"Women are equal, just different"

Fuller and Steinem are two very different authors from two very different times, but they have one very similar viewpoint when it comes to the reality in which women are treated and how they should justly be treated.  Reading from line to line and from article to article, I was able to recognize that women truly are oppressed.  This was something I thought only happened in many of the eastern countries.  However, it does happen here in the United States, too.  Although it may not be as visible, distinct, and harsh, it occurs more often than one would think.  Centuries and centuries ago, women were treated far differently from men, but overtime, the gap has slowly grown closer together.  This is why it is hard for many to recognize and admit that oppression does still exist.  Like Steinem stated, "logic has nothing to do with oppression."  It exists because of how surrounding influences treat it.  In a way, it is "learned."  If one grows up thinking it is okay to treat women unfairly, he or she has known nothing else, so it is viewed as okay behavior.

Although this may be an extreme (since it was written back in the 1800's), the statement regarding how "a tone of feeling towards women as towards slaves" exists, it does have some truth behind it.  Discrimination is discrimination, no matter the severity; people are people and should be treated as such.  Fuller's writing was a bit difficult to comprehend, but I was easily able to grasp the meaning for why she wrote it.  Her goal was to show the reader that "there is but one law for all souls, and, if there is to be an interpreter of it, he comes not as man, or son of man, but as Son of God."  All are equal - men and women.  

As I read through Steinem's piece, I actually "LOLed."  I loved how she captivated my attention right from the beginning.  She was able to transform a very serious topic into something that was very relate-able. Steinem has a certain power that allows her to write what could be considered a "questionable" paper and still get her point across.  From the true vulnerability of a man to all of the hilarious analogies, Steinem communicated to the reader that women have to say, "no" to the unequal treatment from men.  Steinem easily relates to Fuller when it comes to the idea that "women are equal, just different."  Women need to stop bickering with one another and realize where the true heart of the problem is.  After all, "the power of justifications would go on and on.  If we let them."      

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Nicholas Carr's article definitely solidified the fact that the internet using population simply uses "a form of skimming activity" when they read articles.  If it weren't for the fact that I had to read the entire thing in order to complete this blog and not feel guilty, I certainly would have skimmed it.  Not because "I'm just seeking convenience," but because it was dull and drab.  It dragged on and on, and it didn't even mention anything about Google until the fifth page!  This is the very reason why many people do not read or wish to read an article or book through and through.  If the content does not grab the readers attention and interests, who can blame him or her for not reading it?  It is unfair for Carr to say that "Google is making us stupid."  How can he generalize for an entire population?  Each brain differs from person to person.  There are plenty of people out there who enjoy reading and who yearn for information on a variety of topics.  Some may enjoy basketball over football, and some enjoy watching YouTube videos over reading articles; it is simply a personal preference.  Whether someone is reading a book, skimming an article, browsing the web, or is deeply engrossed in a novel, it is unfair to think that everyone can come away with "real wisdom" instead of "the conceit of wisdom."  It is important to know the difference between wisdom and intelligence. 

In today's world, research on the internet is encouraged.  Many students for example, are able to increase their knowledge base on a subject for a school project.  Carr made a good point when he discussed that the "new forms of "reading" are emerging as users "power browse" horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for quick wins."  However, I don't necessarily see this as a loss.  If the student is able to go through an article picking out the important things, why is it an issue?  That's the main goal isn't it?  How can Google be "making us stupid" when knowledge and information is taken from it?  Just like "our map and our clock, our printing press and our typewriter, our calculator and our telephone, and our radio and TV," the internet is simply another invention.  What is society going to do - downgrade from what has already become?  This simply isn't going to happen.  There are many negative outlooks when it comes to the internet, but it is also important to look at the upsides.  The fact is, it is up to each individual to decide if it is worth it or not.        

The Ethics of Living Jim Crow: An Autobiographical Sketch

Throughout my schooling experience, I have found that it is very important to gain knowledge when it comes to the subject of prejudices, discrimination, segregation, and racism.  These aspects of history have shaped the United States into what it has become today.  Each year in school there is at least one subject or situation that brings up racial discrimination, and this can lead many to focus on previous events from history.  It has come to my attention that maybe, this topic is hammered into student's brains because those who are not aware of the past are doomed to repeat it.

The story by Richard Wright of Chicago is one that allows me to view and recognize one part of discrimination that I have not fully analyzed: how African American's come to realize the "stay in your place" attitude.  Growing up and reading several stories similar to Wright's, I always figured that every African American knew exactly how to act in public and towards the white population; it seemed to me as if it were instinctual.  However, similarly to math for instance, it is learned overtime.  Richard begins his journey to "Jim Crow Wisdom" when he is scolded by his mother for having been "engaged in war with the white boys." Following this event, he is then slapped in the face by the horrid realization that he is ultimately forced to leave his first job for something he didn't even do; it was the hatred of his fellow employees Morrie and Pease that led him down that path.  He is put into many lose lose situations because of the color of his skin. White people are able to pass through life with little threat of harm, "but the color of a Negro's skin makes him easily recognizable, makes him suspect, converts him into a defenseless target" Wright states.  

As Richard travels the bumpy roller coaster that takes him in and out of work, he becomes much more aware of his role in society.  The stage of the story is set when Richard is first made aware of Jim Crow Laws thanks to his mother.  Complications from Richard's jobs then lead him to the climax where he is forced to be pushed around without being able to stand up for himself.  Then, something comes to surprise Richard.  When he is working for the optical company in Memphis, he is treated more like a living, breathing human being.  Although he is still not viewed as equal to the white men, he is engaged in conversations, which may seem small, but it is a change for the better.  By Richard's fourth job, the reader can see that he has become "Jim Crow Wise," which I inferred as the resolution to the story.