Being Black in America!

Although America is a country that is constantly expanding, progressing and moving forward, many people still face difficult obstacles. African Americans are still trying to be equal in the eyes of all Americans and this proves to be a trying task. In the world of black people trying to make it in a “White America,” many celebrities speak out on what it means to be “Black In America.” Whoopi Goldberg believes that the white people are trying too hard to make blacks part of their community, “if [they] pat me on the head and tell me I’m articulate again, I’m going to chop [their] fingers off. People don’t understand why that’s not a great compliment!” (“Black in America: Celebrities Speak Out”). All the celebrities agreed that it is definitely good to be black and Vanessa Williams called it a, “badge of honor,” even though she stills feels racism “feel[s] racism daily.”

The idea of being black in America as a good thing and especially a “badge of honor,” has definitely changed over time. Back in the times when the novel Native Son by Richard Wright was written, being black was scary and foreshadowing. “Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape.”(Wright Back Cover). Unlike, being black today, Bigger Thomas never had a real chance to live a life of happiness. It’s unfortunate how unhappy and scared he is. Today these celebrities don't face these same hardships; their challenges are less about segregation and prejudices (like separate bathrooms) and more about trying to get the same basic privileges (the same jobs and amount of money).

Although there are some basic similarities between being black in 1940s and being black today, many ideas and beliefs have changed. Even the celebrities realize that their ancestors have paved the way for them to become who they are; their ancestors have fought for the right for African Americans now to have many more opportunities. This proves that America does have the ability to progress and move forward, but is it possible that at some point this progression will stop? Everyone is a little bit racist and although this is necessarily abnormal, it poses a threat to any true integrated community. 

Works Cited:

"Black in America: Celebrities Speak Out." CNN.com. 12 June 2008. 18 Mar. 2009
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We Both Had the Veal Piccata and She's Gay!

As a society, we tend to subconsciously judge the people around us whether unintentional or not. This is evident in the realm of homosexuality and one of the best examples is in a fictional world which most of us indulge: TV. Although the younger and more open-minded generations have for the most part accepted the idea of homosexuality, it is not always portrayed kindly on TV (if depicted at all). The show that I picked is Two And A Half Men, a very funny comedy about two brothers (Alan, an about-to-be divorcee with a child and Charlie a lifelong bachelor/womanizer) living together in a beachside Malibu apartment. The pilot episode does in fact face homosexuality and a bunch of the subsequent complications but in a very different and messy way. As Alan's marriage crumbles, he deperately tries to change to please his wife, who in turn tells him that she believes that she is gay. After twelve years of marriage, Alan is obviously shocked at his soon-to-be ex-wife's conclusion (similar to the Jim McGreevey scandal). He cannot believe that he didn't notice anything during any of the time that they were together. He is also completely embarrassed, had he turned her gay? Was this his fault? This episode broke that homosexuality barrier, one of the most controversial topics on television, on the very first episode and although this didn't evolve into much of a storyline, it did make for some good laughs and even more self-evaluating. In Charlie's words, "Judith's turning gay," showed many heterosexual privileges that Judith no longer would have. As evident in Alan's reaction, she would no longer be able to expose her sexuality without fear of judgement or negative consequences. This would also have an affect on her son, a ten-year-old who has already having a tough time with his parents separation. Although this show is a comedy and lives up to that genre every week, it did tackle the issue of homosexuality and did so in a funny but meaningful way.