Tweeting and Changing the World

In these days, it seems like everyone is always connected to the world around him or her. Whether it is events like the “Left-Shark” or the FIFA world cup, we are bombarded with a constant flood of information due to the fact that we are now more connected than we have ever been. Although many people complain about the fact that social media has made us more desensitized to the world around us and causes us to lose the ability to interact with each other on a person-to-person basis, social media has sparked the idea of change. One of the most famous hashtags on twitter during 2014, was #icebucketchallenge. This hashtag refers to awareness about the disease ALS which affects many people around the world. A lot of people, from celebrities to everyday people, posted videos in which  they poured ice water over themselves. There were 2.4 million videos of this challenge posted on facebook, 2.2 million mentions on twitter, and this ultimately led to $100 million dollars in donations towards finding a cure for ALS and providing support to people with ALS. This hashtag is just one of many that have sparked awareness and change around the world; hashtags like bringbackourgirls and blacklivesmatter have sparked outrage on social issues around the world and have helped put pressure on the world for change. Although social media was initially created to interact with other people, I believe that it has opened up a new door to promote change in a way that many young people can get involved.

Are we any better?

The issue this Time’s article brings up is very relevant to our society today. We are all too familiar with hashtags like blacklivesmatter and hardly bat an eye when we hear of a police shooting that has killed a black person. The shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman and Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri both bring up the issue of police violence against innocent black people. The stereotype threat that is present in our society has not changed one bit from the 1960s. People stereotyped those who weren’t the same in the 1960s. People stereotype those who aren’t the same today. There was police violence against blacks in the 1960s. There is police violence against blacks today.  In the 1960s, police would use any means of violence to break up protests, such as using a fire hose to shoot water at adults and children. 

Are we really better today? A 17-year-old black male was shot, simply for walking home at night while wearing a hoodie. If we as a society continue to kill people just because of preconceived notions about how they should behave, then have made no progress from the days when figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks protested against the divisions between blacks and whites. The fact that #blacklivesmatter even exists just shows how little progress we have made as a society. The cover of this Times magazine very aptly represents the stereotype threat that has persisted in our society for more than half a century and puts many lives at stake and has divided our country, much like it did in the 1960s.

The fight for dominance- USSR and the US

There were many causes of the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. However, it is my belief that one of the largest sources of conflict was that both nations felt threatened by the power that the other nation has gained through World War II.  Through WWII, America had gained a lot of power. The United States was producing more goods and creating more capital than it ever had. It was also the sole possessor of the atomic bomb, putting other nations at a disadvantage to The United States in terms of both economy and national security. However, the Soviet powers were also gaining strength. The USSR occupied a lot of Eastern Europe and the eastern part of Germany. Although they had been crippled in the war against the United States and other allies, they began to establish their influence in Europe. We can clearly tell that the USSR and the United States were competing with each other because they felt threatened by the advances of the other nation through the fight over oil in Iran. Both nations were trying to get access to the oil fields at the same time. Additionally, the USSR created its own atomic bomb, causing the US to feel threatened and then form the NATO. This competition and threat of dominance between these two nations is further shown through the arms race and the space race that occurred between both nations. That’s why one of the main causes of conflict between the USSR and US, in my opinion, is the threat of power on part of both nations.

The Romanticization of Prohibition

During our studies of prohibition, I noticed that prohibition was often romanticized. When we looked at a painting depicting blacks in a speakeasy in American Literature and American Studies, everyone in the painting looked extremely happy and joyous. During this time period, the whole ideal of “American” changed. It was seen as cool and interesting to do illegal things like drink in speakeasies and to be a bootlegger. This often led to the glorification of criminals, such as Al Capone, during the time period. When people think of the 20s nowadays, they think of days of glory and wealth: times when nobody had a care in the world and only wanted to party and have fun. Since prohibition occurred during this time period of happiness, it was glorified as well. 

However, prohibition should not have been glorified as it brought up a lot of questions about what Americans believed morally.  When we read The Great Gatsby, it was clear that those that knew Gatsby were in awe of him: from his lavish lifestyle to his extravagant parties. Most of those people didn’t even care that Gatsby attained his money illegally even though they knew that he was involved in bootlegging. This shows us how Americans thought it was okay to achieve wealth in any way possible and not necessarily in the most moral way possible. Additionally, prohibition brought up a lot of issues for many people. It enforced the ideas that immigrants needed to be civilized and Germans had to be repressed by serving as Anti- Germany propaganda. Therefore, I believe that prohibition is often glorified, even thought it should not be, because the 1920s was a period of time that was greatly glorified.

The American Dream

This week, in both American Literature and American Studies we talked about the “Roaring 20s” and the Great American Dream. We also discussed the disparity between the rich and the poor and how the rich got richer and the poor got poorer during this era. I think that the main reason that so many people immigrated the the United States during this era was because they had seen how successful America had become during the Industrial Revolution. They wanted to create a new future for themselves and have a fresh start. I also think that they thought of America as a place of freedom and great opportunity, where anyone could do anything, without any restrictions. Furthermore, they had heard of many “Rags to Riches” stories, such as that of Andrew Carnegie. The impression that they could make lots of money and become even more rich was further supported by the stories written by Horatio Alger. His stories would focus on a character who was genuinely good at heart and started from nothing, but eventually rose to the top. These immigrants desired to become a part of the “white picket fence” American dream and wanted to bring prosperity and happiness to their families. Of course there were other reasons that people came to America, such as oppression in their home countries and famine, but I think that money and the desire to succeed were the main reasons for the immigration boom in the Late 19^th to Early 20^th centuries.

Indian Schools and Values

“This rule is uncalled for, and today is not only robbing the Indian, but America of a rich heritage.” These were the words written by a Native American, Luther Standing Bear, during the time when Indian schools were created. Luther Standing Bear was forced to leave his home and everything that he had grown to know behind because of the Indian Schools. When he went to and Indian Boarding School, he was forced to give up certain customs of his such as his language, food, traditional clothing, and hair. He was forced to act like someone he wasn’t and behave like a completely different person because his values did not align with “American” values, as they were simply different. By making Indians give up their values, the Englishmen were creating a less diverse America and taking away the values of tolerance and open-mindedness, which is a value that many Americans value today. Forcing people to change who they are and what they believe creates a society where everyone is the same and gives rise to the persecution of those who are different, which has occurred in so many different nations around the world.  During the 19^th century, the lifestyles of Indians was considered a threat to “American” values simply because they were different and wanted to keep their own traditions and values, just like the English people in America did.