Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Racism

I believe in the piece "Racism", author Ayn Rand is trying to explain how racism seems to never end or go away and how it pertains to many different aspects of a person, including their background, character, and attitude. She explains different views of racism and how it is negative however you look at it. Rand talks about how individuals are immediately judged by their race and how racism is used to gain self-esteem. It is compared to collectivism and according to Rand, racism has risen and fallen with collectivism. Capitalism and individualism are concepts that counteract racism and she gave good explanations as to how. When talking about the "civil rights" bill, Rand is not too thrilled because she thinks the bill is also an act of racism. It is a violation of individual rights; the government does not have the right to "discriminate for some citizens at the expense of others".

I would have never looked at the civil rights bill in a negative way like Rand did. She put a whole new twist on this bill that I would have never picked out; I thought it was one of the most interesting parts of this piece. The whole piece showed a lot of anger, which is understandable considering she was talking about racism. Rand does have good points, such as talking about the collective racial guilt; but she also did not see any of the good in the civil rights bill or give an alternative to fix this problem.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Solution to Saturday's Puzzle

I thought this piece was really funny; I caught myself laughing throughtout reading it. It's easy to relate to and funny to hear someone talk so detailed about an awkard encounter with a stranger because it is a situation that is similar to something that happens in every day life. I also liked how he used the crossword to write down his thoughts and how most of them would fit perfectly. Hearing what he was thinking throughout the piece about this lady who was just being a complete bitch was hilarious. After listening to him tell the story, I liked it even more; it was much more humorous.

What do clouds wear underneath their clothes?
-Thunderpants
 
Why did the reporter go into the ice cream shop?
-He wanted to get the scoop

How do you get a peanut to laugh?
-You crack it up

Gotta love the laffy taffy jokes....

Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Klansman who Won't Use the N-word

Ronson's story focuses on the different views Klansman and outsiders have on the KKK and how that view has changed and will change over time. Thom Robb, the Grand Wizard of the Knights of the KKK, describes his outlook on the klan and what he is doing to change the negative view poeple have on the group. He seems to be the first leader of this group to attempt to make positive changes for the KKK. As described in the text, Thom explains how his group should not hate blacks, just love white people and also that he doesn't want his members saying the n-word in public anymore, as it would help to fix the negative view that has been around for quite some time. Ronson seems to try understanding Thom's ideas and why he wants to make changes to begin with.

This story seems very odd to me. I don't understand how you can take a group like the KKK and transform it into anything positive. It didn't make much sense to me and changing people's view on the KKKseems undoable. I think his ideas are good, as in not using offensive language. This would obviously improve the respect for them, but I don't think that would improve everything. The part where Anna spoke on Individual Personality Skills seemed weird to me also. It was kind of interesting at first, but got boring and seemed unrealistic to me by the end.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

"Bitch"

The article by Beverly Gross called "Bitch" shows the various uses of this word, defines it from many different sources, and shows how the definition has changed over time. She takes the definition of bitch from several dictionaries, including the Oxford English Dictionary and The Underground Dictionary, to compare the different ways the word can be described. From "the female of the dog" to "ball-buster", the meaning of bitch can vary in many ways. Gross points out multiple times that this word is also used when a man feels threatened by a woman's power or success. Although there is a widespread opinion on the definition of this word, many of the sources that give a definition are repetitive. Malicious, selfish, and competitive are used more than once to define a bitch. Gross also goes over how this word is used in different cultures. An African American can use this word to show admiration or desire, whereas a white female would be offended if she was referred to as a bitch.

I found this article very interesting and enjoyed reading it. I have never thought so in depth about one word as common as the word bitch. It is used all the time and in many different situations. It seems that everyone has their own definition and idea about what this word means when used. I don't think it is dated because the word is still commonly used today in different context and meaning. I liked the point that males use this word when they are threatened by a powerful woman. In my opinion, success and power is a good thing for a woman to have and I usually associate the word bitch with a negative meaning, so this idea got my attention in the fact that I would never associate this negative word with success.