Topic of Paper:
I will be discussing the changes that were brought to my life after the September 11 incident. I was afraid to tell anyone my nationality, not that it mattered, but my nationality was categorized under my religion. I feared rejection; I wanted to fit in the American culture more than ever at this point because I didn’t know otherwise. Because of what the media was spreading, the focus seemed to be on “extremists†who were being identified as Muslims. This social and cultural conflict bought on a positive change. It provided me with an opportunity to connect with people who at this point I identified with; people who were in the same circumstances I was.
Articles:
“Muslim Self-Identities after 9/11†Lori Park
Like all the interviewees, the incident bought me closer to my faith. It helped me create a new image. Made me want to explore what I had taken for granted, bought upon confidence which I lacked.
“Should We Generalize About People?†Joel Charon
This article discusses stereotypes, categorizing and generalizations, something Muslims and Hindus were victim to at the hands of the media.
Concepts from Text:
Social Conflict Encourages Ethnocentrism- page 161: When there is conflict we see who “they†are and who “we†are. We tend to label others who differ from our point of view as outsiders to justify our acts. Ethnocentrism is to view the world from your own cultural point of view.
Stereotype- page 303: “It can be very dangerous to stereotype people.†Stereotypes are not arrived at carefully, usually not accurate, exaggerated views and a stereotype does not change with new evidence. Stereotyping a person into a specific category can be very demeaning. It takes away from a person’s self-worth especially if it’s done in a negative way. It is something that is inevitable and done on a regular basis. At times it is done consciously and sometimes unconsciously
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