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The 13th , 14th, and 15th amendment arguably secured legal freedoms for black people in the United States. These decisions played a crucial role in the formation of the current interpretation of freedom and civil rights in this country. Defining and acting in ways that promote freedom in the black community has been an ongoing debate and nuance in the experience of black people nationwide. Things to think about: What does it mean to be free? How did the legalized oppression and consistent denial of humanity impact people during that time (black people and others)? How has this level of oppression in private and public spaces impact all people's sense of self and political agency? Requirements for BLOG POSTS
84 Comments
Niloufar Pirkhezri
10/8/2014 03:47:02 pm
What does it mean to be free? To be free to me, is to practice your own religion, not to be judged by the color of your skin, and the ability to have human rights. Essentially not to be judged for who you are and what you stand for. In the day and age of oppression, not many had the privilege of being called free as most of us in the US do today. It is something we truly take for granted and should use our empowering voices to help others who do not feel "free."
Dylan SanFilippo
10/9/2014 05:08:15 am
I find it interesting how you say in your first paragraph, “To be free to me, is to… not be judged for who you are and what you stand for” (Pirkhezri). No matter what you believe, people are going to judge it. The only alternative is that they don’t care. Think about it; do you really want to live in a world of people who don’t care about you or your political views at all? I’m not saying that all judging is bad. Some people may judge (ie: discern) that they agree with you. Perhaps they have the same judgment as you, and agree with you.
Arnulfo Gembe
10/12/2014 03:11:32 pm
I believe that religion has a lot to do with why some people believe they are higher or better than others. Each different religion teaches positive and negative values but sometimes the negative values are put into practice and that’s when society faces the consequences. Some religions though advocate that slavery is justifiable, which as a society nowadays a majority of people would agree that under no circumstances is slavery justifiable. I assume that slave owners and the slave trade were not frowned down upon during the slavery era in America due to religious texts. Even nowadays there exists tension in the certain parts of the world due to religion. Take for instance the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; I am sure there is a variety of reasons why there is conflict between Israel and Palestine, but one of them has to be because of religious differences. My main argument though is that even though some people view religion as a way of life it also can be used as a negative tool to make people think that some of us are better than others.
Aemal Dastagirzada
10/12/2014 04:34:32 pm
this is true that our current generation is not feeling the impact of oppression in the same term as older generations felt it, but the new challenge for this generation is fighting a different kind of oppression. the economic oppression where people are not paid their fair share because of their ethnic background etc, especially young ppl and minority communities. I believe that a lot of what modern day people think is programmed into them while they're getting their dose of reality TV. they have us believe that "poor people are lazy" because if we understood how they were robbing the poor people, who's sweat have build the wealth they're enjoying, then maybe, we will get pissed off and do something about it. the reality is that we are the poor people and we know that working 40 to 50 hours a week is not enough to feed our families. this is the "lazy poor" they are talking about. However, I should thank walmart for providing assistance to their employees who need to fill out food stamp applications. #sadayforamerica
Dylan SanFilippo
10/9/2014 04:57:33 am
The definition of ‘free’ is, “not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes.” From approximately 1670 to 1865, black people in America did not have this freedom. In that time, racial slavery was very commonplace and accepted by the masses. This legalized oppression of the Africans led to a slave-based economy, and also devalued anyone who had dark skin. This time of over 100 years gave people a lot of time to make and accept hurtful racial lies that are still believed by many today. It is so deeply believed, that a little blue line appeared under “lies” in the sentence above when I typed this into my word processor. My word processor thinks “lies” should be replaced by “lines”. I can only assume that the program believes that there are lines that divide between the races; or “racial lines”. This shows that even Word doesn’t recognize the phrase “racial lies.” The processor itself accepts traditional racial roles put onto society just as much as the ones who programed the word processor. Mini-rant aside, even after 1865, many political offices in the south made new laws that kept black people oppressed by written law. Apart from written law, the Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866, and immediately became a terrorist organization to intimidate people to vote a certain way. Coincidence that the Klan was founded the year after the civil war ended? I think not.
Alexander Salah
10/9/2014 09:35:22 am
Dylan, I love how you ended your blog post, and the challenge has been accepted. We have mostly the same opinion and response on this particular topic minus a few, “discrepancies”. Although I love your little rant referring to lies and lines, I do not see the Contextual significance relating to this blog post. Lies and lines mean two completely different things and I’m having a hard time understanding where you are coming from when you describe your programs processor error when trying to decide what you mean by the word “lies”. When I type the word lies, no blue line appears, nor red or green. Although complicated, I think the program you use to type this blog post is not sophisticated enough to be able to relate the word lies to seeing the difference between races and ethnicities. I may be right or wrong but perhaps I just have a different understanding of your post. And as a side note, in no way, shape, or form, is this meant to sound mean or discourteous. I just thought it would merely be fun to try to respond to what you wrote because it is indeed hard to find something to reply to due to the lack of a question at the end of your blog post. Kudos to you my friend for stirring the discussion up!
Caitlyn Nurnberg
10/9/2014 09:08:45 am
To many people in the 1800's land ownership was the key to freedom, but to be free to me means to have control of your own actions, whether it be buying a house or deciding to go to college, and not having to answer to anyone about decisions you make concerning yourself. To be free you should have basic rights such as practicing your own religion and having freedom of speech. The legalized oppression and consistent denial of humanity negatively impacted people greatly during that time because it stripped them of their sense of self. They were not able share their ethnic, or spiritual beliefs because they were not allowed to have them, along with being treated all the same as if there differences did not matter,
Alexander Salah
10/9/2014 09:58:48 am
Caitlyn, I agree that in order to be completely free you should have basic rights such as freedom of religion, press, and opinion. I believe that it is important to express who you are as a person to the world even though they might judge you and think differently of you. Although unfair, people hundreds of years ago viewed blacks as sub-human, referring to them as 2/3rds of a white person. Although tragic, this could not be avoided due to environmental placement of their race. This deeply effected and damaged the African race as a whole, but that did not stop them from rising above tyranny of the time. Speaking from a purely historical standpoint, it was hard for the African race to do anything such as pray, rest, or sleep, without their owners consent. But they tried too anyways because it was something that they felt were “theirs”. I agree that many people feel the lasting impressions of slavery, and that is truly sad; but this will never leave and is imbedded into our thoughts and civilization.
Myah Rodriguez
10/9/2014 05:20:44 pm
I disagree, at least with your last statement. We all have the power to overcome societal restrictions. Sure, the institution of slavery combined with the historical traumas, restrictions, injustices, institutional inequalities, & social propaganda that continued & still continues today all contributed to the current attitudes, beliefs, & assumptions that people carry. However, these things can ALWAYS be changed. People are adaptable and always evolving. It just takes a conscious effort to decide that you will no longer passively accept the status quo. People once believed that the world was flat, & that there were gods on Mount Olympus masquerading as humans. But both of tide ideas which were deeply imbedded into the very fabric of civilization have fallen away and are now seen as ancient myths (to be studied like folklore). So, if people hundreds of years ago can change their beliefs, do you really think it's impossible for us to change our beliefs on race and class (especially when we already know they are social constructed ideas)?
Aemal Dastagirzada
10/12/2014 04:14:05 pm
although land ownership does allow for some freedom but it doesn't guarantee it not does a single solution. I think it is the combination of all these ideas that our classmates been discussing in this blog. for example, land ownership allows a great degree of economic freedom but internal racism erases the economic benefit all together. voting rights, something that people take for granted but people who don't want minorities to have a voice working very hard to demolish their votes. education, we have systematically underfunded our minority schools and overfunded our jail system. the list goes on....
Alexander Salah
10/9/2014 09:15:35 am
Although the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment debatably secured certain legal freedoms for black people in the United States, changing countries views on slavery does not happen over night. We are still trying to transform into a racist-free state and in order to keep progressing we have to address the problem that started thousands of years ago. History teaches us that although slavery is absolutely wrong, many civilizations infrastructures and empires were built off of excessively abusive hard labor. Like it or not, slavery is embedded into humanities history and cannot be overlooked. One of the many definitions of free, “exempt from external authority, interference, restriction, etc., as a person or one's will, thought, choice, action, etc.; independent; unrestricted.”(Webster) Is a term that people these days take for granted. Personally, I have not struggled with serious racism in any form, nor have I had to endure certain restrictions being placed on my everyday actions. Although I have not directly experienced racism first hand, I always entertain the thought that it has existed for many years. The legalized oppression and denial of humanity heavily impacted people during the 16th-17th century and far after that. It was seen as normal or socially acceptable to own another human being, and although today that is seen as cruel, wrong, and preposterous, we have to realize that it was a societal norm for the majority of this country. This specific level of oppression has greatly affected people’s views in private and public spaces even today, due to the constant lack of awareness people have of race. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you have predetermined assumptions of what is acceptable and what people will judge you based on. Even though todays society is much more liberal towards letting people express themselves, people will always judge you whether you notice it or not. I try not to judge people based on race, ethnicity, and how they present themselves contrary to social norms, but we all do it. In order break this cycle of oppression for good we have to learn to teach future generations about history, and race at an early age. I cannot stress enough the importance of learning that racism has many forms and levels other then “black and white”. The sooner people start realizing this world is damaged and needs to be changed, the sooner we will have an acceptable form of equality throughout our country and this world.
Karla O'Connor
10/12/2014 01:19:10 pm
I really like the fact that you mention that because slavery was socially acceptable in this country in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, today this is seen as obscene and unbelievable. As a whole, we must remember that this was the norm back in the day, and to try to understand that and acknowledge that this prolonged trauma still impacts communities today is hard to believe. It is even harder when most white people tend to deny that discrimination still exists. Alexander, you make great points about race and this makes me think about Crass’s work on anti-racist movements. You mention that in order to break the cycle of oppression, we have to teach future generations about race and its history, that it is more than just “black and white.” This statement is extremely important to me as well, because Crass refers to the “integrated analysis” of oppression. Intersectionality is the term in which examines the multiple forms of oppression. This means that “systems of racism, capitalism, hetero-patriarchy, and ableism operate with and through each other” (Crass-5). In order for people to accept this and the many levels of it, this country can start moving towards racial equality.
Aemal Dastagirzada
10/9/2014 10:01:41 am
The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments did secure legal rights for African American but the blunt disregard toward these laws by majority of population didn’t allow it to come to fruition until 1960's which begs the question, what good is a law if it is not implemented or a society that only respects part of the laws that are suitable to them? Our society is still suffers from the residue of past discriminations that were set up systematically. This country had made tremendous progress after civil war in regards to the amendments but only to see they rolled back in systematic and corrupt laws which forever damaged the integrity of judicial system in this country. "To be free" should not only mean from the physical chains of oppression and slavery but also from the evil psychological oppression of the mind as well. The constant physical and psychological beat down over centuries have profound impact on African American community, the cops who been systematically used as tool of oppression and racism, can’t be trusted, the financial institutions and capitalist system that refused African American loans, business opportunities and the American dream, can’t be trusted. The racist portion of society which makes false assumption about color or economic status can’t be trusted. A political system that always tries to undermine the vote of African Americans can’t be trusted with the duty of providing jobs, schools and better opportunities for African American communities. Sadly, the system and the government has been known to inject poison in our African American communities with intention of dividing these communities and continuing the systematic oppression, today we have to identify the complicated laws which are purely designed to discriminate and suppress minority group in our country, these laws are not as simple as before but they are just as effective when it comes to achieving their evil intend. As martin Luther king said “judicial decrees may not change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless”
Karla
10/12/2014 01:17:17 pm
Your response to the judicial system really puts things into perspective. Laws did not mean anything for racial minorities in the United States especially in the 1960’s. This is shown after the Roe v. Wade case which did desegregate schools, but only with “deliberate speed.” Minorities in this country were treated unequally nonetheless, and it should not surprise us that this bias mentality against these racial groups are due to past discriminations and cultural suppression. Aemal, things that we do not tend to put emphasize on such as: systematically discriminating African-Americans in jobs, refusing them loans, or seeing how the prison-industrial complex lock up black youths at a faster rate than white youths, even for the same crime, are just a few things that do not get as much attention. These things are happening now in a more subtle way, but the media only presents us things we are so accustomed to hearing about such us a racist incident or a murder committed by an African-American male, and then we just forget about it. This class has opened up my eyes to these subtle actions, and have made me think more critically to why these things are still happening today. It makes me see how easily an institution can systematically oppress a group, and how easy it is for them to discriminate against racial groups. What can we do as a community besides raising these issues? Can we actually have a society that is equitable?
So Chun Kiu Ryan
10/9/2014 10:56:31 am
To be free for me is that everyone shares the equal rights to do whatever they want, as long as it is morally correct. Therefore we wouldn’t be oppressed, pressured, discriminated just because of our physical appearance, character, belief, behavior…etc. In our modern society, simply no one is actually free since there is countless apparent, subtle restriction including law, cultural belief, inequalities and society structure. It make everyone suffer from different extent of oppression.
Laura Pino-Flores
10/12/2014 03:27:45 pm
You stated that “To be free for me is that everyone shares the equal rights to do whatever they want, as long as it is morally correct”, but what does it mean to be morally correct. Many people have different morals based on how they were raised and what they have been through in life. What is morally correct to one person may not be to the other. Therefore there would have to be someone who says this is morally correct for everyone, and even then people may not agree. The question is, who gets to decide what is morally correct for everyone and how do we come to an agreement between everybody?
Karla O'Connor
10/9/2014 10:57:42 am
To be free means to have civil rights, and to be able to express them without any intervention from anybody or any institution. In the vague definition of the U.S Constitution, freedom only existed to white males with power, money, and leadership. This country was set for contradiction, and those who were not white were excluded from any attainment of property, wealth, or any civil rights whatsoever. Slavery was a form of legalized oppression, and to African-Americans this socially deprived them from being included into society thus treating them as an unequal person. They were considered ⅓ of a person when it came to voting. Although the fifteenth amendment guaranteed African-Americans the “right” to vote, southern states used poll taxes and literacy tests as a way to discredit them. In the case of the thirteenth amendment, this abolished slavery, but African Americans were not guaranteed equal protection following the Jim Crow laws. The southern states were constantly trying to suppress them as humans, and their tactics included fear and intimidation as a source of doing so. The socio-historical backdrop of America still impacts the black community today, and other minorities such as Mexican-Americans and Native-Americans whose lives have been destroyed by racism and imperialism.
Laura Pino-Flores
10/12/2014 03:31:57 pm
I completely agree with your definition of freedom and how you brought in American history to your definition. I think people back then thought there was freedom for everyone, at least in their minds. Based on your answer, do you think your definition of freedom will change in the future because of future history or stay the same?
Gordon Wang
10/9/2014 02:07:24 pm
To be free means to be able to have some power over your life. Even after slavery was abolished and blacks were "freed" they had no land of their own and few possessions to speak of. This led to the rise of sharecropping which was for all intents and purpose, slavery by another name. Even after their emancipation, black people were still treated as much lesser beings and were denied opportunities at education, jobs and in general, ways to better their own life. This legalized oppression lead to essentially a caste system where black people were completely downtrodden by the upper white caste. These issues of oppression from the past have resounding affects on the modern day. Even after the passage of the bill of rights, equality is still being fought for in many world stages and in many institutions. things such as equality in employment and wages are constantly being pushed for today. but if there is a bright side to the oppression that has been dealt out in the past, I believe it would be the (in my opinion) increased sense of political agency/freedom people enjoy today. While yes various levels of oppression still exist, I believe today's society is much more conducive in allowing people to speak up and speak out against injustice. With classes such as grassroots democracy, youth are being shown that they can have a voice in today's world. As a post-thought I do realize I speak from a relatively privileged world view and probably have some rose-colored glasses on. I do realize in some places it is hard to speak up over an issue because those issues are completely glazed over and ignored.
Caitlyn Nurnberg
10/12/2014 07:30:49 am
Although agree with your ideas in general, I do not think increased political agency as a "bright side" to oppression but rather an unintended consequence of it. I say unintended consequence because the people who were doing the oppressing never meant for anything good to come of it, they intended to keep people oppressed for as long as they could.
Dakota Bramer
10/9/2014 02:46:27 pm
There are many ways you can classify “freedom”, and social/political freedom is definitely the most complex type. To be free means to have the chance to live without limitations based on your race, gender, sexual orientation, where you come from, etc. People should be able to believe in the things they want to believe in, and have opinions and views in whatever way they please as long as they’re not hurting others. But clearly there has to be some sort of fine line. For example, freedom should not make it acceptable to be a criminal or create a terror group like the KKK.
Laura Pino-Flores
10/9/2014 02:51:17 pm
I think free means to have the option to do what you like without taking that option from others. When you’re free you do not have people taking away your rights or interfering with them. The legalized oppression and consistent denial of humanity had a bad impact on black people and their confidence. Blacks did not have the same rights as whites, so in a way they were being dehumanized simply because of their race. This led to some blacks having lower self-confidence because they were viewed differently because they were not white. There were people who lost confidence, but there were also people who became very angry and radical. This caused some people to try and fight even harder to gain their rights and freedom. Even though we still have a long way to go in regards to racism, I think now we have moved forward as a country when it comes to being more accepting. Now people are more likely to speak out against racism and call it out when it is happening. Minorities are now being more represented in the white house than before and now impact our voting. We now see that minorities play a big part in this country and whether people disagree with minorities being in this country, we are part of this country just as much as they are. We still need to make changes and grow as a country so that we can reach a level of equity among all of us.
Judy Chen
10/10/2014 11:35:07 am
I agree that America has come an extremely long way as a nation compared to the 1800s in terms of social equality for people of color. Like you said in your post, we can now actively see minorities participating in politics and even taking on important positions in both politics and daily corporate life. However, I can't help but think that a lot of these choices to put people of color in positions of power are for commercial uses only. There's no doubt that President Obama was elected into office due to popular vote, but what about smaller scale situations? Universities today flip through applications specifically looking for minorities sometimes in order to prove to whoever it may concern that their school is indeed, diverse. But these actions show no genuine concern or mentality to change racism; they are simply using minorities to protect their own reputation and public image. And this is where the problem lies in my opinion, and also what causes ignorance. White people are constantly denying that racism still exists because they see minorities getting accepted into good schools, or getting a great job, or even becoming president. But the percentage of minorities who get to make it big in the real world cannot even compare to the overwhelming percentage of white people who still dominate the nation, both socially and economically. We need change that is genuine and not just for show,and America has a long way to go in terms of changing not only actions that show racism, but the mentality behind it.
Brandon Morin
10/9/2014 03:00:06 pm
Freedom is everything to me. True freedom is different than what most people define it as. Even restricting freedom to a definition doesn't do the word justice. When I begin to look at freedom I look at one of the main reasons that The United States was founded...separation of the church and state. To escape persecution from the government and being restricted to think or behave in a few limited ways. This ideal was a great one and still is, however it's not living up to its potential. We as a nation seem to be giving up our freedoms every year slowly but surely voting for things that place more and more restrictions on what we can and cannot do and every time we do this we take away from the original intent of what this Nation was meant to embody. However, that's where the true freedom comes in. Freedom can only truly be gained from within. I once read a book while i was incarcerated entitled, "A Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor E. Frankl; a true account of life inside Auschwitz from a Jew's perspective. His wife and children were gassed in the camps and he went through a torturous time. One of his statements still sticks with me today, "A man can maintain his dignity under any circumstance." And continued to explain how it is up to an individual how he or she is going to respond to the environment around them. No one can change your internal freedom, determination, will, etc. if the desire is there. I can relate a lot to the author of the book in terms of hardships and overcoming obstacles. Freedom truly comes from within. If you can free yourself from limitations, from unnecessary fear, from caring about what everyone else thinks, truly living for yourself and being true to who you are you can experience a whole new sense of freedom and life. Once you break past the walls that society has helped you build up as defense mechanisms or excuses or victimization, whatever it may be you can begin to live for yourself. So much emphasis is placed on what people may think that most people aren't even themselves. They are who they think the person next to them whose name they don't even know wants them to be. Until people can start letting go of fear and choose to become individuals freedom will never truly be achieved. You can be free in prison and in prison free. In the country we live in we have more luxury than most to achieve this pursuit. I challenge us as individuals to stop seeking excuses outside of ourselves and start looking within and fighting our fears. Be true to ourselves and ask ourselves who do we want to be and what are we willing to make that a reality? How can we look to change society if so many among us don't even know who they truly are?
Myah Rodriguez
10/9/2014 05:05:46 pm
I'm glad that you posted this, because I definitely agree written a lot of the points you bring up. Freedom does come from within and people absolutely have the potential to break free from societies bonds if they were only willing to have complete trust in themselves and find a real connection to who they really are and what they truly want out of life.
Arnulfo Gembe
10/12/2014 03:39:23 pm
The aspect of not having a filter on our thoughts and beliefs as a kid slowly fades away as we grow older because the idea of being an outcast in society is horrifying. Voicing out your opinions may lead to people not agreeing with your opinion and that is what most people are fearful of being judged by your peers. This brings up an issue even during our class discussions, I am sure that some individuals in class hold back their true opinion about social issues that we discuss in class due to the fear of being viewed differently in a negative manner. To go against the popular opinion is a value that society does not teach how to accept comfortably and correctly. Rather than make individuals feel like an outcast in society, society has to change its mentality and understand that not agreeing with everyone is acceptable.
Judy Chen
10/10/2014 11:07:27 am
I do agree that true freedom comes from within, but it's hard to act upon it or accomplish anything when the social environment you are placed in holds so many limiting restrictions to hinder your potential. To speak more on your issue of voting for social justice policies or electing someone to be in office to address these issues, I think that a lot of individuals who actively participate in political decisions don't know what they are voting for, or at least enough about what they're voting for. Politics is a tricky game, and candidates know how to appeal to their audience to either twist their campaign to portray positive image, or to conceal enough of the truth so that their promises to the people still hold enough value. People either intentionally vote for certain policies/candidates to prevent social equality, or they simply don't care enough about the issues at hand to really consider what would benefit this nation. The power and right to vote can be such an influential tool, but it's sad to say that too many citizens of the United States abuse and take this power for granted.
Sharon Serper
10/11/2014 04:13:33 pm
I think it’s really interesting that you brought up the intention of separating church and state. That’s a huge example of freedoms in the nation we are entitled to. Also I thought it was interesting that you said, “freedom truly comes from within.” It’s a great point but I wonder, does it fully? Isn’t there always someone with more power who can control the freedoms we think we may have?
Vanessa Fernandez
10/12/2014 05:49:42 am
You brought up the fact that too many people care what others think about them. Although it's natural to want to feel accepted we need to get over this insecurity to have your own opinions.Many of us have stood by while we watch something bad happen and often do not stick up for what is right because we are scared of other people's criticism. If we start to put ourselves in another person's shoes we can get a lot more things done and improve as a society.
Cody
10/12/2014 04:10:26 pm
This is a great point that I am constantly thinking about. Sometimes to me it feels like so many people are not willing to make the effort to change that it's just bound to not work. The only thing I can think if that would help is to constantly ask this question and to drive this point home, that if we don't truly know ourselves then how can we proceed to make a change
shannon casey
10/12/2014 04:54:50 pm
Great post, much of it rings true for me in my life and experiences. Your question is spot on to a much deeper questioning. Embracing the truest truths of ourselves can seem terrifying which can lead to denial feeling quite comforting.
Sharon Serper
10/9/2014 03:05:36 pm
Being free means that an individual is not under any type of control, and therefore can make decisions on his/ her own to act the way he/ she desires. Legalized oppression prevented people from having any level of freedom, and therefore, those being oppressed were unable to voice their own opinions. This system ensured that individuals could not rebel, because if they did so, they would be punished. A clear example would be that of Rosa Parks, who stood up for what was morally right and still got punished for it. Legalized oppression certified that these individuals would receive consequences for their actions. Additionally, it maintained the social structure which the people with the power so greatly felt they needed. Because of this, legalized oppression affected everyone. It’s a system which impacts the lives of everyone involved, including those creating the oppressive policies. I also strongly believe that the former LEGALIZED oppression in our country led to the current issues we face regarding racism. This is because there are always people with power who utilize their resources to maintain control and often times use it to their advantage. Nowadays, racism is largely covert rather than overt. For example, if a black individual goes in for a job interview, the reason for their rejection a few days later may be “you’re simply overqualified,” rather than another underlying reason.
Dakota Bramer
10/12/2014 02:58:37 pm
Your example of Rosa Parks in spot on in the context of these ideas. It was a never ending battle for the oppressed. They were kept from having a chance of making much social impact and like you said would be punished if they tried. I also completely agree that the past has greatly shaped the present. Oppression may not be necessarily legal anymore, but it is definitely still here and causes a lot of problems.
Cody caropepe
10/9/2014 03:12:26 pm
After slavery was so called abolished, I think people seem to think it that everything was perfect and the situation was solved but problems were still every where. Thought amendments were made so that all men were to be created equal and free to live their lives as they wished, there were still rules put in place to assure that black people were still suppressed. So even though " all men were to be created equal" there were limitations on how free that black people could be. Basically instead of being called slaves they were now called "Negros". The were documented rules on what " Negros" could do. For example, to preach their religion they had to have perments from the local police and so on. Though we think that in this day and age that time has long passed, but in all actuality it is still present. I was shocked when read that " white people with a total income of 15,000 dollar a year had the same net worth as a black household with an annual income of 60,000 dollars"( Tim wise ). This shows that even though the black household is obviasly pulling In more money, they are still judged by the color of their skin to show how much they are worth. I realize a little more all the time how blind I have been to how racist our society still is. It's scary to think that racism hasn't Been eradicated but simply a little better hidden throughout our society.
Vanessa Fernandez
10/12/2014 05:56:01 am
I can relate to when you say you were blind to how racism still exists in our society. I too am shocked by everything we have learned and the way that instatutionalied racism still runs the workforce. The first step to eliminating a problem is accepting we have one so I hope as more and more people become aware of the racism happening around them we can start finding ways to eliminate it once and for all.
Dakota Bramer
10/12/2014 02:50:25 pm
I like how you say "hidden throughout our society." It really gives a good illustration of the truth of racism. It is so obvious yet so hidden. It goes on everywhere all the time but still many people cannot see it. No matter you race or background, it is likely you have experienced some form of discrimination. In my opinion, I do not think the mass thought is denial, I believe it's that people don't realize what's going on around them.
Judy Chen
10/9/2014 04:49:30 pm
Even though the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment legally guaranteed and required blacks to be given their basic rights and freedom as human beings, they certainly did not guarantee the South’s acceptance of abolishing slavery during the Reconstruction era. A free man should be able to exercise his right to vote without the fear of being threatened when he approaches the voting booth. A free man should not be legally tied down to another man’s property as a worker. A free man should be able to start a fair business in close proximity to others without being brutally killed for exercising this right. The white southern slogan of labeling blacks as a brute who rapes white woman was a pity excuse made by white men to restore their version of societal status quo, therefore enabling them to lynch as an everyday ritual. Hundreds of thousands of innocent black men were beaten, hung, and killed in order to deny them their rights to contribute to society as equal participating members. Although these amendments abolishing slavery and granting basic rights to black folks was initially a significant step towards social justice, the results were no were near as promising as the amendment itself, and in the grand scheme of racial history, it made a very small impact to help social equality and justice. What good is freedom on a document if it doesn’t apply to reality? The amendments remain written on the Constitution today, and although we’ve come an extremely long way as a nation towards racial equality compared to the 1800s, prejudice and racial/social hindrances are without a doubt still in effect. The power to change social injustice not only lies in the hands of the government putting down laws and regulations, but we also need to find it in us as individuals to say enough is enough and realize how ignorant and ludicrous it is to judge anyone based on both appearance and personality, whether it may be race, ethnicity, religion, or sexuality. None of these things limit a person’s potential, and society shouldn’t either.
Dominic Allred
10/12/2014 06:06:17 am
Everything you stated was very good. Your last couple of sentences are striking and true. Good ol' judgement, the demise of our growth as a society. I find that we are failing to see that from birth we have been conditioned to think and act a certain way based on how society and media presents the world. Media has strong hold on what we see on daily basis and the six companies that control what view perpetuate our judgmental society which steals everyone's freedom. Our freedom is attached to the capitalistic economy we live in, where certain people are perceived to be less valuable based on the things you stated above. We individually have to fight against social injustice and take back control of our society and not let media condition the minds of the young to perpetuate the wrongs we face.
Myah Rodriguez
10/9/2014 04:50:42 pm
The period of "Southern Redemption" from the 1880s to 1960s is one of the most brutal time periods for Black Americans in the United States. As the white southern elite tries to assert dominance over the region, black people are used as the pinnacle of everything wrong in society. Socially they are stigmatized and demonized by whites; politically they (black men) are essentially terrorized & excluded from exercising their right to vote. This is important because political freedom goes hand in hand with economic freedom; it is virtually impossible to have one without the other. This means that black people are unable to make advances socially because they are denied the right to exercise political freedom & therefore unable to sustain economic freedom, which would lead to social freedom and so forth.
Hakwoo Kim
10/11/2014 05:07:25 am
Well written Myah! It really helped understand the Southern Redemption period better and how it affected black people and all people in our society. You clearly showed the relationship among social, economic, and political aspects of society and even personal aspect. I really liked that you not only explained how the group is affected but also how individual is affected by it. What I really liked about your ideas is that you viewed all people, not just certain groups, are victims of the society, more accurately capitalistic society, we have as we are all somehow going away from humanization. I assume that what you mean by freedom is, to quote yours, to be able to "embrace every aspect of who you are to the fullest extent" and to do the same for every others. Lastly, HELL YEAH. I am ready! (although it's a tough one...!)
Myah Rodriguez
10/11/2014 03:34:02 pm
Thank you, Hakwoo! And I definitely agree, this is not an easy task to accomplish. It will take real dedication and commitment in order to creat new systems where people are fully recognized and their humanity is fully honored.
Sharon Serper
10/11/2014 04:02:26 pm
I think you’ve brought up some great ideas. The first of which stood out to me is when you stated, “...black people are used as the pinnacle of everything wrong in society.” This is so true because when something is going wrong, the people with the power are constantly looking for a scapegoat. I also really like how you compared the injustices of the past to the problems we still see today. I completely agree with the fact that true freedom depends on your economic standing. We can see this on so many scales and I am sure each of us can relate to this...
jennifer melgarejo
10/12/2014 03:00:26 pm
Myah I really appreciate your viewpoints because not only did they clarify the material but made it real to me.
shannon casey
10/12/2014 04:35:20 pm
Who knows if we are ready, but I'm really sick of things as they are. Taking action to at least change the patterns of the last 200 years will help. We have no idea what place we play in history or in the lives of those around us. So, yes Myah, let's do this-
Nicole Cheng
10/9/2014 04:55:25 pm
I think freedom is a psychological and philosophical issue. From birth, we are socialized to a certain body of thought, which raises the question of whether we are ever free. To me, a free person is someone who acts entirely on their will, without pressures of fear or social norms. (how can we act on our "own will" if it is so influence by external forces? Can a person exist without the collective?) And I'm not sure being entirely free is a good thing. (what if in somebody's heart of hearts there was an urge to hurt people? Are we innately good, bad, neutral?) This means a person can choose their own religion, self expression, sexual orientation, etc, without external obstruction.
Dylan SanFilippo
10/10/2014 04:13:40 am
I find it interesting how you focus so much about what freedom is. When you say, “To me, a free person is someone who acts entirely on their will, without pressures of fear or social norms,” (Cheng) do you mean that a person should be free to act without moral restraint, and completely compulsively as they impulsively desire? Freedom of choice is good, but it should be done with good morals in place.
Myah rodriguez
10/11/2014 03:31:28 pm
I don't think that is what she meant at all. If you read further in her post you can see that she writes: "And I'm not sure being entirely free is a good thing. (what if in somebody's heart of hearts there was an urge to hurt people? Are we innately good, bad, neutral?) This means a person can choose their own religion, self expression, sexual orientation, etc, without external obstruction."
Nicole Cheng
10/13/2014 08:50:21 am
I agree-- but if people had to act morally... and the person in question wasn't moral, would they still be free?
Myah Rodriguez
10/11/2014 03:16:19 pm
I really like how you dive into a dissection of what freedom really means and how our society continually doesn't allow any person to fully experience it. I also enjoyed how you delved into questions about basic human nature: wheter or not people can be free of social expectations or even contact, and whether people are born "good or "bad". Yet, you still voiced the opinion that good and bad are social constructs that are used to rank individuals in society. I definitely agree with those points. My favorite thing about your response was that you justified the socio-economic system of capitalism with a discussion about fear. I never thought about the reason behind certain actions being taken and certain institutions being built in the U.S. could all stem from fear. It definitely gives me another perspective and allows me to see even southern, white, elitest individuals as actually being human. If I believe that there is no such thing as good and bad (which I absolutely do), then I can begin to view even those people as having emotions (such as fear) and needs beneath those emotions (such as a need for control, or a need for security). With that in mind, I don't see the racist, sexist, classist institutions that were built by white men in this country & for the benefit of white (wealthy) men in this country as any less deplorable. But, it certainly allows me to understand them and somehow have empathy for them, which, in my opinion, is the first step towards creating a new nation where equity is the norm and social order is not based on capitialistic values.
Nicole Cheng
10/13/2014 09:41:18 am
Myah, I love your diction!
Bojana Cvijic
10/12/2014 04:44:13 pm
I like how you categorize freedom into being a psychological and philosophical issue. Freedom is such a broad term that we really need to look at it from all perspectives and where freedom is in our society, going further into what you were talking about I also really liked how you talked about our society having a materialistic culture, talking about how oppression is legalized, and your last sentence on how oppression "creates a biased political autonomy and encourages homogeny." My question to you is how can we talk about your last sentence in more depth? How can we make that statement more detailed?
Nicole Cheng
10/13/2014 09:58:47 am
Vanessa Fernandez
10/9/2014 04:58:08 pm
Freedom can be defined a lot of ways depending on who you ask. My definition of freedom relates to everyday things that we take for granted. Getting an education is to be free, as well as having an opinion and being able to voice it with no consequences, choosing a religion and being able to practice it. Having a place to call your "home" at the end of the day is a freedom. Voting is freedom that not many of us take advantage of. These are all things that were stripped seats from slaves. The term itself "legalized oppression" just makes me angry for obvious reasons. We are so forgetful of the fact that humans were dehumanized and stripped from their natural rights. These slaves had to fight and die for the opportunity to be seen as people who deserved the same freedom as whites. We have moved on from slavery but have we really made up for all those years of segregation? There are so many current events and statistics that prove that racism still exists and while it does I don't believe anyone can call themselves free. We can not just conform to the way things are now and say "we have done enough" because we are no where close to getting rid of "legalized oppression". Blacks among other minorites are still being treated unequally in less obvious ways than before but nevertheless still being denied to equal opportunity and this "freedom" that we are so convinced we have.
Jason Do
10/12/2014 12:08:17 pm
Yes, many of us don't realize how much freedom we actually have. Without context, it's hard for human beings to fully grasp and appreciate the rights they have. I myself took education for granted as a child, and even looked for ways to skip school or procrastinate on homework, while other people in different parts of the world would probably have given everything to be in my position. It's so funny how the human mind can fail to realize how many opportunities it has if it doesn't see the disadvantages faced by other people.
Jeana Lindsley
10/9/2014 04:59:00 pm
Freedom; the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. I do believe our country does a very good job of protecting our rights to speak and think freely, but it is true that our right to ‘act without restraint’ is hindered. However we cannot be truly free as it is necessary for society to have some rules and restrictions to maintain some level of order. We cannot have people going around killing each other willy nilly (yes I did just say that) in the name of freedom. I believe that we should all be free to act as long as our actions do not take away someone else’s natural rights to life liberty and pursuit of happiness.
Hakwoo Kim
10/11/2014 08:20:57 am
Hi Jeana! Answering the question of freedom seems to be very complicated. Reading your answer to that and just reflecting on it stirs my mind so much I am getting headache now... ugh. It seems being free is to be able to act as one wishes, but like you said, we may be free to act, but we are not free from the consequences following our actions, and as the cause of our actions is affected by surroundings, it doesn't really seem we are free after all and makes me question what it means to be truly free. Here's something I have been thinking about. There seems to be two ends of the spectrum of action: one that creates more restrictions and limits and one that expands the possibility and choices of our action. Maybe what we mean by freedom is to have that full spectrum of action. However, often times, many of us don't have that expanding side of spectrum that much. For example, slaves back then didn't have any resources or power to escape from their state of being slaves and were stuck in their routine, similar to many of the working class people in modern times. For another example, people nowadays don't have much environment or resource to care and love each other. People in these situations seem to be forced to have former side of spectrum, which hinders them from progressing or even pushes them backwards. I'm sorry about my confusing wording. My point on freedom isn't clear yet so please understand. What I have been trying to say is that freedom doesn't seem to be just about being able to act as one wishes. There must be a distinction between freedom and dissoluteness. I have a feeling that freedom can be truly freedom when it's governed alongside with some basic principles, which can be defined during the process of understanding what humanity really is.
Jeana Lindsley
10/12/2014 04:59:49 pm
Hello! Yes I do agree that freedom is a very complex idea with various dimensions and levels. I am very intrigued by your idea of a spectrum of action although I'm not sure if fully understand the concept. My understanding is that there are two types of action; one that limits and one that expands and freedom means to have the whole spectrum. This was the part I was confused about - what do you mean by limiting action and expanding action? I am very interested to learn.
Hakwoo Kim
10/19/2014 06:07:24 pm
Sorry I haven't been able to respond to your question, and looking back at my answer I'm confused as well x) I think my idea was that if we are free, we would be able to choose between hate and love, rather than being skewed towards one side. I feel like the society now encourages us towards the opposite direction of love. While we see love side of spectrum, we are stuck in the "hate" side of spectrum. I think I tried to explain this situation as being not free, not being able to experience the whole spectrum we have. I hope this helps with clarification...! and please ask more if it's still not clear.. and I think it is not clear yet, but can't explain better. Having more of your questions will help me clarify as well! Thanks.
Jason Do
10/12/2014 12:04:24 pm
I agree with your views on freedom in that true freedom leads to chaos. Without laws and consequences for actions considered by society to be morally wrong, civilization as we know it would descend into anarchy very rapidly. That being said, the polar opposite of complete restrictions on human life is not where we want to be either. Therefore, our goal should be somewhere in the middle where everyone has certain rights and freedoms on how to live their lives without infringing on other people's liberties. Unfortunately, we're not quite there yet as many groups of people light closer to being restricted while other groups of people have more power to exercise their freedoms in ways that detrimentally affect others.
Nelson Chuang
10/12/2014 03:33:46 pm
Our country is always near a red line with protecting our rights. After 9/11, the government has been censoring our right to speak and think freely more than ever.
So Chun Kiu Ryan
10/12/2014 04:38:03 pm
Jeana, I like how you define freedom! I totally agree with you that certain restrictions are needed in order to maintain social order. It is so crucial that it prevents our freedom being abused. People have to be responsible for their action or else everyone would be so free to commit any crime they want. I would also like to note that inappropriate restrictions set by government could cause tragedy like slavery, wealth disparity... many different unfair situation. Injustice restrictions and punishment can adversely harm our freedom.
Bojana Cvijic
10/9/2014 05:11:44 pm
What it means to be free: it's a very broad question that can be answered in many ways, but to me freedom means that you have equity throughout the various levels of society, that you can move freely among people and the class system that we have in place. When I think of freedom, I think of what freedom can be in the society we live in today. The safety and protection people should be having, the opportunities that people should be having, the freedom to be a human, to live free from oppression, to live without fear.
Tiffany Le
10/10/2014 10:15:46 am
Hi Bojana! I especially liked your last paragraph. I believe everybody should live feeling secure and safe, in public and in their own skin. Equity means to have what we NEED, not to be more advantaged by taking from others. If people realized that hurting others hurts themselves too, then we could all share this planet happily.
Hakwoo Kim
10/9/2014 05:17:06 pm
Things to think about: What does it mean to be free? How did the legalized oppression and consistent denial of humanity impact people during that time (black people and others)? How has this level of oppression in private and public spaces impact all people's sense of self and political agency?
Gordon Wang
10/12/2014 01:42:59 pm
I definitely agree with the way you talk about being free here. Simply telling people they are "free" and then continuing to sideline them with legislation and social ostracizing doesn't actually mean anything. This kind of logical disassociation between words on paper and reality can be felt all the way to the present day in the way various people are still treated and minimized.
shannon casey
10/9/2014 05:33:56 pm
Kidnapping and human trafficking have come back to our attention recently thanks to some advocates with political clout. White progressive liberal Americans or westerners are quick to take up a cause, especially as progressive liberals. The lack of clear and specific language around slavery in the formation of this country continues to confuse me. We so quickly call out human rights atrocities and has never been honest about the ethnic cleansing that is part of our history.
Tiffany Le
10/10/2014 10:25:36 am
Hi Shannon! I like how you brought up the Koch brothers. Sadly, money and power are huge motivators in our society, and all that money and power, and maintenance of money and power, corrupt people. Institutional racism is an "easy" scapegoat for the corruption in politics. As we continue to progress in the quest to remove racism from our society, I think the inclusion of ethnic history should be a requirement in the education system across the US. A song that reminds me of the greed you speak of is "Wake Up Call" by Rebelution. Give it a listen if you want! :)
jennifer melgarejo
10/11/2014 02:06:58 pm
Hi Shannon. Thank you for your last comment and I think it speaks to the concern that was voiced in class about not having genuine conversations; weither because we are not connecting to the material or we are holding back our true opinions. I fully agree that we should be questioning everything all the time otherwise we are only regurgitating material. Especially if that material is attempting to voice an opinion you have because it is easy to let others do the talking for you. If we let others voice our opinions then they start voicing there own.
Cody
10/12/2014 04:15:53 pm
I can totally see how money and power to take over people. Myself, I'm always thinking how great of a life I would have if I was totally rich so I can see how it could corrupt people who already have it. People just have to come together and realize if we all work together we can accomplish what we want fast than fighting against each other to get to the same destination.
Bojana Cvijic
10/12/2014 04:49:54 pm
I love how detailed your blog post was, how you talked about kidnapping and human trafficking, as that is still a major issue in our society not just in the States but around the world. I've also watched Citizen Koch and it was a great look into the comfort, corruption, privilege, these wealthy 1% live in and how people like the Koch family directly contributed to institutionalized racism and even created a path (a scapegoat) for it in American society.
Dominic Allred
10/10/2014 03:23:23 am
It is important to understand some of the oppressive forces that limit freedom to know what freedom actually is. In a historical context as stated in the Yale video about reconstruction the professor hammered home how voting rights of former slaves was limited or their vote was corrupted by outside forces. The ways in which voting freedom was limited was gerrymandering, voting taxes, grandfather clause, and literacy tests were all used to limit the voting rights of former slaves. It is sad that gerrymandering is used in the same way today, but it is used make the votes of the economically disadvantaged count for less. While limiting the former slave vote was the goal, white southern elitist failed to take in to account that these laws would also limit the votes of poor southern white voters as well. This lead to pinning the two groups against each other for racial and economic domination that is controlled by white southern elitist. However, eventually these laws used to limit the voting rights of former slaves no longer affected poor southern whites. If these laws were not enough to deter former slaves from voting then white southern extremist would threaten and kill former slaves for voting, literally making a constitutional right a matter of life and death. After listing something’s that have and in some cases continue to limit freedom, it has been made clear that for ultimate freedom comes from economic mobility, voting rights, and not fearing for one’s own life. If any of these is oppressed or threatened than an individual is not free. Also something not discussed but most likely affects a person freedom is media perception and manipulation of the truth. When the truth is hidden from voters as an example more than not the voters are unable to make an informed decision; because of this a voters vote may not be in the voters best interest but the interest of the media source hiding the truth.
shannon casey
10/12/2014 04:21:32 pm
Freedom and voting can go hand in hand, but our record here in the US does not prove that point. After the Civil War there was 70 more years on blocking voter access. We can talk about the historical points and with enough eyes compiling the history we can guess that is more accurate in some places, if not in our text books. The thing is, it is still happening today. Voting is more restricted in 2014 than in the 1960's.
Nicole Cheng
10/12/2014 04:43:08 pm
I totally agree that understanding freedom requires the understanding of enslavement. To know what enslaves you-- be it from legislation, to social norms, bias, intuition, and base needs. To understand the levels of influence, and how they play out in your actions.
Tiffany Le
10/10/2014 10:11:20 am
Throughout American history, the dominant group (mainly white people) has negatively impacted the non-dominant group (non-white people) by creating laws and forming social restrictions that take away the non-dominant group’s rights and freedoms. Terror tactics performed by whites have eliminated people of color’s culture and political agency. White people have burned down the homes/cities of many people of color, prevented certain groups of people from immigrating to the US so that families could be created, and created obstacle after obstacle for the non-dominant group to overcome. Unfortunately, the system has prevented people of color from owning land and accumulating wealth, both of which could lead to political and economical agency; also, gerrymandering, poll taxes, and other legalized forms of oppression begun to remove political agency of the lower class white folks and people of color, while maintaining the dominant group’s power. The preconceived notions (stereotypes, white supremacy vs foreignness) that others have of what one should be definitely impact all people’s sense of self and political agency. The “white” American history curriculum has erased much of Asian American culture, African American culture, Latino Culture, Native American culture from history books that further removes individuals from the non-dominant group’s sense of self. All of these tactics hurt humanity as a whole; pitting people against one another only creates hateful feelings. We need healing, teaching, and love to change society’s racial views, for everyone to come together and make this world a better place. Learning Asian American history has made me mad, empowered, and hopeful for change. To me, freedom is developing my own personal identity and making empowering decisions (like sharing my knowledge and learning from others) to create my own happy reality. And for others to do the same.
Dominic Allred
10/12/2014 05:47:29 am
I agree with almost the entirety of your post, however when you stated "...to create my own happy reality" is concerning to me. Everyone can create a happy reality of their own and ignore the problems that we face as a society that limit freedom (you don't seem to be doing that). This becomes an issue of perception, and perception is easily the best way to perpetuate the idea of being free and preventing society as a whole from actually being free. For example, those who have privilege have perceived reality of freedom because of privilege. It is important to not perceive reality but to actually see it for what it is for true freedom to be possible.
Nelson Chuang
10/12/2014 03:18:24 pm
I relate to your experience of Asian American history quite closely in the sense that I too was at first mad, then hoped that we as individuals are able to make a difference. Im glad you create your own happy reality by sharing your knowledge and also learning from others.
jennifer melgarejo
10/11/2014 01:27:31 pm
In the video lecture it clearly states that land ownership was the key to freedom and so the right to own land was what black people strived for. This was greatly influenced to the fact that they lived within a free market society. So for them freedom meant land ownership.
Gordon Wang
10/12/2014 01:31:16 pm
I think you bring up a really good point about how culturally we are built to scapegoat an entire people whenever something bad happens. The actions of a few people causes us to coalesce into a united front against whoever becomes the scapegoat and we use that sense of "Everyone else feels the same way" to justify actions that are equally horrendous.
Jason Do
10/11/2014 01:49:50 pm
To me, being free isn't a constant status where it's either you are or you aren't. Some people are more free than others while some have similar amounts of freedoms but in different areas. Also, I believe some freedoms are worth more than others and some are basic human rights, while others people can live without. However, in times of slavery, it is quite obvious now that basic human freedoms were being denied to slaves. They had to work sun up to sun down for no pay, lived in wherever there was space, ate whatever was left over, and suffered under the oppression of the whites, who wielded their freedoms as weapons against their slaves. They had the freedom to kill a slave who was disobedient, the freedom to work their slaves to the death with no accountability, and the freedom to take everything earned by the slaves as their own. The only limiting factor to how cruel the whites could be to their slaves was the economic cost of replacing them, thank goodness for that. This level of both public and private oppression greatly warped people's perception of reality. It turned white people into gods and blacks into no more than animals at the best, machines at the worst. It allowed white people to look at other human beings who differed only by color and simply not acknowledge the fact that they are the same. In fact, this oppression is so deeply rooted in our society that even now, in an era where we can recognize slavery wasn't exactly the greatest idea humanity ever had, we still find it hard to extinguish racism and discrimination.
Caitlyn Nurnberg
10/12/2014 07:50:15 am
Jason, I completely agree with you when you say that being free isn't a constant status, where either you are or you aren't. I also believe that some people are more free than others, especially in America, and especially when you think of freedom as basic human rights, because unfortunately not everyone is given the same rights, whether it be in obvious ways or not
So Chun Kiu Ryan
10/12/2014 04:59:18 pm
I think that freedom is essential to everyone. Everyone has to live with freedom since we are all human beings and having freedom is our human rights. It's true that some people can live without freedom. but most of them are often put in a situation that they have never thought of, or unable to fight for freedom or the rights they deserve. For example, people in developing countries couldn't even maintain their life due to poverty, let alone fighting for freedom. Some countries don't even educate their students about freedom, citizens just don't have this idea in their mind. Freedom for sure is not a necessity to maintain life, but it is so important that everyone should live with it.
Nelson Chuang
10/12/2014 02:58:30 pm
To be free is to have the ability to do what you want, whenever you want, as long as your actions do not hinder someone else’s freedom. For example, you can eat all the vegetables you want because that does not harm anyone else. You should not go out and murder someone because that hinders a person’s ability to live and do what he or she wants, regardless of your reasons. A lot of people would agree that freedom is a human right but it really is just a privilege. Many Americans living in the United States take freedom for granted without realizing that the moment they are caught committing an act against society, they are giving up their freedom.
Nicole Cheng
10/12/2014 04:51:55 pm
"as long as your actions do not hinder someone else's freedom" --
Jeana Lindsley
10/12/2014 05:16:33 pm
I agree; we are allowed to be free until our actions, which stem from this freedom, restrict other people's natural rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I'm really glad you brought up the idea that freedom is a privilege not a right because I think that a lot of us, especially in america, take the freedom we have for granite. Leave a Reply. |
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