Discrimination

Discrimination happens in our everyday life. It is unfortunate, but it does happen. I had to think a little while to actually come up with something that I have witnessed. I lived in Monroe, Louisiana for a few years when I was very young. Even though it was in the early 1990's my family noticed a lot of discrimination towards African-Americans. When I went back to visit in the early 2000's, I still noticed this going on at certain places, mainly restaurants. I will share one example that I witnessed. I was at a fast food restaurant and I had a coupon to use. I am not sure what it was for, I want to say it was for buy one, get one free. Well, many people waiting to pay had these coupons. I went up to buy whatever it was, and I paid for one and got the second free. Now, as I was waiting for my food, an African-American male walked up to the register to pay. (All the employees were white). When this man presented the coupon, the person taking the money said that the coupon was expired and that it could not be used. So, the man told the employee the expiration date was still valid. No matter what he said, the employee would not budge. The manager came over and told the guy the same thing! What bullshit. I was standing there in disbelief. Many of the other patrons did not have a problem with what had just happened. I am guessing that town was still very racist. Anyways, the man had tears coming down his face as he stepped away from the counter. He was not upset up not getting the sandwich free. As a matter of fact, he didn't give a shit about getting anything free. It was the principal of it. It was that he was discriminated against because of the color of his skin. As the man walked out, he said under his breath, "It is a shame that a human is treated different, to this day, due to the color of his skin."

I left that restaurant angry. What had happened was not fair. In my mind, it was bullshit. I wanted to go off on all the people there. But, ya know what, I am happy that guy stood up for himself. I am glad he put up a fight. It is an absolute shame that people are still discriminated against, to this day. We are all people. We are all human. What does the color of one's skin matter in the big scheme of things? Nothing.

I hope you guys found this story interesting. It is completely true, and still makes me mad to this day because I know that it is happening to other people in other places.

Eric

Reading Response - Indian Killer

I really enjoyed Sherman Alexie's Indian Killer. I found it very interesting and easy to read. Much easier to get through than Fear & Loathing, in my mind! I found a couple aspects of this novel exceptionally interesting. First, I thought the murder mystery was great. I personally like mystery's, which was another reason why I really enjoyed this novel. Second, I thought if we look deeper into the novel, we can see there is more than just a story. Alexie brought up many problems with discrimination, which still occurs today. I can understand why this book brought up some controversy. I am sure that the people of the Native American culture do not like reading a novel where the character with all the problems and who ends up killing people because he is not accepted as a Native American.

From the first page, I was sucked into this novel. I found the first chapter very interesting and wanted to read on to find out what was going to happen. As I got to the end of many of the chapters, I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen.

While the murder mystery storyline was interesting to me, I could not stop thinking about what a hard life John had. He started out being adopted by two white Americans. As we read, we found out that this was clearly not socially acceptable, and still may not be today in some parts of the United States. John clearly had a hard life being separated from other Native Americans and having to grow up in a "white" society. I think growing up apart from his Indian background caused him to have the anger problems and other problems. He felt like an outcast. That nobody liked him. John did not fit in in a "white" society. Seeing the way he was treated by people made me hurt for him. I don't feel like anybody should have to be treated like that. We are all HUMAN!

This book was copyrighted in 1996. This makes me think that this type of discrimination is still going on today. I do not think this is fair or should be happening considering that the United States is considered the melting pot, the land of the free, the place where you can be who you want to be. The unfortunate thing is, there are still people like John who are not being treated fairly because of the color of their skin.

Overall, I really enjoyed Indian Killer. It was one of the better books that I have read lately. I am glad that it was assigned to read, because not sure I would have picked it up off the shelf's.

Eric

Reading Response - Fear & Loathing

Overall, I really did not enjoy Fear & Loathing. It is not the type of book that I would pick up and just start reading for enjoyment. I was not big into how random it was and how I never fully understood what was going on and if what was going on was real or not. I found it hard to stay focused on the book because of how crazy the novel was. It took me a while to get into it and was not a very easy read.

On the other hand, I am glad that we had to read it for class. If it was not for class, I know that I would have never picked this book up and read it. I think it is good for me to open up a little bit and read new literature. I learned a few things from reading this book, such as someone can survive on that many drugs, and from our class discussions. I am glad that a book like this has sparked such class discussions because that makes class a lot more interesting.

Looking back on this novel, I really don't think I connected with it much. Like, I don't feel like I connected with any certain character. I found it very interesting that these people were able to live a life like they did. It makes me realize that there must be other people out there doing it as well.

Overall, this was not a book that I would go back and read again. I am looking forward to the movie, maybe it will help me realize what happened a little bit better.

Eric

What is "The American Dream?"

"The American Dream" can be different for each person. One thing that makes up "The American Dream," is simply being happy. All people want to be content with life and happy with how things are. It is hard for most people to be happy with all the stresses and negative forces that impact our daily lives. I think many people come to the United States from foreign countries is for happiness. They know that in the U.S., they can practice their religion freely and not be punished for wearing the clothes they are accustomed to. To many people, this is what would make them happy, which is very important.

Another part of "The American Dream" is to have a job and be financially stable. Having money and being able to support one's self is important and brings happiness in many cases. Nowadays, many American's are in debt and therefore are losing everything they have. I think that many people strive to be financially stable.

While there are other factors that come into play, I think the other main part of "The American Dream" is having a loving family and friends. It is important to have these people in one's life as a support system. Without people like this, it is hard to be happy. While there are some people that prefer to do everything on their own, most of us like having a strong support system. I think many people who are not close with their family and friends envy those that are.


Overall, I would say that being happy, financially stable, and having a strong support system are the main parts of "The American Dream." When people who don't have these aspects in their lives look at people who are happy, have money, and loving friends and family, they say "Man, they are living the American Dream."

Eric

Describe the quintessential 21st Century American

To be completely honest, I had to look up the definition for quintessential to make sure I knew exactly what it meant. I had an idea, but I wanted to make sure so that I didn't screw up my first blog! So, I have found a few different definitions for it, but I think it basically means the perfect example. So, what is the perfect 21st Century American? That is a really good question. In many people's minds, having a lot of money, driving nice cars, and living in a mansion is the ideal American image. I think people think this is the quintessential 21st Century American because having money makes most people happy. Also, having money means that someone has power. People like power and like being able to buy whatever they want.

Now, I think of the quintessential 21st Century American as being someone that has great friends who will support him or her no matter what, has a stable job, is doing well financially, and most importantly is happy. I think the biggest thing for me is seeing people happy. If people are happy, then their life is good. Many people don't need money, a nice house, etc. to be happy. While I know America is not entirely like this nowadays, I personally think truly being happy is what matters in life.

I hope this answered the question. I think I got a little off topic at the end, but oh well!

Eric