...Minorities in Prison, Why So Many? Jennifer A. Spry ENG 122: English Composition II Ava Hardiek January 7, 2013 Minorities in Prison, Why So Many? Introduction Racism has been a part of history for many years and is a very real problem in the world, not just in the United States. For example, New England colonists fled to a new land, later to be known as America, for religious freedom from European dictators, early settlers of the United States enslaved African-Americans, Adolf Hitler murdered millions of Jewish people, and Middle Eastern Muslim terrorists destroyed the World Trade Towers killing thousands. In the United States, before the Civil rights movement, African-Americans were severely discriminated against. They were not allowed into certain restaurants, they were given restrooms and water fountains that were only used by “colored people”, and they were forced to sit in the back of the bus. Schools and neighborhoods were segregated and interracial relationships were forbidden. Racism was considered socially acceptable and the judicial system upheld arrests and convictions of those that did not conform to the laws. It was impossible for a person of color to receive a fair trial. Today the judicial system is designed to punish criminals for the crime not their minority status, but the truth can still be twisted by racism. Some people argue that the law is flawed and the courts are biased because we are judged by a group of people who are randomly selected to decide...
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...It is true that some minority languages such as aboriginal’s languages are on the verge of extinction. Although some people argue that preserving those languages is wasting time, I believe that states should take measures to protect them. Some believe that as those minority languages are spoken by a handful of people, and besides, they do not affect the majority culture of a country a lot, then it is not necessary to invest public money on them. Governments could spend public money on the well-being of those individuals to live better or on improving the standard of living. Moreover, uniformity in the language may lead to an increase national solidarity as it is vital to unify a country. On the other hand, others believe that a language is not simply integration of some words used in speeches and ordinary conversations. Language includes a collection of legends, traditions and emotions gathered throughout the history. In fact, it is a part of cultural identity of a nation. Furthermore, not only preserving aboriginal languages does not lead to less patriotism but also people would feel that they belong to this country and show more respects to the government. They can pass on their heritage to young generations through stories spoken on their own languages. As shown above, preserving and investing money on endangered languages could not be seen as a waste of time. Governments could take some measures to keep alive these languages, causing people feel that authorities tend...
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...Midterm Paper: Model Minority For years now, Asians from countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines, have been immigrating into the United States. Arriving with not anything in their pockets and nothing but hope, without a doubt they truly believe that the United States is the land of opportunity. Although many of them have successfully amalgamated into American culture through hard work and diehard persistence, the idea of this “model minority” trails behind them unceasingly. This stereotype of the model minority characterizes Asians as having everything “figured out”. They are willing and ready to assimilate completely into American culture; they stay of trouble and are submissive, and they dominate in both education and in the work place. Even though this stereotype seemingly praises Asians; in truth, it has a counteractive effect on both the Asian community and other ethnic groups as well. Despite the existence of this model minority stereotype, Asians are not followers of the myth and altogether demonstrate it counterfactual. In Asian American Dreams, Helen Zia introduces the model minority myth through an article titled “Success Story of One Minority Group in the United States” where it explains it as a reasonably form of praise claiming “at a time when Americans are awash in worry over the plight of racial minorities, one such minority, the nation’s 300,000 Chinese Americans, is winning wealth and respect by dint of its own hard work…” (Zia...
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...reportDestruction of Home through Technology In this section I will argue that home in Minority Report (51) fails to be established due to the invasion of technology. I will achieve this by looking at three aspects of the film that depict the loss of home. I have chosen this film as it clearly depicts a technologically advanced world, where privacy has been lost. Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg in 2002, is partially based on the novel Minority Report (ref), written by Philip K. Dick in 1956. The film depicts Washington D.C. in the year 1954. It focuses on John Anderton, who uses precognitive images in order to stop crimes before they happen. The city is an extension of home that leads to the loss of autonomy. This is achieved through eye recognition scanners that are placed throughout the built environment. They are used constantly to identify individuals and are seen in department stores, offices and within people’s ‘homes’. Therefore, constant interaction between technology and the individual takes place. The significance of being recognised regularly in a public space is used to make the individual feel comfortable and familiar, notions of home. The city can therefore be seen as an extension of domesticity. However, this creates blurred lines between the city and home in the sense of a single building. However, this creates a digital invasion of home evidently shown by the pursuing of Anderton through the city (‘home’) by the authorities. In this...
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...believe to be the superior. Melting pot Diverse racial or or ethnic groups or both, forming a new creation, a new cultural entity. Minority group A subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than do the groups of a dominant or majority group. Emigration Leaving one country to settle into another country. Immigration Coming into a new country to become a permanent resident. Culture The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior. Part II Answer each question in 250 to 350 words: 1. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified? There are four types of minority and subordinate groups. There is the racial group is a group that is socially set apart because of obvious differences, such as people having different skin colors, such as black or white. The second group is ethnic groups which are groups set apart from others because of its national origin or distinctive cultural differences, such as one man being from China, while another man is from Japan. Although these two men have similar ethnic groups, which may have similar cultural aspects, they are also different in may ways. The third group is religious groups, is in which one person is in association with a religious other than the dominant faith is the third basis for minority group status. The fourth and final group is gender groups, gender is another attribute that creates dominant and subordinate groups. Males...
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...Minority Report Essay Precrime is coming to life in today’s world. Police agencies, universities, and companies are creating technology to make Precrime non-fiction instead of fiction. Since Precrime is fiction not everything in the movie and story can actually be brought to life. There are some technologies similar to those in Minority Report that have been created and that are being created to make Precrime as real as possible like cameras on traffic lights, location services, Multi- touch interfaces, and retina scanners. Future technology includes insect robots, jet packs, and Crime Prediction Software. For some years now there have been cameras on traffic lights in certain areas. These cameras have been installed to catch people who run red lights and do other illegal things while driving. Once a person runs a red light and the camera senses it, the camera will take a picture of the person’s license plate, and soon after the person will receive a ticket in the mail that tells you when and where the camera caught you, the cost of the ticket, etc. Another big thing is location service on phones, iPads, tablets, computers, etc. With location services you can let people know where you are by going to the settings in your phone and allowing certain apps to say. Apple products have location services that can help you find your stolen electronic and help the police locate it also. In more serious situations this is help the police, family, and friends find a missing...
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...determined to show that the program is flawless. However, he sees that the next murder seen is that of Anderton himself murdering a man named Leo Crow. Now Anderton knows that he has no intention whatsoever of killing this person because he does not know who he is, so he immediately sees it as a means to frame him for a murder to make the unit look bad. So what he does is he goes to the woman who helped develop the precrime unit, Dr. Iris Hineman, to give him a clue whether the system that he thought was perfect maybe flawed after all. He finds out that there is a minority report, or a vision that deviates from the majority of the predictions seen that may say otherwise about the murder and learns that Agatha, the female precog, is the key to solving this mystery. So Anderton has an eye transplant to confuse the eye scanners that check your id to steal Agatha. From her he learns that the he does not have a minority report and that he is destined to kill Crow. He hunts Crow down to find answers but realizes that this is all a means to distract him from the extra vision hat Agatha sees of a murder of a woman, her mother, and that the perpetrator is high rank in the department of precrime. Lamar Burgess, the other founder of the precrime lab, becomes frustrated that his system cannot work without Agatha so he...
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...Minorities are not looking for 'payback' The northern US has always been dominated by Caucasians, but it has changed over time. Now it is Asians, African Americans and Latinos who form the bulk of the US population. Even the President is a foreigner. But will this affect the white peoples' lives, or will everything remain as it is? On May 24th 2012, Ruben Navarrette Jr., a CNN contributor and nationally syndicated columnist, published the commentary "Minorities are not looking for 'payback'" on CNN.com. In the commentary, Navarrette argues against that the increasing percentage of coloured people in the US will have any consequences for the white population, but is he right or is his argumentation unsound? The commentary is composed like an article with a headline, picture, by-line, body text and so forth. It is, however, a commentary, as it shows a certain persons points of view. It is therefore very subjective and expresses his opinions about an actual topic. As soon as you read the headline, "Minorities are not looking for 'payback'", Navarrette's opinion is revealed. By saying that, he defends the minorities and makes them innocent. The picture of a coloured woman, who has just given birth, helps him emphasize his statement, because she smiles, the flowers in the window are beautiful and it all looks harmonious. It appeals highly to pathos. He wants the receiver, mainly women, to empathize with the newborn and its mother. Navarrette uses the body text to argue and...
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...Minority Health Care Joseph A. Campbell University of Phoenix Minority Health Care Americans would prefer to believe that as a society there has been progress concerning equality among the sexes and races. Over the years there have been huge strides such as women gaining the right to vote, and the passage of the equal rights bill. Unfortunately, with all the good that has transpired over the years there are still parts of American society that are still heavily influenced by race; health care is one of those areas. “A large and growing body of research indicates that race/ethnicity continues to matter in the U.S. health care system. About 1 in 3 residents of the United States self-identify as either African Americans, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific American, or Latino” (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2011, p1). The reality for many of these Americans is that when comparing their health indicators against the rest of the population (White Americans) the results are a higher rate of illnesses and deaths from health conditions such as stroke, heart diseases, diabetes, specific cancers, asthma, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and hepatitis-b (Office of Minority Health, 2010). Many Americans have access to needed health care; however there are certain barriers that make it very hard for much of the population to receive the help they need. Lack of insurance and the inability to access health care providers are some of the barriers that face many Americans. ...
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...Ashley Harris Ms. Z SOCY 294-01 20 November 2014 Ethnicity Research Project Introduction and History The Roma and Irish Travellers are an ethnic minority in England. There is evidence that the Roma originated in North India and started to migrate 1,000 years ago (Van Cleemput). They were forced out of India and used as slaves. I cannot imagine being forced from my homeland and being forced to work for free. The Roma and Irish Travellers face hostility and persecution. The first anti-gypsy law was passed under Henry the VIII (Van Cleemput). I cannot even fathom being told that just because I live a certain lifestyle that I am not allowed to live in a certain area. In the United States, we are faced with discrimination against lesbian and gay couples. Although, they are not allowed to marry, we do not tell them where they can and cannot live. The Roma and Irish Travellers started to travel in small family groups at first (Gmelch and Gmelch). The Roma hold their family close to them. If anything was to happen to anyone in the family they tend to get closer and closer to each other. Aggressive begging, public drunkenness and brawling often occurs after a funeral (Gmelch and Gmelch). Most people assume this is because they have no way to pay for the service or to bury their loved one. Based on my research, I found this to be very plausible. The Roma have arranged marriages known as matching. As a result of matching they have a problem with inbreeding (Gmelch and Gmelch). The...
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...Asian-Americans: A “Model-Minority?” Asian-Americans have been called a “model minority” in America. The term “model minority” refers to a “group that, despite past prejudice and discrimination, succeeds economically, socially, and educationally without resorting to political or violent confrontations with Whites” (Schaefer, p.285). There are arguments that coining a group as a “model minority” is a privilege for them and they should take pride in it. Perhaps it is the American way of applauding hard work and upstanding core values. There are also arguments that these groups ultimately suffer because of this generalization, through loss of social programs and less attention to social problems. Assuming the acceptance of the term “model minority,” Asian-Americans definitely fall into this category. Asian-American incomes are very similar to Whites, they are put on the educational fast-track, and there is little crime associated with them. However, details are overlooked when arriving at these statements that show the term does not mean stereotypes and discriminations are distinguished. First of all, similar incomes are only because Asian-Americans have more formal schooling. While “Asian-Americans’ average earnings increased by at least $2,300 for each additional year of schooling,” (Schaefer, 2011, p.287) Whites saw increased earnings of $3,000 per year. The stereotype that Asian-American students are whiz kids in school puts a lot of pressure on them and can lead...
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...STaCS Submission Front Sheet | | | |STUDENT/ REG No | | |33267992 | | | | | |PROGRAMME | | |NAME & YEAR | | |BA Social Work 2013/2014 | | | | | |MODULE CODE: | | |SW51020A | | | | ...
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...Protecting Minority Languages; Preserving Minority Cultures A minority culture of any given country is often found in a particular region of that country because all members of the cultural group are needed to outbid the present majority in the same area for the resources, thus establishing the area as their homeland and a symbol of the group’s cultural identity. This exhibition of localized minority cultural conglomeration can be seen across many multicultural nations because if members do pursue their own ideal way of life they would be “forced to try to execute their chosen life-styles in an alien culture” (Kymlicka 188) These minority cultures are thusly envious of the majority culture as they “get for free what aboriginal people have to pay for: secure cultural membership.” (Kymlicka 190) A primary characteristic of a culture is the language. Language has been identified as “the symbolic representation of a people, since it comprises their historical and cultural backgrounds, as well as their approach to life and their ways of living and thinking.” (Brown cited by Jiang) The importance of language therefore suggests the significance of preserving the cultural language to better protect the minority cultures.; Hhowever the insignificant number of users for the minority language oftentimes leads the majority culture to overlook the language, thereby undermining the culture’s security. In Given Rawls’ theory on justice, unequal product contingencies...
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...Labor Issue: Women and Minority of the Past, Present, and Future Rachel Galvan National University 27 September 2009 At one point in everyone’s working career there is the issue of dealing with certain problems in the workplace. No matter how much a person will try to ignore the problems there comes a point where a certain individual or a group of people have to speak up and defend themselves. Many times it can be difficult to bring up a certain topic there is always a solution to a problem. In the United States the labor issues have became a common ground for employees to voice their own opinion, when they know that they were treated unfairly. Although that is a reality of today of labor issues, strikes, unions, that was the harsh reality of life one hundred years ago. The individuals who had the most difficult time to have their voice be heard were women and as well as immigrants. These group of people were considered as second-class and were not treated equally as men. Although, many argue that even today women and minorities will never be equals to Anglo men because of the past history that the United States has instilled by many even today in our generation. The roots of the American labor movement began after the American Revolution at that time women were not even considered a factor in the labor laws. During that era it was very common for women not to work, but their duties was to be a housewife. It all change when the industrial revolution was in the process...
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...How and why have multiculturalists supported minority rights? Minority rights, otherwise referred to as multicultural rights are rights given to minority groups such as ethnic or religious. They are special in two ways; 1. They are established to certain groups. 2. They offer advantages to certain groups. INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM – INDIVIDUAL SELF-RESPECT + CULTURAL MEMBERSHIP: One reason as to why multiculturalists may agree with minority rights is that it advances individual freedom, this is supported by liberal multiculturalist Charles Taylor who saw a link between individual self-respect and culture membership. Therefore, culture is vital for minorities to live an autonomous life and hence minority rights must be safeguarded. PREVENTS OPRESSION – FAILURE OF RECOGNITION + CULTURAL IMPERIALISM: A second reason is the argument that it prevents oppression. It is possible that a state can harm their citizens by ignoring their cultural identity – a process Charles Taylor calls failure of recognition therefore, there must be minority rights to avoid cultural imperialism (domination) by the host country. REDUCES SOCIAL INJUSTICE – AFRICAN AMERICANS SOCIAL DISCRIMIBATION: Lastly, the argument that minority rights reduce social injustice is supported by multiculturalists. Such examples the underrepresentation of cultural groups. This is done through positive discrimination as evident with black Americans in 1978 with the case of University of California v Bakke where African...
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