Author: Mia Slaunwhite

All about the money. Paying the bills and just making it through… until you are making enough money life changes. During the movie, we see right away after the main character, Cassius, becomes a power caller he has a new way of thinking. His white-person voice and it is all about JUST him making the money. He becomes the “big shot” and is worried about him and his money he will be making. In the span of 24 hours, he is suggesting that well my problems are the only problems that matter. In a way, I feel as if we still see this today in some people—people with a lot of money only worry about themselves and their problems. Of course, this is not all peoples with money, but sometimes the ones we hear about are the snotty, stuck-up,  show-offs of people.  Cassius suggests, “my success has nothing to do with you” (47:30). Right there that is the issue. No one person can do anything alone. It takes a team and more than one person to achieve in this world. Cassius’ desk mate is one of the main reasons that he is promoted—he is able to give Cassius advice on how to make it through in that job. This world is crazy and will continue to be crazy. I believe that the issue we have as humans is that we want to take all of the credit for ourselves and give no credit to those who have helped us along the way. We tend to see selfishness when it comes to money more so than anything. Once the money starts rolling in the personality and creditability of a person also have a shift.

 

Along with the Zinn chapter, America is extremely divided and probably will always be. The division comes along with money. Money creates this notion of power and makes people believe they are more important than other if they make more figures than others—more important and seem smarter because they have the money.

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I never understood the idea behind tourist attacks and maybe a reason behind 9/11. “We are not hated because we practice democracy, value freedom, or uphold human rights. We are hated because our government denies these things to people in Third World countries whose resources are coveted by our multinational corporations.” The United States appeals too many because it seems like we are a country with open arms accepting anyone who would like to come… The United States isn’t exactly like that. We are not a melting pot in which we say. The United States is still very segregated in its ways.

The Henrico Country school system is segregated based on economic status and race. A Prime example would be Glen Allen High School and Hermitage High School. Henrico Country had built a new school, Glen Allen, when they were districting the lines between neighborhoods they placed the wealthier families to be districted to Glen Allen, and then those who aren’t as fortunate would be placed at Hermitage High School. These schools are about 1.5 miles apart. I have had first-hand experience with students who attend Hermitage. They have to worry about how other schools and police officers will treat them at football games— home or away. It makes me sad that when a game would be at Hermitage, me included would normally choose not to go to the game. Where the majority of the school would attend the games in other counties. I strongly believe that Henrico Country needs to redraw the line and not listen to the money from parents. The United States is absolutely not a melting pot and doesn’t accept everyone. In many documents for the United States, they talk about freedom and justice for all, but that is not the case here. This country has work that needs to be done to make a change so that maybe one day we can be a melting pot but until then.

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After the Watergate Scandal, President Nixon resigned from the White House. Due to President Nixon resigning, Gerald Ford, his Vice President has now become the president. Ford had a lot of rebuilding and cleaning up to do after Nixon’s actions. What strikes me the most is that Ford is still so caught up in making the United States a superhero and hold dominance over the other countries. Nixon tried to clean up the actions of President Johnson and the involvement in Vietnam. Ford had a lot and I mean a lot of cleaning up to do.

 

Both the Vietnam involvement and the Watergate Scandal had impacts on Ford as President. By the time Ford was president the United States was at a very low point. He tried to recover by sending American troops in as fast as he could. When he sent the troops to Cambodia, the Americans were then released the same day the troops arrived. Because Ford sent the troops, he ended up killing forty-one Americans. This idea that America must be the world giant—“giant America… was still powerful”(Zinn).  This is where I think Ford went wrong, he tried to become the ‘best’ and show Americans that America was still so powerful, but America was suffering and just needed time to rebuild itself.

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What strikes me after reading Zinn was the 1968 My Lai massacre. It seems that these actions by the United States were like a “just because” action; no real meaning to methodically kill women, children, and elders. The part that really makes me question the United States and truth-telling is that the United States tried to cover up killing innocent women, children, and elders. Considering that only one officer was convicted of this crime just shows the idea that the United States tries to cover up and hid a lot. There were other incidents of killing that made it seem that the Americans generals really did approve of and support the bombing of the civilians.

 

Seeing that Nixon campaigned to and promised that he’d end Vietnam was semi-promising. We see that yes, he did remove troops out of Vietnam over his time in office, but he continued the military’s policies; bombing civilians…  He didn’t end the war in Vietnam he just made Americans believe that’s what he did. What concerns me, in the end, is how many military unknowns are there? What is still being covered up? Will we ever understand what the United States is telling us, versus what they aren’t telling.

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From the first paragraph of the article “Martin Luther King, Jr: Charismatic Leadership in a Mass Struggle” by Carson, makes it know that MLK day is about to remember who he was and what he believed in. In some cases, MLK day was just a day off from school and a day for the teachers to catch up on work. I believe that yes, MLK day should be a federal holiday, but I also think schools should still hold school. The importance of what he stood for could be implemented in the school system. It could be important for schools to hold class on this day because many will just go on vacation and not even reflect on who MLK was and what he stood for.

The article states “A major example of this distortion has been the tendency to see King as a charismatic figure who single-handedly directed the course of the civil rights movement through the force of his oratory” (28). The depiction has been made over the years and words have been mixed up. Of course, what MLK fought for and stood for what is important and where he moved to the United States and the world is powerful. MLK is an important leader in this world, but when the world’s charismatic figure is thrown around things can get a little mixed up. The article states “The term charisma has traditionally been used to describe the godlike, magical qualities possessed by certain leaders” (28). The way the meaning of words have changed over time and can cause difficult

 

 

 

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The first thing that I think of when reading this passage is that the stereotypes for being a doctor is also being a male. Men and women both function and are different. The way the brain works in the female body and the male body are completely different and it seems like John doesn’t exactly have a good understanding of what she is going through. It is tough to see a woman struggle mentally and try to get help and the only advice she is given is basically you are crazy, nothing is wrong. Being told to do nothing is absolutely terrible. The body needs to have an activity to feel better. Physical or mental activity is very important as it releases hormones that make the brain and the body feel better.

What sinks in is the idea that she has to hide her true thoughts from her husband. That relationship doesn’t exactly seem like a strong one. This just shows that there was a point where women had to hide their feelings and thoughts. They had to wear this mask of a completely different person. That is just how it was. It is important now that women are able to speak up and able to expresses their ideas and thoughts. Having to internalize feeling is terrible for the sole and can lead to a huge explosion that could have been avoided id communication had taken place in the first place. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for women to be forced to stay quiet.

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John Green states, “The topic of who started World War I remains one of the most controversial and interesting topics to discuss” (00:52). John Green also states the fact that we immediately begin to think about Germany, “ore more specifically, German militarism” (01:08). From World War I to World War II Germany is most plausible to the cause of both. John Green mentions this idea of “the glory of war”, this made me think back to after the Civil War when the confederates composed this idea of the lost cause. Wanting to be the best and be on top generates these ideas of fighting and getting revenge. The public figure of a nation causes people to associate them with a certain stereotype.

 

Wilhelm became the public eye of Germany. Political cartoons were created. This idea of Wilhelm on the front caused many to believe that the Germans were eager for war. In most cases, I can assume that a lot of the citizens of Germany probably did not exactly want war.

 

John Green goes on the explain that if this person/country didn’t do XYZ and this person/country did XYZ then World War I could have been prevented. But many humans want to be the best and want to have the most land and want to be the strongest that World War I was bound to happen regardless. It is hard to say who really started World War I because the countries in the beginning all wanted something they did not have. “The decision to go to war was ultimately in the hands of a very small group of diplomats” (09:13). The war was decided by a few but then would affect millions. People’s lives were taken, families separated, and many other negative factors, but the ones who decide to go to war—well they don’t exactly have to physically go to war and stand on the front line. Their lives were protected. It is not the people to blame for the start of the war, but it is the individuals to blame.

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Watching the Crash Course, John Green talks all about the European nations and the power over others. We learn the much of Africa was ruled by Europeans. Real quickly do the Europeans find themselves dying in large numbers, but not because of war. Intertwining different cultures equals new germs and new illnesses. Travel to new places spreads the germs so quickly. Today, 2020 the travel of germs was so rapid, next thing we know the entire world is basically shut down. Bringing new to different places can be risky.

I have to think because European countries were on the move and advancing how upset and angry were, they when the United States gained its independence from England. The power that European countries had was a lot. John Green states “for the most part, Europeans could almost always rely on their superior military technology to coerce local rulers into doing what the Europeans wanted. And they could replace native officials with Europeans if they had to” (9:38). The Europeans had this control. As I think about the United States, I think about the idea that the people probably had wanted to rule in a similar way as they did in Europe—Using military tactics to enforce themselves over the others. Was this another reason for the Civil War—wanting to be the best and have the power like the Europeans to rule over and think that they were the shit.

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In Howard Zinn’s Chapter “As Long as Grass Grows or Water Runs” we are introduced to Andrew Jackson, an American Hero” … Well, reading all about what Andrew Jackson had ‘accomplished’ before becoming president scares me. How many more presidents have been considered hero’s for killing off Indians? This seems to me to be an idea of ‘being American’ of course some people thought this was outrageous and yes, some people agreed that killing the Indians and pushing them out is totally the right thing to do.

Wanting to know a little more about how Jackson’s history is told; I looked up ‘Andrew Jackson U.S. history’. From there I found a link to www.biography.com and it states that Jackson is “known as the people’s president”. One thing is for sure, from what I know about Jackson from Zinn’s chapter how is he a people’s president… Maybe it was the white elite men who were his people. This brings up a lot of clashes with classes and gender gaps. The article also states that Jackson “instituted policies that resulted in forced migration of Native Americans” (biograohy.com). The Indians still alive probably figured that if they don’t get out, they have a very good chance of being killed just like the other 800.

This is just another example of how history is taught in a skewed way. Maybe one day we will start writing history books and teaching history in a way that does not just idolize white males.

 

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As we learn throughout history and Hamilton specifically, we learn that Alexander Hamilton was the forgotten founding father. Hamilton was left to fend for himself and make a name for himself. As he was the right-hand man to George Washington during the Revolution; we look at the taught history of the war… Hamilton isn’t mentioned. All credit goes to Washington.

After the war, and Washington is elected president; Hamilton is elected Secretary of Treasury. Hamilton is often told to set himself aside and comply with the other ‘more important’ people. Hamilton is left out over and over. He has been, in a sense put aside. Hamilton has the wisdom to be a founding father that has not been forgotten. Again, why are the people that matter a lot and have formed an important part of this country just set aside? Alexander had struggled through life; this in a way is still relevant in 2020. It is hard to start at the bottom and be known at the top. In today’s world, 2020, people who make extraneous impacts are left in the dust when it is time for giving credit.

What this homework assignment has made me think about is that yeah maybe I am a woman in the broken world right now, but if I want to make an impact in this world I must continue without recognition. And man does it stink to move forward, but impacts must be made to even have a chance to change what must be changed.

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In chapter 3, the author mentions that the member of the rebellion, those who were white, came to the New World in hopes of a fresh start. The white members of the rebellion were mostly made up of criminals, vagabonds, or English, but in poverty. Wasn’t the idea of coming to the New World supposed to be about truly getting that fresh start and a second chance. We see from reading this chapter that not all English men and women were in a better situation from where they came from. They were still underneath and property of the elites. We weren’t taught that the white men had to work under elites, mostly just people of color were those who had to work for no pay in the New World.

We see all the way back to the colonization of Virginia that the classes mattered. It mattered if one came over with money, it mattered if you messed up before you came over to the New World. Today, 2020 it is still mostly true that once all debt has been paid back, it is still rare to jump from one socioeconomic class to another. That is what happened in the 18^th century as well. Once those were freed from their debt still struggled and lived miserably. Some servants found future and fortune, but that wasn’t exactly how everyone turned out.

The chapter suggests that as England was fighting in some wars, they managed to pour their financial burdens on the colonies. Yes, the colonies have been somewhat financed by England, these actions had created more of a divide between the classes in the colonies. We see that those on the top didn’t really care about anything, but themselves and the over top percent. The hardest part of reading this chapter was the fact that this is still a problem in the United States today. In 2020, a year of crazy ups and downs the gap between classes has widened even more. When will enough be enough? When will the next rebellion happen?

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Right from the start of chapter 2 in the first paragraph, we see this idea of salves—” She came, she traded, and shortly afterwards was gone. Probably no ship in modern history has carried a more portentous freight. Her cargo? Twenty slaves” (23). From reading the first paragraph, it never occurred to me that we aren’t taught that there are slaves brought to Jamestown. While I was in elementary school, we took a field trip to Jamestown—while here, what I recall, the workers reenact what life was like during the settlement, and not one of the workers was a person of color. Jamestown and education failed to mention the idea of slaves during the early part of the English settlement.

Another interesting thought that really was never taught was the idea that Zinn states, “The Indians were on their own land. The whites were in their own European culture” (25). The Europeans did not ask, they just took and kept taking what they wanted. The natives were forced by the Europeans to move and make room. I wish that just simple phrases and ideas like this were taught in history. We are taught that natives were here, but never taught that this truly was their home and their life. Going back to the first Thanksgiving… we are taught that it was peaceful and there was no conflict at all. No mention of the natives they were basically forced to give way to the Europeans. In a way, all the Europeans thought that they were superior to everyone else. Going back to Columbus he did not care about the lives of natives. If they were in his way, oh well move them out. The Europeans in almost every case thought that they were the shit and we are taught that they are pretty much just that. History in schools needs rewriting.

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As I read through “Concepts of Leadership” by Bernard M. Bass, I begin to reflect on the fact that in some of the oldest text discovered there is evidence of leaders and leadership. The article states, “Leaders as prophets, priest, chiefs, and kings served as symbols, representatives, and models for their people in the Old and New Testaments” (49)—I find myself reminiscing on the idea that there has always been a somebody who has a following/ and or a leader.

At my last college, I took a class on the Bible—history and literature. After taking that class I began to understand the differences between the power that the Roman army had above all else. Even though Jesus had apostles and followers; he was a leader to them, but the Roman army had more power, and Pontius Pilate, the man in charge are killing Jesus, had a sense of leadership. Although his power and leadership can be seen in many eyes as evil, he had the leadership power to be able to defeat.

Bass also suggests in his text that there are “leadership rivals” in times of civilization coming fourth (50). Again, we can see that through the Bible, but we can most definitely see the rivalry in everyday life. To become the caption of a sports team, to be elected as a chair or a president in an organization, working your way to the top of a business chain. We see rivalries every day and because of that now I see the importance of studying leadership and hopefully being able to determine how I can better myself for the moments I must be a leader.

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