The Color of Sin by Sherman and Clore discusses the relationship between sin being dirty and dark, and purity being white and clean. It details that white and black are not just analogical assertions but actual perceptions of moral purity and pollution. As the article states, “black is not just the opposite of white, but it is also a potent impurity that can contaminate whiteness.” Conversely, white is known to be an easily tarnished thing that to remain pure must remain unstained. White is therefore known to be a symbol for moral purity. These universal associations were so strangely believed, that they were tested using various methods. Research by Stabler and Johnson 1972, showed that kids typically tended to associate black boxes with negative contents and white boxes with positive objects. This association could be because black is the color of night, uncertainty, and …show more content…
They hypothesized that those who liked cleaning products would show it, so those who make associations of sin with blackness are more concerned about pollution in general. This was tested using 51 students from UVA again from a range of ethnicities. Again a new word list was generated and rated. After the Stroop task, they rated the desirability of 5 cleaning products and 5 non-cleaning products.They found that moral-purity metaphors may be important for regulating moral actions, and by thinking of immoral acts it may lead to avoiding those acts. Also there exists a moral-purity metaphor that likens goodness to actual cleanliness. And, those with the moral Stroop effect liked cleaning so there is in fact a link between immorality-blackness and concern for purity. I liked this article because it truly shed light on what perhaps may have been attributed to the cause for slavery in the world. I thought that it was very interesting and informative and its hypothesis was concretely backed up by data and
This makes for a very interesting read. Johnson’s personal writing style does not shine through much due to the way he chose to build narrative around historical sources, but nevertheless he tells an interesting, cohesive story that draws the reader in and exposes some of the insidious history surrounding the trade of slaves in our history. The book is divided into seven sections, ten including the introduction and epilogue, as well as a section dedicated to illustrations of historical documents alluded to in the text. Johnson also includes a section entitled “Notes,” where he has compiled his sources. The “Notes” section is not a straight bibliography. It also includes helpful author notes describing the context of sources that did not fit in the main narrative, and references for those wanting to do their own research. For example, one note includes information on a book by Tadman which contains information on the number of slaves traded. The author includes a summary, including migration numbers and the percentage of those numbers directly related to the trade. This section is helpfully divided and labeled, with the notes referred to in each part of the book labeled by section. Each notation and illustration is referenced within the text by numbers, which coincide with each note or illustration offering more
“Slavery is an American embarrassment” (Breen/Innes 3). The history of slavery can be very complex. While most people believe that slaves did not have the chance to advance, Breen and Innes prove that theory wrong. At least slaves had the opportunity to purchase their freedom on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Breen and Innes also point out that the relationships between blacks and whites are also not how we originally thought they were. They were not one sided relationships; they could be considered co-dependent relationships.
Sampson’s article “Divergent Pathways of Gentrification: Racial Inequality and the Social Order of Renewal in Chicago Neighborhoods” the most because it was easier for me to relate to. I have seen the process of gentrification in person with frequent trips to the city so I could understand having physically observed the process. However, I also enjoyed Michelle Boyd’s article because it took on a new perspective that I had never given much thought to. When I think of gentrification the first thing that comes to my mind is the gradual removal of minorities either intentionally or
Slavery is perhaps the most polarizing subject of American history. Because of this, actual conditions of slavery are biased and marred by personal opinion. The abolitionists made use of the plights of slave in order to push their propaganda whereas the pro-slavery apologists maintained ignorance regarding the treatment of slaves. Because of these varied perspectives, the sources regarding the true nature of slavery are littered with bias. This bias leaves the modern historian trying to decipher the truth behind manipulated propaganda tales. This was the norm until 1956. It was this year in which Kenneth M. Stampp released his book entitled, The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in the Ante-Bellum South. Stampp successfully managed to create a book regarding slavery in the South without inserting his own personal bias. Because of this, Stampp was able to conclude that slavery was used primarily to exploit labor and to produce substantial revenue gains.
This book gives a well-rounded picture of abolitionism in a way that not many have done before. And I think that if more historians did this, instead of making history very one-sided, it would eliminate some of the controversy of historiography.
In Ronald Takaki’s A Different Mirror, it talks about the color line between blacks and whites. On page 49 it stated, “What struck the English most about Africans was their color. “These people are all black, and are called Negros, without any apparell, saving before their privities.” This relates going back to Article Three in Rethinking the Color Line first thing we notice about someone is their race. People get judged by the way they look, for the English mind the color black for them was bad for example, “deeply stained with dirt, “foul,” “dark or deadly” in purpose, “malignant,” “sinister,” “wicked.” In other words being black is a horrible thing as for the color white it signified purity, innocence, and goodness. Blacks and whites could never coexist in America. “The real
Although it was very graphic it explained the horrific mistreatment of the slaves that were packed in so tightly they couldn’t even move on their sides and describing it as a slaughterhouse. I found it interesting how in previous history textbooks I had read in high school the conditions of the transportation of slaves had not been explained in such a gruesome way. It was useful in trying to comprehend the unspeakable living conditions in which the slaves had to live
The power of stereotypes stored in the brain was a daunting thought. This information enlightened me about the misconceptions we carry from our cultural experiences. Also, it startled me that according to (Banaji and Greenwald, 2013) “those who showed high levels of White Preference on the IAT test were also those who are most likely to show racially discriminatory behavior,” (pg. 47). I reflected on this information, and it concerned me that my judgments were simply based on past cultural experiences. This mindbug was impacting my perception of someone before I even had a chance to know him.
The abolishment of slavery, no matter what country it took place in, was a significant turning point in world history. Due to this it has become the discussion of much scholarly debate. There are three historians to highlight that provide key points to why slavery needed to be abolished and the significance of it. David Brion Davis, C.L.R. James, and Orlando Patterson all share similar and differing viewpoints for why slavery needed to be discontinued. This is important to discuss so we as humans who are building a society do not make the same mistakes again as we continue to learn from our past. Whether they are social, economic, or moral wrongdoings we can take a step in the right direction towards avoiding them by observing and contemplating what has occurred before us. This is why reading these historians’ accounts are so important. The three historians David Brion Davis, C.L.R. James, and Orlando Patterson show why slavery could not be sustained and why it was necessary to rid ourselves of it.
The author presented the information in a very solid way and sectioned it out very well. I understood what he was trying to explain. It was somewhat a long book but very much full of knowledge and history that in spirit is still alive today. We may not have slavery like it was then, but we still deal with racism and prejudice daily.
In a sociocultural perspective, the color red would have an effect on others because group norms guide our thought and behavior. If all people wearing red were considered promiscuous because of a societal norm, we will also view red as promiscuous. In a bio-social perspective, the color red would have an effect on people’s perception of others because the thoughts and behaviors have been passed down genetically. Therefore, if our ancestors believed that seeing red was attractive, we may believe the same because we have inherited that thought and behavior. In a behaviorism perspective, the color red would have an effect on people’s perception of others because organisms are designed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. If the color red can give us our biological or psychological needs – such as food or sex – we will tend to seek it; however, if the color red is of something detrimental to our well being – such as signs of danger – we will avoid
Purity and filth have been on opposite sides of the fence ever since a distinction was made between the two. The purity vs filth battle can be seen in many aspects of life, whether that be displayed in race, religion, or even geographically. This brings into question, where is the division between filth and purity, or is there a division at all? This division is called out in Joe Weil’s “Ode to Elizabeth”, Nicolás Guillén’s “What Color?”, and possibly even in William Carlos William’s “This is Just to Say”.
For me personally this article enlightened me in the area of gender difference. I never took the time to think about some of the issues mentioned. For example I never thought about how the brain responds to actual hormones and how the brain responds to events because of these hormones. This was interesting to me enough so that I engaged in outside research briefly to explore the issue.
Saturation can be seen as the intensity or brightness of a colour. It ranges from its pure colour (hue), which would be fully saturated, to grey. (Cotnoir, 2012)
It makes me feel like I had no clue how bad women had it back then. Since they could not own property or even vote like the slaves did. She showed how important social reform really is. It was seemed that they were restricted in so many ways it seems as if they were owned by men. The interchanging role of man and woman is an important trend in Fuller's argument. The way she writes is very educational in her points about what needs to be done and what the main problems are now. Overall this story brings out the forgiving side and how you realize what has happened before and how there is so much equality