The right to ones own thoughts, own ideals and inventions is inherent to anyone. Although if we look at the society around us we find multitudes of examples of mimicked ideas, a side from the right out copying of an others work. Parodies are a prime example of such, the author takes the work of another and picks fun at the piece. (i.e. Rudyard Kipling's "The White Man's Burden" and H. T. Johnson's “The Black Man’s Burden”) The Copy right was instituted to protect these ideas, they combated the outright copy of such ideas. I couldn't go out today and without the permission of Disney start producing Mickey Mouse shorts for profit. However we as artist , after the end of a copy right, may build upon these works, as the reading stated Disney
America’s role in the international arena during the 1900s is best captured in the poem by Kipling, “The White Man’s Burden” and had been clearly articulated in the speeches of Roosevelt and Beveridge. The American government believed that it is the American duty to interfere and be an influential power in the civilizing of nations that American’s perceived as unable to rule over themselves or as savages, illiterate, and the cause of chaos which ultimately affects the America’s vision of successful world commercial activities. However, it must be clarified that this goal is characterized by conflicted opinions within the American nation itself. Some believed that America should not interfere with the fate of other nations and argue for their
Racism seems to be a common topic this century, almost letting us know, it’s not
Throughout Reconstruction, southern whites felt constantly threatened by legislation providing rights for former slaves. The Civil Rights Bill of 1875 was the last rights bill passed by congress during reconstruction. It protected all Americans’ (including blacks) access to public accommodations such as trains. With the threat of complete equality constantly looming, violence toward former slaves gradually increased in the years following the Civil War. Beatings and murders were committed by organized groups like the Ku Klux Klan, out-of-control mobs, and individual white southern men. During Reconstruction, white southerners had limited governmental power, so they resorted to violence in order to control
David R. Roediger displays the history of how the theory of “whiteness” has evolved throughout the years in America in his book, The Wages of Whiteness. According to Roediger, “whiteness” is much a constructed identity as “blackness” or any other. He argues that this idea of “whiteness” has absolutely nothing to do with the advantage of the economy, but that it is a psychological racial stereotype that was created by white men themselves. He claims that it is definitely true that racism should be set in class and economic contexts, also stating that “this book will argue that working class formation and the systematic development of a sense of whiteness, went hand in hand for the U.S white working class.” Roediger basically lays out the fact that “working class ‘whiteness’ and “white supremacy” are ideological and psychological creations of the white working class itself.
Our country was founded on the notion that “all men are created equal,” while this concept is an integral part of America’s Declaration of Independence, the fundamental idea has never genuinely been practiced. Our country established a white supremacy culture in its founding days, and has accepted the concept since. White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of all other races. Although there have been valiant efforts, the inequality of the races has never been truly rectified. People are not born practicing white privilege. White privilege is taught, and learned. America’s school system, media, and culture are driving factors that lead white privilege to be a custom within society today.
The burdens to the white men are the “newly- caught sullen people”. According to the text they are half devil and half child. This referrers to their child-like and devilish behaviors. Kipling feels that it is racist and wrong. The poem gives strong details about how this pertains to imperialism and Kipling’s views about it. He thinks it is wrong “to seek another’s profit and work another’s gain” and guide people “slowly to the light”. “Slowly to the light” hints that the white men were trying to guide them to Christianity and change them. I know this because Jesus is often referred to as the “light”. It is important for the white men to assume or take for granted the burden so they can “gain profit by others”.
Without a doubt, black men in the United States continue to be excessively “incarcerated, policed, and sentenced to death at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts (Kerby 2).” Portrayals in the media have depicted black men as thugs and common criminals; these negative stereotypes demoralize men of color and allow society to believe and internalize this destructive thinking. The racial disparities that exist in the criminal justice system are an indirect consequence of the portrayals of African American men that circulate in society. Because of racial disparities that occur in the United States it consequently threatens communities of color by “disenfranchising thousands by limiting voting rights and denying equal access to employment, housing, public benefits, and education to millions more (Kerby 2).”
From the earliest years of European settlement in North America, whites enslaved and oppressed black people. Although the Civil War finally brought about the abolition of slavery, a harsh system of white supremacy persisted thereafter. In the early twentieth century, African Americans in the South and in many parts of nearby border states were banned from associating with whites in a host of institutions and public accommodations—schools, hospitals, old folks’ homes, rest rooms, waiting rooms, railroad cars, hotels, restaurants, lunch counters, parks and beaches, swimming pools, libraries, concert halls, and movie theaters. Some recreational areas posted signs, “Negroes and Dogs Not Allowed.” Racial discrimination deprived Southern blacks of decent jobs and schools and of elementary rights of citizenship, including voting. White intimidation and violence, including lynching, remained an ever-present threat. Outside of the South, blacks had legal rights, but they suffered from widespread discrimination and from de facto residential and school segregation.
William Apess was a Native American Methodist minister from Massachusetts with a voice that wanted to be heard. He was one of the first to call out racism against people of color and its ties to Christianity, as he was a very reglious man. Being that he was religious, he didn't see how there could be love from God and Christ but such bitter racism against Native Americans and slaves. His paper sermon "An Indian's Looking-Glass for the White Man", expresses his animosity and confusion towards the colonist, also known as the white people. William showed how hypocritical and unholy these colonist actually were, and this sermon opens your eyes more than ever before.
The United States, even though considered the land of freedom, has been struggling with lingering racism and discrimination throughout the 19th and 20th century. Democratic reform throughout the century were implanted to eliminate the “tyranny of the white majority” Yet many scholars like Tocqueville, Fredrick Harris and WEB DuBois have challenged these results. The reality is that the tyranny of white majority has continued throughout the 18th to the 21st century resulting in a society that has suppressed and constantly failed to integrate African American into the white society by neglecting the race, using natural prejudice, race neutral policies, and laws that benefited whites more than African Americans.
The idea of Imperialism a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. The two readings of The white man’s burden and The Black Man's Burden: The White Man in Africa from the Fifteenth Century to World War I show to different sides of people and how they were affected by imperialism.
Many white Americans are living with the fear that they didn't really deserve their success, and that maybe luck and privilege had more to do with it, than brains and hard work. There are numerous reasons for the widespread discrimination at all levels, but the main reason for the existence of discrimination is a privilege to certain groups of people, and widespread social prejudice towards certain groups of people. Differences between people have always existed, but they gain in importance only when are different importance given to certain differences, so it creates privileges. People who are privileged in one society are often not aware of their privilege. It is very easy to be oblivious to the privilege. The problem of discrimination
Through each hardship that Black men encounter throughout the years and today, many are resisting from mass incarceration and abuse through education. There are Black men in prison who are not educated and cannot be educated while in prison because of their system. 23 hours are dedicated to being inside of a prison cell and one hour is dedicated to them being outside. If they were released from prison, they would not be able to get a job because they are labeled as a felon, but also because they are uneducated in certain areas. They are declined from jobs because of their uneducated backgrounds. The difference in unemployment rates for Black men and White men are over 20 percent of a difference. Because of the educational and economic system, it has lead to the disproportionate involvement of Black men with the criminal justice system. But Black men resisting from the prison system, has enlightened some of America. The strategies that are used to value education and educating others are very important, many of people are educating others on mass incarceration and the abuse they face while in prison.
Rudyard Kipling’s 1899 poem “The White Man’s Burden” epitomizes the European man’s view on imperialism, Euro-centrism and social Darwinism. Four centuries before 1899, such ideas were briefly hinted in the letter from Christopher Columbus to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, however by 1899 these attitudes strengthened and developed fully into their complete meaning. The U.S and Europe’s imperialism in the nineteenth century were the most influential ever in the history of human civilization. The immense motive for imperialism came from social factors including religion and Social Darwinism.
In a life threatened by drugs, theft, and violence, African American Roland G. Fryer was able to conquer many hardships and excel in his education as well as his research. He completed his B.A. at the University of Texas at Arlington and went on to earn his Ph.D. in economics from Penn State University. “Acting White,” a scholarly journal published in 2006, is defined by Fryer as interactions in society where minority adolescents who receive good grades don’t reach a high level of popularity as a white adolescent would. The essay studies a specific trend among high-achieving minority students stating, “these gifted students tend to be less popular the more academically successful they are” (Fryer, 5422). In his essay, Fryer argues that the phenomenon of acting white takes place when minority adolescents who achieve academically tend to be less popular when they are compared to white students who also do well academically. He found that this phenomenon is more noticeable in racially-mixed schools than in one-race dominant schools and is attributable to what he calls “group identity”. Fryer also believes that other studies about this phenomenon are biased and so he tries to establish and employ his own method so that it is the most unbiased in his essay.