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Perceptions on the U.S.

            Regarding foreigners’ perceptions on the United States, I have decided to interview my cousin from Vietnam. She is in her late 20s and has just recently immigrated to America. I started off by asking her how she felt about America’s government. She told me that America’s government was so much better than the one in Vietnam. The government officials have a sturdier control on their nation and, overall, have better laws to protect its citizens. In Vietnam, there is no president and the communist government tries to establish similar control, but lacks authority and equality. There is no set Constitution or amendments that help structure the country. The laws can easily be changed, as well as the way the government runs. The government officials are easily bribed in Vietnam and tend to make decisions that do no benefit the majority; in other words, they do not aim for the common good. When an individual feels that he is wronged in any way, he can present his case in court and obtain his justice with the help of the laws. On the other hand, the laws in Vietnam can easily be bought with money.  Also, one of the many reasons why she likes America is that education can easily be obtained. Public education allows children to have the opportunities to gain knowledge and develop critical thinking skills that contribute to their future. The students in Vietnam have to pay for their education, which is very limited compared to the knowledge here in America. A second reason why she likes America is because of the healthcare. Since there is no healthcare in Vietnam, people who spend a night at a hospital must pay out of their own pocket. In addition, the care and attention patients receive is nowhere near the dedication that doctors and nurses give to patients in the U.S.

            Ultimately, the main problem is the Communist rule in Vietnam. Communism has a strong control on Vietnam and is limiting the expansion of its people and its country. People over there have a very positive perspective on America because they see that it is a country of opportunities and freedom. My cousin admires the government of the United States and is in awe at the freedom that Americans have to express themselves and their rights that are protected by the laws.

Chapter 29

            I thought Chapter 29 is such a fascinating chapter to read because it illustrates a new, evolving society that is more similar to the one we are living in today. This was during the time when the younger generation dared to challenge themselves and question what was right or wrong. People started to speak up for themselves and wanted to “control the decisions that affected their lives” (Boyer, 713). So why did younger people during this particular period decide to speak up? I personally think it was because of the increasing number of students who wanted to pursue higher education. Education allowed them to gain knowledge about the culture and society, which initiated the process of questioning and experimenting. Instead of being told what to do like their ancestors, these college students were equipped to think for themselves.

            Another interesting topic of this chapter was Nixon’s disgraceful past. What Nixon did was surprising because I don’t remember learning much about Nixon and actions. I just could not believe that Nixon would be that desperate to develop a series of “dirty tricks,” which included the creation of the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) and wiretapping telephones at the Democratic National Committee. Someone like him was supposed to represent wisdom, justice, leadership, pride, and confidence. Yet his greed and desperation got the best of him. What made it worse was his decision to resign before the Supreme Court could impeach him. His resignation revealed that he was nothing more than a coward because he could not own up to his actions and accept the punishment.

Gay Rights Movement

           The picture on the bottom depicts one of the many non-violent marches for gay rights. People are gathered at Washington D.C. to let their voices be heard and to fight for equal rights. The LGBT (Lesbian, Gays, Bisexual, and Transgender) organizations are known to be active worldwide and have been around for a long time, fighting for equality. This gay rights movement has many similarities to the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Like the African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement, the LGBT group of people has to continuously face massive discrimination and hatred every day. They, too, have experienced name calling, beating, taunting, and even killing. Although the gay movement is one of the most controversial topics that have been around for awhile, it has recently been brought under the spotlight due to the gradual legalization of gay marriages. I chose to talk about the topic of gay rights because it is more personal to me since my best friend is gay. Having someone so close to me go through the challenges of being gay helps me understand their perspective and witness how difficult it is for them to go through life being labeled.

 





 

 

               I also came across a very inspiring video that contributes to the gay rights movement. It contains various clips of people coming out to their friends and family, as well as those who celebrate their way of life and being proud of it. It’s very heartwarming to see the courage they possess and the changes that our society is going through. It is a wonderful thing to say that as Americans, we are beginning to accept others despite their race, culture, and gender.

Civil Rights Movement

           One of the pictures I chose from the Civil Rights Movement was a picture of Dorothy Counts sitting alone as the other school children are laughing at her. From this picture, I can see the anger, humiliation, hurt, and fear as she calmly expressed a controlled countenance. I can sympathize with her because I went through a similar experience when I was younger. I came to America at the age of six and was treated like an outcast because of my inability to speak English. The language barrier made it difficult for the other kids at school to accept me; instead, they made fun of the way I look and talk because of my different culture. But Dorothy obviously had to endure a lot more, since she was one out of only four black students enrolled in all-white schools in North Carolina. Not only did she have to put up with the cruel comments and harassment of the other students, their parents also took part in this discrimination and made threatening calls to Dorothy and her family.

 

            The second picture shows an African-American woman being carried by police officers during a Civil Rights Protest. This picture was very powerful to me because it demonstrated what the African Americans were willing to go through just to make their point. During this time, non-violent protests were common. However, the response of the whites towards these protesters was usually violent and physical harm would be inflicted upon them. It makes me angry seeing how the cops carried that woman as if she wasn’t anything better than a ragged doll. Seeing how she was treated upsets me because this woman was a human being despite her skin color, and she deserved to be treated with respect just like any other American.

 

 

Chapter 28

           After reading chapter 28, what really stood out to me most was the picture on page 690. The picture was taken during the incident in Birmingham in 1963, during which Martin Luther King, Jr. launched nonviolent marches, sit-ins, and pray-ins. This act infuriated Police Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor, who gave permission for his men to attack the nonviolent demonstrators. Although the participants did not physically harm anyone, Connor and his men were armed with electric cattle prods, water hoses, and fierce dogs. The picture of the man being grabbed by the police and attacked by the police dog definitely got to me emotionally as I could sense both fear and determination on the man’s face. This picture is heartbreaking because it reminded me of the time when racism and discrimination got the best of humanity, leading to the heavy mistreatment of multiple ethnic groups, such as African Americans. I am just glad to be living in an era in which different types of ethnicities are appreciated and respected.

            I also have something to say regarding the topic on America’s participation in the endless war in Vietnam. I understand how the domino theory posed as a threat and a logical reason to fight the continuous, no-ending war. However, a part of me feels like the president’s ego and stubbornness also played a part in his reluctance to pull the troops out of Vietnam. A majority of people in the U.S. were fed up with the war because it didn’t look like it was going to end any time soon, and the massive amount of casualties were gradually piling up. But Kennedy did not want to seem like a weak president and wanted a save-face plan. After Kennedy’s assassination, Lyndon Johnson was challenged by the same dilemma: whether to pull out of the war and risk the potential domination of communism or to put up a strong front and continued to the end. Like the Americans during that time, I also felt like Kennedy  or Lyndon should have put out a better attempt at ending the war earlier because the U.S. had lost thousands of lives and billions of dollars. In addition, incidents such as the My Lai Massacre brought so much shame to America and further proved how disastrous and uncoordinated the war was.

The Positive Outcomes of Immigration

            After reading Chapter 23, I couldn’t help but disagree with the strong nativism that people harbored during the earlier times of immigration. I assumed that many Americans were against the idea of letting in more immigrants because they feared the loss of the Anglo-American culture. These new aliens, whether legally or illegally, were coming into their land, taking over their jobs, and a majority of them are opposing assimilation. However, I felt that some of actions that were taken against these immigrants went a bit too far. First of all, it was ironic that these so called “Americans” were trying to defend their country when they, too, came from family members that were once immigrants. Also, no matter how negative they felt against these immigrants, killing should never have been an option. For instance, the formation of the Ku Klux Klan and the crimes they committed was such horrifying moment in American history. It makes me so upset to think about the racism and discrimination that took place all because of the selfish need to preserve the "original" American culture.

            I actually look at immigration on a more positive light. Without immigration, America would not have turned out to be such a wonderfully diverse nation today. Also, many of the Americans' favorite pastimes and companies have would never have existed if it weren’t for the different ethnic groups that came here and invested their time, money, and ideas in the U.S. For example, the Italians played an important role in the musical life of this nation. Mozart was such a phenomenal, influential, and well-known musician that is still widely remembered even to this century. Also, an Italian by the name of Amadeo Pietro Giannini founded the small Bank of Italy in San Francisco, a bank that is now popularly known as the Bank of America. Another example would be the invention of movie theaters. The Greeks pioneered the massive industry of motion pictures. Alexander Pantage the developed one of the largest theater chains in the 1900s and his brothers controlled the 20^th century-Fox studios. These are only a few of the several men whose immigration and inventions had played a huge part in the development of America and its culture.