Three Blatant Acts of Racism Against Obama

Three Blatant Acts of Racism Against Obama When Barack Obama became the first African-American elected president on November 4, 2008, the world viewed it as a signal of racial progress. But after Obama took office, he was the target of racist illustrations, conspiracy theories, and Islamophobia. Do you know the tactics used to attack him on the basis of race? This analysis covers three blatant acts of racism against Obama. The Birther Debate Throughout his presidency, Barack Obama was dogged by rumors that he was not an American by birth. Instead, the â€Å"birthers†- as the people spreading this rumor are known- say that he was born in Kenya. Although Obama’s mother was a white American, his father was a black Kenyan national. His parents, however, met and married in the United States, which is why the birther conspiracy has been deemed equal parts silly and racist. The birthers have also refused to accept as valid  the documentation provided by  Obama that proves he was born in Hawaii. Why is this racist? New York Times columnist Timothy Egan explained that the birther movement â€Å"has little to do with reality and everything to do with the strangeness of Obama’s background- especially his race. He continued, Many Republicans refuse to accept that Obama could come from such an exotic stew and still be ‘American.’ †¦So, even though the certificate of live birth first made public in 2008 is a legal document that any court would have to recognize, they demanded more.† When Donald Trump repeated the claims of birthers in April 2011, the president responded by releasing his long form birth certificate. This move did not completely quiet the rumors about Obama’s origins. But the more documentation the president released about his birthplace, the less ground the birthers had to suggest that the black president did not belong in office. Trump continued sending Twitter posts questioning the birth certificate authenticity through 2014. Political Caricatures of Obama Before and after his presidential election, Barack Obama has been depicted as subhuman in graphics, email, and posters. While turning politicians into caricatures is nothing new, the ones used to criticize Obama frequently have racial overtones. The president has been portrayed as a shoeshine man, an Islamic terrorist, and a chimp, to name a few. The image of his altered face has been shown on a product called Obama Waffles in the manner of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben. The depictions of Obama as ape-like have arguably sparked the most controversy, considering that blacks have been portrayed as monkey-like for centuries to suggest that they’re inferior to other groups. Still, when Marilyn Davenport, an elected official in the Republican Party of Orange County, Calif., circulated an email portraying Obama and his parents as chimps, she initially defended the image as political satire. Mike Luckovich, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, had a different take. He pointed out to National Public Radio that the image wasn’t a cartoon but Photoshopped. â€Å"And it was crude and it was racist,† he said. â€Å"And cartoonists are always sensitive. We want to make people think- we even want to tick people off occasionally, but we don’t want our symbolism to overwhelm our message. †¦I would never show Obama or an African American as a monkey. That’s just racist. And we know the history of that.† The â€Å"Obama Is Muslim† Conspiracy Much like the birther debate, the debate over whether Obama is a practicing Muslim appears to be racially tinged. While the president did spend some of his youth in the predominantly Muslim country of Indonesia, there’s no evidence that he himself has practiced Islam. In fact, Obama has said that neither his mother nor his father was  particularly religious. At the National Prayer Breakfast in February 2011, the president described his father as a â€Å"nonbeliever† whom he met one time,  according to the  Los Angeles  Times  and his mother as having â€Å"a certain skepticism about organized religion.† Despite his parents’ feelings about religion, Obama has said repeatedly that he practices Christianity. In fact, in his 1995 memoir Dreams From My Father, Obama describes his decision to become a Christian during his time as a political organizer on Chicago’s South Side. He had little reason at that time to hide being a Muslim and pretend to be a Christian as it was before the 9/11 terrorist attacks and his entry into national politics. So, why do rumors about Obama being a Muslim persist, despite his declarations to the contrary? NPR senior news analyst Cokie Roberts faults racism. She  remarked  on ABC’s â€Å"This Week† that a fifth of Americans believe Obama’s a Muslim because it’s unacceptable to say, â€Å"I don’t like him ’cause he’s black.† On the other hand, â€Å"it’s acceptable to dislike him because he’s a Muslim,† she declared. Like the birther movement, the Muslim conspiracy movement against Obama highlights the fact that the president’s different. He has a â€Å"funny name,† a so-called exotic upbringing, and Kenyan heritage. Rather than  point  out their distaste for these differences, some members of the public find it convenient to label Obama a Muslim, This serves to marginalize him and is used as an excuse to question his leadership and actions in the war on terror. Racial Attacks or Political Differences? Not every attack against President Obama is racist, of course. Some of his detractors took issue with his policy alone and not with his skin color. When the president’s opponents use racial stereotypes to undermine him or accuse him of lying about his origins because he’s different- biracial, bred outside of the continental U.S., and born to a Kenyan father with a â€Å"strange name†- an undercurrent of racism is often at play. As former President Jimmy Carter said in 2009: â€Å"When a radical fringe element of demonstrators †¦begin to attack the president of the United States as an animal or as a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler†¦people who are guilty of that kind of personal attack against Obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he should not be president because he happens to be African American.†

Linking Your Ideas in English With Discourse Markers

Linking Your Ideas in English With Discourse Markers Some words and phrases help to develop ideas and relate them to one another. These kinds of words and phrases are often called discourse markers. Note that most of these discourse markers are formal and used when speaking in a formal context or when presenting complicated information in writing. with regard to /regarding / as regards / as far as is concerned / as for These expressions focus attention on what follows in the sentence. This is done by announcing the subject in advance. These expressions are often used to indicate a change of subject during conversations.   His grades in science subjects are excellent. As regards humanities †¦With regard to the latest market figures we can see that ...Regarding our efforts to improve the local economy, we have made ...As far as I am concerned, we should continue to develop our resources.As for Johns thoughts, lets take a look at this report he sent me. on the other hand /while / whereas These expressions give expression to two ideas which contrast but do not contradict each other. While and whereas can be used as subordinating conjunctions to introduce contrasting information. On the other hand should be used as an introductory phrase of a new sentence connecting information. Football is popular in England, while in Australia they prefer cricket.Weve been steadily improving our customer service center. On the other hand, our shipping department needs to be redesigned.Jack thinks were ready to begin whereas Tom things we still need to wait. however /nonetheless / nevertheless All these words are used to begin a new sentence which  contrasts two  ideas. These words are often used to show the something is true despite not being a good idea.   Smoking is proved to be dangerous to the health. Nonetheless, 40% of the population smokes.Our teacher promised to take us on a field trip. However, he changed his mind last week.Peter was warned not to invest all of his savings in the stock market. Nevertheless, he invested and lost everything. moreover /furthermore / in addition We use these expressions to add information to what has been said. The usage of these words is much more elegant than just making a list or using the conjunction and. His problems with his parents are extremely frustrating. Moreover, there seems to be no easy solution to them.I assured him that I would come to his presentation. Furthermore, I also invited a number of important representatives from the local chamber of commerce.Our energy bills have been increasing steadily. In addition to these costs, our telephone costs have doubled over the past six months. therefore /as a result / consequently These expressions show that the second statement follows logically from the first statement. He reduced the amount of time studying for his final exams. As a result, his marks were rather low.Weve lost over 3,000 customers over the past six months. Consequently, we have been forced to cut back our advertising budget.The government has drastically reduced its spending. Therefore, a number of programs have been canceled. Check our understanding of these discourse markers with this short quiz. Provide an appropriate discourse marker in the gap.   Weve done a great job on the grammar. ______________ listening, Im afraid we still have some work to do.__________ Americans tend to eat quickly and leave the table, Italians prefer to linger over their food.  The company will introduce three new models next spring. __________, they expect profit to rise considerably.  He was excited to go to the movies. ____________, he knew that he needed to finish studying for an important exam.She warned him repeatedly not to believe everything he said. __________, he continued believing him until he found out that he was a compulsive liar.  We need to consider every angle before we begin. _________, we should speak with a number of consultants on the matter.   Answers With regard to / Regarding / As regards / As forwhile / whereasTherefore / As a result / ConsequentlyHowever / Nonetheless / NeverthelessOn the other handIn addition / Moreover / Furthermore

The health effects of cannabis marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The health effects of cannabis marijuana - Essay Example This damage is similar in severity to the damage of those who suffer from lung cancer (Zimmer & Morgan, 2007, p. 20). The mildest respiratory effects of the consumption of marijuana include bronchitis, exacerbated phlegm production as well as emphysema. A study revealed that 36% of patients admitted to the hospital in the United States with flue-like symptoms were suffering from the side effects of consuming marijuana (Tashkin et al., 2004, p. 2). Moreover, in severe cases, heavy marijuana users may develop lethal complications. Hence, a massive Swedish study in 2013 has identified that 40 years of marijuana consumption double the risk of having lung cancer (Callaghan et al., 2013, pp. 1811-1820). Moreover, has a disastrous effect on cardiovascular system. Therefore, marijuana accelerates heartbeat and may provoke inflammatory processes in blood vessels. Moreover, a group of researchers from Birmingham, UK, has concluded that marijuana is likely to increase the risk of arrhythmias as well as causes dizziness and provokes falls (Krishnamoorthy et al., 2009, pp. 851-856). Furthermore, due to ethical concerns, the studies aimed to investigate the relationship between the consumption of marijuana and reproduction. The studies conducted on primates revealed that with the chronic consumption of marijuana sperm count decreased by a margin of 61% in males. Fertility in females decreased by up to 53%. Moreover, even with the surviving sperm cells their motility and ability to fertilize egg cells was significantly degraded (Zimmerman & Raj, 2007, p. 10). Krishnamoorthy, S., Lip, G., & Lane, D. (2009). Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use as Precipitants of Atrial Fibrillation in Young Adults: A Case Series and Literature Review.  The American Journal of Medicine,  122(9), 851-856. Zimmerman, S. & Raj, A. Y. (2007). Effects of cannabinoids on spremtogenesis in mice. In G. G. Nahas and W. D. M. Paton

Korean 180 C-problem set 14 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Korean 180 C-problem set 14 - Essay Example The people in the country are being used as tools for the leaders to achieve that political environment that they desire, but not one that will necessarily work. B) The myths in North Korean ideology are considered backward-looking because they are past events that have been brought into the present and given specific meaning. Many of these events are fabricated or exaggerated, which makes them different from the historical events, but acts as a tool of rallying the population for the country’s cause. For example, there are myths about how the country once operated as a Communist state where everyone only took what they needed. This myth is used in order to show the population what the ideal society would look like. This is an effective manner of manipulating the population into acting according to the government’s political ideologies. C) Ideology prevents North Korea from moving forward into a modern society because it is very difficult for outsiders to understand the political ideologies that are held in the country. Since it is difficult for outsiders to understand, it is also difficult for outsiders to understand how the populations could take these ideologies seriously, which means that the rest of the world sees North Koreans as being less sophisticated than people of other nationalities are. D) Even though the idea of Juche is based on national pride, North Korea has received help from other communist countries. While this is somewhat awkward, it is justified because Kim Il Sung argued that the most important thing is to strengthen the Communist movement worldwide because this would end up being in North Korea’s best interests. Kim said that internationalism and patriotism are interchangeable because they will both further the international Communist movement, which is something that would help North Korea in the long run. This was simply a manner of Kim getting the help he needed from other countries without losing the nationalist support in

What Makes The Youth Of Today Follow The Latest Trends Essay Example for Free

What Makes The Youth Of Today Follow The Latest Trends Essay Today’s youth are not entirely dependent on their parents for their knowledge and opinions. They have become more independent as time goes on. There are many changes that they undergo and it takes extra effort to really understand all of their behavior (Taylor, Carl 2003). In most of the social problems encountered by today’s young adults, the critical factor is the role of parents and educational institutions in forming, molding and strengthening of children and young adults’ values. In raising teens, Covey (1999, 100) highlights the importance of being sensitive to the tendency of the youth to reject. According to him, this tendency of teenagers comes from their fear of being rejected. Their rejection experiences make them â€Å"pull back into a kind of shell to protect themselves from being rejected again. † This could be aggravated by parents who refuse to look honestly at what their children are doing; even denying that there is a problem, making excuses for their child, or blaming the school, teachers, family, friends, or society. Fixing the child’s problems by giving in to demands, justifying rebelliousness is just a normal part of adolescence. Compromising the parents’ own values just to keep the peace at home or maintain a veneer of harmony is not an uncommon solution. If and when the worst situation comes up, the decision to intervene remains with the parents and not with the juvenile justice system. Yet, parents are often at a loss on what best to do.

The Loons by Margaret Laurence :: Laurence Loons Essays

"The Loons" by Margaret Laurence In the short story "The Loons", Margaret Laurence writes the story of Piquette Tonnerre. A half-Indian girl who grows up under harsh circumstances in a society that suppresses half-breeds. The story is told through another girl, Vanessa, who comes in contact with Piquette through her father. As the title suggests the story also includes a special type of birds, the loons, and we can see an obvious comparison between the loons and Piquette. The loons are very special creatures; they are man-shy and can only be heard at night when they start their cry-like calling. It is said that one that has heard the loons cry, will not ever forget it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the main parts, or maybe the main part of the story, takes place by a lake that is the habitat of a group of these birds, and one could say that the whole story evolves around these beings. The human destroying of the loons' natural habitat symbolizes the invasion the white people made on the Indians territory. This is Piquette's background, and as the birds she suffers from this. The loons show no interest in humans and Piquette also as it seems has stopped caring about other people. She acts indifferently to her surroundings, and nowhere in the story can we see her showing any heartfelt feelings. As the birds become familiar to a new environment near their invaders, and have the chance to adapt to this "nearer to civilian life", Piquette marries a white man and has the chance to make a new life. Both the birds' chance and Piquette's attempt fail. Now they are forced to find another way of living. Their old way has been d estroyed by the newcomers, and they have not succeeded in adapting to the white people's unyielding life style. "Perhaps they had gone away to some far place of belonging. Perhaps they had been unable to find such a place, and had simply died out, having ceased to care any longer whether they lived or not." This is a strange way to describe a group of birds, and in this case I think the meaning is directed towards Piquette entirely. The far place of belonging being the old way of the Indian's, which she has been "unable to find" because of the European invaders.

Institutional Racism and Racial Discrimination in the U.S. Health Care System Essay

Institutional racism and racial discrimination in the U.S. health care system has been part of a long continuum dating back over 400 years. After hundreds of years of active discrimination, efforts were made to admit minorities into the â€Å"mainstream† health system but these efforts were flawed. Colin Gordon in his book Dead on Arrival portrays a very strong stance towards this issue when he states, â€Å"The American welfare state has always been, at root, a Jim Crow welfare state – disdainful of citizenship claims of racial minorities, deferential to a southern-controlled Congress, and leery of the racial implications of universal social programs† (172). It is evident that throughout the history of U.S. health care that race has shaped health provisions in a number of ways, most noticeably in private and public health care institutions. Gordon throughout his books discusses the ways in which institutional racism, specifically in the field of healthcare, has manifested itself throughout history. One of the most prominent manifestations of institutional racism in the healthcare field comes to light when examining past (and sometimes present) policies regarding admission (to healthcare facilities) and discrimination of minorities. It is evident when observing the adoption, administration, and implementation of these policies in the past that they were purposefully constructed to be exclusive of minority citizens (specifically African Americans and Latinos). Gordon gives an example of such policies in 1939 under the Social Security reforms. In the formative years of the New Deal southerners in Congress pushed for and won for the exclusion of agricultural and domestic labor from coverage under the National Recovery, Agricultural Adjustment, Social Security, National Labor Relations, and Fair Labor Standards act, this affectively excluded 90 percent of the southern black workforce (185). The implications of this act of agricultural exclusion are most clearly evident in the South and Southwest—regions whose economies were dominated by agriculture, who agriculture systems were peculiarly labor intensive, and whose agricultural labor markets were organized around low wages, tenancy, harsh legal controls, and violence. Gordon argues that segregation  persisted in medicine and hospitals longer than in any other public institution or facility partly due to the fact that Southern Congressmen pushed for local control of any federal expenditure; and later on this pushed Southern and Southwestern leaders into a partnership with doctors, employers, and insurers to keep racial minorities excluded from the health system. Southern interests led to a push for job-based private insurance, locally administered subsidies for hospital construction, and penurious charitable programs for those left behind, â€Å"southerners persistently worked to exclude African Americans from coverage, tap into federal funds without sacrificing local practices, and ensure that charity programs remained under local control† (174). Employment-based benefits, initially developed as a surrogate for national policy, was successful in leaving behind the majority of African Americans and Latinos due to the fact that they were grossly underrepresented in the unionized industrial economy, and in part because benefits such as these did not extend to casual or domestic or agricultural workers. Private health benefits came to be looked upon by many Americans as a â€Å"wage of white-ness† (176). Federal agencies, both out of practical and political necessity, consistently surrendered control over federal funds and standards over to state and local administration, â€Å"states set their own standards for care and eligibility and controlled the pace and scope of federal matching funds. Local political and medical authorities wielded considerable informal power and discretion† (187). In 1948 the Brookings Institution published a book-length assault on health reform. The conclusion of this publication was that higher black mortality rates are â€Å"predominately the result of economic, cultural and social differences† although, the research for this publication based cost estimates off of the ordinary expenditures of white families and confined comparative mortality rates to the white population, this led to them to conclude that the United States was among one of the most healthful nations in the world (188). Seconding this conclusion and also asserting that higher rates of non-white mortality were due to such things as poor sanitation, housing, education, and the lack of ordinary individual and community common sense was the AMA. The partnership between these two organizations is evident. At the root of the hospital issue in the South was not only professional and patient segregation but also the way in which it was countenanced by federal efforts  to address the region’s dearth of facilities. What is shown here is the long-standing political strategy to try and appease reformers by granting federal funds but to simultaneously placate opponents by relinquishing control to local or private interests; federal aid to hospitals both in 1940 and under the 1946 Hill-Burton Act â€Å"avoided any commitment to maintenance: once built, hospitals would reflect local control and local custom† (193). This however did nothing to prevent segregation seeing as in order to be considered nondiscriminatory a hospital was only required to grant equal access to the portion of the hospital that was built with federal funds. Perhaps the most compelling public health issue during the formative years of the American welfare state was the dismal status of rural services. In places in the South and Southwest and the nation’s inner cities basic services such as a hospital, public health clinic, and a doctor accepting Medicaid patients did not even exist. Gordon offers the example in Mississippi in 1948, there were only five general hospital beds for every 100,000 blacks in the state—at a time when four beds for every 1,000 citizens was considered adequate (175). It is evident that health care in the twentieth century has been shaped by a myriad of â€Å"direct and indirect discrimination, strong southern interests and local administration, the uneasy intersection of public and private (job-based) benefits, and the sharp political distinctions routinely drawn between contributory and charitable programs† (209). According to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, â€Å"Despite the existence of civil rights legislation equal treatment and equal access are not a reality for racial/ethnic minorities and women in the current climate of the health care industry. Many barriers limit both the quality of health care and utilization for these groups, including †¦ discrimination.† Importance of Health Care Access to comprehensive, quality health care services is important for the achievement of health equity and for increasing the quality of a healthy life for everyone. Access to health services entails the timely utilization of personal health services in an effort to achieve the best possible health outcomes. The utilization of and access to health care has many substantial impacts on a person’s life. A person’s overall physical, social and mental health statuses are all impacted by the ability to be examined and treated by a medical professional. Health care also plays a significant role in the prevention of disease and disability, the detection and treatment of health conditions and a person’s quality of life. A structured healthcare system assists in providing a foundation for a healthy lifestyle for both individuals and their families. Without access to healthcare, minor health issues have the potential to escalate either permanently affecting living standards or worse resulting in death. The health care sector also has an impact on the local economy. Health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes provide jobs and income to people in the community. As these employees spend their income in the community, a ripple spreads throughout the economy, creating additional jobs and income in other economic sectors. Also, providing healthcare may also be a business incentive to companies. Healthy employees can mean a healthier, happier, more productive workplace. A company’s decision to invest in and offer health care to their employees not only filters back into the economy but also may help them to recruit and retain quality employees, improve employee satisfaction, and reduce absenteeism due to sickness. Business that offer health insurance as part of their employee benefits package are probably better able to attract more qualified applicants than those who don’t. Also, offering health insurance coverage is a way of keeping operating costs low, because employees are generally more apt to take a position at a lower salary when health insurance benefits are provided. This is because it generally costs more for someone to obtain an individual or family health insurance policy than to get employer-sponsored coverage, making the difference of a lower salary negotiable. Businesses offering health insurance can deduct their portion of the contribution toward their employee plan as a business expense and get a tax advantage. If the business is incorporated, the business owner’s insurance and the coverage paid for employees are deductible. Access to health care services and insurance plays a vital role in individual and families lives along side society as a whole.