http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeFtvXj81Y4

In Lizetter Alvarez’s article, Soy Diet Is Cruel and Unusual, Florida Inmate Claims, Eric D. Harris, serving time in a Florida prison for sexual battery on a child, is complaining about the prison diet. Harris says that the soy-based turkey dogs and sloppy Joes served are “cruel and unusual punishment”, a violation to the eighth amendment. He claims that the soy-based prison diet is a health concern to his immune system and body, causing a thyroid problem. Apparently, he is not alone. Nine other inmates in an Illinois prison also filed a similar lawsuit in 2009; the lawsuits are still pending. A soy-based diet is a lot cheaper to make, rather than a diet rich in chicken and beef.

I think Harris’ complaints are ridiculous. There are people living in poverty and on the streets and this guy, a guy who committed a felony, is complaining about his diet. Some people would love to consume this diet and be gladly endure what Harris calls “cruel and unusual punishment”. Prison inmates are given a choice of choosing the soy-based diet, a vegan diet, or a diet of food you can buy with your own money. If Harris has such a big problem with the soy-based diet he has now, why can’t he just change his diet? He is lucky to be getting fed. I understand that even prison inmates have rights, but this guy sexually assaulted a child. If I had it my way, he would not be eating any sort of meal at all.

Police say it was race related. All puns aside, racism is a serious issue in the U.S. In essence, racism will never be abolished and people will always hate a specific type of people based on their skin color or their origins. Racism has greatly died down but still exists today. Even though it will always be present, people still devise ways to combat it.

Racism is the most common among African American people. Most types of hate is directed towards them. However, racism occurs for every race, even Caucasians. Jokes are founded upon racism as well. The majority of the time, jokes that relate to stereotypical situations are funny. Even though some of these jokes may cross the line, it needs to be understood that they are jokes, whether they are true or not.

I have never taken much offense to racism. People associate my race with being good at mathematics. Honestly, thats more of a compliment than a derogatory assumption. Likewise, jokes are made about how Asians can have their last name “named” by throwing a coin into a jar. I take no offense to these jokes and I laugh along with them as well. The famous “squinty” eyes where asians have “squintier” eyes than normal people seems only to be a common misconception. As far as I can tell, Asian individuals can open their eyes just as wide.

Racism and stereotyping will always be present regardless of the race. However, it’s a good mindset to not always listen to the things people say about you. I think that race will never be completely gone from any type of society because it is only human nature to believe that oneself is superior.

(In case you haven’t gotten the initial joke, race in those terms refer to a running race rather than a person’s race. You would think that it would refer to gang activity however, pistols were fired to signal the start of a race).

Racism is touchy issue in today’s society because our generations are on the horizon of general acceptance of all. It’s tough to explain to an innocent child why racism still exists because the idea of hating someone for skin color, religion, or things of that nature seem so trivial and silly. Alas, racism is still around as a relic of past generations where such views were socially acceptable. Ignorance is molded into the minds of children in their youth and in time would be weeded out if not for certain strides taken with the right cause in mind. Groups of people have gone on the offensive to fight comedy shows or television that has prejudicial undertones. While this sounds good on paper too much of a good thing can be bad. The comedians serve the role of turning certain words or certain ideas about a group of people into something so trivial that everyone can share a laugh. For those that believe that holding one’s tongue in regard to “touchy humor” do not quite understand that hate does not get swept under the carpet of society, it must first lose all of its negative meaning and then disappear from common thought by itself.

Another way that people have weakened the grasp that racism has on society is understanding other cultures. Anyone can say that they would like to see the world from someone else’s point of view but it isn’t that easy. However, authors, screenwriters, and actors keep trying to give people insight into understanding differences. It’s easier for people who live in metropolitan cities to gain perspective because they’re bound to cross paths with different genders, races, religions, and creeds.  Henry David Hwang, playwright of the broadway show Chinglish, has been working towards an understanding of Asian culture and using his shows as a medium to send the message of a collective human culture as well as sub-cultures. For those who do not understand cultural differences because they haven’t heard the other perspectives are given perspective through media and as the world grows closer and more connected the differences that pulled people apart are pushing them together.

Throughout history immigrants have been coming to America. These immigrants come to America for change because of political unrest in their own countries or some sort of problem. Immigrants come to American and suffer from racism from people who have been here a little longer than them. These people who discriminate were once discriminated themselves, and this cycle continues. It is really strange how people, immigrants come to America for some sort of change but then cling together once they arrive here. Some examples would be Flushing, Chinatown, or little Italy. These are areas in NY where people attach themselves to the same people. Chinatown is an area for Chinese people and the entire area is filled with Chinese people. They stick together and isolate themselves from others. But, then the next generation that go to school with the “Americans” is mocked and detest their own culture. This is not everyone but the majority moves away and become more American. Then they go on to mock the people who are similar to their original selves, these fobs. This causes racism, stereotyping and the negative connotation with immigrants.

These stereotypes cause a lot of problems and apparently people find them funny. You’re Asian, why didn’t you get an A in math. You’re black, so you must be fast. You’re Mexican right go mow the lawn. These stereotypes care offensive and should not be present in our culture. The fact that we use them as jokes leads us to more serious problems. But in our conformist culture people will not stand up to these jokes, afraid of rejection everyone laughs. What happens is the person who is the but of the joke, even though he does not find it funny will laugh along because others who the joke does not apply to find it funny. Once they laugh then they open the gateway to more and more jokes. This isn’t as serious on most cases but in some cases where the jokes become intensified it might lead to bullying and rejection for being of a certain race. Muslim people dealt with a lot of problems after the 9/11 and not only muslim people but anyone who was even similar to them, Indians, Bengalis, Guyanese (etc.) Stereotype jokes might be funny for you but, when they intensify it can become serious.

According to the average person, I am Chinese or maybe even Japanese. I eat noodles, I eat rice, and eat sushi. I am the same as every other slant-eyed individual. I am Asian. Yet, I think its not that bad. Racism is obviously a problem, but honestly, stereotyping is not as harmful as much as before.

As a Vietnamese person, my ethnicity is not the most well known. Every new person I meet in school, on the streets, or even at a conference, asks me if I am Chinese. I do not blame them. As our society grows, I actually feel less individualistic and more in common with any other person around me. Sure, culture is important, but am I really different from the other Asian people? I demonstrate the same values, eat the same foods, and enjoy the similar activities as many other Asian cultures.

I think that stereotypes are less potent in our society when we a lot more sources of entertainment that are not afraid to touch on these topics. Satire and comedy embrace the stereotypes of Asians, Blacks and Whites, but they let us laugh.The problem is when the ignorant take these ideas and take them literally. This is when racism occurs. We can no longer laugh at the comments and rather be offended and this is why the stereotyped are so defensive. In all seriousness, I just wish that people were a little less serious and could take a few jokes and let them stay as jokes. All cultures are unique in their own way, but as a group of people in a society, I think its possible to share our cultures without conflict. Being a bit smarter in our words and in our actions can save everyone a bit of emotional pain.

Cultural misinterpretation is just interpretation that missed.

Ever since coming to the States back in 2008, I have encountered many moments of cultural misrepresentation.

It all began when the students in my French class were assigned to give a cultural presentation for our midterm. Back then I was standing in the cross road of trilingualism that consists of Vietnamese, French, and English, the latest of which I was still a novice. Unable to make out what would attract my teacher and classmates, I embarked on the universal human interest in culinary. Thus I made a powerpoint presentation on Vietnamese gastronomy and prepared a small vietnamese dish for the class. Out of pure innocence I included in it a slide about the Vietnamese habit of eating dogs and cats, and I made my spring roll with pork meat.

The outcome was terrible, though I myself has never been a devotee of dog and cat meat, I was instantly repulsed by the class once the slides come up, in which featured a steaming furless grilled dog lying squarely on a plate. A few people choke on the foods of the previous presenter but most directed their disgusted look toward me. Much to my satisfaction, half of the class did not bother to touch my spring roll because I was unaware of the muslim pork eating taboo.

On that day I has both tainted my self-image and misrepresented my culture from a beautiful and peace-loving one to one that treats dogs and cats cruelly and has its citizen feed muslims pork meats. I’ve never participated in any culture-representing event ever since.

Different societies form their own distinct cultures and, unfortunately, these cultures have often had difficulty accepting each other’s ideas and values. This difficulty resulted in racism and stereotypes. People have attempted to fight these concepts throughout history and have only been successful to a degree. We have made progress in understanding how wrong these things are and laws have been made to prevent them but they are far from being eradicated.

Stereotypes are very present in the media. For example, when characters are created for shows or movies, they often are based on stereotypes because it is easier for the audience to understand the characters. Racism is often used as a form of comedy. Writers will use racist and offensive remarks or ideas to get attention and to get people to laugh. In both of these cases, the intention is harmless. However, they can have harmful impacts as audiences are repeatedly exposed to racism and stereotypes. People may start to believe the things they are seeing and hearing even if they aren’t meant to. In addition, because cultures have different ideas and values, things that are meant as harmless may be interpreted as harmful.

David Henry Hwang’s play Chinglish, touches on this idea of misinterpretations between cultures. It shows off how Asians and Americans have difficulty understanding each other at times. The play contains no Asian-American characters because it wants to represent the relationship, or lack of relationship, between the two separate cultures.

The best way to learn about new cultures and traditions is to interact with them, which is why its important for each person to know where they came from. The city of New York is a great example. Everyday, New Yorkers are exposed to so many different people. We hear different languages on the subway, eat cultural foods in Manhattan, and watch cultural performances, such as Chinglish.

My high school was very diverse so I had the opportunity to learn about different people. One of my best friends was Chilean, so I learned a lot about his heritage when I went to his house. I ate Chilean food and saw Chilean works of art that his mother had. I learned a lot more about his culture than I would have if I had read about it in a book. Another one of my good friends was Indian, so going to her house taught me a lot about Indian culture.

Another good way to learn about different cultures is visiting all the different museuums that New York City has to offer. Some that come to mind are the Museum of the American Indian, and the Jewish Museum.

One problem that occurs when people are exposed to new cultures is stereotyping. Stereotyping is applying one person’s characteristics and behavior to a whole group. Stereotypes can be extremely hurtful. One way to prevent stereotypes is to meet many different people from many different cultures and learn about them.

Being familiar with different cultures wil not only make you a smarter individual, but will aslo help you succeed. People in the business world value workers who can speak several languages and who are familiar with foreign customs. We should all strive to be more open minded and learn more about cultures that we are not familiar with.

As Andre Malraux once stated, “culture is the sum of all the forms of art, or love and of thought…” The world consists of a multitude of diverse and unique variations of culture, ethnicity, and race. As society continues to advance and ways of life become more complex, people get pulled into cultures that interest them the most. In today’s time, anybody can be anyone if someone feels connected to a certain culture or religion. One does not need to be born into a certain culture but rather find comfort and acceptance surrounded by people who have similar ideologies. David Henry Hwang, a famous playwright, adds on how our genes or race no longer dictate how we decide to live out our lives.

In the artistic realm, multiculturalism has influenced the way famous playwrights and producers create their masterpieces. In order to perfectly portray a particular culture or type of person, numerous plays hone in on aesthetics and representation. For example, an Irish play such as Dancing At Lughnasa, relies on the original Irish cast to manufacture a pristine and flawless performance for the world to see. When replaced by American actors, the beauty and essence of the piece of art is tainted and lost. Such changes can cause cultural misinterpretations and confusion.

In David Henry Hwang’s play, “Chinglish”, translations of mistranslations of an American businessman seeking success in China are creatively portrayed. The work of art centers on common cultural misinterpretations and the obstacles faced when one doesn’t speak the language of a foreign place. In his play, Hwang hopes to portray the misunderstandings between ethnicities and the importance of bringing the American and Chinese cultures together. Through plays, musicals, and other works of art, race, ethnicity and culture are interpreted or misinterpreted in various ways. But with a simple knowledge base and understanding, society can become more well-rounded and multifaceted.