New Challenges For American Culture

Contemporary American culture is defined as common themes of political attitudes, religious beliefs and news events that lead trends during the present time. Today, we see contemporary American culture portrayed in many more ways than that. We see it through art, music, and literature. In literature, for example, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula Le Guin, contemporary American culture is portrayed throughout. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas represents contemporary American culture by portraying the exploitation of others, the symbolism of Americas political systems and oppression of the lower classes, and the lacking of moral responsibility.

Recently, the issue of allowing transgender people access to public facilities according to the gender they identify with has caused much debate throughout the United States. The bathroom bill seeks to control access to public facilities of transgender individuals, based on the gender they were assigned at birth. In 2015, bills were passed stating entering a bathroom not assigned to a person at birth was a crime. Surrounded by misconception, the bill does “not legalize harassment, stalking, violence, or sexual assault.” Since the bill arose, there have not been a rise in violence or other incidents in the states protecting the transgender rights (Transgender Equality). The bill simply states if one is living as a woman, to use the women’s restroom,

Europeans felt that civilization was the pinnacle of human achievement. When they began settling across Canada, they began making assumptions about the First Nations, Inuit & Metis people. It was assumed that the aboriginal culture was unable to adapt to a rapidly modernizing society. The aboriginals were viewed as ignorant, savage, uncivilized and quite possibly rivals. Essentially, the native ways were viewed childish. The settlers realized that the natives culture, faith, education and trade were drastically different to European ways. Their ways appeared primitive. Duncan Campbell Scott, who was the Deputy Minister of Indian Affairs in Canada in 1920, has been quoted on the record saying, "I want to get rid of the Indian problem. I do not think as a matter of fact, that the country ought to continuously protect a class of people who are able to stand alone... Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic and there is no Indian question, and no Indian Department.”

Transgender rights and policies have always been an ongoing debate. In the article, “Bathroom Battlegrounds and Penis Panics,” Schilt and Westbrook (2015) argued that in order to push gender equality forward, we must consider the rights of transgender people by allowing them to have access to bathrooms that support their gender identity rather than their biological sex. In doing so, authors believed that it would make progress in alleviating discrimination against transgender people. However, in this conscious effort to fight for transgender rights and their access to sex-segregated spaces,

First up to analyzing this article is by using a tool concept called the sociological lens. Sociologists use sociological lens to think critically about everyday life, everyday assumptions while also challenging the natural aspects of life. The main issue in this article is that people with different body parts should go different restrooms. More specifically, people with penises should not be allowed to go into female restrooms because it is viewed as dangerous. However, if we analyze this through a sociological lens, the segregation of bathrooms based on gender is a rather new phenomenon. For example, the article states that prior to the Victorian Era, men and women would use the same

The Editorial Board of The Sacramento Bee, in their opinion editorial, “California is Adult in the Room Amid Childishness Over Bathrooms” (16 February 2016), argues that going to the bathroom is a necessity, and thus, lawmakers should not pass laws that base the legal use of bathrooms on the gender from one’s birth. They support their claim by first exposing the faults in the opposite side's opinions, then providing information on California’s plan for bathrooms, then promoting California’s policy that takes safety and comfort into consideration, and finally posing the solution of replacing gender-biased signs on the bathrooms with “all-gender” signs. The Editorial Board’s purpose is to make people who support strict gender-based bathroom laws

When approaching public restrooms, most look at the gender on the door that associates with their own gender. However, some stare at those labels wondering which one they belong in. These types of people are often referred to as transgenders. Transgenders are people who identify themselves with the opposite gender of their biological sex. Therefore, for this category of people, entering a restroom is not so easy. They often wonder whether they should go into the bathroom of their biological sex or of their gender identity. The debate has spread throughout America today. Transgender bathrooms have been discussed in politics, education, and even criminal cases. Both sides of the debate offer valid evidence to support their claims. The only compensation

"Most New Yorkers take their unfettered access to bathrooms for granted, yet every single day transgender and gender non-conforming individuals must grapple with the fact that their choices

In the article “When the Gender Boxes Don’t Fit” by Ericka Sokolower-Shain I found myself a little disagreed. I am all about equality for all, and everyone should feel comfortable in their own skin. I agree with the writer that “gender doesn’t have to be so black and white” (Sokolower-Shain, 2009, pg. 34). The whole conflict this person came across within the whole bathroom discussion I felt fully on their side, and it was something I would support, gender neutral bathrooms. But then I thought about myself, I won’t feel comfortable about entering a bathroom with men in there. I don’t know if that messes with my beliefs on equality but the thought of it did make me uncomfortable. I think if I was asked to sign

There is a long history of social groups being repressed within the United States of America. With an ever-changing culture and a strong force against certain changes, certain ethnic and social groups appear to be neglected by the lawmakers of America. One of the more recent occurrences of this has been the LBGT community. Up until 2014, marriage was not even legal between a same-sex couple. After gay marriage was ruled legal, a landslide of other reforms were brought to attention. One of the more controversial topics being discussed today is the rights of the LBGT community in accordance to public bathrooms. They argue that anyone should be able to use whichever bathroom that matches with their identified gender. The definition of gender and the rights that accompany them is constantly being updated and adjusted. Because of this sudden movement, social issues are sparking outrage and debate on whether this argument should be implemented into society. This issue has dominated the media and has caused chaos on both sides of the spectrum. Members of the LBGT community should not be able to use whatever bathroom they please.

Some people have a problem with transgender people using the ¨wrong restroom.¨ In the article “Seat of Unrest” by Sara GoodYear she explains that ¨The board is voting on whether he should be allowed to use the boys restroom at Gloucester High

Gender equality is a pressing issue in the United States. The definition of gender, and the rights that accompany them, is constantly being updated and adjusted. The LBGT community is fighting for equality after being repressed for many years. Because of this sudden movement, social issues are sparking outrage and debate on whether a certain law or right for LBGT people is to be initiated. In many instances, these issues dominate the media, and cause for chaos on both sides of the spectrum. The bathroom controversy exemplifies this. The LBGT community argues that anyone should be able to use whichever bathroom that matches with their identified gender. Members of the LBGT community should not be able to use whatever bathroom they please.

Coming out as a transgender, identifying with a gender expression that differs from the assigned sex, has proven to be quite difficult through the ages. While the acceptance of transgender people has grown significantly higher throughout the years, people’s stance on them are still quite divided, and the uphill battle for transgender rights has proven this. Just giving transgenders the right to simply go to the bathroom they identify with has shown to be controversial according to the TIME cover Battle of the Bathroom. The TIME magazine makes sure to note the problem defiantly “far more than public facilities” (Scherer par. 9). Transgender rights are a problem that Jamison Green, president for World Professional Association for Transgender Health, thoroughly addresses in a report written by Alan Greenblatt for CQ Researcher. Jamison Green’s specific purpose in that report is to justify why transgender people deserve basic human rights like everybody else, as shown in society, through his use of facts, qualifiers, figurative language, counterarguments, and appeals to logic and values.

In past generations, it has been clear to society that males and females use segregated bathrooms. It is also known that the rate of transgender people has been growing over the past years. Transgender people constantly face troubles when using a bathroom in public. Nevertheless, as society has become more aware of the transgender population and the issues that they face, many schools have had to decide how they will respond about the issue of school bathrooms when students identify themselves as transgender. A school should be able to provide separate facilities based on sex, but must allow transgender students access to the facility which matches their gender identity.

American culture refers to the traditions and practices of the people of the United States. Culture comprises of the nature of buildings, religion, music language and marriage. The population of the United States is more than 320 million people making it the most culturally diverse country in the globe. Books such as Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity are important sources of information about American culture. This paper is a reflection on the methods that these books use in providing information about the evolution of the US culture. The paper examines the relationship between these three sources and ways they challenge or inform an understanding of the American society during the late 19th and early 20th century. There is an analysis of the efficiency of the issues tackled by these books in influencing the contemporary discourse surrounding American culture. The major argument of this paper is that Crabgrass Frontier, Manifest Destination and Muscular Christianity provide reliable information about the evolution of the US culture and they supplement each other through the use of relevant examples.