Immigration

In class right now, we are learning about immigration. Immigration is a problem that existed in America nearly 100 years ago, and it is still a problem we face today. The ethnic group that we pick on may change, but the complaints often seem to be the same. Many people believe that immigrants are job stealers, and that they bring unwanted qualities into our country.

During the time around the industrial revolution, many people discriminated against the Irish, and Jewish. Many of these people were coming to America, and they received awful treatment. People thought that they were dirty, worthless people that did not deserve to live in their country. The qualities these people possessed from their homeland made them stick out easily, so before a person even got to know them, they instantly disliked them.

This still happens in America today, but now we have decided to pick on other ethnicity's. These include mainly Mexicans and people from the middle east. Americans see many Mexicans as worthless people that take all of their jobs away. This probably wouldn't be such a problem if the Americans weren't too lazy to just go work the hard labor jobs for a small wage. Americans mainly choose to discriminate against people from the middle east because of 9/11.

Even though America was intended to be a melting pot, this is not the way it turned out. It was supposed to be a free country that did not have any corruption or discrimination. People that live here today tend to stick with people of their own race or ethnicity. This is why many cities are divided into smaller parts such as Chinatown, or Little Italy.

Wizard Of Oz/ I hate blogging.

In class, we have learned about how The Wizard of Oz is a metaphor for westward migration, and many of the things involving it. It cannot be doubted that many of the things in the movie are really representing something else. All of the characters respresent a person, or a group of people in America during this time period.

The first example is in the title of the movie. Oz, is just a way of representing a measure of gold or silver, which is an ounce. The yellow brick road is a metaphor for the gold standard, which was supposed to be the proper path for the country. The Emerald City is green, because it represents the greenbacks.

Dorothy represents an average farmer who is forced from her home by bad conditions, and must move to the city for more opportunity. The Wicked Witch of the East represents industrialization, and the major corporations. The munchkins represent immigrant labors of the East. The Wicked Witch of the West, represents all the problems that are associated with the West. The last witch, the Good Witch of the North, stands for liberalism of the north that ended slavery.

The Scarecrow represents agriculture, and the average farmer who lacks intelligence. The Tin Man represents industry, and the average industrialist, who lacks heart and humanity. The Cowardly Lion represents William Jennings Bryan, who comes across as powerful, but cant really do anything for himself.

All of these things dont exactly relate to any current events, but they strongly relate to a time period in the United States. This movie stronly represented everything that went on during this time, and criticizes many things, and people that were involved.

Post Apartheid

Many inhabitants of Southern Africa are feeling very anxious about the direction their country is headed. Many corrupt officials, and a high crime rate are holding the country back. They still cannot let go of their racial issues. Many people will make comments on the desperate condition of their country, and worry about what will happen.

The United States had suffered something similar to apartheid, but they are much better off socialy and economically. For the most part, the United States has put aside its racial issues. They still exist, but only in small ways. Fourteen years after apartheid, many inhabitants of South Africa feel that their country is in a desperate state. Crime and poor economic conditions are tearing apart many families in Southern Africa. In the United States, a more stable economic condition has been achieved. One in which discrimination is not a major factor because of past events.

Racial issues do not exist in the United States the way the still do in Souther Africa. Crime is a huge factor. Many people in South Africa do not feel that their government or police force can protect them anymore. The number of deaths is rising, and people do not know what there is to do about it.

In the United states, people are able to co-exist more peacefully. Crime is still a factor, but not so much a part of everyday life as it is in Southern Africa. Obviously the United States has done a better job of reconstructing their country after such a horrible time. Apartheid lasted about 40 years, while the civil war lasted only 4. There is not as much tension.

I think it is a shame that this country is experiencing so much hardship. Something should be done to end all the violence, and rebuild the country the right way. There is not enough structure. The United States is not perfect, but it is a good example of how reconstruction can be done right.

Nearly 150 after the civil war has ended, there are still racial differences in America. If you talk to someone from the South about African Americans, there is a good chance that this person will have negative feelings toward the race. Maybe some wounds really never do heal, because there has been plenty of time for people to get over the issue. Many people in the south have stuck to the beliefs of their ancestors. Even worse, they have not rid themselves of the horrible mindset their ancestors possessed.

After the civil war ended, amendments were made to the constitution to bring and end to many causes of conflict in the United States. The thirteenth amendment was added to abolish slavery. The fourteenth amendment extended federal legal protections equally to citizens regardless of race, and the fifthteenth amendment was added to abolish racial restrictions on voting. These amendments greatly improved the life of an African American at the time, but there were still many things wrong with the way they were treated.

An example of the differences that exist today is the current presidential election. Alabama, a southern state that was once part of the confederacy, shows their feelings toward African Americans in the polling numbers. McCain is beating Obama 60 to 30 in Alabama, and it seems like this is more than just a coincidence. Obama has taken many states, and it seems like the main reason that McCain is so far ahead in this southern state is because there are still negative feelings towards African Americans. The racial issues that were present during the civil war still exist today in some forms.

Although African Americans in today's society are supposed to have equal rights, there are many disputes over interracial marriage, transracial adoption, and reparation for slavery. Most of these harsh outlooks come from the minds of people from the south that still disregard African Americans as "people". Some people in America today cannot accept the fact that these differences are supposed to be a thing of the past, and that equal rights are extended to everyone. These people most likely come from families that have had negative feelings about the civil war since it ended.

It is a sad thing that these racial differences and issues still exist in America today. Even after so many people fought to bring an end to discrimination, it is still going on in America today. The many conflicts that surrounded the Civil War cannot seem to die, especially on the losing side. Many political movements have been made to bring an end to this, and over the past 150 years they have brought much change, but there is still much more that needs to come. The many conflicts that existed many years ago have no reason to exist today, and hopefully soon, they will come to and end.