The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

I have chosen the TV programme ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ as a modern example of Horatio Alger, Jr’s text ‘Ragged Dick’. This is an American television sitcom that starred a young Will Smith as a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to live with his wealthy relatives in their Bel-Air mansion. The programme follows him as he has to adjust to a new lifestyle and starts to leave his old life behind.

     
In the TV programme, Will starts off as a fresh, young man who comes from the streets, he has a place to call home but the neighbourhood he lives in very dangerous. Very much like Dick, although he actually lives on the streets, they both have street knowledge and know how to take care of themselves. Another comparison between the two is that once both are introduced to a world of wealth and privilege they don’t want to go back to their old lifestyle. They feel ashamed to go back to their old life, what they used to wear and where they used to be seen. Both characters are heavily influenced by money, not to take it of others but to earn money and live well. However, Dick is more in favour of saving for his future and working hard to be able to have a roof over his head and food to eat. However, when Will moves in with his wealthy relatives he is given a place to live and does not have to worry about earning money to live off. However, money does still play a very large part in his life as he is always chasing it and looking for a way to make a quick buck.


Despite some differences between the two characters and their situations, I think this example of 'the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' is fairly accurate in relation to 'Ragged Dick' because they both show two guys starting off from the streets and when they come in to money their lives begin to change. Their outlook on life changes and in particular the way they treat money changes. Their characters change slightly in that they find it hard to imagine how they lived before but their personalities stay the same.    

Kieran Reynolds, Gun Control

http://home.nra.org/#/home

The NRA is one of the key groups campaigning against stricter gun control in the United States and is widely seen as one of the largest pressure groups in the United States. It claims that it aims to protect Americans constitutional right to bear arms. It has nearly four million members and is therefore very vocal. It also has a key political presence. It is believed that they possibly have influenced political appointments and decision making

http://www.csgv.org/

The Coalition to control gun violence is a pressure group seeking to reduce gun violence and increase control over firearm ownership. THey plan to do this "though research, strategic involvement and effective policy advocacy. THey claim that it is too easy to purshase firearms and there needs to be strong checks. They are however a far smaller group than the NRA and have less political influence. I however believe their arguement has some weight behind it and this is supported by gun violence statistics in America.

Kieran REynolds, Tea Party video. Glenn Beck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpZ0vaAwTtU

Glen Beck is a key tea party activist working for Fox News. He is idolised by many tea party members and is a key member of their movement. This video is typical of many such rallies he has been involved in throughout the country. He attacks the medias stance on the tea party and the perception that the tea party is an extremist movement. He also focuses on tax rises and what he believes is "out of control government spending. He also claims that it has nothing to do with parties and that both the Democrats and Republicans both "suck" and spending has been out of control and that politicians have been lying to the people it is meant to serve.

This video is typical tea party propaganda and while Beck's performance is strong it must be viewed as that. It is however important and gives an idea that the tea party movement is strong and growing. This video was from 2009 and the tea party has grown a lot since then.

Gun Control

Gun Control

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zj5j-gttl/guns.htm

this first link is what i would consider a pro gun control website, this web page essentially picks apart the constitution and its relevance to today and how despite the bill of rights and the constitution being final god given rights, they are infact not absolute rights, the article makes reference to several ways in which freedom of speech is given up when it comes to liability and that all of these right have in someway or another contradictions.

http://www.newsbatch.com/guncontrol.htm

this second article from a news site offers a balanced perspective for bot pro and anti gun control, the site is useful as it does not have a bias agenda it simply serves the perpose of informing people about current gun control measures, issues and particularly the two primary opposing party's positions on gun control at the present moment in time..

Gun Control

http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/guns.shtml

This website offers a balanced opinion of both Pro and Anti Gun control activists. At the beginning of the article it tells its audience that Pro gun control activists believe that it is essential as it curbs control on 'criminals, juveniles and "high risk"individuals'. These activists subsequantly realise that the only way that this can happen is by federal law. Within this group lie two different beliefs, the first is that law should be amended so that the prohibition of all firearms for all non police. However the other set of activists are less extreme and believe that their policies would not impede on the ownership of legitimate gun holders

Opposition to gun control argue that control burdens law abiding citizens and also denies them basic rights that are written in the constitution! This of course is the second amendment in which all Americans are guaranteed!

Also Anti gun control activist believe that with the wide spread sale of guns this therefore acts as a deter ant for crime and more importantly ternary, either by gangs of Government!!!!

Gun Control

Pro-Gun Control

http://www.bradycampaign.org/  

This is a link to a website called 'Brady Campaign Blog' which campaigns to prevent gun violence. Their mission statement is that they are devoted to creating an American free from gun violence, where all americans are safe at home, at school, at work and in our communities. The Brady Campaign works to pass and enforce sensible federal and state gun laws, regulations and public policies through grassroots activism, electing public officials who support common sense gun laws, and increasing public awareness of gun violence. The Brady centre works to reform the gun industry by enacting and enforcing sensible regulations to reduce gun violence, including regulations governing the gun industry. In addition they represent victims of gun violence in the courts, they educate the public about gun violence through litigation, grassroots mobalisation, and outreach to affected communities. They believe it should be made harder for convicted felons, the mentally ill, and others like them to get guns in the first place. They believe this can be done by passing laws such as requiring Brady criminal background checks on all gun sales; banning military-style assault weapons; and strengthening law enforcement efforts to stop the illegal gun market, like limiting the number of guns that can be bought at one time. 

Anti-Gun Control

http://www.wagc.com/

This is a link to a website called 'Women Against Gun Control' which aims to gather women to join in the fight against gun control, It is a grassroots, volunteer organisation dedicated to preserving gun rights. It supports the statement "Guns SAVE lives. We do NOT support gun control. Gun control does NOT control crime!". The message the website gives is that guns give women a fighting chance and whether a woman is fit or not, a gun is the one thing that can equalise a man's strength.  It encourages and helps promote firearms instruction and gun safety training, with some of its members actually serving as instructors. Members are active in tracking and reporting on legislation at all levels of government which impacts on the right of gun ownership. It stresses how increasingly, the freedom to own, carry or use a gun in self-defense is, itself, under attack. The organisation stresses that women must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and it refers specifically to the second amendment.

Both websites put across their points confidently and convincingly, however, in terms of websites I would say the pro-gun control website is more convincing and professional and puts across its points in a more formal manner and therefore seems more legitimate. Also, it shows how it is trying to make a difference and the actions they are taking seem to be more rewarding.                

US Midterm Elections 2010 - Jack Conway, Kentucky Senate election

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2010/nov/02/us-midterm-elections-2010-top-10-worst-political-ads

This campaign election message was made and authenticated by Jack Conway a democrat that was trying to win the seat in Kentucky. This seat was lost to Republican hands in the way of Rand Paul. Noticalbly in the campaign ad Conway never mentions any policies or promises to his constituants, the ad decideds to decend down the other route Slandering.

However Conway's ad is very unique as in the video it tells the audicance from the offset that Paul is a bad character, because of his counterparts actions at school. Amzingly the whole campaign video focuses souly on on epoint and does not differ from his point. The focus is on Paul's apparent worship in place of christianity in 'aqua budda'. These claims however cannot be backed up and are very irrelevant, this campaign was also one of he reasons Conway lost the election according to oppinion sources.

It is very important however to notice the significance of this campaign ad. Although unsucsesfull Conway drew on a very raw nerve sort of speak in regards to things all (most) Americans hold dear. Ofcourse this is religion, Conway tries to gain votes this way. So for example branding Paul as a minority and claiming that he replaces Christianity with a nonsense religion attempting to persuade traditional christian voters to vote for him. This is evidence as to how religion orriantated America is today.

Tea Party

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X67qgNtZPdQ

This is a clip promoting the Tea Party and in particular Sarah Palin and her belief in the Tea Party. As the clip starts, the music comes in, it straight away gives the video that sense of happening and pride. The video consists of footage shot from various Tea Party rallys, along with a voice over of Sarah Palin describing the Tea Party and its beliefs. It shows images of people waving the american flag, standing together and against the two leading political partys and showing support for the Tea Party.  Sarah Palin goes on to say that "the sole of this movement is the people, everyday americans who grow our food and run our small businesses, teach our kids and fight our wars ", showing her support and the Tea Party belief in the real people, true americans that work hard to earn a living. She explains how the Tea Party is all about fighting for those real people that live regular lives and have regular jobs which the nation rely on, like teaching and running a small business as well as fighting our wars.

She goes on to say that "it is so inspiring to see real people, not politicos", the way she comes across is as if she herself is not a woman of politics but just a regular american, that she is the same as those at the Tea Party rally that she is speaking at. As she continues to talk, various images continue to run of Tea Party followers, flying their flags and holding up their signs against the two leading partys( the Democrats and Republicans). These images, along with Sarah Palin's voice over and the inspirational background music, give you that sense of hope, pride and honour. She then starts to talk about the Tea Party's core values, "come out, and stand out for common sense, conservative principles.", she speaks as if there is nothign else worth believing in and that she is proud to see such a turn out and happy to see many others who believe strongly in what the Tea Party stands for.

Finally it talks about government and the people, "who can argue a movement that is about the people, government is supposed to be working for the people, that is what this movement is about". This again emphasises the fact that the Tea Party is all for the people, fighting for their rights and are against the government. Sarah Palin ends the video by saying. "this party that we call the Tea Party is the future of politics and I am proud to get to be here today". This completes the video with that lingering sense of hope and what lies ahead, that the Tea Party can make a difference and stands for the people. It is the future. 

Republican Candidate Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio is the winning Florida senate candidate for the republican party and a clear member of the tea party. in this video Rubio is addressing the camera directly, the constant eye contact in the video makes it more personal to the viewer and as such more engaging.

Rubio mentions his children to great effect in this video and is clearly trying to present himself as an all American Family man and dad with the perfect nuclear family, the wife and 2.5 children. the video even goes so far as to show Rubio with his children. Using the family and children is a theme which is often played upon in campaign videos as it makes the candidate more relateable to the viewer and makes him seem more normal.

Another significant point to this video is the clear opposition to Barrack Obama without coming across to aggressive Rubio says "we need politicians who will stand up to Obama, not join him" this does two things, firstly it makes it clear that Rubio is firmly opposed to Obama and is prepared to oppose him and secondly it makes Obama appear as a negative character, someone who is manipulating republican candidates into joining him.

Finally Rubio appeals to his tea party voters by making reference to Washington and how "they just don't get it" this is clearly telling his audience that Rubio has not gone Washington yet and still plans to fight for the people in his constituency without being corrupted by Washington.

Christine O'Donnell video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGGAgljengs

Christine O'Donnell was a highly controversial Republican candidate for Delaware. in the recent midterm elections. She was supported by the tea party, a far right group who support a small state and small public spending. She is appears very personal and that she will go to Washington and represent her people rather than just her own or her parties interests. In the video immediately makes reference to the Witchcraft. She was caught on camera in 1999 admitting that she had dabbled in witchcraft. I think she made a mistake making reference to the incident however as it draws attention to pass controversies rather than her campaign itself. She ultimately lost to the Democrat candidate Chris Coons.

LGBT rights in the USA

While the USA is as a whole become far more Liberal to the idea of LGBT rights there is still plenty of opposition and homophobia. Therefore I have chosen the LGBT community as a group that could be described as "other". Some states have still not legalised gay marriage and there is still a strong lobby to increase the rights of Gay individuals and improve their lives. I looked at a website called the LGBT USA network. The website gives many news items displaying homophobia in the USA and offers support to those who need it. There is also plenty of positive news items about LGBT people. However sadly LGBT people are yet to be fully accepted into the mainstream in the USA.

http://lgbtusa.net/

Jim Rutledge Campaign 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifd-uK8eauA

I have chosen to look at Jim Rutledge, he was a candidate for the 2010 mid-term Senate elections, he ran as a Republican nomination to represent the state of Maryland. Although he did not win the election this November, I chose to look at his campaign video in particular because I thought his stance was the most interesting. His video starts off by saying that he grew up on a farm in Maryland, already representing that idea of the American Dream and making your own life for yourself. Then he goes on to say that he "persued his dream' of becoming an attorney and that he has his own law practice in a small 'cow town' which shows that he has made something of himself but he still lives in a small town in his home county. He also mentions that he has been married for twenty six years and has two children, this is the perfect image for a candidate, showing that he is dedicated to his family and family values, having been married for so long.


Already in the first forty seconds he has listed everything that he thinks makes him the perfect candidate, all the aspects of his life he feels the public can relate to. He then goes on to talk about why he is running, by briefly listing the issues he views most important at this time. For example, he lists about the expansion of federal government power, the nation's debt, unemployment and the threat to individual liberties. At this point the style of his campaign interview has remained the same, a simple outreach to the people, showing what he stands for and the issues he is most interested in looking at. However, the style of the interview changes when he suddenly talks about his competitor Barbara Mikulski, who has been senator of Maryland for thirty four years. He believes that is "too long for anyone" and goes on to say that he believes "the career politicians are ruining what has made American great and are going to destroy opportunities for regular folks all across the state of Maryland. That is why I'm running". By relating himself to what he calls 'the regular folks' he is perceiving himself as one of them, just a regular guy and not a politician. He believes that it is Barbara Mikulski that has created all the problems he lists over the last thirty four years and believes he can help fix the problem for the state of Maryland. He talks about how he has gone all over the state and spoken to the people asking about their concerns and listened to them, then he goes on to say how he proposes to fix these problems.


The campaign interview is very formal yet relaxed, the interviewer allows him to say why he is a suitable candidate and what he can do for the people of the state of Maryland. However, the interviewer does mention proposals made by another candidate and asks Jim Rutledge to show his views on the issue and what he proposes to do instead.

Please note that because we have had to juggle the weeks in the module schedule, week 7's task is as follows:

Find, post and comment on any recent US campaign video made by a candidate in the 2008 or 2010 elections. Your first choice should not be Obama or McCain - try to find a campaign video in support of a Senator or a Congressman. They do not have to be the winner, but make sure you know what the result was. Also make sure you comment both on its content and on its style.

If you don't know how to embed Youtube videos, now is the time to learn. If you look under any video you will see a bar which includes the word "Embed". Click on it and it will highlight a code which you can then copy and paste into your blog post. The video should then appear directly in your post - no link required. Try it.

Whites As Other?

The group i have chosen to research and blog about for people considered as 'other' in moder America is the idea that white people are now or soon to be a minority in America. With the ever increasing Hispanic population in America along with a steady increase of middle eastern immigration it is predicted that in the very near future white people will not be the majority in America.

The site i have chosen to analyse which discusses this issue is http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/01/the-end-of-white-america/7208/

This site for a magazine 'The Atlantic' goes into great detail about the rise of non white population in America and also makes reference to De Crevecoeur's 'What is an American' quoting "The Election of Barack Obama is just the most startling manifestation of a larger trend: the gradual erosion of “whiteness” as the touchstone of what it means to be American. If the end of white America is a cultural and demographic inevitability, what will the new mainstream look like—and how will white Americans fit into it? What will it mean to be white when whiteness is no longer the norm? And will a post-white America be less racially divided—or more so?"

This quotation fortunately placed at the head of the article sums up the ideas and beliefs the author and presumably this site has about the "End of White America." this site whilst expressing valid concerns and stating genuine statistics does have an element of racism incorporated into it, for example stating that the election of Obama marks the erosion of white dominance in America. the site also states that books such as 'The Rise of the Colored Empires' as essential reading and should be mandatory in schools, there are also quotations int he article such as “Colored migration is a universal peril, menacing every part of the white world.”

despite the racist overtones of the article genuine facts and statistics are stated and discussed for example the following is described as a genuine concern to white America, but the information discussed how in several years predominantly white cities and even states will be within 50 years majority Hispanic providing the Hispanic migration to the states continues. the source also states cities which already have no majority race. the article does try to balance the racist overtones with a positive view of immigration in the final sentence of the following quotation.

Today, largely because of immigration, there is no majority race in Hawaii or Houston or New York City. Within five years, there will be no majority race in our largest state, California. In a little more than 50 years, there will be no majority race in the United States. No other nation in history has gone through demographic change of this magnitude in so short a time ... [These immigrants] are energizing our culture and broadening our vision of the world. They are renewing our most basic values and reminding us all of what it truly means to be American.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/01/the-end-of-white-america/7208/

The Apprentice USA

For this section I have decided to cover The Apprentice USA as a WEbsite/Television show that is 'typically' American. The basic point to the show if for Donald Trump the Entrapenuer and Billionaire to hire an apprentice that will recieve a lucrutive job with a six figure salary at one of Trumps many multibillion establishments. The Apprentice is picked for 20 usually yound hungry candidates that have already been sucsessful in business, running or working in them. Usually all the candidates are confident, aggressive and most importantly cut throat, in regards to having no feelings towards any of their counterparts.

For me this is typical America. This show really typifies the ideology of American 'Capitalism'. Also all candidates must almost battle easch other almost go to war with the other hopefulls. This could be almost a reference for De Crevcouers 2nd letter where he claims " Here individuals are a new race of men, whos labours and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world" This can link woth modern day America in many ways, for example this statement is very accurate in a sense that America as a race of men has changed the world as we know it. For example the biggest business' in the world are all American run, the Richest people are predominantly American. And with with regards to the television show, all candidates show thier labour and prosperity by completing tasks set by Trump on a weekly basis to show their worth.

American Idol!

I have chosen the popular US television programme America Idol and its website as a contemporary example of something exceptional and typical within American culture. i have chosen American Idol as my example for 2 specific reason, the first being that the programme promotes the idea that anyone, from any background can become a pop star providing they have the talent and drive. i believe this to be significant as American Idol is a perfect example of what the modern American dream is and how reality TV shows are able to provide the American dream. The second reason i merely because of the shows title; American idol with particular reference to the idol part as through this TV show you can become an idol to Americans through spectacle.

i believe this show is directly to De Crevecoeur's letters as the show offers any man the opportunity to success in the same way De Crevecoeur felt simply being an American could. the quotation i have chosen which i feel is directly relevant to this example is "What a train of pleasing ideas this fair spectacle must suggest! it is a prospect which must inspire a good citizen with the most heartfelt pleasure. The difficulty consists in the manner of viewing so extensive a scene." i feel this quotation help express the relevance of American idol to De Crevecoeur's letter as a programme such as American idol does have the intention to inspire through the sheer spectacle of what the audience is seeing in the same way De Crevecoeur talks about seeing the new world.

http://www.americanidol.com/

The Amish

http://www.religioustolerance.org/amish.htm

Amish, also known as Amish Mennonite, church fellowships are christian religious dominations that form a very traditional subgrouping of Mennonite churches. The Amish are well known for their simple, back to basics lifestyle and reluctance to adopt modern convience. Their lifestyle is governed by order, however you cannot give a simple outline of their lives as each group is different.

Current active Amish groups are the Beachy Amish Mennonite Churches, split off from the old Order Amish in Pennsylvania. They are the most liberal Amish group, they meet in churches, use automobiles, tractors and electricity. There was reported to be 8,399 adult memebers in one hundred and thirty eight congregations, in 1996. Next is the Conservative Mennonite Conference, they use meeting houses, Sunday schools and english language services, they are loacted mainly in the mid west. Also there is the Evangelical Mennonite Church, originally known as the Egly Amish, they stress "regeneration, seperation and nonconformity to the world". In 1997, they were reported to have 4,348 adult members in thirty churches. Finally there is the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church, their congregations are very conservative. Transportation is by horse and buggy, men are required to grow beards, but mustaches are not allowed. Marraige outside the faith is forbidden, they meet in each other's homes every other sunday for worship. In 1995, there were around 30,000 adult members in the U.S and 900 in Canada. 

Approximatley, the current total of adult members of all Amish groups is about 180,000 across twenty two states. Their choice to be excluded from the rest of the society is that they are "god's own people", and not being "conformed to this world". As time has passed, pressure has been felt to conform to the ever growing society, however Amish are nonresistant and rarely defend themselves physically or in court. Some groups do get involved with society, for example by choosing to vote, however they are still outside the ideological  'norm' of mainstream America. They do not represent the modern, twenty first century view of America, they conform to a different, more old style set of values and beliefs. However, they do not harm anyone or American society, they simply choose to live their lives their own way and not conform to the "normal" view of America.       

www.kkk.com

I have chosen a group that needs np introduction, this group was notiorious throughout America. Even now in a multicultural America this group is still remembered. The group I have chosen is the KKK. This group is now concidered to be 'outside the norm' of the AMerican contemporary thought. With extreme views this Party was extremely right wing and even advocated violance and even openly admitted to fighting for 'white supremacy' The group was strongest in the late 1860's and was mainly situated in the South.

The KKK are instantly recognizable from their forms of attire, they were the long white robes, face masks and the iconic pointy white hat. Although the group essentially died 10 years later in the 1870's small minorities of people continue to promote thier views across America.

In 2010 America could be concidered to be on eof the most Diverse countries in America. This mean sthat the country has and this must be stressed OVER TIME come to accept diversity and multiculturalism. Therefore rendering the KKK and thier right wing views outside the 'ideological norm'

On the KKK website 'www.kkk.com' the websites main aim is for 'POLITICAL POWER'. The website states how they aim to do this:

• Become the leader of the White racialist movement
• Strive to become the representative and driving force behind the White Community
• Organize and direct white people to a level of activism necessary to bring about a political victory

To conclude this is a very small group and does not by any stretch of the imagination represent more than a miorties view of how society and race should be. The group is still exremly right wing and thier view and proposed legislation is simply a utopia and could never be made into legislation. However the group still gains publicity which rightly or wrongly still makes people aware of the group itself

http://abc.go.com/shows/extreme-makeover-home-edition/

I have chosen to look at the website of the programme 'Extreme Makeover Home Edition' to represent the exceptional and typically American. It is a television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families, created by ABC. It has stormed onto UK television, providing us with ideals of American life. Going from having nothing to everything, it shows how families that have had heartache and a troubled life can be turned around and brought happiness.

I think this programme relates to De Crevecouer's idea of the new and exceptional as typically American. A quote from De Crevecouer's letters from and american farmer; "He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his antient prejudices and manners, recieves new ones from the mode of life he obeys, and the new rank he holds.". The programme relates to the quote because it represents the families leaving behind all their troubles and bad memorys to start a fresh. Being given that chance of a new life, different from any other you have had previously and unlike any other you are likely to get.

I think this programme carries on this vision of America as new and exceptional because each episode creates a new beginning. It shows the people of the World the idealised vision of America and it also proves that America today still consists of the same values of hard work and labour for reward as stated in De Crevecouer's letters from an American farmer.     



Accounts of Jacques Cartier

http://www.americanjourneys.org/

The account I found when researching is that of Jacques Cartier, a French explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France. In his account he writes that they departed from the port of S.Malo on 20th April 1534 with two ships and sixty one men in each one. He writes that on 21st May they hoisted sail North of Buona Vista to the 'Island of Birds'. He goes on to describe them in great detail and with such passion:"Some of the which are as big as jayes, blacke and white, with beaks like unto crowes". However, he then writes that in less than half an hour they loaded two boats full of them which they used for food, which seems strange because the way he writes about them is that they are fascinating creatures to be admired.

When travelling in the land of White Sand they came across inhabitants, of which he describes as: "there are men of an indifferent good stature and bignesse, but wildeand unruly:they weare their haire tied on the top like a wreath of hay; a put a wooden pinne within it, or any other such thing instead of a naile, a with them they binde certaine birdes feathers". He describes the natives in such detail and writes that they actually live on the mainland but they come out of the hotter country to catch the seals and other necessaties to live on. He describes the natives with such interest and fascination, obviously he would have never come across people like them before. Their traditions and how they look would have all been new to him and the way he writes about them is as if they are out of the ordinary and different, however he does not describe them as savages or animals but as inhabitants of the land. 

Through his account, he writes about the land in great detail, describing everything about it so that we can understand what he has seen. From what I have read they searched through much of the land not leaving any part untouched and interacted with the native people, exchanging gifts and learning parts of their language(some of which is translated at the end of his account). 

Contact with Native Americans: Schmid VS Indians

The account of first contact with the Native American Indians during the exploration of the new world is from Frederick Schmid who was one of the first German Lutheran pastor and his letters describe contact with native Americans, the account goes on to describe how Frederick Schmid took a alternate approach to the native Americans compared to the generalised European view of them as nothing more than savage animals.

instead Frederick Schmid's letters go onto describe how he found their culture fascinating and rather than fearing the native Americans he admired them. Frederick Schmid eventually became a pastor and took it upon himself to teach his congregation to admire the Native American in the way that he did after coming into contact with an Ottawa Tribe in Detroit.

despite Frederick Schmid positive encounters with the native American most of the time contact between 'the white man' and the native American ended in conflict. another account i have found is from the perspective of a native American who's village was burned down in front of him/her. the account describes how the 'white man' went from tent to tent burning all their possessions as the Indians were forced to watch. the account ends with the quotation "The White Man proved himself to be the savage one."

From this account we are able to establish the barbarity of initial contact with the native americans particularly from the perspective of a native american, this is important as we have not until recent years (1970+) seen the attrocities committed by the native settlers as we are often only given the portrayal of native americans as savages who are then slain by heroic cowboys in typical western movies and this is the amount of exposure alot of people will have to the events that occured in the early settlement of north America. Although i believe this account to be after initial settlement had began, when europeans had a firm grasp on the land and were interested mainly in the conquest of the Frontier in order to gain new land, this account does give us an alternate view of what happened during the genocide of the Native American indians to what we see in movies and their interpretation of this era.

http://www.artsofcitizenship.umich.edu/sos/topics/german/schmidinteraction.html - Schmid account.
http://www.artsofcitizenship.umich.edu/sos/topics/native/early.html#burning - Native American Account.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,474636,00.html

This website tells us a lot about the German opinion of the American's, especially their view towards the American military and it's past choices as well as their opinion towards America's Presidents. It informs us that 48% of Germans think that the United States is more dangerous than Iran with only 31% believing the opposite. Young Germans in particular, with 57% of 18 to 29 year-olds, consider the US more dangerous than the religious regime in Iran.

With a reference to American President Bush in the photographic image on the page saying that "Bush Bashing" is something of a national sport in Germany helps us to see just how much the Germans dislike the United States or, more likely, President George W, Bush.

This site in question shows us that the German people genuinely see the US as a greater threat to world peace than Iran and references back to 19th Century authors in order to back this point up. They even refer to the Americans as "Inherently evil". The article that this website consists of hugely stereotypical views of Americans;

"For us Germans, the Americans are either too fat or too obsessed with exercise, too prudish or too pornographic, too religious or too nihilistic. In terms of history and foreign policy, the Americans have either been too isolationist or too imperialistic. They simply go ahead and invade foreign countries and then abandon them, the way they did in Vietnam and will soon do in Iraq."

This shows the Germans to have a very closed opinion of the Americans and shows they are not willing to alter these stereotypes they believe the Americans conform to at all.

However, when studying this site, we must look and consider that the article in question was published 29/03/2007. Therefore we must ask ourselves whether or not the opinions voiced will have differed in any way since this article was written 3 years ago, or whether 3 years is barely any time at all, and therefore can't have altered in the slightest.

Perspectives

The website i have chosen to discuss is www.aljazeera.net, made famous for its coverage of kidnappings during the 2003 Iraq war, the news site is often the first to receive any communications from terrorist groups such as the Taliban and Al Queda. The site is obviously very anti-American in many of its articles even to the point of having a tab on the home page devoted to the Americas. one of the articles i chose to read in order to get an image of this sites view of the USA and the general view of the USA from a middle eastern perspective was "Injustice in the age of Obama"

The article was written by an Iraqi reporter who was arrested for protesting the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. the article is quick to pin the blame for this "Injustice" on Barrack Obama as he is supposed to be a symbol of hope for the USA after the "Tyrannical" reign of George Bush and the columnist discusses how Obama as a former Law Professor should have had a healthy respect for civil liberties but his actions speak otherwise.

This website is able to give us a brief glimpse of the middle-eastern view of the USA and it is apparent that the occurrences of the much considered 'illegal' Iraq war is still hot topic in the peoples opinion and the injustice is still fresh in their minds especially with the ongoing Afghanistan campaign.

Kieran Reynolds Blog 3 Perspectives

The website I have chosen is that of the "Korean friendship association". www.korea-dpr.com. This is a joint website between the association and the North Korean government. North Korea is a highly secretive Communist state and was famously labeled as part of George Bush's "Axel of evil". It has been perceived as a possible threat due to its nuclear weapons programme. Relations between the two countries have been difficult and there is an intense hatred of the USA in North Korea. The North Korean government blame the USA for splitting up their country. There is also the obvious ideological differences. The website claims that USA dominates South Korea and keeps a large amount of solders there to avoid the union of the Korean people. They say that the South of Korea is still controlled by "imperialist interests". They say that no union is possible until the Americans leave Korea. They also claim that the Americans plan to invade the north and use this as the justification of their weapons programme. I personally cannot agree with these statements and believe that the North Korean stance on the USA is more ideological than anything else. North Korea is under a dictatorship and these claims have been made to create hatred of the USA and the capitalist way of life. The media in North Korea is state controlled and the penalties for those who defy the state are severe. Therefore this hatred of the USA is shared by the majority of its citizens.

Kieran Reynolds Blog 2 Map

This map of the USA is highly interesting as it is a strong indicator of the America's economic power. Each state on the Map has been labeled with a country with comparable GDP. What is quite striking is the about of powerful developed countries on the map. France for example has a GDP comparable to California. While California is a big state it is only a small part of America and really shows how powerful the American economy is. It is worth noting though that the map has not weighted for the country and states respective populations.

If Americans Knew

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/

The on going conflict between Israel and Palestinain has occoured for over 60 years. This continuing conflict also brings instability to the world. America has also been diectly involved with this conflict for almost as long, and has been directly blammed for most of the desruction caused. This might be because the US gives more Aid to Israel than it does to any of Afriacn countries put togehter, this is the scale which the US is back Israel be it with Finance and more importantly military Aid. Figures indicate that the US gives over $7 Million dollas to Israel on a DAILY basis.

The websites main aim is to inform America and American citizens about the major 'significance' that is never in the media, the website finds this diffficult becuase the amount that America contribues is costing citizens in America over $15 million dollas a day. The website continues to state that it is there 'goal' to give American citizens the 'right' to make a balanced decision, opposed to the completely biased decision almost made for them by the media due to the compete one sidedness in facts reported by the media. The website continues to state that Americas continuing support for the Israeli government is infact putting America iself at war with the people whos lives are being reuined by American Support.

The website also has a variety or statistics and graphs to strengthen their arguments.

This image indicates the death of children. The red lines indicate the Palistinian Children compared to that of the blue lines of the Israeli children to have been killed.

This image is equally as shocking in terms of statistics as it indicates the amaount of homes destroyed by the conflict. Alarmingly over 25,000 Palisinian homes have been destroyed, compare that to a grand total of O of Israeli homes destroyed.

Criticisms of America and American Policies

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/anti-americanism-in-europe-is-fueled-by-ignorance/

This is a link to a website I found called Pajamas Media, the article is called: Anti-Americanism in Europe Fuelled by Ignorance and was written by Soeren Kern( a senior Analyst for Transatlantic Relations at the Madrid-based Strategic Studies Group) in 2008. As established from the title of the article, it presents european perspectives of America, showing their views and then providing statistics that prove otherwise. One criticism it makes is seventy percent of Britons think the U.S has done a worst job at reducing carbon emissions since 2000, which understandably you could agree with as we are continuously presented with images from America of unnecessarily big cars and vans riding around and never of someone using public transport. However, America's rate of growth of carbon emissions has decreased by ten percent since 2000, while that of the EU has increased by 2.3 percent.

Another criticism highlighted in the article is, the French are well known for scorn of American fast food,  which I think many people would say is the least favourable contribution from America. Seeming to cause increasing levels of obesity from it's cheapness, convenience and speed. However, an unknown fact about France is that one out of every two French people visit McDonald's at least once a year. More over, McDonald's is so popular in France that the country is now McDonald's second-biggest money maker in the world after the United States. In addition to this Spain ridicule Americans as overwhelmingly overweight, a recent study shows that two thirds of American's are overweight. However, Spain has more overweight people than any other country in Europe(except for Italy and Greece), with almost forty percent of Spanish adults being overweight and the Spanish Health Ministry says Spain is on track to overtake the U.S in the obesity department in less than ten years.

Finally it points out one issue that Europeans as a whole are quite ignorant about, with regards to America, and that is the Death Penalty. European elites like to portray the EU as being morally superior to the U.S and regard America as bloodthirsty. Obviously you can relate to this view, killing is morally wrong under any circumstance and should not be used as a means of punishment to any criminal no matter how serious the crime. However, in a poll from the French Daily Le Monde , regarding the execution of Saddam Hussein, it found sixty nine percent of British, fifty eight percent of French, fifty three percent of German and fifty one percent of Spanish people were in favour of the execution.

This ignorant view of America could be because, it is suggested 'those who know the least about America seem to hate it the most', therefore if Europeans have not visited America or maybe are reluctant to do so because of the views they posses, they cannot speculate about America and it's policies. All they know is what they have seen on the television and have heard from other people, they cannot judge what they do not know.           

White Christmas

This image is an interesting one as it shows us the different probabilities for

the different states when considering whether or not they will get a white Christmas.

This map tells us that the north , north-east and north-western regions have

the higher probabilities of having a white Christmas. Therefore , Maine ,

North Minnesota and Wisconsin in the north-east as well as Colorado , Idaho ,

Washington and Montana in the north-west are between 61 and >90 percent

likely to get snow at Christmas. The southern States such as Texas ,

Florida , Georgia , South Carolina , California and southern Arizona

have a less than 5 percent chance of snow at Christmas.

The northern states are closer to the Arctic Circle whilst the southern are closer to

the Equator , due to this these percentages are highly likely to be valid.

Hispanic population in the US

This map was used to show the percentage of Hispanic people that are situated in the US. America is now a culturaly diverse country, in a sense that the population is not souly dominated by the white men and women. The US has a variety of different cultural identities that range from the black communities to the spanish ones with equally vast amounts of people. Also America is no longer dominated by one religion there are a variety of practices that have become tollorated and even celebrated in the states. An example of this could be the vast amount of mosque that have been built in the US, this allows minority groups to practise their faith without discrimination. The president also claims that "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of it"

This is an interesting image for many reasons. The first being that it draws close attention to the fact that the US has an ever growing Hispanic population. On the map you can see that in the south and south western areas there on many occasions the population is atleast 50% hispanic. This population is this high for one reason and this reason is due the locality. Texas a state that is heavily populated by the Hispanic people shares borders with Mexico. Many of the population that now have taken refuge in the US have done so illegally. This means that they have crossed the borders from the US and Mexico illegally therefore making them illegal immegrants. Problems in states close to the border such as Arizona have caused many problems and one severe reaction taken by Arizona was to pass legislaion that means anyone in that state can be randomly stopped and asked to show or prove a form of ID. This evidence could also be confirmed as in the northern states there is a less that 6.O% of hispanic population.

This map is taken from the National Geographic Magazine, February 2007 issue. It shows the USA, the colours indicate where there are more single men or women(men in blue and women in red).  From the map you can see the largest male plurality is in Los Angeles where there is 40,000 more single men than women. In comparison, the largest women plurality is in New York where there is 165,000 more single women than men.  This could be interpreted in various ways, for one, there could be more single women in New York because of the idea of a woman living the high life in the Big Apple, falling head over heels with the shopping, sight seeing, bars and restaurants. Women are plugged with dreams of having their dream job in one of the leading fashion capitols of the world, indulging in some retail therapy and the idealised view of finding a big shot banker and falling in love. But in reality, this idea is wishful thinking, a dream that is unlikely for most women, presented to us from films and books.

The idea of the most single men living in Los Angeles could be because it is the world centre of business and international trade, it is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. This can be seen as a leading attribute for any man when deciding where to live, it provides opportunity and potential. As well as this, Los Angeles is seen as the "entertainment capitol of the World", leading the world in the creation of motion pictures, television productions, video games and record music. Again, all these factors could interest say a movie mad guy or gaming obsessed guy. It could also be seen as the reason why there is such a substantial amount of single men in Los Angeles, they are all busy watching television, going to the cinema and playing video games to find love.

US Images Kieran Reynolds

The Golden gate bridge in San Fransisco is one of America's most famous structures. I believe that it portrays America in a positive light. The bridge is one of the largest suspension bridges in the world and is symbolic of what America can achieve and the power and wealth the country possesses. It shows that the country is well connected and that even big gaps can be "bridged". You can tell how large the bridge is by the tiny size of the cars in comparison!

The image of an American holding a gun is highly controversial. Gun control being a very sensitive issue in the United States. However I personaly believe that is shows a negative issue of America. It shows both insecurity and intolerance. It could be said that the country is less safe due to the lack of gun control laws. Some may however see it as a positive as it could be seen as a sign of both personal safety and security. IF someone trespasses on your property. You have the free right to defend yourself!

Kieran

I see this photograph as a positive image of America, for one it shows the close family circuit, Obama and his wife and children together, looking out on the people, smiling and happy. They come across as warm hearted and inviting, this family image is very important, it portrays them as people you can relate to instead of Obama just being seen as a politician. By having his whole family involved he is more appealing to all ages and people, it widens his demographic. 


In addition, the way the Obama has his hand raised to the people, as if to thank them and show his appreciation. Also it could be seen as a link with the famous American landmark The Statue of Liberty, which is an iconic symbol of liberty and freedom, making him come across as a sign of hope for the people. The last point I would make about the photograph is the writing on the stand to the side of them, reading 'American Dream'. In a way this photograph symbolises everything about the American dream, Obama is living proof that anyone can make it and someone to look to as inspiration.

 

I see this photograph as a negative image of America, of course it is the famous Times Square in New York, known for its shops, restaurants and general atmosphere. However, I see it as a negative image of America because for one, it is completely packed, full of people that know where they want to go and not stopping for anyone or anything that is in their way. You can't simply stop and take in what is around you. Secondly, the amount of cars on the road, majority of which are yellow taxis, being not only bad for the environment but noise pollution as well. With so many cars on the road and people on the streets it creates an extremely fast pace, everyone is on the move, it can put you on edge and can create an uncomfortable atmosphere. Adding to this, you are surrounded by skyscrapers, obviously there is a space issue in New York as well as cost, therefore the only way is up. However, it can make the streets quite claustrophobic, as if you are packed in, there is no free space.

Adding to this, the whole place is covered in Billboards and signs to attract tourists and passing New Yorkers, there is not a free space anywhere. When looking at the photograph, the whole square just looks like one big advert which, I suppose, is much like the rest of New York.     

i have chosen this image of route 66 as a positive image representing the United States. This is a positive image in my opinion as it epitomises the freedom that simply being in the US allows you to have, route 66 is 'the open road' and this image sums up the idea that when you are in the US and you are a US citizen you can take any route you wish in order to obtain the American dream. All roads lead to success and happiness when living in America, at least that's the idea and this image is capable of conveying that in my opinion. Route 66 also bares significance as it spans across about 3/4 of the US and has been the inspiration for countless songs as it represented the freedom of America and the ability to travel almost anywhere you want simply by following this one road.


I have chosen this image of Tony Montana from the film Scarface to represent a negative portrayal of the US. Tony Montana achieved the American dream, he came to the US looking for a quick route to wealth and success, something that only America could offer a foreign immigrant, fleeing poverty and crime and Tony Montana found money and success through crime. i believe this to be a strong image to represent negative America as it can be easily argued that it suggests the only real way to find success in the America is to rob, murder and steal from your fellow Americans, through this image you can argue that America really is a dog eat dog world and the only way to truly obtain the American dream is to be ruthless and vicious in order to gain the benefits of American capitalism. This image is particularly effective in my opinion as Tony Montana's view and experience of America (apart from the violence and eventual downfall) is what many foreign immigrants thought America could offer them and to this day still can. This image infers that America is the land of opportunity but to obtain it you have to be a willing to endure corruption, violence and pretty much become a criminal other than that the poor foreigner will just become another American living in poverty with nothing more than a US passport.

I have chosen this image to represent a negative approach to America. I believe that this image shows how little faith and respect the American's actually had for George Bush whilst he was in power. This is shown by the expression on the infant's face as being one of great upset. Alone this image speaks multitudes, shouting out that "this man cannot be trusted" due to the way that the small child he is holding is screaming a great deal. The added text "CHARACTER - Babies are an excellent judge of it." adds emphasis to this distrust of Bush.

I see this as a highly negative image due to the way in which this man who is able to upset the baby in the way he does was, in fact, the President of America. This means that this man was in control of one of the most powerful countries in the world which is a truly worrying fact to beaware of.

This photograph of the current President, Barack Obama, with his family helps to represent a positive aspect of America. I see this as a very positive image for a few reasons. The informality of the focal characters (Obama, his wife and their two little girls) emphasizes that they are a happy and secure family. This shows Barack Obama as a good family man with a happy life, happy family and happy heart, all good features for a Presidential leader of one of the world's biggest powers. It helps us to trust him a lot more and inserts faith in him. This image also can be seen to represent how important family is to the Americans as a unity. Family closeness in America is HUGELY important, and this photograph just about sums it up. :)

This is a very negative image and one that is almost iconic to America now. It is an image taken from a very popular television show called "My Super Sweet 16"
In the image you can see a 16 year old girl that is very has almost shaped her life around the peope she sees on the television a celebrity lifestyle. She is holding two small dogs who she has 'dyed' pink? She is holding the dogs in a rather negative way, by this she is holding the dogs for an accsessory opposed to holding the dogs from a caring and affectionate point of view.
Obviously the connotations of this picture are that she belives that she's a 'princess' with the sterotypical colours? This picture is negaive also in a sense that the chidren are now growing up carefree in a society where children are spolit as parents would rather throw money at a problem opposed to solving it rationally. It could also be argued that growing up in this enviroment doesnt teach girls like this morals or feelings and that empathy towards other human beeings is never seen.

This is the 'ground zero' site in New York City. There has been a dramatic transformation from 9/11 in such a short period of time, from the scenes that once horrified and shocked the world and changed modern politics and philosophies as we knew it.
This picture was taken in October 2007, 6 years after the attacks. This is a very positive picture for many reasons. The first and most dominant connatations of this image is the sense of Unity. After the attacks took place America became unified, as every citizen shared a common ground in their beliefs such as Justice, Mourning and most importantly the future and rebuilding. In this image you can see construction is already underway and that there has been significant progress in such a small time. You can also see that there is alot of work being done, this also suggest that America has been unified and that everyone has come together to help rebuild the damage caused.

I believe that this picture was also taken to promote as sense of patriotism. This is because they are not concealing the obvious fact that America suffered one of the largest terror attakcs in history. But instead this image was taken to reassure and show the world that America is strong and united in the face of evil and that they are not affraid. The image also shows the American people that they will rebuild and that the country is united.

However after taking this into account it could also be argued that this image has a negative meaning. For example it could have been taken to remind the American people that their country will always face imminant danger in thier politics and philosophies do not change? For example the image reminds America that they will always be fighting a battle whether it be in Iraq or at home?

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