Social Trends

This week we talked about social trends. the world that we live in today is a differnet world than the one that our parents grew up in. We have so much pressure with our jobs and demanding schedules that we put social interactions on the back burner. we also looked at wealth and capitalism and how the rich and the poor differ. How there is inequality between the social classes and it is ever expanding because of the prevalant attitude of the rich and famous. We only have a short while to go in this class but I think a lot of people need a relaity check on how they view the world. It would be enlightening if the rich and the poor could switch places.

The Economy

This week we talked about property and how it creates a sense of ownership among Americans. Being a homeowner is one of the most important things for a lot of Americans. It bring s Americans into the political and legislative process. We are afforded the opportunities that capitalism affords us. In this day and age, especially with the economy the way it is, ownership is a great asset for most Americans.

We also looked at capitalism and how law has an effect on it. In my paper this week I used oil as an example. Most Americans percieve a correlation between big oil and current political posturing. The ybelieve politics and greed are dictating the policy in the US. Political rights and freedoms are dictated by the leadership of a country even in a democratic society. In a democratic society once politicians are elected they make laws. They have the power in their hands to craft policy for the country.

Heroes and Democracy

Heroes are everywhere. They are around you all the time. They are not noticed but they are loved and respected. They are our parents, teachers, construction workers, police and military. The country is in a state of denial. Since the days of the civil rights movement we have made monumental strides in racism and racial equality, but we still have a ways to go.

The democratic process in the country is alive and well. Through the presidential election we are seeing America at its best. The fact that we had a woman candidate and an African-American candidate speaks volumes about the progress of the country. The world is speaking to us and asking us to change our ways. We are losing our democracy due to greed, corruption and abuse of power in the government.

I am starting to see the world in a different light.

Individual Rights Versus Community Rights

This week was particularly hard for me. The readings were really difficult for me. The readings by Douglass and Lincoln were really eye opening. As a black man in America, we are faced with suttle forms of racism in our lives. We constantly deal with how we are percieved and how we percieve others.

I believe that some black people use racism as a crutch not to achieve their goals. They blame the "white man" for all of their despair. They believe that their individual rights have been violated. The community that bred this type of behavior is partially to blame for this thinking. Black people believe this kind of thinking is warranted. Some push for slavery reparations and think they are owed something for their ancestors suffering. Sally Joe from New Jersey born in 1982 does not owe them millions of dollars because their great, great grandfather owned two slaves. All Americans need to work hard to get ahead.

Individual rights are very important to the populus and must be maintained. There needs to be a harmonious balance between community rights and individual rights. Community rights re important to establish order within that particular community. There will be instance where these two ideas cannot co-exist but as long as the parties try there is the ability to compromise.

American Values

Another week bites the dust. This week we looked at traditional American values from the eyes of the former leaders of this country. Many of the readings were from importan documents in American history. These documents were the framework that the laws and traditions of our country were created from. The Delaration of Independence layed out our rights as citizens and the Constitution layed out the structure of the government.

The story that I took the most from was The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin. This story provided a common sense apppoach that shows us the way to get things done. I was particularly impressed with the way that the concepts presented in that story are applicable to today. We have a lot to teach the world about governance and culture. Different countries have a differnt set of values based on their religion, previous history and way of life. Our values may work in some countries but will not work in all. If our values are recieved by those countries than we will see how they work for different cultures.

This class is coming together quick. It is already the end of the fourth week and we are almost complete. 7 weeks to go!! This is an exciting time. This week the candidates for president brought up these same subjects. They focused on patriotism. As we come near the day of our independance we need to sit back and reflect on our history and acheivements over the past 220+ years as an independent nation.