The Effects of the Iraq War Essay Example for Free

The Effects of the Iraq War Essay The war in Iraq was supposedly an act against terrorism. In one of the President’s speeches, he made it clear that it was a preemptive attack and that if we were not fighting and destroying this enemy in Iraq, they would not be idle. They would be plotting and killing Americans across the world and within our own borders. By fighting these terrorists in Iraq, Americans in uniform are defeating a direct threat to the American people†(Crimes Against Humanity). This is the government’s claim but it was never substantiated by any evidence, thus keeping the Americans wondering what really is the cause of this massive bloodshed. Some reports say that this war is in large part an oil currency war. â€Å"One of the core reasons for this upcoming war is this administrations goal of preventing further Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) momentum towards the euro as an oil transaction currency standard†(Mother Jones). In order to stop the OPEC from doing this, the US needed to take control of the OPEC’s 2nd largest oil producer, Iraq. This means that the Iraq War is just another economic war. It is just another result of the struggle to control the means of production. The â€Å"domestic impact of any US war will be inequitably distributed, the workers and lowest economic classes carrying the burden of the social costs, while the upper strata benefit†(Swans). Even before the Iraq war, experts have already concluded that powerful corporate interests only see middle class families as the spoils of political influence (FromTheWilderness. com). When war struck, the burden was heavily felt by these same families. The additional burden came in the form of taxes. To maintain the Iraq war the government imposed additional taxes on the people disguised as national security taxes. This tax is imposed on all persons, however the effect on the upper class is not as drastic as to the middle class families simply because since they are the ones who can afford to pay and benefit from the big tax cuts. These taxes in addition to the economic pressures on the middle class—stagnant wages, the need to pull down two salaries to support a family, and the rising costs of the basic expenses—drive these families to turn to credit just to make ends meet. Credit in itself is neither bad nor is it taboo but the present state of the country prevents the middle class families from ever recovering (FromTheWilderness. com). The Iraq war brought about a change not merely on financial aspects but also in the way Americans perceive things. It has awakened the people’s social consciousness. Due to the doubtful claims the government are using to justify the war coupled with the suffering of the middle class, the masses are starting to wonder and ponder on the real issues that they are presently facing. A sense of awareness has donned on them, the people are slowly gearing towards social change. Having the freedom of intercourse, the people are slowly unearthing the reasons behind the war, the cause of their social helplessness and the means or solutions they are entitled to. Americans are becoming inquisitive, they are slowly transforming into persons naturally drawn to activism and sympathetic to an anti-war attitude and the Iraq War will present a new challenge of exposing the propaganda promoted by American imperialists, and in building an opposition (Swans). The change the Americans are experiencing after the war is neither bad nor good. It is a just a natural reaction brought about by the need for social justice and equity. Social justice is the concept of society in which justice is achieved in every aspect of society, rather than merely the administration of law. It is generally thought of as a society that affords individuals and groups fair treatment and a just share of the benefits of society. The Iraq war is not the sole cause of this change, several social forces are at work here but it may very well be considered as one of the factors that triggered it. After years of following the capitalist norm, the uneven distribution of wealth and power between the classes is already taking its toll. The delineation of the social classes is becoming clearer, each class is grouping itself together and yet, each one is dependent upon the other, without the bourgeoisies there would be no proletariat, without the proletariat there would be no cause for awareness, without a cause there can be no change. The social classes are now playing their important roles in this changes, they are setting the stage for their struggle. The United States is experiencing social change and it is inevitable. According to Neo-Marxism, strains are inherent in social structures and the source of these strains or contradictions is the inherent scarcity of certain goods and values. Thus inequality is a source of conflict. The conflicts caused by the inequality of the classes are starting to show. The ghost of communism is slowly rearing its head in our country. The Americans are preparing to experience a class struggle. The middle class is slowly becoming aware of the distribution of wealth and power between the masses and the selected few, they are realizing the exploitation of their class by a selected few using the government as an instrument. The country is now at the brink of a social revolution, just as how all revolutions came to be, the birth begins with the proletariat’s struggle with the bourgeoisie. At first the contest is carried on by individual labourers, then by the workpeople of a factory, then by the operatives of one trade, in one locality, against the individual bourgeois who directly exploits them and eventually the rise to power of the middle class. At this point however, the movement’s success cannot be ascertained. The thinking masses is too small to resemble a threat to imperialism but a war gone badly might alter public thinking enough to make such fundamental social change an increasing possibility. The ideas of Communism are based on actual relations springing from an existing class struggle, from a historical movement going on since time immemorial, it seeks to abolish property relations and to place power on to the working class (Mondo Politico). According to Karl Marx, this is the end result of all modern governments. Everything shall start from the bourgeois controlling first the modes of production hiring the proletariat only for labor, later on educating the proletariat so the bourgeois can use the knowledge endowed to the working class to remain competitive. Greed being the driving force, the bourgeois shall continue to teach and exploit the proletariat. Through this process, what the bourgeoisie, therefore, produces, above all, is its own grave-diggers. Its fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable. Communism is definitely an ideal type of government, it speaks of utopia where social justice reigns supreme and equity can never be flawed. The question now is that how come there is no country that has successfully established a perfect communist government? This might be caused by the degree of difficulty of implementing the transformation or it may be that eventually all systems shall need property relations of some kind. At this point, the social revolution in the United States is pretty far from fruition. Not all of the working class is willing to undergo change. After the United States has existed for so long, after having been accustomed to it and after achieving so much through capitalism, the premature abolition of property relations shall definitely cause its own downfall.

Television Violence and Children

Television Violence and Children I. Overview Television has been hailed by many as the greatest invention ever created and as such, it has wrought a great influence towards each and every person. Through the television, we were able to view several important events throughout our history such as the very first trip to the moon, the tragedy of the September 11 attack at the World Trade Center and other such disasters and major events. On average, American children watch about three to four hours of television everyday with half almost half having the television set in their own bedroom. Consequently, it has become an influential factor towards the development of a child’s values and behavior. Nowadays, there is an assortment of shows from movies to cable television and even commercial ads that features a lot of violence. Coupled with a lesser degree of supervision from parents, children are constantly exposed to themes of violence. Due to this, the children’s television act was enacted wherein research into the topic was required. Several studies have found out that a lengthy exposure to television violence causes aggressiveness levels to rise. Furthermore, it has been found out that being exposed to TV violence can lead to children becoming immune to the idea of violence, accepting violence as something that can solve their problems, imitate what they see in television as well as identify with the characters on television that display violent behavior. It was in the year 1964 that television was found out to be a strong influence to the behavior of a child. Parents themselves can limit the effects of television violence by modeling appropriate behaviors and limiting the amount and nature of the show that children watch especially amongst younger children in from the toddler and preschool age. II. Controversy â€Å"What one learns about life from the television screen seems to be transmitted to the next generation,† Leonard Eron, from The University of Michigan who chairs the APA Commission on Violence and Youth â€Å"I dont know anyone in peace studies who doesnt think ads, TV and movies in a very significant way affect violence against women and violence by gangs. The burden of proof needs to fall not on those trying to show a positive correlation, but on those who continue to promote violence and use it as entertainment.† Robin Crews, a professor at the University of Colorado who heads a group of activist academics called the Peace Studies Association Scenario / Situation With American children glued to the TV for an average of 27 hours each week (in the inner city its often 11 hours per day), the American Psychological Association (APA) now estimates that a typical child will watch 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence before finishing elementary school. In the mid-1980s, 13-year-old Juan Valdez of Manteca, Calif., confessed to murdering a friends father. Having kicked, stabbed, beaten and choked the man with a dog chain, the boy was asked why he also poured salt on the victims wounds. â€Å"Oh, I dont know,† he replied, â€Å"I just seen it on TV.† Children learn most through visual stimulation and as such, they tend to imitate the behaviors they observe regardless whether it is negative or positive. Even if children imitate the behaviors of â€Å"good guys† in shows or movies, these are still aggressive in nature and they learn that fighting is the solution for conflicts as well as violence as an acceptable means of resolving problems. Furthermore, children who are exposed for a lengthier time to television violence have demonstrated difficulties in problem solving and poor interpersonal relationships. It can’t be denied that television has certain adverse effects on our society. Ever since the television’s inception, crime rates have steadily increased. Nowadays, even the school, a center for education and learning have become almost like war zones as there have been incidents of school shootings. Previous studies have shown that children as young as 5 years old, has the ability to understand the behavioral content of television shows. Another study, which experimented on four year old children have found out that their behavior during play was influenced by the aggressive behavior they see on television. These problems have been blamed partly, on the violence that children are exposed to everyday while watching television plus the given fact that there is excessive violence and sex on television. As a result, the present content of these shows contribute largely to both physical and verbal aggression of children which are evident in various situations. Children who have been continuously exposed to violent themes may take these characteristics as something that is ordinary and usual in the real world which may lead them to conclude that violence is both acceptable and the standard. Thus, these children, once they grow up may show indifference to violence and deem it suitable. III. Quotations Quotation One: In the words of a recent American Psychological Association (APA) report, â€Å"the accumulated research clearly demonstrates a correlation between viewing violence and aggressive behavior that is, heavy viewers behave more aggressively than light viewers.† Article Title: TV Violence By Charles S. Clark Works Cited Information: American Psychological Association Quoted in TV Guide, op. cit. Quotation Two: â€Å"I dont know anyone in peace studies who doesnt think ads, TV and movies in a very significant way affect violence against women and violence by gangs. The burden of proof needs to fall not on those trying to show a positive correlation, but on those who continue to promote violence and use it as entertainment.† Article Title: TV Violence By Charles S. Clark Works Cited Information: Robin Cooks as Quoted in Los Angeles Times, May 18, 1992. IV. Evidence First Piece of Evidence: Violence has been popularly depicted ever since and especially now when advancements in technology presents a means to deliver to audiences a realistic show which contains detailed scenes and a rapid sequence of action. Even cartoons nowadays can be described as containing aggressive and at times, even violent themes which is one major source of problem. In a survey of elementary school educators, it was found out that the show â€Å"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles† can cause confusion between what is real and what is fantasy. One teacher even reported that â€Å"Several children really thought it was OK to use physical violence with other children because [the turtles] do that,† Article Title: , â€Å"The Subversion of Healthy Development and Play: Teachers Reactions to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles† Works Cited Information: Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Diane E. Levin, â€Å"The Subversion of Healthy Development and Play: Teachers Reactions to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Day Care and Early Education, winter 1991. Second Piece of Evidence: In several studies and research conducted by various groups, the reactions of children were studied wherein they were shown a scene of a man punching an inflatable toy and being rewarded with sweets and candy. Another study, meanwhile, compared the level of aggression of a child after watching a combat that features cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker and tom Jerry and comparing it to other shows such as Lassie. Researchers also studied how homicide rates were affected by watching televised boxing matches and even noting increases in suicide rates following the TV shows which depict suicide. Accordingly, results show that there were measurable increases of three to fifteen percent of causative effects. Article Title: Television as a Social Issue Works Cited Information: Stuart Oskamp (ed.), Television as a Social Issue, (1988), p. 190. Reference: Carlsson-Paige, Nancy and Levin, Diane. The Subversion of Healthy Development and Play: Teachers Reactions to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Day Care and Early Education, winter 1991. Cooks, Robin as Quoted in Los Angeles Times, May 18, 1992 Huesmann, Rowell and Miller, Laurie (1994). Long-term effects of repeated exposure to media violence in childhood. In L. Rowell Huesmann (ed.) Aggressive Behavior, (pp. 153-186), New York: Plenum Press. Stuart Oskamp (ed.), Television as a Social Issue, (1988), p. 190.

Sports Day - Personal Narrative Essay -- Papers

Sports Day - Personal Narrative That afternoon was no different, it would seem, to any other. The lessons were dull and lifeless with the same dry teacher droning on about the same old rubbish. However, as we sat listening to the monotonous speech a small, sweet glimmer of hope lay wide awake behind our hot, tired faà §ade. Sports day was coming. Our restlessness would soon be relieved. The small group of teachers who knew how to push passion into their lessons could sense the excitement. They were using the events to get out of teaching for the afternoon and they lazily let the class enjoy the TV. We watched ‘Chicken Run’ although I could barely concentrate. How could I? We were in year 6 at the top of the schools hierarchy and were ready to proudly show off the results of our long, hard training in the schools annual sports day. Josh was just as excited as me, we were both contending in the same race, and we were both very competitive. We both raced off as soon as the bell rang out it’s echoing toll. I was f...

Cloning :: essays research papers

A DISCUSSION ON CLONING   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever wondered when the scientists of our day will start cloning humans? You might be asking yourself what exactly is cloning. It is a method that involves the production of a group of identical cells or organisms that all derive from a single individual (Grolier 220). Basically, cloning is the copy of the same individuals DNA to another individual. There is no doubt that if humans are cloned many problems involving the technological and ethical sides of this issue will arise and will be virtually impossible to avoid. Another large aspect to consider is how much money the area of genetics uses every year. When cloning comes about, taxes will increase, and people will be willing to pay anything to create clones of themselves. It is such a costly form of technology. Society will do all kinds of things for money. A type of black market for embryos could easily develop. Parents already spend a great deal of money on in vitro fertilization, and who knows how much they would be willing to pay for cloning their children?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scientists today have already started cloning animals. Dr. Ian Wilmut started by cloning a lamb. They named the clone Dolly, after Dolly Parton. After this, they cloned five more sheep. All of them had the same genetic makeup or DNA. According to Daniel Kevles in â€Å"Study Cloning, Don’t Ban It†, Doctor Wilmut states that cloning would be â€Å"ethically unacceptable†. President Clinton asked for a quick study of cloning mammals. The president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization begged for the cloning of humans to be banned. The reason for this thinking is because animals do not have consciences and people do. Ellen Goodman at the end of her essay called â€Å"Hello Dolly† best argues this point. It states, â€Å"We are the shepherds, not the sheep.† In other words, humans are the shepherds, which are the leader such the scientist, and we are not the sheep, which is the experiment. The whole idea of cloning humans is one that we could possibly grow to accept as a reality for the future. With today’s technology we have surrogate mothers, and the process of artificial insemination. These techniques have become widespread throughout our country. Say a woman wanted to have a baby but could not, she would then have more options on how to go about having a baby.

The Other Side of Racism Essay -- Essays Papers

The Other Side of Racism When most people think of racism or supremacy, the images that come to their mind are white power organizations that undermine blacks and other minorities. Groups such as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Skinheads and the White Nationalist Party may be some that come to mind. However, many people are not aware of other racist organizations and powerful leaders that influence people other than whites. A prime example of this is Louis Farrakahn, perhaps one of world's premier black leaders, who condones racism against whites and people of different religions. The image of an African American promoting racism among whites is not what society understands as a typical form of racism. Despite this, Louis Farrakahn has managed to gain support from thousands of African Americans and his Nation of Islam against white authority in America and worldwide. Though Farrakahn is now a world leader for black rights and white oppression, he began his rise to power as a humanist trying to ease tension among different minority and religious groups. "Let's Unite" were his famous words as a modest middle aged calypso singer in 1984. His song called for unification between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Surprisingly, eleven years later this singer turned Black Muslim leader and separatist, and used the term "Bloodsuckers" to describe many ethnic groups, Jews in particular. His speeches and messages of separation between blacks and whites have reached thousands and many are wondering whether he has had a positive or negative influence on black America (Who is Farrakahn Part 1). Louis Eugene Walcott, (Farrakahn), is a Bronx native. Born there in 1933, he moved to Boston at a young age where he became a talented musician... .../american/adl/nation-of-islam/noi-04.html> (April 14, 1997). "The Nation of Islam: The Relentless Record of Hate, Part 4." <http://www.almanac.bc.ca/hweb/orgs/american/adl/nation-of-islam/noi-05.html> (April 14, 1997). "The Nation 0f Islam: The Relentless Record of Hate, Part 5." <http://www.almanac.bc.ca/hweb/orgs/american/adl/nation-of-islam/noi-06.html> (April 14, 1997). "The Nation of Islam: The Relentless Record of Hate, Part 6." <http://www.almanac.bc.ca/hweb/orgs/american/adl/nation-of-islam/noi-07.html> (April 14, 1997). "The Nation of Islam: The Relentless Record of Hate, Part 7." <http://www.almanac.bc.ca/hweb/orgs/american/adl/nation-of-islam/noi-08.html> (April 14, 1997). "The Nation of Islam: The Relentless Record of Hate, Part 8." <http://www.almanac.bc.ca/hweb/orgs/american/adl/nation-of-islam/noi-09.html> (April 14, 1997).

Brave New World: Death Is a Repudiation or a Validation

Let Down Your Noose Paige Fairbairn 10/20/12 Mr. Pierce per. 2 The ultimate escape is death. The driving force that pushes a man to slide his neck through a noose, tighten the hole, and take the final leap of faith- only to result in eternal stillness. The leap of faith John the Savage took was a symbolic repudiation of the World State's motto, â€Å"community, identity, stability† because every aspect of John was a contradiction to the motto, thus weakening the strength of the motto, essentially reducing the meaning to â€Å"bunk†.In Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World John had no community to accept him, no true identity to boost his broken morale, and his emotional instability shackled him to conscience, and roped him into death. Glorified civilization appeared to John as a morsel of knowledge; the opportunity of a lifetime. John's uncontainable excitement procured the words of Miranda, from Shakespeare's play The Temptest to pour out of his naive mouth, â€Å"O w onder! How many godly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world. That has such people in it! At this point, Huxely is paralleling John to Miranda, Bernard to Prospero, and Lenina resembles Ferdinand. John is intrigued as well as excited for civilization, as Lenina (just as Ferdinand was to Miranda) served as temptation to part take in this foreign, yet enchanting land, and only Bernard (just as Prospero admonished Miranda) knew of the cruelties and horrors of civilization and wished that John would understand that this world isn't so brave or honorable at all. John, like a child, joins Bernard into a community where John is a specimen; to be observed and provide many laughs.John, like a fresh water fish tossed into the sea, eventually dies, not just physically, but emotionally due to his incompatibility with the community. Not only was he a reject in the pueblo of Malpais, but he too was a spectacle in civilization, and was unaccepted due to his distinct personality and physical differences. The world state destroyed John due to its conditioned insensitivity. Amongst the community posing as an exploitative force toward John, his identity was stampeded and broken, even in his own solitude. Not only did Malpais reject him for his mother, Linda, but he looked too different to be accepted.Even then, he struggled with himself and his solitude which led to his discovery of, â€Å"Time and Death and God† (136 Huxely). Even with this discovery, he still searched for himself, hoping to acquire a true identity in civilization. Any and all thoughts of an identity were smashed to bits, as John was simply a spectacle, just as his Mother was. Linda's death was a wake-up call to John; he didn't belong because no one could comprehend his emotion. Like a fish out of water, Linda's soma induced coma was abruptly interrupted by the coming of her death.She gasped for air, and flopped and flailed in distress; her death is symbolic for the role sh e played in society. She was a specimen of the grotesque, as her death reflected that, because it cut through the feigned essence of peace and relaxation in her room. Her death also served as John's ugly realization of the, â€Å"Brave new world† and her death distorted John's image of society as well as his own purpose being there. Immediately after Linda's death, five young Delta boys with chocolate eclairs stood around her deathbed, asking foolishly of her death, for they were not enlightened of the true meaning of death.Aldous Huxely is alluding to the five foolish virgins from The Parable of the Ten Virgins â€Å"five were foolish and five were wise† (Mathew 25:2). There were about half a dozen other Delta boys at the hospital at the time, adding to approximately ten boys. Instead of eclairs, these virgins in the parable each had an oil lamp, five of which brought enough oil to have entrance to a groomsman's feast, and the five foolish virgins didn't have enough o il and missed the entrance, so when their judgment came, they were declined to be let in due to their foolery.It was also stated that, â€Å"the spirit of a man is a candle of the Lord† (Proverbs 20:27 KJV). Huxely satired the spirit of man and his faith represented through the eclairs; the perfect representation of immediate pleasure and delight, which served as a symbol for the identity of the society. Each Delta had an eclair instead of a lamp, foolishly asking John what happened to Linda, just as the foolish virgins were asking what happened to their entrance.The eclairs served to represent their superficiality, and just as the five foolish virgins were shooed away by a bad judgment, the five Delta boys were forced out by John's disapproving of their foolery. It was here that John realized he had no identity in this community; he was surrounded by fools who couldn't comprehend deep feelings and emotion ; he was lost and couldn't find himself in the misleading and misgivin gs of civilization. He hadn't an identity due to the inability of others to accept him for who he was. As a result, John began to disturb the stability the World State thrives for.The sweet desire for stimulating pleasures were all readily available and handed out in the World State; sex, soma, and never being alone was the foundation of civilization's stability. John's morals intensely conflicted with this, he viewed the soma pillboxes as caskets and can't grasp the lack of religion and concrete feeling; for that is how civilization thrives. John is desperate for escape and the world controller, Mustapha Mond quotes, â€Å"sometimes a thousand twangling instruments will hum about my ears and sometimes voices† (218) from Shakespeare's play The Temptest.Like Caliban, the controller is speaking to John (who is like Stephano) of the sweet melodies and diversions of the island, that lull him to dream fantastic dreams, and when he wakes, he only wishes to dream once again. Mustaph a continues that the absence of God is civilization's fault, and shall never be obtained through solitude. Soma and indoctrination, â€Å"hasn't been very good for the truth of course. But it's very good for happiness. One can't have something for nothing. Happiness has to be paid for. (228) Mustapha is tempting, and giving John the choice to enslave his mind with pleasure for superficial happiness rather than to be unhappy. John declines and Mustapha Mond questions if he will claim all of the let downs and sorrows of life and John, in a christ-like moment says, â€Å"I claim them all. † (240) Mustapha stays in his role of playing on people's pleasures, in exchange for their souls, just as Satan did. Bernard and Hemholtz were sent into a purgatory-like island were some pleasures are removed, but they aren't truly free, and John is sent to his own solitude to repent and find God.John, after many episodes of further exploitation, hangs himself due to his own emotion instabilit y. Like a stairway to heaven, he climbed up the lighthouse steps and hung himself from an arch, that would bring him his true redemption and inner peace. The World State only amplified his instability with their lack of morals and twisted ways. John served as a symbol of defiled wholesomeness; he tried not to engage in the sinful activities of society, and the only way he found escape was in death. He died as a result of others' sins.John was the exception to the rule of the World State; if one has found faith, one can't be valid to the â€Å"community, identity, stability† of the World State. The reason John didn't fit was because he had true feelings that conflicted with the shallow feelings of hypnopedically indoctrinated society. John took a leap of faith with the people trying to enlighten them, but failed. It was the lack of recognition for a concrete community, identity, and stability that rocked John over the edge to take his own life, in the ultimate repudiation of c orrupt civilization.

Prejudices: Challenging Level Prejudice Essay

â€Å"We are each burdened with prejudice; against the poor or the rich, the smart or the slow, the gaunt or the obese. It is natural to develop prejudices. It is noble to rise above them,† Author Unknown. Unfortunately, throughout history our society has become victim to the upbringing and menacing of prejudices within. The prejudices that our fellow neighbors endure range from scowling facial expressions to violent hate crimes. As far back as the decades go, prejudice has been an ongoing problem in society, our children and our future are affected immensely; it is our job to make a drastic change. Prejudice is a word that means judging someone or having an idea about them before you actually know anything about them, the word can also mean having an opinion about something without knowing anything about it. (Kids Health) On a more challenging level prejudice can refer to a positive or negative attitude or belief directed toward certain people based on their membership in a particular group. The root of the word is â€Å"pre-judge,† it is a set of attitudes which causes, supports, or justifies discrimination. There are three general theories for prejudice; personality needs, social learning and conformity, and social structure and economic position. Based on a study done by the Delmar University the three general theories were shown to be the most common reasons for prejudice within a person. These three theories lead to the forms and explanations of prejudice. The first form of prejudice being cognitive prejudice which refers to what people believe is true. Next is affective prejudice which points to peoples likes and dislikes. And finally, conative prejudice which refers to how people are inclined to behave. Playing a part in the causes of prejudice is also; family, school, peer groups, work, and the media. Unfortunately, all too often a person will create a prejudice based off of something that they learned from another person or another area. It is society’s job to recreate the environment that we set for our youth and humanity. We have to show our communities that not everyone or everything can be judged from lack of experience or another’s belief. Our country has been facing prejudice since as early as slavery and the Holocaust. Slaves consisted of â€Å"colored,† people known as Negro’s and now referred to as African Americans. These groups of people were pre-judge based on the color of their skin. Since they did not have a pale complexion they were treated poorly and forced to serve societies â€Å"white† race. Later on in history a prejudice dictator, Adolph Hitler, created a German based army that slaughtered the Jewish community. Hitler pre-judged any and all who did not fit the description that he followed. Unfortunately, because of his prejudices many humans died from the ignorance of color barriers. Still to this day prejudice is a problem, where our children of color or bi-racial background experience the emotion of not feeling good enough because of what another thinks or believes. In Toledo Ohio where I live, my community experienced first-hand prejudice when a group of Neo-Nazis were given permission to have a demonstration walk through one of our neighborhoods. The decision that our Mayor made to allow such a demonstration was one that jeopardized people’s lives and disrespected the integrity of different cultures. The problem with prejudice is that society does not give one another a chance at being themselves. Some of our society is quick to judge another person for their color, their culture, or their religion. By pre-judging before knowing anything about a person or thing we are allowing something or someone else to influence our opinions. Prejudice is seen in all kinds of situations such as; the cheerleading squad not wanting to be friends with a certain girl because she does not come from a wealthy family, a Caucasian family thinking that the African American family that moved in down the street will break into their home cause they watched a show on television where a family did that or even for instance some of society not wanting to vote for Barack Obama because they think that he looks like he could be a terrorist. Our youth have learned the ignorance that we have instilled in them and in return have lashed out in outrageous actions. We have youth forming gangs and cliques that do harm to other youth because of what they have or do not have, or because of the way they look, who their parents are, where they live. It is unfortunate that instead of teaching our youth to appreciate everyone for who they are, we teach them what we do not like about another person or group. â€Å"Prejudice and discrimination are negative manifestations of integrative power. Instead of bringing or holding people together, prejudice and discrimination push them apart. Ironically, even prejudice and discrimination imply some sort of relationship. However, if there is no relationship people would be completely unaware of another person’s or group’s existence. When there is any relationship at all–even a negative one–there is some integration. Kenneth Boulding referred to this as â€Å"disintegrative power†-â€Å"the integration that is achieved through hatred, fear, and the threat of a common enemy. † (Boulding, 1989). There are ways that we can show our youth to bypass prejudice. If we start now and work together then the future of our children could be brighter and less hateful. Some of our schools have begun practicing exercises to fight prejudice and â€Å"bullying. † At Crissey Elementary School the teachers began an exercise where each grade and classroom came up with ways of helping another student and being nice daily. The school worked together and colored their own posters that read, â€Å"Stop Bullying! † or â€Å"We all love each other at Crissey. † Not only did they join together to make these posters but they hung the posters all over the school for students, faculty and visitors to see everyday. Their idea is a great one that could be carried nationwide; to help show children that everyone is equal. Another exercise that Crissey students participated in was one where each student took a family picture into their class. The students then wrote about their families, such as; how many family members there were, what their favorite foods were, what they liked to do together and so on. Once each student had written about their family the class filled out a poster that took a tally of each answer that was the same. By the end of the exercise the students were able to see that even though they may not look similar in appearance or come from the same origin, their families liked the same activities, foods, and vacation spots. It is exercises like these that help teach our youth to be, â€Å"one† and not divide between each other. The future of our society depends on people who have open minds and see past prejudice. These kinds of people can help mediate between conflicts of other people with prejudice. According to the web-site, Beyond Prejudice, the victims of prejudicial thinking or prejudicial actions are already devalued in the eyes of prejudicial individuals and any action taken by these people is seen as less valid because of their devaluation. In addition to this person being devalued, his or her action also brings an oppositional force into the situation; this often creates more heat than light. Oppositional positions, while they may be completely â€Å"correct,† often trigger resistance within observers, as well as within the individual who perceives himself or herself as the target of that force. This is partly why we need people to intervene between those with conflict. The only way to completely intervene without causing more conflict is to continue to teach against prejudice. Illustration A: Illustration B: The first illustration here simply shows the prejudice person (person who feels a certain way about another person or group) and the other side shows the targeted side (person or group being prejudged). The prejudicial action force is where the prejudice feelings reside between the two. The second illustration shows both groups and the prejudicial action force but it also includes another section that shows a non-targeted person or group. This added section illustrates a neutral party that can intervene to help detour the prejudice feelings. Our society can practice similar exercises to those of the Crissey students on a day-to-day basis. If we wake up every morning and decide to do one or two kind things for someone of another race, sex, religion, or culture we are slowly helping the fight. If you open the door for the Native American walking out, allow the elderly ladies to cut in front of you at the store, or even offer the homeless gentlemen a cold water you are showing another person that prejudice does not have to overtake our society. Theresa D. McClellan sited that, â€Å"It is the subtle forces and faces of racism which are the most frustrating and, often, the most difficult to combat,† by Woodrick in the 1996 issue of The Grand Rapids Press. The whispers under the breaths of Caucasians who were raised to hate African American’s, or the impolite nudges of the men who were taught they are inferior to women are the hardest feelings of prejudice to look past. According to the Conflict Research Consortium at the University of Colorado, these kinds of prejudice feelings can be worked through with counseling and exercises like mirror imaging. Mirror imaging is a strategy which parties can use to assess the reasonableness of their behavior. It asks the parties to look at themselves the way others see them and make appropriate changes if they do not like what they see. Often if disputants will look at themselves honestly, they will sometimes notice that they are doing the same kinds of things–name calling, deception, and rumor spreading, for example–that they fault their opponents for doing. Once this is understood, parties can change their behavior to appear more reasonable, without altering or undermining their true interests at all. Another exercise that the Conflict Research Consortium suggests is power sharing. This is a strategy for resolving disputes over who should have the most powerful position in the social hierarchy. Instead of fighting over who should have power over whom, power sharing relies upon the joint exercise of power. If conflicts can be reframed to focus on how such power sharing might take place, they can become much more constructive. With all of the given suggestions for fighting against prejudice, our society and communities should follow through with simple exercises to teach youth and adults ways to work through feelings we were taught or have on our own. We have to continue to educate about different cultures, religions, races, and sexes. We can educate everyone through our schools, media and peers. The next time you feel that you do not like the person sitting next to you because of the color of their skin, the texture of their hair, the odor they give off or their size think about what kinds of aspects of life you may have in common with them. Would it make you feel better to know that they get their hair cut at the same beauty salon you do? Would it make you like them if you knew that the reason they are obese is from the same disease that your mother suffers from? We need to try to remember when we feel hate and prejudice in our heart that â€Å"we† are not perfect either and there may be aspects of us that the person sitting next to us does not like. How would we feel knowing someone did not like us, and they do not even know us? â€Å"Prejudices are the chains forged by ignorance to keep men apart. † This is a quote by the Countess of Blessington that enlightens us to understanding that when we carry these prejudices inside ourselves we create the barrier between our fellow neighbors. Looking back at the history of prejudice and the pain we inflict on our children, our society and our future; we have to make the choice to learn the uniqueness of one another. It is our duty to the human race to stop prejudging another for what they are or are not. Reference Page Blessington, Countess. (2007). Welcome to the Quote Garden. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www.quotegarden. com/ prejudice. html Cole, Dr. Jim. (2003). Beyond Prejudice. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www. beyondprejudice. com/index. html. Conflict Research Consortium. (1998). Prejudice and Discrimination. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www. colorado. edu/conflict/peace/problem/prejdisc. htm. Kids Health. (2000). Prejudice-not giving a ‘fair go’. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from http://www. cyh. com/SubDefault. aspx? p=255. Lunny-Brady, Edith (2008,April 10). Subtle kind of racism still around. Pantagraph, A. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from Business Dateline Database. (Document ID:1460281071). Myra. Harold. â€Å"Love in Black and White. † Christianity Today >38. n3(March 7, 1994):18(2). General OneFile. Gale. Apollo Library. 25 April. 2008 from http://find. galegroup. com/ips/start. do? prodid=IPS7. Theresa D. McClellan / The Grand Rapids Press (2008, April 24). Marking decade of Diversity: Institute for Healing Racism workshops try to heal a society built on Prejudices. The Grand Rapids Press,B. 1. Retrieved June 16, 2008, from ProQuest Central database. (Document ID: 1468362011).