"The Noble Feat of Nike" by Johan Norberg

How do multicultural corporations such as Nike affect poor countries such as Vietnam? In "The Noble Feat of Nike" by Johan Norberg, Norberg informs the reader how Nike is helping the Vietnamese economy by providing jobs for citizens of Vietnam. Though you may think that these factories are just working innocent people for small profits, the actuality behind the fact is that in comparison to working on the farm, Tsi-Chi, a Nike factory worker in Vietnam, says that she not only makes five times as much as she used too, but also that she does not have to work 10 to 14 hours in the hot sun. By working as a Nike factory worker, she gets regular wages, free meals, free medical services, training, and an education. People working at the factories wish that Nike would expand so their relation could also be provided a job.
As Johan Norberg writes, a generation ago, if he asked the Nike worker Tsi-Chi what she wished for her son, she may have said that she wants him to work on the farm, but now after the creation of the Nike factory, Tsi-Chi says that she wishes that he is able to get a good education. "In recent years the number of children who have gone from child labor to educated children has increased to 2.2 million," says Norberg.

Many people, especially in the United States, believe that the only reason factories such as Nike are moving to foreign countries, is so they can produce the product at such a lower cost. However, for many factories like Nike, the reason as to why they produce their product in a foreign country is so that people like Tsi-Chi can send her child to school to get an education. Before I read this article, I was one of those people who made that assumption. Now though, I see how these factories have improved the living styles of several Vietnamese people. The little things that we are provided daily, such as food, an education, and housing, are a reward for Vietnamese factory workers at Nike. Now we may ask ourselves, why are we so selfish when we have everything we could ever ask for? I hope that the Nike factory will be able to improve the economy of Vietnam and provide more jobs to the Vietnamese. Every time we buy a pair of Nike shoes, we are contributing to the money that all those Vietnamese people are making. The more shoes we buy the larger the Nike factory is able to increase their profit. I think that if more people read Johan Norberg's article, they would all have a different look on companies such as Nike. Norberg has truly shown how sometimes we are uninformed about the things we say.

"Arranged Marriages get a Little Reshuffling" by Lizette Alvarez

As a new modernized world approaches, the belief of arranged marriages which are a tradition in the British Muslim faith, are progressively getting to be a more lenient practice. According to Lizette Alvarez's article "Arranged marriages get a Little Reshuffling," Lizette talks about how the number of Muslims practicing this tradition in the old-fashion manner are decreasing. More Muslims in Britain are instead leaning towards a more informal approach. Normally how arranged marriages work are that the young woman is introduced to the family of the her future husband and the two families sit and talk. As Ms. Sapra a British Sindu says, "You sit there looking cute and like the ideal housewife. The matriarchs do the talking." After ten formal arranged meetings, Sapra no longer takes this route, instead she has resulted in the new norm speed dating. For many young Indians and Pakistanis speed dating is slowly becoming more popular and the formal arranged methods are becoming more informal. Instead of meeting with the family first, the younger generations are meeting the prospective mate without the involvement of the families. As the author says, "what is happening is that the arranged marriage is becoming a bit more open and children are getting a bit more say in this so it becomes a nice compromise." However for some elderly parents, they begin to worry that their son or daughter will go unmarried with this new creation. Though some traditions of Muslim practice remain the same, the idea of arranged marriages continue to shift towards the modernized culture, in order to c0unteract the change in the world.

Though I am not a Muslim, I believe that in order for a marriage to work their has to be some sort of connection. Why should two people have to suffer through life as a married couple if they do not love each other? Love is the sole reason as to why a relationship works. Without love, there is no relationship. I think that this "reshuffling" is for the better. It will allow British Muslim men and women to be able to share that larger connection with their spouse. Though the parents may be just looking out for their son or daughter, it is the son or daughter who has to live with the other person. Arranged marriages may ensure that all Muslims become married, but I think that I would rather not be married then to be married unhappily. Marriage is forever. We should at least all have the ability to choose our spouse!

Creating an (In)clusive Environment of Racial Realities on Campus (ISCORE)

At the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity on March 6th, 2009, I attended a session called Creating an (In)clusive environment of racial realities on campus. At the beginning of the session, the speakers were walking around and talking to people. However, after they started their demonstration, I realized that the speakers were only talking to people wearing glasses, all other people were not included. Prior to their presentation, I was not even aware that people without glasses were being discriminated against, but now I am able to see that many times, it is not obvious that people are being discriminated against, either because of their skin, religion, or even appearance. These things are happening everyday in our world, but what can we do to make all people, no matter what skin color, feel included? Reginald Blockett and Brittany Johnson, second year masters candidates, informed me about a few tips to help make our world more accepting of diversity and the different types of racism that occur daily.

The first type was racial micro-aggressions, which consisted of subtle insults to those of color. For example, often times people will say, "You're not like all those blacks." This phrase subtly insults blacks in general. Though it is not obvious, it is still racism! The second type of racism was "color-blind" racism. "Color-blind" racism is when people do not pay attention to race, so patterns of social inequality result. These are just a few of the different types of racism, that are occurring daily.

As a diverse campus, it is important that all people feel equal, but how can we accomplish this goal? The easiest and most obvious way to accomplish this goal is to "treat people the way you want to be treated" or the golden rule. This means not saying things that would discriminate against any person. If all students on campus were not racist towards people of different ethnicities, then people of color would feel more included. Alls it takes is one person to make a person feel hurt. If we all respect one another, then no one will get hurt or offended. Some examples of how the university has made all types of diverse people feel welcome is by the creation of the multicultural center in the Memorial Union, learning communities, academic study halls, and even fraternities and sororities. Also there are several different organizations on campus that are aimed specifically to certain cultures of people. For example, one organization that pertains to black chemists and chemical engineers, is the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers or NOBCChE.

I believe that though racism is not as extreme as it was 100's of years ago, it is still a problem in the United States. I think we as a nation have made huge progress this year with the election of the first black president, or Barack Obama. However, there is still room for improvement. By treating everyone with respect no matter who they are and where they come from, we as nation can decrease the amount of racism in this world. We are all people and we all have feelings, whether are skin colors are the same or different, we still live in the same world . Why should one person not be granted the same respect as another person?

Dora the Explorer: Multicultural or Stereotypical? (ISCORE Conference)

I attended the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE), and at the conference they had a session called "Dora the Explorer: Multicultural or Stereotypical?" At the session they proceeded to provide us with information about the show in general. However it was up to us to decide whether we believed that the show provided a positive or negative feedback to children. Some of the statistics they provided were that every day 8.8 million viewers watch Dora the Explorer, and the show is featured in 15 different languages around the world. Out of all the children's parents in the United States who supported the show, 80% of the the support came from white families. What ages though of children are attracted to this television show? The majority of children watching Dora the Explorer are between the ages of 2-5 years old.

After hearing a bit of information about Dora and the show, I had to make my decision. Was the show stereotypical or multicultural? I believe that Dora the Explorer is a great impact on all children in the world. Dora is not only an adventurous young Hispanic girl, but she is also very intelligent and kind. With the help of her backpack, Dora is able to solve many problems in her environment. She teaches kids not only Spanish words, but she also teaches them how to solve problems. Dora the Explorer represents all the underrepresented Hispanics in the United States. She is the diversity that young children need to see. In the earlier creation of Dora the Explorer, Tiko was once a Hispanic character who just slept under a tree. However, because this showed a negative stereotype, the creators of Dora the Explorer changed Tiko's role. By revising the show, we are able to see that the purpose of Dora the Explorer is not to provide stereotypes, but instead to show the different diversities of people in our world. Dora's outgoing interactive nature causes many children to be engaged in the show. Dora the Explorer is not stereotypical in my opinion. I believe that the show has positively impacted all children throughout the world.

Should the drinking age be lowered?

For many years, people have asked the question, "should the drinking age be lowered?" In my personal opinion, I believe that lowering the drinking age will just cause more people who should not be drinking to drink even more. The majority of the people who are protesting the drinking age are those who do not even obey the law. I do not even logically see a good reason to lower the drinking age when the people protesting do not drink legally and responsibly now. If we lower the drinking age, the number of people killed by intoxicated drivers will more than likely increase, and the number of deaths caused by alcohol will also increase. Several men argue that if we have to sign up for the military than why should we not have the ability to drink. I believe that until I see all the men who think the drinking age should be lowered actually go to war, then I will say to them that they can drink all that they want, but until that day comes I do not believe that they should have that opportunity. Other people who are protesting the drinking age argue that the number of people dying from binge drinking will decrease. I heard from a fellow classmate the following story. A young college boy who was about 18 years old was being hazed at a fraternity. However, the boy ended up drinking enormous sums of alcohol and died because the fraternity brothers were so claimed afraid to take him into the hospital because he would be charged for drinking illegally. The mother of the boy said that if the drinking age were lower than my boy may have made it to the hospital. Personally, why would anyone even take the risk of questioning whether obtaining a charge was even relevant to the chance of life or death. We are all aware that the drinking age is 21. We all aware of what happens when we drink enormous sums of alcohol. And we especially are all aware of what the outcome is if we get caught. If you want to make the decision to drink illegally, then you have to live with the consequences. It is the law and until the law saws otherwise, if you are under 21, you are not allowed to drink!

Imagine if the child who died was killed by someone who was driving while drunk, do you still think that the mother would want the drinking age to be lowered? Until you are on the other side of the fence, you do not realize the side effects of lowering the drinking age. I have never had a family member die from a drunk driver, but I have seen the long term effects drinking can have on a person. Many times people think that they can just drink and drink and drink, and then just quiet. Drinking can become an addiction just like smoking or any other drug. Once you start it is hard to quit. There is a big difference between social drinking, which consists of drinking in a reasonable size portions, and drinking just to get drunk. I do not think that it is a problem to drink, but I do think that until you actually are old enough to drink responsibly, which is 21 in the United States, then otherwise you should not be allowed to drink.

"Reading the History of the World" by Isabel Allende

For many people, including my self, we do not realize all the simple but satisfactory things we are able to do in life. Reading is amongst the group. As Isabel Allende states, "Books allow me to see my feelings put into words." In the article, "Reading the History of the World" by Allende , she describes her life when she was young. Unlike other children perhaps in different countries, Allende was not allowed to share her opinion and feelings on several matters. She had no way to say what she wanted to say or do what she wanted to do, except through reading and writing. Often times we forget how lucky we are to be able to read and write. Hundreds of years ago, many people did not even know how to read or write. Imagine growing up in a life not having that ability. Communication would be so much more difficult. In the article, Allende talks about how her and her mother always wrote letters to each other, and how the tradition continued when were daughter went to Spain. Because Allende was thousands of miles away from her mother, writing was the only way for them to keep in close touch. By sending letters they were able to share all their experiences and feelings regarding several matters though distance separated them. When Isabel's daughter went to Spain, they had a three way letter chain so they could all keep in touch. Reading to them was a way where they could always remember each other. It was the key to their life.

Allende believes that all people should have the opportunity to read. She discusses how her uncle Salvador Allende, who was president of Chile, made it possible for all Chileans to buy books from the "Quimantu" at reasonable prices. Like Isabel, Salvador Allende saw the importance of of all Chileans being able to read and write.

Whether we read non fiction or fairytale, French authors, Latin authors, or Russian authors, Allende states that, "Our backgrounds determine our strengths and interests as readers." For example, if you grew up in a society where religion was of significant meaning, than a book about your religion may intrigue you perhaps more than another reader. Or if politics was of importance than a book discussing the current health care system may be interesting. We as readers are drawn towards book that interest us.

I believe that reading and writing are an important part of life. Without books we would never be able to expand our knowledge about the world, and learn about several different things. Books are a means of learning. For me reading is a way for me escape from all my problems. It allows me to relax and not worry about all the other things going on in my life. It is the time where I can read what I want to read, and not just because I have too. I believe that all children should have the opportunity to read. As Isabel Allende says, "Not reading is like having the spirit imprisoned "

"The Globalization of Eating Disorders" by Susan Bordo

In the reading "The Globalization of Eating Disorders" by Susan Bordo, Bordo describes how the western media has increased the number of eating disorders across the world. Bordo allows the reader to imagine this young girl standing in front of the mirror, for this girl is not fat. However, when she looks at herself, she sees not a woman of beauty, but instead a woman who is not perfect. She just wishes she could be the next "Lady Marmelade" on Moulin Rouge. Bordo then assumes that the reader's image of this girl was a young girl who was white in color and economically secure. But now, instead of picturing a white girl, Bordo allows the reader to imagine Tenisha Williamson, an African American girl. Tenisha struggles to accept her cultural values of being voluptuous. Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia are increasing from day to day in all different cultures. Bordo states that three years after television broadcasting became available in Fiji, 11% of girls were reported with symptoms of eating disorders. However in other countries, such as Central Africa, being voluptuous was a symbol of wealth, while a skinny body represented that of "poverty, sickness, and death." Bordo claims that often times, African brides were even many times fattened before their wedding. Like Frank Osodi says, "An African girl must have hips." Though the media claims they do not have an affect on a young girl's self-image, evidence such as that from Fiji, has proved otherwise. Pictures in magazines teach young girls how to dress, how to act, and what the accepted appearance maybe. It is not the parents nor teaches that teach these ideas to children. It is the media. Bordo states that though eating disorders may predominate in women, they are increasingly becoming more popular in the male gender. Men are abusing steroids, and comparing their muscles to those in famous magazines, such as Sports Illustrated. Some are even going as far as getting cosmetic surgery. As a reader, it is so important to make people aware of this increase in eating disorders, because unlike cancer, there is a cure.
Being a young girl growing up in a society similar to the one described, I often times understand what Bordo is saying ,when she states that women are affected by the mass media. Though we may not often realize how great of an effect it has, it is causing young woman to feel insecure about who they are. We should not look up to individuals in magazines, for they are not reality. Reality is what we see when we look around everyday. They are the people with flaws, because no person will ever be perfectly shaped.
From Bordo's article, I have learned that "what you see is what you get." You will never be anybody else. Bordo has made me realize that this disease is becoming such a greater problem. To think that people are willing to starve themselves in order to be beautiful does even sound appealing. I always told myself that you only live once, so live life to the fullest. If you want to eat a piece of cheesecake, then eat a piece of cheesecake, who cares how many calories you are digesting.
The structure of Bordo's essay is very appealing, by starting off with such an image, the reader is able to connect to the situation, but then by throwing a twist she once again reiterates the idea of the disease becoming globalized. In the body of the essay, Bordo provides several statistics to back up her thesis, whether it is Fiji, African American weddings, or existence of eating disorders in Asia. And finally Bordo concludes by stating reasoning as to what steps can be taken in order to address this problem of an increase in eating disorders across the world.

"Letter from New York" by Peter Carey

In a "Letter from New York" by Peter Carey, Carey recalls his personal encounter of the attacks of the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. At the moment when the World Trade Centre was attacked, Carey was at a corner deli, when he suddenly noticed that the radio had been turned up rather loud. However, as Carey listened he soon realized that he was living through history, because the World Trade Centre had just collapsed. The first thing that went through Peter's mind was his wife. Peter waited in fear by the phone, just praying that his wife was safe. However, soon Bea, his neighbor, confirmed her safety. Peter was not the only New Yorker that day fearing the loss of a loved one. There were people everywhere in tears. MaryAnn, another one of Peter's neighbors, was also waiting to hear from her husband Lloyd, but later she realized that he had survived. In a time of disaster, such as 9/11, people were there for each other, it did not matter about the little things that had divided them previously, for at that moment, people just wanted to help. For example, Carey tells of his friend Betsey who was trying to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn by the expressway, but it remained closed, so Betsey started to wander through the streets, when she encountered a Jew in East New York who lead her to her hometown. There were also firefighters, and huge machinery trying to remove the destruction in order to perhaps save the lives of those who remained undiscovered.The children in Manhattan who had seen the attacks feared that their parents were dead. And parents were running everywhere to get there kids. Carey describes how John the husband of Bea, went all the way to Brooklyn Heights to pick up his little girl Leah. A sense of insanity was going through everyone's mind. People like John were going to the extreme.Like Peter, several people in New York were scared, and prayed that their families and friends had survived the traumatic terrorist attack. However unlike Peter, some people were not as lucky. For instance Peter's friend David, had lost his friend who just had a new baby.Peter's reaction to this was one of violence; he felt as if he wanted to murder those people that caused so much sorrow towards innocent families. However, it was his son Sam that made him realize how much he loved to say, " I am from New York."
As a student who lived through 9/11, I remember just like Peter where I was at when the World Trade Centre and Pentagon were attacked. I was in 6th grade in Math Class in my teacher Mrs. Alfred's room. I was not affected as much as those who remained in New York, but as a United States citizen, I felt so sorry for all those families that loss a loved one. The vivid descriptions that Peter Carey provided allowed me to imagine exactly what happened on September 11th. It made me appreciate my country, because not all countries can say that in a time of destruction they were a union of one. People, such as firefighters were wiling to risk their lives for the lives of those suffering.This article besides being very informative was very emotional, because I knew that this was not just another fairy tale in a storybook. It really happened. Through Peter's words, visual images popped into my mind, of people jumping off buildings, and people crying horrendously, just wishing everything could go back to the way it started before the attack. Peter's story about his family was so similar to all the other families. Everybody had been panicking immensely. The article was so touching and aspiring. The purpose of Peter Carey's article was to inform the reader about what actually happened during 9/11. He showed how in times of destruction our nation worked as a team, rather than alone. I think that 9/11 made our country so much stronger and appreciative of the people around us. Often times, we take advantage of the little things, and then before you know it, they are gone, and we can no longer get them back!

"Justice for Women" by Ellen Goodman

Should a woman be raped because her younger brother had walked with a different tribal girl unchaperoned? In Multon, Pakistan, this was such the case. Goodman tells the story of an innocent 18-year old girl who had her virginity taken from her without her own consent. Is this how the women of the world should be treated? In countries, such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, women are raped, beaten, or more for no specific reason at all. The abuse of women has become a part of their culture. Like Bush states, "a thriving nation will respect the rights of women, because no society can prosper while denying opportunity to half its citizens." Yet though Bush supports women fully, the United States is one of the few that has not ratified the international women's bill of rights created 23 years ago. Goodman states that 170 other countries had ratified this bill already. What is the United States waiting for? By not passing the bill, in some sense we are supporting all those nations who do not honor women's rights, countries such as Iran, Somalia, and Sudan who are currently raping women everyday. We as a nation should support the other half of the citizens in the United States and other countries.

The international bill for women's rights was very close to being ratified, however Goodman states that Colin Powell had placed a letter that moved this potential bill back 17 places! Powell claimed that the bill needed to be studied in greater depth. It is the politicians who are causing this bill to be moved back , for they believe that such a bill could ruin families and even possibly "criminalize Mother's day" says Goodman. But on the contrary, though some negative results could occur, the overall effect would be so much more greater. Perhaps countries such as Pakistan would no longer treat women with disrespect.

By passing the treaty, we would not only be supporting the rights of women, but sending a message to all those countries that are raping and abusing women daily, that this practice is unacceptable. Why should women be hurt for no reason? I believe that because we have not passed this bill , we are in some sense letting horrible things slide. By doing nothing, we are just another one of those bad guys hurting women for no reason. It is time that we take stand and pass the bill so all women are treated with the respect they deserve. Though Bush says that he supports women fully, until he does something about it, he is just another one of them.

"Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan

In Amy Tan's reading "Mother Tongue," Amy describes how language can both unify and divide people in this world.
Amy starts her reading out in a room full of people all interested in hearing about her new book The Joy Luck Club, however in the far back corner sits a woman, her mother. Amy's mother was a Chinese woman who struggled to speak English clearly. Many times when Amy was young, she would often have to speak to people for her mother. For example, one time a stockbroker did not send a check on time, so Amy's mother had her call the company and ask where the check was. Another time, Amy's mother had gone to the doctor's office to pick up her CAT scan results. However when her mother asked for the CAT scan, the assistant said that her results had been lost, and she would have to make another appointment again, but when Amy asked for her mother's results, they sincerely apologized for losing the results, and would be sure to find them. This happened a lot to Amy's mother. It was as if people just acted like she had a problem. Amy describes her "mother's tongue" as broken. But to Amy that sounds as if it were "damaged," and this was not the case at all. Though Amy's mother read the Forbes report often language had always been a barrier in her life.
Sometimes Amy was very embarrassed by the way her mother talked. She said "I believed that her English reflected the quality that she had to say." But as Amy grew up, she began to see her mother's tongue as more than just "broken" but instead another statistic in life. Many times Asian-Americans tend to lean toward math and science careers, because English is not the primary language spoken at home. For Amy, English was also often a struggle, but she was willing to take the challenge. Other students, they had grew up speaking the English language at home, while for Amy her mother was not able to teach her to speak English. Many times when Amy took a test, grammatical phrases such as "Sunset to nightfall as ____ is to ____," caused her several issues. However this language barrier did not distract her from achieving her goal to become a writer.
To Amy, it did not matter what people thought of her book. Her mother's tongue was her inspiration, and the only opinion that mattered was her mother's.
For many people who are not brought up speaking the language, communication can be a big obstacle in everyday life, whether it may be talking to someone on a phone, or checking out at the grocery store. Without some form of communication, life's easiest tasks become such a struggle. For Amy Tan's mother, this was just the case.
From this article, I realized how difficult and at the same time frustrating, it can be to learn to speak a new language. As a student currently learning to speak French, often times like Amy's mother, I know what I want to say, but yet I can never find the words to say it. It is as if the thoughts and concepts are so clear in your mind, but the words are in disappearance. I can not believe that people would take advantage of another person struggling to learn a language. If only they were in that person's shoes, then maybe the situation would be different. Through this article, we learned that a language is both an advantage and disadvantage depending on the strength of the language the person speaks.

"Besieged by 'Friends'" by Heather Havrilesky

How do we as Americans perceive the people of the Middle East after 9/11 and what influences have built up those images that exist in our minds? In the article "Besieged by 'Friends'" by Heather Havrilesky, Havrilesky explains how American films and television shows have portrayed Middle Eastern people to be "angry terrorists running around, looking for stuff to blow up." However, if America was defined by all the violent people that hurt others, what image would the average American be portrayed as? We as Americans, says Heather, should not judge every Arab as being violent, for there are good and bad in every country. Charles C. Stuart's documentary "Hollywood in the Muslim World" shows how Arabs are becoming very angered over the images that the American movies and television are sending out to not only America, but other areas such as Egypt, Lebanon, Cairo, and Qatar. Arabs are classifying this Hollywood influence as a "cultural pollution" that is spreading all across the Middle East. Children continually want to go to American fast food joints, such as McDonalds, and places like Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks are becoming more popular. The reason for this rise is due to the influence of the American television shows. Heather states that American shows, such as "Friends", "Will & Grace", and "Sex and the City" are also continually being shown. Heather recalls that when Charles Stuart was interviewing Middle Eastern children, in regards to their favorite television show, Stuart received an angry response by an adult spectator, because he had thought that the interviewer was trying to persuade children in the Middle East to watch more American shows. Several other Arabs felt the same way about the situation of the American influence from television. For example, when World War II had occurred and the attack of Pearl Harbor, several American films portrayed Japanese fighters as being the "bad guys," and there was an increase in hate towards Japanese Americans. The author includes this example in order to prove that a similar fear is arising amongst the Middle Eastern people. For will they be the next Japanese? To Arabs this is a "War of Propaganda" that has taken over the "cultural identity." They are tired of turning on the television and seeing another American show insulting their background. How much is it to ask to have their own culture described on their own TV? Why does Hollywood have to invade another country where it is not welcome?
Throughout this article, Heather Havrilesky tries to make people aware of the influence that the television can have on a country. This country that once had its own perspective culture, now does not. I believe the American television sometimes is a bit bias towards other cultures. Many times they perceive, other people including Arabs, as being a violent figure. They also not only destruct the culture of countries, but Hollywood causes average Americans to feel as if they are not worthy enough in society, whether it maybe that their body is to voluptuous, or that their morals are offset. We as a society should not build our images of other countries from the television. Every country is filled with a sense of beauty, that makes it so special in its very own way.
By using Middle Eastern stereotypes, Havrilesky captures the readers' attention quickly. Though her ideas may be a little extreme, her thesis is clearly understood. In the body, Heather references material from Charles C. Stuart's documentary "Hollywood in the Muslim World" in order to provide supporting evidence to support her thesis that the Middle Eastern culture is being negatively influenced by American shows and movies. The image of an Arab, as portrayed by Americans , is one of violence and cruelty. Heather concludes by saying that "the cultural identity of Arabs have been taken hostage," which means that the Arabic are no longer deciding what culture their children should practice.
Heather's article increases the awareness of how other cultures are sometimes misrepresented in movies and television shows. Though a wrong message is sometimes unintentionally delivered, most of the time American television producers are aware of what they are putting on the television, but still they do not care. It is not until disruption occurs, do they try to cover up their mistake.
As Americans, and any other culture, the best away to avoid negative influences is to completely avoid television, therefore the TV is unable to affect your perspective about other cultures.

"American Dreamer" by Bharati Mukherjee

In Bharati Mukherjee's essay "American Dreamer," Bharati recalls her cultural change from Calcutta, India to the United States and describes her transformation, as not only a self-transformation, but also a transformation of the cultural identity that exists in the United States. Growing up in Calcutta as a young child was quite different for Bharati, for her identity was already established. There was no such thing as lacking an "identity," but when she left Calcutta in the summer of 1961, Mukherjee had to find her identity. Her identity would no longer be handed down from generation to generation, but instead she would be an immigrant. When Mukherjee tells her story of immigration, she explains the vast land in Iowa stretching miles long, but what is of greater importance is the number of multicultural students that existed in Iowa City at that time. There was only one non-Christian, which was Jewish, one non white, which was African American, and 6 international graduate students. She was no longer a majority, but instead a minority in the women's residence halls. However within 35 years, Mukherjee states that the number of minorities increased dramatically in Iowa to 6,931. To Bharati this number indicated how the United Sates is not just a society that excepts one culture, but instead a society whose cultural values grow everyday. The "we" ,as stated in the constitution, is a "we" that is so culturally diverse.
Throughout her experience at the University of Iowa, Bharati fell in love with a young Canadian named Clark Blaise and soon ended up getting married. This was a huge transformation for Bharati because it represented a stray away from the accepted values of the Indian culture. After two years of college, Bharati was supposed to return to India to marry an Indian man who provided for her. However, her future as an American, rather than Asian-American represented that she was now another citizen enlarging the American cultural values.Though Bharati felt accepted most of the time in the United States, when she moved to Canada with her husband, Bharati states "I thought of myself as an expatriate Bengali permanently stranded in North America because of destiny or desire." She felt as if she did not belong. Canada claims to be a culture similar to that of a "mosaic," but yet refuses to change its self-image to that accepting the images of all Canadians. Many Americans were accepting of cultural diversity, but some believed that all legal immigrants should be locked away. In 1994, Bharati recalls how the Lake County School Board in Florida taught its students that the standard European-American culture was of greater importance than all others.In the eyes of Bharati, we are a nation that has usually embraced a heterogeneous culture. We are a nation that honors the beliefs of all citizens in the United States. For As Bharati says, we are a culture that lacks any form of hyphenated descriptions, such as Asian-American, because we are all Americans living in the same homeland, "America."
The story of Bharati transforming from an Indian culture to an American citizen made me proud to say that I lived in America; to see how other countries do not accept the values of all other individuals of different cultures is such a disgrace. Whether a person is a minority or not, does not make them any different than any other white Christian living in America. As an American born citizen, often times I do not realize what it takes for immigrants to come to America, nor do I understand how much they went through to be an American. I honor all immigrants, for they have emerged themselves in a unfamiliar country; they have taken a chance. Switching
lifestyles is hard enough, but to switch lifestyles and not be accepted would be horrendous. Through Bharati's reading, I have learned that we are a nation that should continue to accept all cultures, because by embracing their cultures, we as a whole are becoming so much more culturally diverse.
The purpose of Bharati's reading is to show that the United States is not just a several different cultures, but instead a mix of all cultures to form one diverse unity.
After reading this essay, I am more understanding of the path immigrants take to become a citizen, and I have become more aware of the discrimination that they face in daily life. Bharati was a woman with courage; she did not care what people thought of her, nor did she feel the need to follow her father's path set in stone. She was independent, intelligent, and above all caring. Bharati is an idol to all other immigrants seeking to gain citizenship. She sees herself as a true American who worked to gain her rights.
This essay is also structurally appealing, for Bharati first tells her story of immigration to the reader and her background as a child. She then moves into the body to prove how other nations do not acknowledge her as one of them, such as Canada, and she provides examples of how some Americans are not open to the acceptance of immigrants into the United States. And finally she concludes by saying how arrival will someday be a "gain," instead of a loss.

"The Globalization of Eating Disorders" by Susan Bordo

Susan Bordo's "The Globalization of Eating Disorders" made me realize how much the media can influence our visions as a human being, specifically those of women. As a collegiate woman, there is not a day where I do not stand in front of the mirror and question my appearance. Am I fat? Is my face not perfectly clear of acne? People say that it is not about what is on the outside, but instead what remains on the inside. But is it really true? People make judgments all the time without even knowing it. To say that a person does not judge is to say that lies do not exist, for there are lies and people do judge. Bordo states in the article that "we live in an empire of images, and there are no protective borders." Does this statement define our generation? We see the television scar our world in different locations every day, such as Fiji, yet we still broadcast this obscure material that manipulates peoples minds. We are who we are and why should we try to be somebody else? In the past, women with curves were envisioned as art. If we look back at the ancient paintings we do not see a woman of skin and bones, but instead a woman with excess. Where did that woman go?