Horace
Miner's "Body Ritual among the Nacirema"
Horace Miner researched
and experiences the rituals of the Nacirema. The body rituals of the Nacirema were magical. The rituals consisted of many natural habits. One was a fixation of the mouth.
This daily ritual was to put a bundle of hog
hairs in your mouth with magical powders, and to move your mouth in
many odd
gestures. Some of the Nacirema rituals
are deadly, it is a wonder they still exist.
James
Earl Carter's "Crisis of Confidence: Energy and National Goals"
Carter’s "Malaise"
speech was to instill confidence in our
country. He talks of many tragedies and
wounds which have never been healed. Carter
discusses two paths of freedom, one which will lead
to a downward
spiral and one encourages us to work together towards a common
goal. He states “We’ve got to stop crying
and start
sweating; stop talking and start walking; stop cursing and start
praying. The strength we need will not
come from the
White House but from every house in America”.
Katherine
Newman's "American Nightmares"
Katherine Newman’s
chapter of
“American Nightmares”
discusses the downward mobility of the economic scale.
The media is more concerned with the upward
mobility of the wealthy. There was
little to no help towards those in living in poverty.
It then becomes a negative or downward
cycle. In her conclusion she states,
“This is the core of what it means to “fall from grace”: to loose your
place in
the social landscape, to feel you have no coherent identity, and
finally
to feel, if not helpless, then at least stymied about how to rectify
the
situation."
Charles
Derber's "The Good Man Fills His Own Stomach"
Derber shows
a mixture of wilding and the American
Dream. He shows examples of wilding in
and there savage acts, (New York, 1989, The Ik society). The dream
becomes
unrealistic and deadly. The American
Dream turns into a narcissism society, everyone for themselves. He concludes “ Me, Me Me, hollered the
relentless voice from inside; look after Number One, echoed the
reassuring
voices from high places. The new
operational credo: Anything Goes
P.J.
O'Rourke's "Slamming and Jamming"
P.J O’Rourke
displays the government protection system
was not working. The government was not doing much to prevent the War
on
Drugs, it was an unarmed group titled the
Guardian Angles who became the hero. They’d
travel to the inner cities, bust and break drug
houses, they
called this “slamming and jamming”. The
Guardian Angles would drive out drug users, beating them up and
demolishing
their supplies. People felt safe with
the Guardian Angles, which was their goal. After
a night of “slamming and jamming”, the Guardian
Angles went back
to their safe environment, which was once like Hunt’s Point. They were able to relieve Mott Haven of drugs
with the help of the people with in.
John
Grisham's "Somewhere for Everyone."
In Grisham's
My Turn: Somewhere for Everyone, he displays how many avoid talking
about the homeless and describes the homeless in such words that appeal
to them. Grisham points out the
government is not helping the homeless move from the streets by
criminalizing them. Grisham goes right to
the streets and shelters for a homeless experience.
He thought he was in a different word when those little
children scarped down food like they had never seen it before.
Jo
Goodwin Parker's "What is Poverty?"
Parker's
What is Poverty lists extreme detail on what it is like to be living in
poverty. Parker tells a story of a single
mother and four children barley making it alive. Once again from this
article it showed the government aid was of no help.
The mother states she "did not come from another
place or another time. Others like me are all around you." She wants
the reader to take action.
Studs
Terkle's interview, "Mike LeFevre: Who Built the Pyramids?"
In Terkel's
interview with a blue collar worker is an eye opener showing the little
credit they receive. Mike LeFever goes to work everyday for nine
hours a day, goes home to try and make it better for when his children
are older. Mike LeFever has a hard time holding his tongue, always
making smart remarks to or about his college educated boss. He
hopes someday his children will grow up and be the college
educated boss, the white collar boss.
Peter
Marin's "Helping and Hating the Homeless."
Marin's essay
displays a story of a woman who had it all and then the next minuet
fell to the ground and lost it. Marin
displayed the fact that many homeless people were hard working
individuals with goals and dreams, then a disaster occurred and they
were left to the streets. He then goes on
to say there are two types of homeless, those who chose it and
those who had the homeless forced upon them. The
homeless are scared to get help from the government, for they haven't
been very reliable.
Jonathan
Alter's "Bridging the Digital Divide."
Alter
addresses the digital divide is the gap between those who have
access to computers or technology and those who do not.
He also states there are many who have the technology
but may not understand its use. One may
play a computer game and one is able to create one.
This creates a divide in classes, low income to those who
have the benefit of technology. "The
access gap will close, but the gap in being able to use the technology
in meaningful ways may get even larger."
Paul Recer's "Use of Guns
Likened to Disease"
In
Recer's
essay, his opening
statement says " the willingness of young men to use guns spread like a
disease. He goes on to state, owning a gun has become a
fashion fad, it states status in the neighborhood. While
the
incarceration rate increase the homicide rate decreases. Through
Recer's study, he suggests the government should work on taking
guns off of the street in order to control crime.
Shaft notices the homelessness and
poverty rate in the United States. While the United States is one
of the wealthiest countries, at times it can be compared to Third World
Nations. The demand for aid is increasing, but yet the rate of
aid given stays steady, therefore many programs are either cut or can
not help all in need. Shaft suggests the government should
decide what their priorities are, and not neglect the children any
longer.
Kate Santich's "Life's a bummer,
but whatever"
Santich's
focuses on the cynicism
occurring in the society of the U. S. Santich believes the
cause of cynicism has to do with the assination of JFK, Vitinam War,
Watergate and many others. Although, cynicism is not necessarily
a
negative act. Santich states cynicism characterizes the
United States, making the citizens wonder about the governments
decisions and actions.
Anna Quindlen's "Life of the
Closed Mind"
Quindlen's
essay addresses the graduating class of 2005 at Columbia
University. The class was there before 9/11 and afterwards they
wanted to prove terrorism would not win and take over, but Quindlen
believe's otherwise. Many have become closed minded since
9/11. They isolate themselves and have become terrified of
everyone including their neighbors. In her essay she suggests to
keep an open mind and evaluate your thoughts.
Robert Reich's "An American
Morality Tale"
In
Reich's essay,
he discusses the American Morality, and what people want from
themselves and each other. There are four tales in which he
discusses they include, the mob
at the gates, the triumphant
individual, the benevolent community, and finally the rot at the
top. The mob represents one in fear. The triumphant man
represents one who is hardworking and works their way up the
ladder. The benevolent represents the community which works
together for each other's benefit. The final tale, the rot at the
top represents those the almighty powerful, those which corrupt the
world around them. Reich's compares these tales along with the so
called "American Dream".