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More handpicked essays just for you.
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The Canary Effect The Canary Effect is a 2006 documentary that looks into how our U.S. policies have had a huge effect on the Native Americans that live here. It gives a deep insight in history of the Spaniards relationship with American Indians in America. The film begins discussing what events were going on during the time frame when Columbus first discovered America (1492). Although the view on the events that happened don’t seem to be that of Christopher Columbus, but rather Bartolomeo de las Casas. Las Casas was a priest from Europe that traveled with Columbus but had a point-of-view from the Native Americans that were brutally tortured and massacred by Columbus and others from Europe. That brings us to the films focal point, which is …show more content…
The film discusses in detail how a huge characteristic of genocide is the future occurrence of events that heads toward a path of death for a group. Indian reservations are living in the highest poverty in the U.S. with some of the most substandard farming lands, water resources, and employment. The direct outcome of these conditions leaves Native Americans today with the shortest life expectancy and some of the worse health problems than any other culture in America. The acts of the Spanish meet every criteria of genocide, which leaves an entire different side of what we thought we knew about the events surrounding Christopher …show more content…
Racialization has formed our entire government, economy, and our very own identities. In order for our Country to move on and begin to improve we need to develop an alternate worldview of one another. Racialization has direct effects with everything in our society such as economics and political power. Our Country has to be able to come together to prevent racialization from destroying every part of our society system. Our society today is beginning to enter a complete Racial Dictatorship. The government is allowing race to control situations and how people live their lives to make everything equal which I completely understand. The problem we are having is how they are approaching the situation. People of one culture should not be forced to work somewhere or live somewhere because of a quota or a number that needs to be met to make us look like an equal society. I believe people should be able to make their own decisions while looking at society not as a racial separation but as a whole
What he and his men did to the Indigenous people is told in horrifying detail by the Dominican priest Bartolome de Las Casas, “whose writings give the most thorough account of the Spanish-Indian encounter.” Las Casas witnessed firsthand Columbus’ soldiers stabbing Natives for sport, dashing babies’ heads on rocks, and sexually abusing Indigenous women. His testimony was corroborated by other eyewitnesses, such as a group of Dominican friars, who addressed the Spanish monarchy in 1519, hoping to bring an end to the atrocities. At the very least, Columbus was complicit in the actions of his men. He cared so little for the welfare of the Indigenous people that he let his soldiers commit reprehensible acts that would be considered crimes against humanity in the present day. Christopher Columbus’ actions suggest he had no issue with serving as an enabler of the horrifying actions committed by his men against the Indigenous
In some respects, we can attribute the founding of America and all its subsequent impacts to Christopher Columbus. Columbus a hero in the United States, has his own holiday and we view as the one who paved the way for America to be colonized. However, people tend to forget the other side of Columbus, the side that lusted after gold and resources that often belonged to the native inhabitants he came across in his exploration. In his insatiable greed, he and his crew committed countless atrocities, such as torture and killing of defenseless natives. Columbus’s discovery of these new lands contributes profound and negative effects as future colonists arrived. “Zinn estimates that perhaps 3 million people perished in the Caribbean alone from raids, forced labor and disease” (Zinn, 1980). Columbus was seen as a cruel man, who saw the peaceful inhabitants as right for the conquering and lead to the devastation of the native population, yet is celebrated every October.
While Mexican Americans were considered white by law, the documentary A Class Apart sheds light on the struggles and eventual triumph of Mexican Americans in the their journey for racial equality within the United States. Following the Mexican War, Mexican Americans were subjected to a Jim Crow style of discrimination. Despite retaining U.S. citizenship, Mexican Americans were treated as second class citizens. Frustrated by social, political, and economic disenfranchisement, Mexican Americans sought the assistance of the United States Supreme Court, in what would become a landmark case, to secure the full rights afforded to them as United States citizens.
Cabeza de Vaca, like many other Spaniards, wanted to seek fortune in the new world, but things did not go as planned, and he eventually lost everything. Although he came to conquer in the name of Spain, he ended up living amongst the Native Americans in need for survival and became very close to them. Although originally the Spaniards were very narrow minded and believed the Indians were uncivilized and barbaric, Cabeza de Vaca shortly found out that they were not uncivilized, but quite the opposite. He saw that they were just as human as the Spaniards were and were no less than they were. His perception of humanity altered as a result of living with “the others.”
Christopher Columbus’ only real claim to fame (other than, perhaps, one of the earliest perpetrators of genocide) is that he began a period of conquest and colonization in the Americas. Columbus made no secret of his plans for the first native peoples he encountered, the Arawak. He wrote to his patrons, “With fifty men all can be kept in subjection, and made to do whatever you desire” (Colbert, 1997, p.6).
"Fed Up (Soechtig, 2014)." narrated by Katie Couric, focuses on the growing link between sugar consumption and the obesity epidemic. The film aggressively attacks the food industry, advertising, and the government who, it claims, all contribute to the U.S. sugar-dependent, obesity problem. The film sets out to prove the government, and food industry is knowingly causing an increase in the amount of obese children. It reserves its most critical comments for government advisory panels who make and enforce food and health policy, and its failure to properly regulate the food industry. They claim lobbyists for the sugar board have been instrumental in the removal of negative statistics from research papers worldwide. Instead
“Las Casas traveled to Spain and harangued the government. In his books and articles, he demanded that the Spaniards return Indian land and end forced labor. By the end of his life, he also proclaimed a revolutionary idea: the equality of all human races,” (“The Washington Post” Gibbin). Bartolome believed in equality and in the vicinity of Columbus, he should have been the real hero. Not only did Columbus enslave Native Americans, as he punished them by cutting parts of their body off, he like every other Spaniard kept the Indians as slaves expecting taxes of gold every three months. “Whenever an Indian delivered his tribute, he was to receive a brass or copper token which he must wear about his neck as proof that he had made his payment. Any Indian found without such a token was to be punished. With a fresh token, an Indian was safe for three months, much of which time would be devoted to collecting more gold,” (Loewen, 2).
...ome color and an equally genuine valuation of people as people, regardless of color” (Rodriguez[2000]:3). If the dualistic look at race disappeared from society then the dominate group would find an alternative way to classify humans. The dominate group would do this because the disadvantages people in inferior positions have helps to increase or perpetuate the advantages that the dominate group has. The dominate group will do what-ever it takes to maintain their dominance. I believe there are steps that can be taken to help promote change in the dominate group. I believe if the dominate group would take a step back to look at the entire picture societal changes could possible. Also, recognition of white privilege would change the dynamics of society as a whole. The norms should be reevaluated to accept that there is no such thing as normal or ideal individual.
In the documentary “Fed Up,” sugar is responsible for Americas rising obesity rate, which is happening even with the great stress that is set on exercise and portion control for those who are overweight. Fed Up is a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig, with Executive Producers Katie Couric and Laurie David. The filmmaker’s intent is mainly to inform people of the dangers of too much sugar, but it also talks about the fat’s in our diets and the food corporation shadiness. The filmmaker wants to educate the country on the effects of a poor diet and to open eyes to the obesity catastrophe in the United States. The main debate used is that sugar is the direct matter of obesity. Overall, I don’t believe the filmmaker’s debate was successful.
In a society, the discrimination is wrong, we should try to end it now; besides, discriminations make people being have a distance when they stand near each other. We need develop this society lives by unity; furthermore, I believe only unity is a super power to improve our life without discrimination of races, sex, religions, because “united we stand, divided we fall.” Everybody has an equal right in life; we should refuse discrimination in society; if we know changes, then everything will become a miracle bring the happiness to everybody.
I chose to analyze Despicable Me, an animated film geared towards a younger audience, because I was interested in examining underlying theories and messages that this film would be relaying to its viewers. Often times, when watching animated films, children are not aware of these messages, as they are absorbed by the characters, special effects, and humor. But as we have learned throughout this semester, our brains are subconsciously primed by the various surroundings we are exposed to. Since we also studied the impacts of entertainment, such as television and video games, on children, I wanted to see how a popular children’s film might also affect them.
The opposition may make multiple arguments justifying Spanish treatment of Indians: the Indians were well suited to slave labor, the Spanish had the right to correct "savage" behavior, and it is the job of the Spaniards to "save the Indians from heathenism and prevent them from falling under the sway of Protestantism" (GML, 26). Despite these counters, there are many instances where the Natives did not receive humane treatment. When reviewing Spain’s actions, one will understand that the invaders did not respect the sovereignty of the Indian people, and treated them as “beasts tied to a rope…” (VOF, 9). For example, in Spanish America, “the Spanish forced tens of thousands of Indians to work in gold and silver mines, which supplied the
Throughout the 20th century people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many other advocates of desegregation in society have stood for the togetherness of all races. In society, depending on who he or she is, he or she may tell you that segregation doesn’t exist anymore and that our society is heading in the right direction. He or she may be right to a certain extent, but take a moment and think about whom your main group of friends is, what type of people reflects your religious settings, and what cultural background reflects the main group of people at your work place. Our society may seem right but has totally reversed in terms of cultural diversity in every aspect of our lives. Every race is categorized for being and doing something that may seem to help or hinder society. From where I grew up in society, the world portrayed to me to
A large problem in America has always been racial issues and still continues to be prevalent in our society today. The United States likes to boast its reputation as a “melting-pot” as many cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds are mixed together, yet the country still continues to isolate individuals based on race. In the constitution, it says that everyone is supposed to have equal rights and liberties, yet after over 200 years, many minorities still struggle to obtain the same respect and equality that their white counterparts have always have. Laws should be created to enforce equality and justice for racial groups.
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence is a Steven Spielberg science fiction drama film, which conveys the story of a younger generation robot, David, who yearns for his human mother’s love. David’s character stimulates the mind-body question. What is the connection between our “minds” and our bodies?