One Complaint (Only One)
Maybe its because I live in a later generation but I don't understand how people judge each other based on such superficial characteristics, such as race, "class," gender, age, and general appearance.
I was at the SLCPL this afternoon looking at their display on the history of Japanese baseball. It caught my eye because I just finished Kira Kira, which is about a Japanese American family in the 1950s or 1960s (can't remember). They experienced racism.
The display showed the racism portrayed by the Government in the early 1900s. There was a ban on Japanese immigration to the United States and the Supreme Court upheld it. This was even before World War II. Why the Japanese?
My friend in high school is working on a media project based on the internment camp Topaz. She said that before talking to people who had to live there she thought the camp was horrible. After interviewing past residents, she said it wasn't as bad as it seemed initially, although, I wonder if she was considering that the whole idea of imprisoning people based on physical characteristics (think potential Holocaust) is pretty horrible.
Man throughout history has judged each other based on these superficial characteristics. Today we may think that we've become more understanding and progressive on this issue, but have we?
How about all the effort that the media and culture make to portray what the "perfect" image of a person is? Is someone who is overweight intrinsically worth less than someone who is slim? How about the fashion trends of "showing more leg" or completely altering one's features (through makeup, dye, plastic surgery, botox injections)? Is it really necessary that we do this? Is there a "good" reason why people feel the need to go above and beyond to look a certain way--a reason that stands independent of peer pressure?
I'm offended if I find a guy who is only interested in getting to know me because of how I look. A much better compliment is "You're smart" or "You're funny"--focusing on the intrinsic.
Maybe its because I live in a later generation but I don't understand how people judge each other based on such superficial characteristics, such as race, "class," gender, age, and general appearance.
I was at the SLCPL this afternoon looking at their display on the history of Japanese baseball. It caught my eye because I just finished Kira Kira, which is about a Japanese American family in the 1950s or 1960s (can't remember). They experienced racism.
The display showed the racism portrayed by the Government in the early 1900s. There was a ban on Japanese immigration to the United States and the Supreme Court upheld it. This was even before World War II. Why the Japanese?
My friend in high school is working on a media project based on the internment camp Topaz. She said that before talking to people who had to live there she thought the camp was horrible. After interviewing past residents, she said it wasn't as bad as it seemed initially, although, I wonder if she was considering that the whole idea of imprisoning people based on physical characteristics (think potential Holocaust) is pretty horrible.
Man throughout history has judged each other based on these superficial characteristics. Today we may think that we've become more understanding and progressive on this issue, but have we?
How about all the effort that the media and culture make to portray what the "perfect" image of a person is? Is someone who is overweight intrinsically worth less than someone who is slim? How about the fashion trends of "showing more leg" or completely altering one's features (through makeup, dye, plastic surgery, botox injections)? Is it really necessary that we do this? Is there a "good" reason why people feel the need to go above and beyond to look a certain way--a reason that stands independent of peer pressure?
I'm offended if I find a guy who is only interested in getting to know me because of how I look. A much better compliment is "You're smart" or "You're funny"--focusing on the intrinsic.
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