US History- Anti War Protesters

During the Vietnam war, the protests against the war started with the students. They started off as a minority group that was hostile towards war. Similarly, the war on terror originated the same way. Many opposed during the Vietnam war due to the many casualties and losses we faced. The longer the war lasted, the numbers of victims increased, and the bigger the cost for taxpayers. Overall the people wanted peace; peace for the victims and peace for the country. The War on Terror had the same effect. The war on Terror was a campaign that started after 9/11 to block terrorist efforts, and the protection from it. It began in 2002, and is still continuing today. Although there hasn’t been much media on anti-war protesters, it doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been any protests. In fact, anti-protesters today are still arguing on the war, as it has gone long enough. It has brought terror into this country as it has even “seeked ban the Council on America-Islamic Relations from speaking in Hillsborough County Public Schools.” says Corey Uhl. This campaign had gained many followers because the terrorists had attacked in their country, and agreed to whatever it was to assure that this would not happen again on American soil, but it has also received many protesters against it because they believed that too many soldiers have been lost, too many families have suffered, and the cost of this war has affected to many lives.

References: http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-protests

http://www.fightbacknews.org/2012/9/13/students-and-community-members-protest-war-terror

US History- Napalm

Napalm is a jellied form of gasoline that burned on contact, and was used during the Vietnam war. It was used in flamethrowers to attack guerrilla fighters and used in air raids and bombs. Most of the times it was used to destroy bushes and forests. Not only has it affected the environment, but it affected the lives of the Vietnamese as well. Kim Phuc is one of the victims of a napalm attack and is widely known in a picture where she has stripped down in all her clothes screaming. This video shares how although the Vietnam war had ended, it still impacts victims. She shares her experience and the excruciating pain, the scars that were left, and her road to recovery.

References: http://vietnamawbb.weebly.com/napalm-agent-orange.html

US History- LBJ

Lyndon B Johnson was a full supporter of the “Domino theory”. He believed that the French’s loss would start the effect of communism but he was strongly convinced that at the time, there was no purpose to send in troops to Vietnam at the current time period (1964) when the elections occurred. He believed the decision would turn into a bad political statement and would discourage his reelection chances. But later as time went on, the Gulf of Tonkin incident happened, and gave LBJ the motive to attack Vietnam. He believed that this was the best option rather than looking weak to the world as they do nothing against an attack on the U.S.

“If we quit Vietnam tomorrow we’ll be fighting in Hawaii and next week we’ll have to be fighting in San Francisco.”

US History- US Gets Involved

The First Indochina War first started off between the French and Vietnam as the French started to divide Vietnam and implement their political and social rules. Because of this, the Viet Minh decided to revolt against the French, and turned into a stalemate between the French and Vietnamese for four years until the end of 1954 where the Viet minh proceed in taking back their land. This was possible due to the Viet Minh’s  advantage of territory, which familiarized them with the area, and because many of the people of Vietnam resented the ideology of the French, the civilians provided the Viet Minh with intel of the French’s actions. This war was between the French and the Vietnamese, but it was also a war against the spread of communism. The U.S noticed this, and decided to indirectly help the French by aiding them with military aid.

The U.S set-up a patrol around the Gulf of Tonkin, and when the U.S.S Maddox was making their routine rounds, and was approached by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats.  To warn the North Vietnamese of the close range between the two, the Maddox decided to fire a warning shot to the boats, and the Vietnamese respond by opening machine gun and torpedo fire. In order to avoid the gunfire, the U.S.S Maddox receives the the help of U.S military planes. Two days after the incident, the U.S.S Maddox disclose that they have been attacked again, and this causes the tension between the Vietnamese and the US to escalade. This then causes the president to fully involve the U.S in the issue, by sending strikes and troops to Vietnam.

Citations
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/FirstIndochinaWar.asp

http://www.history.com/news/the-gulf-of-tonkin-incident-50-years-ago

 

US History-Gender Wage Gap

Currently all women are suffering due to the wage gap in America. Every woman makes  79 cents to every man’s dollar, just due to the gender of a person. Jennifer Lawrence explains in her article how her pay was cut short as Sony was leaked, sharing out the wages of each of her work mates. She originally accepted the offer she was given, due to the abundance of money she didn’t need, but she failed to realize that she was paid way less than her male co-workers.

The first step into stopping the gender wage gap is to allow more people to be aware of the situation. Allowing this to happen will assure both women and men the knowledge of the wage gap, as well as a chance to correct and readjust the gap. This would assure that both genders were treated fairly.

This wage gap applies to more than just tv stars, it applies to all women and men, but has gotten rarely any media towards the issue. With more media, it would allow more people to become more aware of the problem and  have more people to back up the cause.

Like African Americans, women had suffered as they have been discriminated due to their gender. This has enabled them from voting, working, and receiving the same treatment men have gotten. But as the African Americans have protested and spoken about their unjust treatment, so have the women in America. This have led to breaking societal norms and allowing them to work and receive the same education as men. Although there is still some discrimination to women, it has been improving through protests, strikes, and mass media.

US History- Women’s Rights

This movement plays an important role in my life, because as a women, I believe that women should be equal to men. This Documentary trailer starts off with a tv clip that shared a son and father’s conversation about how women should be a house wife “stay in the home” and is abruptly interrupted by the song Respect by Aretha Franklin. They explain how although they have gained the right to vote, they were still discriminated and  had to fight for equal pay and the rights to their own body. It explains how the media was also a part of the discrimination, as it asked people “who would you choose?”. It showed how people were prejudice against people of different gender rather than individuals, which was against the ideology where all people should be created equal. In order to gain this right, many women had held demonstrations and protests that include “burning bras”, as well as skipping a day of work to protest for what they deserve.

Price to pay

How does money affect the lives of people?

Money is universal. It is the thing people strive for. People work hard to become financially stable, and support their loved ones.

In the cartoon “The Great GAPsby Society” by Jeff Parker, he illustrates the gap of two men on completely different sides of the spectrum of careers and the impact of their polarity. It shows how those who talk about the wage gaps don’t understand the wage gap, because they don’t experience it,  while those who are knowledgeable about the breach between classes, don’t have enough time to inform others about the issue. This shows how the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, further enlarging the divide between classes. Not only have they shown how money affects the people’s knowledge, but it also affects their hospitality to one another. Both men state the words “old sport”, but each person has their own connotative meaning.  As the man lifts his head to speak to the employee, he states the word “old sport” in a shallow, degrading way as if he tried to sympathize with the man on the right, almost insulting the employee. The man on the right sarcastically remarks back with his shoulders hunched and his unrelenting stare. It shows how although people, they would never come to understand each other as their opinions differ due to the economical status.

Not only does it affect individuals, but it can also affect a community. In the Grapes of Wrath, they explain the Okies journey on how they migrate to California to find jobs and a better future. Throughout the book, we root for the migrants to be able to receive a better opportunity in life and find a place to settle and continue their life, but we also forget the citizens of California. Throughout most of the major chapters in the book, they include many migrant stories, but in the intercalary chapter 21, they describe the migrants as ants as they “swarmed on highways”. This alarmed Californians, as “men who have never been hungry saw the eyes of the hungry.” Californians started to panic as the feared their land would be taken as well as their jobs. Due to the desire for work, the migrants would work for anything as long as they were paid, as long as they would be able to feed their children by the end of the day. This caused a dramatic economic change in California, as wages decreased and threw many Californians out of work. Wages dropped and prices for items skyrocketed leaving many Californians to have mixed emotions due to the effect money had towards these migrants. People were “murderous for work” and were willing to do whatever it costs, but it also left the Californians angry due to the financial instability.

But having money can also start many problems rather than fix them. In the Huffington post, by Carolyn Gregoire wrote an article called “How Money Changes The Way We Think and Behave“, she states how “money changes everything”.  In one of her seven things she mentions about the psychology of money and wealth, she describes how money itself can become addictive. She explained how there can be an dependency on gaining more money. This can lead to a compulsive behavior to acquire a continuous amount of money. It can become an addiction as the body gains an affection to money, causing the person to obtain bad habits to damage a person as they create bad environments for those around them.

There is a diverge between social classes when it comes to jobs. This can affect how someone is treated depending on the rich or the poor. How someone perceives you can change, as well as their arrogance to a bigger problem of financial stability. Not only does the social class create tension, but the competition for money also creates pressure for both migrants and Californians as they challenge each other for a job. But although the lack of money can affect a person’s live, so can having an affluent amount of money.  The psychology of money can be factored down to seven things, and three of them include less empathy, clouding of moral judgement, and addiction.

US History- Malcom X

 

Malcolm X worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, to speak out about equality for blacks. He was also combined black nationalism with Jewish teachings to speak out for the Black Muslim faith, this gave a different perspective on hand. Malcolm had believed that a “you don’t have a peaceful revolution” which stated his stance on violence in the cause. He believed that racism had damaged America, and the only way to overcome racism is for blacks to “free themselves”. With his ideology, he wrote a brutally honest autobiography of America and the culture within it. He wrote this in order to inspire the message of power and self-determination.

References:

Biography

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/malcolm-x

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/malcolm-x

U.S History- Montgomery Bus Boycott

In the year 1955, all colored men and women have had unequal opportunities, and one example included the segregated seating in buses. Rosa Parks however challenged the idea of segregation, and refused to move for a white man. She then was arrested and fined for refusing to comply to the law, but she provoked something even bigger. Since the day of her arrest, people of Montgomery started a boycott that lasted 381 days. This gained publicity from the media, and started a trend that had many colored leaders came to support. Not only had it spread across Montgomery, but it spread throughout the south, as many colored searched and stood their ground for equality. On December 21, 1956 the boycott finally ended when the court decided that segregation was a violation of the 14th amendment. Although there was still segregated bus stops, this was a stepping stone for all colored people, as it was the start of a civil rights movement.

References:

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott

http://www.ushistory.org/us/54b.asp

Check Again

It’s 2016 we should all have our equal rights… right? Of course! But although we say we are one for equality for all, what are the double standards that we have faced throughout history, and how has it changed today?

Now backtrack a little to the early 1920’s in Long Island and New York City. Now this was a time where gender roles were challenged. Women were rebels. Cut their hair, showed a little more leg action and men were partied it up in mansions. It became acceptable for women to date around and become more open. But although women have gotten more freedom in their morals, it hasn’t stopped double standards from occurring in the time. In The Great Gatsby, they had many circumstances in which this has happened. Tom and Daisy had a strange relationship with each other. They were married to each other but happy wouldn’t describe their connection. Tom had a lover. She was a mistress that everyone knew about, including Daisy. Everyone knew about Tom’s relationship with his mistress, but no one seemed to oppose this relationship. People went about their business, and accepted the fact. Daisy fell in love with another as well, Gatsby. He won her over and they were lovers that had sparked passion in their relationship. But as soon as others found about about her and Gastby, it was unacceptable. It was seen as  absurd and it was shameful for a man to lose her woman to another. As if she is supposed to remain loyal to Tom although she knew that he had another lover. The issue with this, is that men are allowed to cheat on women, but women cannot cheat on men. They have a name for a man’s “mistress”, but they don’t have a name close to that for men. Would it be “mister”?

It doesn’t stop there. In today’s society, we face double standards as high as abuse, but as minor as the dating. Abuse in modern society is a challenge all genders face. If a man hits a woman, the media and the public immediately intervene. The police are  called, and the man is sent to prison and is labeled as an abuser for the rest of his life. Women on the other hand are turned the blind eye when a man gets hit. It is seen as “pathetic” because a women is hitting a man. People pretend like they never saw anything, stare, or laugh but never stop to help the man being abused. A social experiment was held that showed this exact issue in society.

It showed how people were willing to help the woman without even hesitating, but as a man is being abused both mentally and physically people stop to stare at the man as he gets choked,pushed,shoved around.

But it’s not just the main issues that are noticed, but also double standards that occur within dating. Yes dating. Age plays an important role in double standards. For a man to be dating a younger women, he is seen as a stud, a hunk. The women dating the man would be seen a “gold digger”. As if the only reason why a younger woman would date an older man is because of his money.  And if a woman were to date a man younger than her, she is a cougar. The word itself doesn’t even sound pleasing. A wild animal. Words associated with pounce, hunt, corner, prowl. She is judged everyone including her friends.

There are may double standards that both genders face on a daily basis. It still continues to affect the modern society as women are judged by their age, and men are judged more harshly by their gender because of abuse. Over the years many of the issues even from the 1920’s haven’t changed, but we have become more aware of the issues concerning double standards. This is the first step on overcoming double standards.