Kate Shindle- "Miss America:More Than a Beauty Queen?"

In Kate Shindle's article "Miss America: More than a Beaty Queen?", there is a slight tone of hostility that Shindle feels towards people who view the nationwide Miss America Pageant as merely a beauty contest. Because Shindle participated and won the crown herself, she adds credible insight on the beauty queen bimbo. People tend to associate or quickly judge these girls as being beautiful but dumb with no real purpose. However, Shindle's artcile serves to demonstrate that these pageant girls are intelligent and know what they are doing to impact the world in a positive way. By using the title of "Miss America" doors will open to speak about serious world dilemas. Shindle confirms, "I helped raise an estimated $20 million to $30 million for HIV/AIDS organizations worldwide, lobbied legislators for more funding and better health-education progams[...]"(614). It is ironic to think that a society that places value on appearance, will discriminate someone who has won the title of national beauty and reducing her intellectual value. According to Shindle, "Though I was on the dean's list at Northwestern [University], suddenly people didn't assume I had a brain" (615). Much like, Stephanie Coontz article "the Way We Wish We Were" about the stereotypes we place on America's families in the past and in the future. For instance, many people have believed that the 1950s was a golden era, especially when it came to the ideal family and household. What people deny to see is that the 50s decade was far from perfect, which "drove thousands of women to therapists, tranquilizers, or alcohol when they actually tried to live up to it" (677). Stereotypes can dominate the entire perseption of a culture, person, or time period. Ultimately, watching the "Miss America" is due to vanity on the audiences part and the program is played for entertainment, yet I still would have to agree with Shindle when she promotes for the show to display more of the interview segment of the pageant in order to break away from the pretty girl in the crown stigma (616)and not forget that this pageant is also a large contributor and advocate for educational scholarships.

Stephanie Coontz-"The Way We Wish We Were"

Stephanie Coontz's "The Way We Wish We Were" was a good insight on the types of stereotypes we placed on family. We percieve the 1950s to be "the golden age" and the birth of the "greatest generation". But in reality high standards of the '50s "drove thousands of women to therapists, tranquilizers, or alcohol when they actually tried to live up to it" (677). There are many stereotypes we percieve when it comes to the ideal family and much of it comes from the media's portrayal and the inconsistant data and studies does not help to clarify any misunderstandings, instead it confuses people. In one way or another every family is dysfunctional and nowhere near perfect but almost every family strives to have a strong moral structure that can guide them through the vast regulations of society; "although two -thirds of respondents [...] wanted 'more traditional standards of family life' the same percentage rejected the idea that 'women should return to their traditional role' "(689). Coontz also explains that "lack of perspectives where families have come from and how their evolution connects to other social trends tends to encourage contradictory claims and wild exaggeration about where the fanily is going" (686). It is difficult for one to form his or her own opinion on subjects were there are ambigous facts. Coontz mentions, "what these polls reveal is women's growing dissatisfaction with tha failure of employers[...] to pioneer arrangements that make it possible to combine work and family life. These polls do not suggest that women are actually going to stop working[...]"(687). History has shown that society is always changing there are certain periods were there seems to be a common beliefs and then there are periods were society belives in the opposite of what they previously believed.

The article's purpose is to show that it is not critical to follow or live by social analytical polls and surveys because they are not as accurate as we think and we can not control things that occur outside the family despite the shape of our families. Perhaps there was never really a "traditional family" or "family values" because people and their families are always changing.

David Brooks-"One Nation Slightly Divisible"

The article “One Nation Slightly Divisible” by David Brooks was mainly about the distinct lifestyles that two obvious classes live in, though in the same state or country. Brooks describes Franklin County as a completely different world from Montgomery County. Franklin County is considered Red America and Montgomery County is considered Blue America; both refer to the 2000 presidential election. It is not necessarily a negative aspect that there are such deep differences between Red and Blue America. Red America lives by the simple things in life, rugged, humble, small, close community while Blue America is busy, independent, individualistic, sophisticated, and incredibly modern. I found this article to be very true, however in some ways biased toward Franklin County because it was depicted as a city on a hill, which does not really exist.

First, Brooks analyzes the types of jobs people have, specifically men who work outdoors and men who work indoors in Franklin County. He states “[…] hair cut […] as a mullet […] to show how hard they work, so they will often have a gigantic wad of keys hanging from a belt loop, a tape measure strapped to the belt, a pocket knife on a string […]” (584). This makes all these men sound like the same repair man. But he then remarks that men who work indoors wear “[…] slacks, which they bought at a dry-goods store, best known for its appliance department, and a short sleeved white Van Heusen shirt[…] Their image projects not ‘I work hard but ‘I am a devoted family man’” (585). Later, he compares how Blue America people drive to work;"people who went to business school or law school need a lot of headroom. They buy humongous sport-utility vehicles that practically have cathedral ceilings" (585). Brooks goes on to say, "Small-headroom people tend to have been liberal arts majors and have liberal arts jobs. They get passive aggressive pleasure from demostrating how modest and environmentally sensitive their living containers are. They hate people with SUVs[...}" (585). I can identify with this quote because I mayself am a liberal arts major and I do not like enormously unnecessary cars.

There is a misunderstanding for Blue America individuals that Red America individuals are uneducated people who do not know any better or anything going in the real world, which not true. This article serves to show that though people in Red America have humbler living styles they know what is important and vital to their lives and it works for them. The same goes for Red America's misunderstanding of Blue America, not all Blue Americans have excess money to throw around to buy cars or selfish persons who do not get involved with their community. Blue Americans strive to bring in diversity, encourage self-sufficiency, and are not conventional. "in Montgomery County[...] average house hold income is $100,365 [...]In Franklin County [...] the average is $51,872"(586). I do not completely agree with this data because I consider my family and I to be part of Blue America but my family does not make no where near $100,000. Brooks does not include as much about the middle ground people, which is a critical group because not everything can be as binary as Red and Blue America and at the same time defeats the purpose of his article. The statements Brooks make tend to be hasty generalizations because he is only sampling what he sees within two counties.

Yet the most touching and interesting to see in this article was the fact that when tragedy strikes, all differences are set aside and nearly every American is willing to help their fellow citizen. Such as Brooks mentions with the attacks of 9/11, "the old hostillity came to seem sort of a sibling rivalry, which means nothing when the family is itself is under threat" (587). I found this to be hopeful, however, it is rather depressing that it takes a tragedy time and time again for people to come together. For instance, a similar situation happened a few years ago when a Hurrican Katrina struck all of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Florida. Countless volunteers living in near by areas and other states flew in to help with rescue and relief efforts, giving food and shelter to those whose homes were under massacered by the storm. At the end of the day people have come to realize that we are all the same, we all have the same hopes and worries.

Margaret Atwood- "A Letter to America"

This essay "A Letter to America" by Margaret Atwood had a creative format in which it was written as a letter for the authorities and ordinary citizens of America to demostrate that at one point in our history we had ideals about a fair nation of peace and freedom but somehow has lost its way and become too involed in our millitary and engaged in much political and business fraud. In this sense Atwood describes she is embarrased with what America has done especially because many people and countries have aspired to American ideals. Tis article also reminded me of Churchill's essay in which America has the tendency to "[...] grab stuff other people produce, at our gunboat-diplomacy prices[...]" (5) or "gutting the Constitution" (5),meaning underhandedly putting aside the private rights of citizens in order to so called keep the nation "safe". Even Atwood asks, "[...] when did you get so scared? You didn't used to be so easily frightened" (5). However, at the end of the essay Atwood still has hope for this nation yet and I agree with her indefinately. If America would stop trying to control everything for one-minute we could take a step back and regain our dignity, respect, and values that we have always srtived for.

Wrd Chruchill- "Crimes Against Humanity"

Ward Churhill's "Crimes Against Humanity" brings to light the subtle racism involved in sports and in law, that is still present in America today. He critisizes America's hypocracy in at first a sarcastic tone. Throughtout the essay, towards the end, his tone becomes aggressive and insists that America should admit that creating sports teams with Native American derogatory names and Indian chants with no meaning but to "have fun" at encouraging their teams while insulting Native American people. I did not really notice how these types of descrimination exist in such a popular aspect such as sports teams. Chruchill states, "a substantial number of American Indians have protested that the use of native names, images [...] racist practice" (535). I felt that team names such as the "[...] Cleveland Indians,Washington Redskins, and Kansas City Cheifs" (535), were virtually the same as giving team names like " the Wisconsin 'Wetbacks' and Batlimore 'Beaners' " (537), or cheer "[...] players and cheerleaders, garbed in leopard skins and wearing fake bones on their noses" (536) is incredibly offensive to people that belong to certain races and ethnicities that are depicted in these stereotypes. I agree that there are not as many Native Americans to speak out against these stereotypes targeted at them, mainly because of the diseases and slaughter of the early twentieth century that drastically decreased their population and shockingly in years as recent as 1990, a " 'field test' of Hepititis A vaccine, also HIV correlated is being conducted on Indian reservations in the Northern plains region", although by law this experimentation was at the time prohibited. Churchill maybe one of the few voices for the excluded Indian tribes, in history we have Cesar Chavez that spoke for immigrant Hispanic workers and Martin Luther King Jr. that spoke of civil rights for African Americans, and yet there are leaders we do not mention or have yet to see for other countless minority groups and unspoken issues. Also, Churchill mentions " 'assimilation' " (541), which was forced upon Native Americans in order for them to conform to the pressures of society. Even by today's standards there is a degree of assimilation for nealry every minority group in order to gain acceptance or measure up to the dominant culuture's lifestyle.

It is also interesting to see the connection that Churchill makes between the Jewish Holocoust in 1940s Germany, to America's 1800s genocide of Natives. America's reputation as world peacemaker is a facade because we do not like to admit our faults in history to the world and yet we force upon our authority to other wrong doers. I agree that America had the right idea in going into Germany to free genocide victims and punish those who committed those hainess crimes but we cannot forget that we are not the leaders of innocence.

Serena Nanda-"Arranging a Marraige in India"

Serena Nanda's "Arranging a Marraige in India" brought new insight on how American's percieve arranged marraiges. The families in India chose the most suitable mate for their son or daughter; this ensures a secure future and well being for the couple. Much like the author, I was confused to know that some people in this culture accept that their husbands or wives are chosen for them. " '[...] I must let my parents chose a boy for me. My marraige is too important to be arranged by such an inexperienced person as myself' "(142). It is good to take into consideration how people who experience this actually feel about it but I still feel that the person one marries or forms a meaninigful commitment to should be of their choosing. A person can not be experienced unless they experience something for themselves. This article reminds me of Roiphe's "A Tale of Two Divorces" when she states that she has come to be in favor of arranged marraiges although there are still negative aspects of that. Nanda mentions that though it is a more secure way to be engaged the issue of an illegal dowry and competitive in-laws which can later have emotional and even fatal consequences. Ultimately, it is equally diffucult for one's parents to find a suitable spouse for their children as it is for the child themselves to find who they feel they belong with. Instead of an individual supporting the family of their spouse, they are free to create a family of their own.

Laura Bohannan-"Shakespeare in the Bush"

This article, "Shakepeare in the Bush" by Laura Bohannan shows the differences between American beliefs and the beliefs of Tiv of West Africa. The author decided to use Shakespear's Hamlet to demostrate the concept of the story is universal. However, as the author is telling the story she is interrupted several times by the villagers who misunderstand the story. These interruptions give insight to the villagers' culture. For instance, Bohannan recalls, " 'But a chief must have many wives! How else can he brew beer and prepare food for all his guests?' " (219). This culture encourages women to serve her husband, to cook and serve others. Also, in this culture women are completely dependent on the men." 'Who will hoe your farms for you will you have no husband?' " (219). Women are persuaded to marry in order to secure their living standards. Though interestingly, the author was encouraged to participate in storytelling and drinking with the men and elders of the village. The villagers were wise and welcoming to her and in a way treated her as one of them. Yet in some cultures a woman is to be proper and not engage in the same activities as men for she must have self-control and be preoccupied with other things.