Final Project; Social Problems
ETH/125
Ramona Taitano Loughran
04/15/12

Final Project; Social Problems This class has been very informative. We have been given a lot of information regarding diversity and overall I understand it a lot better. The best piece of information that I got from the diversity teachings was the fact that we learn so much from other people. I live close to San Francisco, CA and it is one of the most diverse cities in America. Not only are there so many different races, there are a bunch of different lifestyles that people live out here. For example; you have your surfer dudes, hippies, gays/lesbians/transgender, and you typical straight person. I can learn something from all of these different types of people. I can’t say that I have learned anything new about my own culture and history, as I am pretty up to date with what’s going on in the world today. I am African American and I pretty much know all of my history. I was nice to brush up on my history because it is very easy to forget what things were like in the past. This is the reason why I always try to tell my kids how fortunate they are. I don’t know if I could have lived in the segregated times and during the civil rights movement. I probably would have fled the country had I been living during the slave trade era. I’m just very thankful that I’m able to raise my children in a world where they have all of the same opportunities as anyone else. On to the future; 2050 to be exact, I think that things will be very different as far as population is concerned. I think that in the coming years, the United States will become very highly populated with immigrants from many different countries. Most immigrants come here for a better opportunities and a better chance at success. In Monterey, Mexico there is the fact that the drug cartels are taking over and the people that live there are afraid. This is not just some small city; this is the third largest city in Mexico. This is one of the reasons why they migrate to the states. They know they can work and raise a family here without living in fear of being killed by the cartels. According to http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-monterey-fear-20120403,0,2997436.story, More than 400 people have been killed in the state so far this year, compared with 315 in the same period of 2011, one local news report said. Extortion by cartels or petty criminals is believed to be widespread. And, according to a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable from 2009, "all of the region's police forces are controlled by organized crime." This to me is scary and people just don’t want to live in fear. How can the cartels control law enforcement too? Law enforcement is supposed to protect the citizens! In America, we don’t have this issue as much. Because this is the land of the free and the home of the brave, people from foreign counties will continue to migrate here and this country will continue to grow. America faces a lot of challenges do to the diversity of its people. Because we are all so different, we have a hard time accepting one another. This is where discrimination and prejudice comes into play. I have come to appreciate the fact that all Americans are different and they all can bring something different to the table. Most people fear and don’t respect the unknown. By the unknown, I mean someone or something they don’t know or can’t indentify with. This is a form of ignorance and it exists everywhere. This will always be a challenge as everyone will always be entitled to their opinion. Since we cannot change the way people think these kinds of challenges in America will never cease. Some of the benefits of such a diverse population are the fact that we learn so much from one another. When I get to experience other cultures, it’s like a breath for fresh air. I am one who loves to learn, and if I didn’t explore things that I don’t know, what would I have to learn? I know about my culture already, so I want to have some experiences with other ones. For example, I love to eat. I enjoy eating Hispanic and Asian food amongst others. I don’t always want American food. Another good example is religion. There are some religions that are based out of other countries, but some Americans follow them. I respect all religions, as everyone has their preference. As far as pluralism is concerned, we have to understand that it’s not just something that we need to tolerate. It’s something that we need to understand. As http://pluralism.org explains, “Tolerance is a necessary public virtue, but it does not require Christians and Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and ardent secularists to know anything about one another. Tolerance is too thin a foundation for a world of religious difference and proximity. It does nothing to remove our ignorance of one another, and leaves in place the stereotype, the half-truth, the fears that underlie old patterns of division and violence. In the world in which we live today, our ignorance of one another will be increasingly costly.” To me this is saying that we need to lose the ignorant mindset and accept one another for who we are and the things we believe in as individuals. Any other way of thinking will definitely cause problems in this society. Media stereotypes are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information. The media likes to portray certain races a certain way. A good example would be the fact that some people think that all African Americans/Black people are ghetto. This is something that has been thought for decades. I believe that some people still feel this way because of how these [people are portrayed in the media. Another good example is how some people feel about Hispanic people. Some feel that all Hispanics are from Mexico and they all speak Spanish. A lot of times the media portrays most Hispanics as immigrants. This is very untrue as I know a lot of Hispanic Americans that don’t even speak Spanish. The media usually groups people based on their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation. Any kind of stereotype is never okay. Sometimes after they are done stereotyping, media encourages tolerance of diversity by introducing us to types of people we may not normally encounter. As I mentioned above, we don’t only want tolerance, we want acceptance. This is only on certain channels and I don’t see this often. I do think it’s a good thing that all cultures are allowed to have their own channels in their own languages. Learning about diverse cultures (i.e. their cuisine, land, customs, etc) we may find a common ground or a point which we may find fascinating, leading to our appreciation of that culture. In order for us to appreciate and respect one another, we must work together and have an open mind. A close minded person is ignorant in my opinion. We first have to want accept one another’s differences, and then we can accept them. One thing people don’t realize is the fact that we don’t have to like everything we see. There are a lot of things about different cultures that I don’t agree with, but I have to respect their beliefs and practices as long as no one is getting harmed in the process. Only through an acknowledgment of the prejudicial learning can the misinformation be openly discussed and dealt with in a way which is likely to bring about change. If we continue to mask our problems then they will never get solved. These issues need to be put on the table and brought to the light. I believe that once we can first acknowledge that there is a problem, then at that point we can start to come up with possible solutions. As far as myself is concerned, have a long way to go just like everyone else. I have to continue to accept people and things for whom and what they are. I don’t think I have this problem but I can’t judge a book by its cover. As humans, we have the habit of seeing what a person looks like, then grouping and categorizing them. I am always willing to learn new things and meet new people, so as long as I continue to do this I think that I’m doing my part as an American.

References http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-monterey-fear-20120403,0,2997436.story http://www.pluralism.org