Doubts about America

Wealth Inequality in America

In this video, Bill Maher shares his views on wealth inequality. He supports the views of the '99%' that the wealthiest 1% take most of America's money leaving others with minimal funds.

He describes American wealth like a pizza and says that the 'first guy would take 80 slices, and if someone suggests to take 79 slices, that's socialism!' This shows the popular view of the higher class that they have worked hard for their money and they have no reason to give that money away to poor people who struggle with money on a daily basis.

Maher says in this video 'we have this fantasy that our interests and the interests of the super rich are the same, like somehow the rich will eventually get so full and explode..but here's the thing about a piñata it doesn't open on it's own, you have to beat it with a stick.' this shows us that Maher thinks the poor should fight the 'super rich' for their money as they will never give it to the poor if there is no effort to obtain it.

Researching into Maher's background I have found that he has a net worth of $23 million, this means that he would be in the top 1% that he is so passionately complaining about. Maher's argument can not be seen as reliable because of this fact and we have to consider that he may be using this argument to gain popularity from people who share the view he is expressing.


Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SASkrBbIBJs
http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/celeb/comedian/bill-maher-net-worth/

Depression and Recession

The Great Depression 

Homeless shelter in Chicago, 1930

This picture shows a shelter for homeless people during the Great Depression. We can see that poverty was an issue at this time as there are more people than there are beds in this shelter, making some people sleep on the floor. This suggests that homelessness was a problem as this time as shelters were made especially yet they did not have room to accommodate the large amount of people that needed to use them.

The Recession 

Homeless shelter in New York, 2013

This picture again shows a homeless shelter, however this photo was taken in the recession. We again see many homeless people taking advantage of the aid given but there seems to be more beds in this shelter than we see in the earlier one. This could just be the angle of the photographs or it could show us that more facilities have been built to help the homeless problem. In this photo nobody is sleeping on the floor which tells us that homeless shelters are now stricter than they seemed to be in the 1930s. I know that homelessness is still a big issue in America and therefore I do not believe that the empty floors would be down to having less people using the shelters. 

Overall, there is a clear resemblance in both photographs which shows me that the issue of homelessness has not cleared up since the great depression but instead has grown during the recession. 

The American Dream

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey is an example of someone who has experienced the 'American Dream'. I chose to write about Jim's personal experience as some of his early life mirrors Richard's lifestyle in Ragged Dick. Jim grew up in poverty similarly to Dick so he had to work in a factory after school to provide for his family who at the time lived out of a Volkswagen camper.

Carrey's success came when he performed a gig at The Comedy Store and a comic signed him as an opening act for the season. This led to a film career as he grew confidence in the performing industry.
Jim Carrey now has a net worth of $150 million which is extremely impressive after you learn about his poor childhood.

It is obvious to see the comparisons of childhood poverty between Jim Carrey and Dick in Ragged Dick however, Carrey had a family that he had to provide for whereas Dick had no relatives so he had to completely fend for himself. The other main difference between the actor and the character is the professions they both went into. Jim entered the entertainment profession whereas Dick tried to be as practical as possible and go for a stable counting room job. Although it can be argued that the job was given to him rather than him going out and searching for it so this profession could have been different under other circumstances.

Both Jim Carrey and the character of Dick prove that anyone can be successful with hard work. Jim Carrey is also an example that the 'American dream' is still accomplished today and that it is not just an idea of the past.


Sources:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000120/bio
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/14/rags-to-riches-stories_n_2458994.html

Gun Control Website Comparisons

Pro-Gun Control Website - www.everytown.org

This website represents the 'Everytown for Gun Safety' movement. The aim of this group is to try and stop gun violence through background checks when buying weapons, stopping gun trafficking and by stopping guns being sold in grocery stores.

The website includes many stories from survivors of gun violence, by including these stories it shows readers how dangerous guns can be. A donation page is also found on this website which allows people to 'save lives' as the website says. This is implying that without the help of this group, many innocent people will be murdered with guns. This idea is supported by the statement at the top of their page which says 'Every day, 86 Americans are killed by gun violence.'

Guns are only shown in a negative light on this website. It focusses on tragedy's that have occurred due to guns and how they are too dangerous to be treated as a common item.


Anti-Gun Control Website - http://home.nra.org/

The National Rifle Association is an organisation that 'works to defeat restrictive gun control legislation, to pass pro-gun reform legislation, and to educate the public about the facts concerning gun ownership.' This is the opposite to 'Everytown' as they work towards gaining more gun rights and freedoms. 

This website tries to encourage people to become members of the association through advertising perks such as discounts for shops and even insurance. This can be seen as buying peoples support for the rewards it gives. The website also promotes special events such as gun shows, conferences, speeches and competitions. This shows guns as something exciting that people should go and see, not something to be afraid of.

Although this website is promoting anti-gun control, it also talks about how gun safety should be taught properly and that it is important to have correct education in place.


Overall, I do not agree with the idea of guns as I believe they are very dangerous. This has been proven with the many deaths that are caused by the weapons. However, I know that many people do keep them in America and I therefore think that everyone who owns a gun should be accurately trained and they should know the gun safety rules.


Sources:
http://everytown.org/
http://home.nra.org/
http://www.nraila.org/

American Liberty

US Presidential Elections 1789-2012

I have chosen a video which shows the results of the Presidential Elections from 1789 to 2012 as an example of American liberty.

I chose this for two reasons, the first being that the right to vote shows the freedom American citizens have in being able to choose someone to represent them. The second reason that I chose this video was because it shows the gradual increase of the different states being able to vote. This shows how there has been an improvement in American Liberty from 1789 to the present day.

There has also been an improvement to American Liberty over the years as you can now be any gender and race to vote where as before when voting was first introduced you had to be a white male. In 1869 African American men were given the right to vote in the Fifteenth Amendment however the 'grandfather clause' was created so many black men were not able to utilise the new law. Women were given the vote in 1920 by the Nineteenth Amendment.

Some Americans are still not entitled to this liberty of voting as an age restriction means that you have to be eighteen to vote. This has been put in place as it is believed that anyone younger would not understand the government system properly and therefore their votes would be unsuitable. There is however some people that believe the vote should be lowered to the age of 16 with the argument that teenagers are responsible enough to drive at that age so why can't they have a say in their future.

Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYlHICfl_6s
https://www.aclu.org/timeline-history-voting-rights-act
http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/19th-amendment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-sixth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

Chuck D

Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (Chuck D) was born in Long Island and grew up with both parents being political activists. Whilst at school, Carlton was interested in hip-hop music so he became involved in making flyers and co-hosting on the school radio station. It is by doing this that he met Bill Stephney and Hank Shocklee who he created Public Enemy with. 

Public Enemy broadened the hip hop genre to white audiences as it was previously seen as a black music genre. Chuck used his new audience to become a spokesperson for the black community writing lyrics such as "Some ask us why we act the way we act without lookin' how long they kept us back" in 'Righstarter (Message To A Black Man)'. 

Chuck D said in the past that "Rap is black America's TV station" however he seems to change his mind later on in his life as he says in an interview that "rap music is the world wide religion of people 25 and under, and we have to watch the King James version" This shows his view that rap music can be for both black and white audiences but people only see what the internet and the TV allows them to see. Their views on rap music are decided by the media.  

Chuck D is currently touring with Public Enemy around the world and he still continues to speak up for black Americans and how they are treated. I think that Chuck D is a great example of a successful African American who isn't afraid to stand up for his race and try to improve stereotypes that black people are given. 

Sources:
http://www.mtv.com/artists/chuck-d/biography/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0195982/bio?ref_=nm_dyk_qt_sm#quotes

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/publicenemy/righstartermessagetoablackman.html

Journal Article: Thorpe David and D Chuck, "Chuck D" BOMB, no. 68 (1999): 41.

12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave is a popular film that has won many awards such as an Oscar, a BAFTA and a Golden Globes award. When watching the film, it is clear to see why it has impressed so many people.

12 Years a Slave takes on the subject of African American slavery and shows it from the perspective of the slave instead of the white master. The effects this has on the viewers is that they feel sympathy for the slaves and are resentful towards the white owners. This isn't the case for all of the white characters though as Ford and other men are admired for helping Solomon.

My initial reaction to this film was sadness for Solomon and the rest of the slaves as they had their whole lives taken away from them.  This emotion developed after reflecting on the movie as I realised that this was seen as socially acceptable in America and people were treated as badly as the film portrayed. What shocked me most about the film was that the character of Solomon was a respected man at the beginning and was treated equally to any white man living in New York. Going from this idea that we see in the present day to being downgraded and treated like an animal made me feel very distressed as it presented the idea that it could happen to anyone.

Due to the fact that 12 Years a Slave is a film which means it is created to keep viewers interested, we have to take into consideration that it might only show the worst parts of slavery and not the boring daily routines slaves would have to tolerate. This therefore means that the film is not completely reliable at showing us how African American slaves lived and were treated. The story of Solomon is also the representation of one character and even though we meet other slaves, we do not follow their story lines completely so we do not know the positions they were all in.

Overall I think that 12 Years a Slave is a very good method of showing audiences how African American slaves were treated, however we cannot fully trust the film to be an accurate representation of this as it is made for the purpose of keeping viewers engaged and therefore it only shows the most dramatic parts of slavery. This isn't a film that I would like to see again as it is deeply upsetting to watch however I believe that everyone should watch it once to gain an idea of how badly African Americans were treated.

Sources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/awards
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2024544/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

Tempie Cummins

Tempie Cummins, Age Unknown

Tempie Cummins starts off her narrative by saying "The white chillun tries teach me to read and write" this surprised me when I first read it as it describes white children not showing the same discrimination as adults seem to have for African Americans as this time. This could therefore suggest to us that racism is something that is learnt through society rather than it being a natural instinct. The fact that the children are having to teach Tempie tells us that they are further educated than her even though they may be younger. This shows us that education for white children was more highly regarded than it was for black children. 

Cummins then says "I allus workin" which shows us that she wasn't treated any fairer because of her young age and that she was still expected to work the long hard hours that adults would be given. This again shows the lack of compassion for African Americans. 

Tempie later explains that "When freedom was 'clared, marster wouldn' tell 'em" this shows us that the slave owners just wanted to get as much work out of them as possible even if it was now not allowed. This reflects the views of many who only regarded their slaves as a labour force instead of humans with rights. 

Tempie explains that when her mother hears of this new freedom she runs outside whilst the "Marster, he come out with his gun and shot at mother" this sort of action would be typical of a farmer trying to catch one of his animals when it runs away which implies that the slaves were seen as animal-like. This also shows us that the master did not care about the lives of his slaves and would rather murder them than let them escape his control. 

Arizona

Arizona

Best known for its hot weather and vast desert, Arizona is a highly visited state with a population of 6.627 million people. 

Arizona is the hottest state in America with temperatures reaching a high of 41C in the summer months. This heat could be the reason why 211,816 move away from Arizona as the heat makes living conditions difficult. Arizona has around 222,877 people move to the state, one reason for this may be because it has a good reputation for being clean and well maintained. 

Arizona receives many tourists due to people wanting to visit the Grand Canyon and the desert. This has made a large economic impact on Arizona with it making around $19 billion a year from tourists and creating 161,300 jobs. 

Arizona has a $6.3 billion agricultural industry with 7,500 farms and ranches. Cotton is grown here as well as fruits, vegetables and meats. Due to the hot weather in winter, Arizona ranks highly in crops grown throughout the year making it a stable economic state. 

Arizona is mainly inhibited by white persons with a percentage of 84%. The other 16% includes African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, Hawaiian and other races. 

Sources:

http://www.visitarizona.com/arizona-travel-info/arizona-weather

http://www.governing.com/gov-data/census/2010-census-state-migration-statistics.html

https://tourism.az.gov/research-statistics/visitation-profiles

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04000.html

Space and Place

This map shows the pay inequality in America by highlighting how much less women earn as a percentage to men in each state. This map uses information taken from a 2012 census which found that Wyoming had the biggest pay gap of 56.6% between male and female incomes. Some people believe this is because men are more involved in the mining and construction jobs available in Wyoming which pay well. Washington DC has the smallest gap of 11.0% which is still a large difference. 

With women earning an average 77% of men's wages, it is clear to see that the Equal Pay Act of 1963 did not stop employers from paying workers different salaries based on their gender. A new act called the Paycheck Fairness Act is currently being discussed and many people believe that if introduced, it would improve these statistics as employers would have limited factors such as education, training or experience which would allow them to differ someone's income.

Sources:

http://www.businessinsider.com/gender-pay-inequality-state-map-2014-4

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeswomanfiles/2014/04/07/the-awful-truth-of-the-gender-pay-gap-it-gets-worse-as-women-age/   

https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/84

http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/report-wyoming-has-nation-s-largest-gender-wage-gap/article_833dc410-96f8-5102-b2c4-3f11c137e424.html

Icons of America

Image 1: President Obama

President Obama is a recognizable icon of America from all over the world. I believe he affirms the association between America and liberty as he represents African Americans and how they are no longer treated as slaves but instead can now be viewed as leaders. Obama has also fought for American liberty promoting his support of equality for women and same sex marriages.

Image 2: The American Dollar Bill

This bill is iconic to America as it has been used as currency since 1786. The American Dollar questions and negates liberty of religion through the phrase printed on the back which says "IN GOD WE TRUST". This phrase suggests that to be American you have to believe in God. Some people living in the United States are discriminated against today because they are atheist or follow another religion and as a result of this they may not have the same opportunities as a Christian American would have when it comes down to military, health care and education.

Sources:
http://l.barackobama.com/equal-rights/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/civil-rights
https://www.au.org/about/our-history