Throughout the fifth chapter of Nancy Foner’s book I kept thinking about how America has changed. Not only from the early 1900s to where she left off but changed as in where she left off to where we are now. While I won’t back up this feeling with statistics, I do believe that Americans, in general, have become more accepting to the races that were talked about within this chapter. Some examples of this change would be our president, media, music, television, and, as I see it, our slang. The evolution in slang and its affect is a bit harder to realize than the others. That is because the changes in slang occur in the younger generations, mine included. These generations have grown to accept terms that are perceived by the older generations as derogatory. One such word that’s been brought to my attention is the word nigga. Many in the younger generation use the word as a substitute for bro, friend, and boy. I’m not sure if it’s a New York City public school thing, a connotation that grew on the backs of bonds in poverty, or a result of America’s changing pop culture, but I’ve heard this word tossed around a lot in high school and it didn’t provoke any fights. The students know the history behind the word, but rather than causing separation, it has become a term of endearment used in sentences like “its my nigga (insert name).” To be fair I haven’t seen many white people say this (though urbandictionary.com tells me they use it in private) but I have heard many minorities say this to each other. I’ve seen Hispanic and black people use it with their friends. I’ve even heard Asians use it. The changing meaning of the word shows a deep contrast between the younger and older generations in attitude towards black people. Most likely this change and others like it come from shifts in our pop culture.

Another big change in America would be how people perceive the ethnicities that are seen as Muslims. This group wasn’t really talked about in the book and that is understandable. Foner’s book was published before 9/11. The event has had a huge role in creating and/or shaping a different cognition in the general populous about Muslims. The attack had a hand in propelling the very wrong, and destructive stereotype that people who are Muslims are Muslim terrorists and bomb makers who hate America. What’s worse is most people can’t discern whose Muslim leading to fear of anyone who can fit the bill. Thus the popular image of a Muslim as an Indian, Bangladeshi, or Middle Eastern person is conjured up and these groups take the hit. It’s good that most of society thinks this stereotype is garbage and many use it as a joke. But the thing is once this sort of idea is out it creates a subtle sort of color line in our subconscious affecting our judgment. Bad things happen when, through ignorance and/or overwrought emotions, people allow these stereotypes to take complete control of their view. 9/11 created the emotions and the propagation of this stereotype. Those who fit the image or are Muslim have experienced more discrimination because of what took place on that day.