Essay Three is drawn from the book From Inquiry to Academic Writing and is due November 16: Choose One
Writing Assignment Option 1
Develop an argumentative thesis for a 5-page essay that addresses race, gender, and privilege in Chapter 14. Be sure to incorporate at least two essays from Chapter 14 to develop your essay.
Writing Assignment Option 2
Develop an argumentative thesis for a 5-page essay that addresses consumerism and economics in Chapter 17. Be sure to incorporate at least two essays from Chapter 17 to develop your essay.
Writing Assignment Option 3
Develop a thesis that explains how Ursula Le Guin’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” (should be online) is an allegory of the moral challenges we face as we are drugged by privilege leaving us indifferent about the sufferings of The Other. Successful essays will connect the allegory to modern day social injustices such as the inhumane working conditions of migrant workers or the incarceration system, to name a couple.
Essay Writing Option 4
In a 1,250-word essay, support, refute, or complicate the contention that Chapter 14's essay selections persuasively show that one of America's central, ongoing conflicts is between the advantaged and those who are categorized as "The Other."
Essay Writing Option 5
In a 1,250-word essay, support, refute, or complicate the notion that, according to Ehrenreich and bell hooks (Chapter 13), the poor are stigmatized as being "other" even by liberal cultural critics. Why does this happen? Explain.
Essay Writing Option 6
In a 1,250-word essay replace the Walmart Mythical Narrative (789) with the Walmart Reality. Make sure you have a clear thesis.
Essay Writing Option 7
In a 1,250-word essay, support, refute, or complicate Sally Satel and Scott O. Lilienfeld's contention (796) that neuromarketing is a hyped-up fraud that lines the pockets of its makers.
Essay Writing Option 8
In a 1,250-word essay, support, refute, or complicate Fareed Zakaria's contention (816) that the American-centered Economic Dominance Myth is becoming replaced with a global reality. What is this alleged myth of American dominance? Is it a myth at all? Explain.
Essay Writing Option 9
In a 1,250-word essay, watch the film American Sniper and this Bill Maher debate about the movie. Then support, refute, or complicate Maher's argument that Chris Kyle's use of the word "savages" makes him too ignorant and racist, demonizing the Other, to be a real hero. Consider the notion of a false narrative and how a false narrative or myth, complete with a mythic hero, accompanies the demonization of "The Other." On the other hand, consider the defense of Chris Kyle, that his hateful words are taken out of context. Address these issues in your argument.
Essay Writing Option 10
In the context of the Bill Maher video below, should we describe ISIS as a terror group based on the Islamic faith, or does such a description unfairly demonize peace-loving Muslims as "The Other"? For your research, you might consult "What ISIS Really Wants."
"In an Age of Privilege, Not Everyone Is in the Same Boat"
"11 facts about white privilege everyone should know"
"White People Vs. White Privilege"
“White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh
One. When a race or gender suffers from disadvantages, what does that mean for other races and genders?
It means advantage for them. This is the cruel Darwinian principle that McIntosh explores here. Women have disadvantages, and this translates into advantages for men.
The same is true when it comes to people of color and white people.
McIntosh, a white writer, contends that whites are taught to NOT believe in white advantage or white privilege because for a white person to contemplate white privilege is to delve into guilt and be inconvenienced by the moral problems that such privilege ensues.
Because whites enjoy privilege without acknowledging it, they are guilty of unconscious oppression against people of color.
Some white people willfully ignore their privilege. As I've said before, many white people in the South attempt to sweep slavery under the carpet by saying the Civil War was about "Northern aggression" and "state rights." This mythical narrative of the Civil War is an attempt to absolve whites of their guilt and to reinforce their sense of entitlement, namely "state rights," which is code for perpetuating racism.
A white woman, McIntosh wants to clear her conscience by making herself accountable for the white privileges she enjoys, and she wants other white people to do the same thing.
Some will say that embracing white guilt is a virtue; others will say that such an embrace is a "halo display," to show people how liberal and holier than thou you are.
Two. What are some of the privileges whites enjoy?
Whites don’t have to be as afraid of police officers shooting them. In fact, according to ProPublica analysis, blacks are 21 times more likely to get shot by police.
America doesn't have long prison sentences for drunk driving when 80% of drunk drivers are white men. However, 90% of drug arrests happen to men of color.
Whites have an easier time with loans and home ownership.
Whites live on average 5 more years than blacks.
Whites have 16 times greater wealth than blacks.
Whites have less stress. The stress caused by discrimination can cause biological effects. For example, African Americans suffer from getting less sleep than the rest of the population. As they get richer, the sleep gap lessens.
Three. What is the difference between "earned strength" and "unearned power"?
Whiteness procures unearned power, which over time becomes taken for granted. As a white person acclimates to these privileges or unearned entitlements, he becomes numb to their effects on others. As the author writes, "I have met very few men who are truly distressed about systemic, earned male advantage and conferred dominance."
Perhaps a white coping mechanism for the inevitable guilt that results from having this type of privilege is to go into denial.
Will Racism Decline in the Future?
"Are Millennials Tolerant Racists?"
"Millennials Are More Racist Than They Think"
From The Myth of Race by Augustin Fuentes
One. Can humans be divided into biological races based on our perception of their physical differences?
We read that the short answer is no.
The longer answer is, according to the American Association of Physical Anthropology’s (AAPA), that
“hereditary characteristics of human populations are in a state of perpetual flux. Distinctive local populations are continually coming into and passing out of existence. Such populations do not correspond to breeds of domestic animals, which have been produced by artificial selection over many generations for specific human purposes. There is no necessary concordance between biological characteristics and culturally defined groups. On every continent, there are diverse populations that differ in language, economy, and culture. There is no national, religious, linguistic or cultural group or economic class that constitutes a race . . . there is no causal linkage between these physical and behavioral traits, and therefore it is not justifiable to attribute cultural characteristics to genetic inheritance.”
However, there is an opposing side, the author points out. They say, yes, we can define race. Then Fuentes quotes psychologist J. Phillipe Rushton:
“The three-way pattern of race differences is true for growth rates, life span, personality, family functioning, criminality, and success in social organization. Black babies mature faster than White babies; Oriental babies mature slower than Whites. The same pattern is true for sexual maturity, out of wedlock births, and even child abuse. Around the world, Blacks have the highest crime rate, Orientals the least, Whites fall in between. The same pattern is true for personality. Blacks are the most outgoing and even have the highest self-esteem. Orientals are the most willing to delay gratification. Whites fall in between. Blacks die earliest, Whites next, Orientals last, even when all have good medical care. The three-way racial pattern holds up from cradle to grave.”
The author poses the question: Who’s right? He then states that Rushton’s book has no scientific evidence but relies on racist stereotypes to support his thesis. In contrast, the AAPA relies solely on science to arrive at its conclusions.
Fuentes’ purpose is to “bust the myth” of stereotypes propagated by Rushton.
Two. What is the myth of race?
Fuentes writes, “This myth involves the assumption that we can define a specific set of traits that consistently differentiates each race from the other with limited overlap between members. This position also assumes that differences in innate behavior, intelligence, sports abilities, aggression, lawlessness, health and physiology, sexuality, and leadership ability exist between these presumed racial clusters of humans and that the clusters can be described as the Asian, black, and white races.
Because the myth emphasizes the “natural innate” traits of the races, the myth discourages any social activism for change since “there’s nothing we can do” to correct the differences.
Three. What are the common assumptions about race?
Human races are biological units.
We live in a (mostly) biracial society.
If race is not a biological category, then racism is not that powerful or important in shaping our lives.
If we can see consistent differences in sports, disease patterns, and other areas tied to physical features between races, these must reflect innate differences between these groups of people.
The author takes the above assumptions and treats them as if they are myths in his “myth busting” section.
Race is not equal to biological groups.
Racialists, those who believe in race due to stereotypes with no scientific evidence, wish to preach the Gospel of Racialism to the world.
In the realm of science, there is no connection between blood type and race. As we read, “The biology of blood does not support biological race.”
In the realm of physical characteristics, our limited knowledge makes us think there are 3 distinct races, but in Papua, New Guinea, where there is no genetic match with people of African descent, the people may share common characteristics.
Race is not biology, but it still matters in our society.
Because people believe in race and identify with race and in fact are obsessed with race, in all of its mythical misconceptions, race matters on a colossal scale in terms of incarceration, police shootings, discrimination, and social policy. Furthermore, we have “government-crafted definitions” of race. Fuentes uses President Obama as an example. He’s categorized as black even though he has one black parent and one white parent. Fuentes writes, “The lower ranking group is what defines the descent. So throughout U.S. history (and up to today) ‘looking’ black makes you black, as does any black parentage (even great-grandparents).”
Another crazy force behind race is the idea of bloodline. Fuentes writes, “According to popular opinion, having even one drop of ‘black blood’ in your genealogy makes you black, but having many drops of white blood does not make you white.”
Race is further reinforced by government census reports where "black" is treated like a biological race while other designations are ethnic, tied to geography and culture.
We see further that race matters when HUD has reports that show 25% of black and Latino people suffer housing discrimination.
Further, black men are 22 times more likely to be shot by the police than white men. We can go on and on with similar statistics about racial disparities in America.
Social categories of race do affect us, but we can accept these social categories while also embracing the myth that these categories are biological.
Race is not a valid way to talk about human biological variations.
Fuentes writes, “Biological anthropologists widely agree about how to describe and interpret variation in the human species.” This variation occurs among individuals within populations to the degree that no one can make categories of biological race.
Race is a social reality that can have lasting effects.
The stress caused by discrimination can cause biological effects. For example, African Americans suffer from getting less sleep than the rest of the population. As they get richer, the sleep gap lessens.
Race does not equal ethnicity.
Fuentes writes, “Ethnicity is a way of classifying people based on common histories, cultural patterns, social ties, language use, symbolic shared identities, and the like. It lays no claim to biology and is used both by those attempting to classify others and by those within the different ethnic groups as a symbol of social unity. Ethnicity is not a natural set of divisions in humanity; it is fluid, changing over time and space.”
Conclusion:
Race is not biology. Race is a social construction, an arbitrary one at that, constantly shifting to accommodate the privileged class.
For examples, Italians, Greeks, and southern Europeans in pre-Depression America were considered "black" by privileged Anglos, but when the privileged Anglos needed southern European votes and support, they granted these southern Europeans the cherished status of "whiteness." They weren't as "white" as the Anglos, but they were no longer relegated to the lowest tier of privilege.
Combining the Notion of White Privilege and Racial Mythology in Debra Dickerson's "The Great White Way."
The above is discussed at length in Debra Dickerson's "The Great White Way."
Sample Thesis
Otherness, the marginalization of people based on skin color, religion, and economic class, is not a myth, but a brutal fact of life for many evidenced by ________________, ______________, _______________, and ________________.
Problems with the Above
Because the facts are irrefutable, the student doesn't really have an argument or a college-level thesis. Rather, the student has a "book report."
Sample Refutation Thesis
While the essays in Chapter 14 make some compelling points about the way some people exercise their prejudices against others, most of the claims in this chapter are discredited by their own propaganda evidenced by ____________, _____________, ____________, and ______________.
Sample Argument Thesis That Supports Idea of White Privilege
The facts of white privilege speak for themselves. The real argument is about the changing nature of race, which when examined closely is not a biological entity but rather a social construction evidenced by _____________, ______________, _____________, and ___________________.
Refutation Thesis
While we can all acknowledge white privilege and the country's sick obsession with "race," which is clearly a social fabrication with no connection to reality, we have to be careful when we speak of the "privileged" and the "non privileged" because such dialogues too often encourage a sort of victimization, which is harmful to those struggling to climb to social ladder. Encouraging a sense of victimization becomes a barrier to achieving social and personal fulfillment in many ways evidenced by creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, by lowering the bar of expectations for the so-called victims, by creating a sense of learned helplessness, and encouraging unhealthy dependence on a condescending, patronizing class.
Refutation of the Above Refutation
While we can all agree that the above description of victimization is an impediment to personal empowerment, the above psychological wisdom fails to address the politics of racial privilege, which is about changing laws and policies that reinforce institutionalized racism, regardless if one sees oneself as a victim or not. In other words, we talk about racial privilege, not to encourage victimization, but to destroy systemic racism and its psychological and institutional causes.
General Punctuation Rules Including Comma, Semicolon, and Colon
Semicolon Rules
Use semicolon for two related sentences:
Dark chocolate is my second favorite dessert; my first favorite is Costco-purchased Ghirardelli Triple-Chocolate Brownies.
When I was five years old, my parents moved us into the Royal Lanai Apartments of San Jose, California; by the time I was seven we had advanced to a large house in the nearby suburbs.
I used the Jack Crazy Man Ripped Abs Training Program for six months; it proved worthless: I'm as fat as ever.
Use semicolon for two related sentences separated by a conjunctive adverb:
I didn't get the pesto pizza; instead, I chose the zesty feta cheese with Greek olives.
I won't loan you a thousand dollars; however, I'll pay you $50 to wash my car.
Torrance is a good place to live a sedate, stagnant existence as you grow old in your elastic waistband Dockers; in contrast, Santa Monica is more snappy and urbane for aspiring hipsters.
I won't break up with you for cheating on me; nevertheless, you must now live with the guilt of knowing that I will forever feel like a rusty claw just ripped into my chest and tore out my heart.
Use semicolon to clarify a list:
Planet Earth was saved by Superman, the Man of Steel; Aquaman, the Creature of the Deep; Batman, the Caped Crusader; Captain America, Fighter for Justice; Wonder Woman, the Goddess of Crime Stoppers, and Thor, the Hero of Fury.
Without the semicolons, you would think the world was saved by 12 heroes when in fact it was saved by only 6.
Colon Rules
Use a colon to introduce a list:
My favorite desserts are the following: triple-chocolate brownies, cherry pie ladled with Italian vanilla gelato, fresh apple jelly donuts doused with powdered sugar, German chocolate cake, and cinnamon butter pecan coffee cake.
I decided to hire you for several reasons: One, you are reliable. Two, you pay attention to details. Three, you appear to be someone of conscience. Four, you appear to have a hard work ethic. And five, I'm hoping you can set me up with your sister. And perhaps throw in a few good words for me.
Use a colon to emphasize further explanation:
I feel like an old, beat-up dollar bill: Just as an old dollar bill is never accepted in the Coke machine, I'm never accepted by mainstream society.
I remember the first thought I had when my first girlfriend told me she loved me: Oh my God, I need to find a way to get out of this.
Use a colon to precede a quotation, a summary, or a paraphrase:
Paul Fussell explains that X People supremely discard middle-class values and mores: For X People, Fussell explains, the good life is experiencing the Now in all its richness, not groveling for some pathetic social status.
In the masterpiece memoir Muscle, author Samuel Wilson Fussell contemplates his growing paranoia and pent-up emotions: "The threat wasn't just from without; it also came from within. The fright I'd felt on the streets of New York I also felt deep within myself. Who was this man who cried not just at graduations and weddings but during beer and credit-card commercials? Who was this man terrified of his own rage, his own anger, his own greed, his own bitterness? Who was this man who never head a compliment without hearing a subtextual insult, who never said 'I love you' without resenting the other fact: 'I need you.' I couldn't deny it was me, or could I?"
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