of Huckleberry Finn, the difference is obviously astronomical, yet there is still a lot of room for improvement. 2 out of 3 African Americans are subjected to racial slurs in their day to day life, more often in white prominent areas, less often in black prominent areas. In Huckleberry Finn, Jim was subject to hatred and abuse by most white people he encountered, that was the norm for the time period, but while Jim was surrounded by people of his own color (other slaves), there was no discrimination among them, only a like-mindedness and a common goal of freedom. While black people in America have improved ways of life since the 1800s, discrimination is still apparent in their day to day life, though not as extreme and as seemingly apparent as before.]]> 2017-12-11 15:38:23 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/215065393 sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/223815149 In today's culture, the n-word has become used in day to day conversations, by every race. Many people think that it has become normalized, that it is just another way to say "dude". They don't think of it as an offensive, racist, hateful term simply because of how widely used it is today. People today, especially the younger generations, do not know the history of the word, and therefore feel comfortable using it. But how many people would use it if they realized that the word came from deep pain and suffering of the African Americans that were enslaved by white people. Music has also been a factor in the frequent use- especially rap music. If people use it freely in music, is it okay to speak it freely? Some think that the n-word has been taken back by the African American community, but will the negative connotations associated with the history of the word ever truly go away?]]> 2018-01-23 15:13:50 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/223815149 sarah_a_macdonald https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/223819613 As a person of color herself, Morrison felt especially connected and emotional whilst reading Huckleberry Finn. The book shows a realistic scenario of the ways black people were treated as slaves. Her reaction of shock and fear is quite common when reading the book, it deals with many tough subjects and situations that African Americans were forced into by society. Just like the N-word video, Morrison and others were appalled by the reactions of people on the issue with race, and quite frankly, they were angry. The book provides insight in the harsh realities of the 1800s, which is hard for many people whose ancestors were slaves, subject to the pain and torture of their masters.]]> 2018-01-23 15:21:04 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_a_macdonald/sgooqa4qjzh0/wish/223819613