Throughout history there have been many movements aimed at bringing about social reform and none of them have been more successful than the civil rights movement which focuses on attaining equality for people of all races and differences in culture. From the time of slavery in America people have fought at attaining equal rights for all and have pursued the equal treatment for all different kinds of people.

Growing up, one of my favorite movies was “Remember the Titans,” which portrays the struggle to create a society with less social tension between people of different races. It is the story of a school football team in the south, which must combine both white and African American players. At first, there was a lot of tension between the players on the team. They would only stick to the people of the same race and wouldn’t even communicate with those who were not like them. However, as the story progresses you can truly see the determination of the players to create a team where there was no such concept as racial tension. The players started to come together as one and started to create an environment of love and acceptance of people of different races. By the end of the movie these players not only changed their school but eventually changed their community as well.

I believe that, even though we may not know it, there is still a lot of racial discrimination that exists in our society today. Even if someone makes a little joke regarding a person of a different race or mentions a stereotypical remark  he can be considered to be discriminating towards people who are different from himself. Even the type of neighborhoods that we live in portray a sense of racial segregation that was around during the 1960s. Today, many people live in communities which consist of people who are similar to themselves. Since these people share similar customs to themselves they feel comfortable being around them and therefore cling to one another. I believe that there would be less racial discrimination in the world if we lived in mixed communities where we can share our cultures with others, and learn a little about them as well. By doing this we can learn to appreciate people of different cultures for who they truly are.

Racism always existed from the times when people enslaved one another. It grew from a means of differentiation into a means of generalization. Racism categorized people based on their physical features and common culture. But now it has evolved into a method in which people group negatively associate a group of people with bad habits or traits.

When someone sees racist’s comments being spread, I just see more ignorance. People are commonly associating Asians with social inadequacy and academic vigor. “If he is Asian, he must be…” Even if some stereotypes my night were offensive by itself, Generalizing a race, or group is. It is not politically correct, since people are assuming facts and applying preconceived notions to a person prior to their meeting. Stereotypes do not define a person

Racism through stereotyping is prevalent in mainstream media as well. For some reason, society finds it acceptable to have crude humor in movies and tv shows, yet when it is discussed among casual conversation. Racist comments become taboo. Also what allows one race from discriminating on its own? How is that any less wrong than any other race discriminating him or her? Discrimination is wrong on all levels. It should not be tolerated.

In a society that is trained to make guesses and jump to conclusions, I automatically assumed that David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish was about immigrants with broken English. It is nothing like it’s title. The production is one-quarter in mandarin. It breaks any preconceived ideas about the Chinese. His production costs is about $3.5 million to which is high and especially of a commercial. It’s risky bet on something that may be lucrative.  Hwang’s production contradicts any assumptions that one might arrive at about plays performed in a foreign language.

Mankind doesn’t look outward for opportunities to aid the races in need. Rather, man prefers to degrade and laugh at others and repeat such a vicious cycle of discrimination that needlessly exists.

Racism is everywhere and it’s usually hard to deal with. Stereotypes and racial slurs are thrown around casually everyday; how does one respond to them?  These days, people tend to make attempts at being humorous by saying racial jokes that actually offend the people the joke is aimed at. Also, a certain person might feel the right to treat another person of a certain race a specific way because of stereotypes. This sense of superiority over another race is not one that should be followed.

Stereotypes may be funny at first but begin to get annoying after a while. The typical “Asians are good at math” and “Ching chong” thing aimed at Asians is something I really hate. You can’t assume a person is good at something just because of his or her race; I have a Chinese friend who is horrible at math and gets offended when someone asks her for help in math. And for someone to degrade the Chinese language into two words digests me. This is the language of my ancestors and for it to be made a joke out of makes me shake my head at mankind.

We may look different and have different cultures but in the end, we are all people and should be treated equally and respected. Chinatown is a neighborhood rich in culture and history. There is a park near Canal Street where senior citizens go to enjoy their time, playing music and putting on a show for others. This happens almost every Sunday and have been so for the past couple of years. Lately, young, wealthy people of non-Asian descent have been moving into the neighborhood and can’t stand this “noise” and file noise complaints against these senior citizens, resulting in their expulsion from the park. These newcomers need to respect the rich culture that is Chinatown and start by learning about the culture, not abolishing it.

Racism is a hard thing to get past. After all those years of leaders attempting to make the world a better, more equal place, the separation is still evident. Ignorant people need to get rid of these strict lines and immerse themselves in new cultures to get a better understanding of the world. Knowledge ends ignorance.

Two years ago, when I first started school in New York, I had to wait in a long line outside the Guidance Counselor’s office. The student standing in front me turned around to complain about the line and we eventually got talking. I told him that I had just moved from India and he surprised me with what is possibly the weirdest question I have ever been asked. He said,   ”So, did you like, own an elephant and ride it to school back in India?” For a moment, I thought he was joking. When his expression remained earnest, I realized that he seriously believed that families in India used elephants as a common means of transportation. He had seen elephants featured prominently in countless movies about India and had assumed that the animals were a part of everyday life there.

This incident shocked me and educated me to the extent of the media’s influence on how a culture is understood around the world. Our perception of other countries and cultures is a product of our view through the biased lens of popular media. The nature of media today is to play up only the quirky, exotic parts of a culture and neglect to mention the ordinary and everyday aspects that complete the picture. On the other hand, it’s understandable that the media exploits the differences between cultures. The unique elements make for interesting, often funnier, stories and thus, better profits. The problem occurs when we, as consumers, fail to realize that movies and television shows may not be true representations of a culture. We should be careful not to stereotype cultures and identify them only through the few elements that we have been exposed to.

It’s admirable that Mr. Hwang derives from his experiences with cultural misconceptions as an Asian American and uses it to write educative plays that explore this complex subject. I think in a world where the internet and globalization are erasing boundaries, people like Mr. Hwang can help us understand the reasons for pervasive misconceptions and ensure that cultural barriers don’t stand in the way of increasing global unity and connectivity.

As societies grew and spread, race has been a major issue.  The acronym W.A.S.P. was created, where the first letter stands for white. On the opposite end of the spectrum were people of color who were projected as slaves.  However, as progress ensued, these ethnic misinterpretations were slowly broken down.

In today’s culture, race still plays some sort of role in everyday life.  Immigrants leave their country for better lives and come to America, but instead of diversifying the people in their environment they end up in locations where people of the same nationality reside.  This is understandable because people feel more comfortable with people of their race; however, this fear creates unseen barriers in cities.  For example, there are “white, Chinese, and brown” parts of Queens and that is how the majority of residents define their area.  I’ve heard stories of people walking into the “white” part of Queens and being stared at weirdly because it was “obvious” they didn’t belong.

The barriers we indirectly create have a lot to do with stereotypes that still exist.  Stereotypes have some truth to them sometimes, but as a generalization of a specific group is wrong.  Some people don’t realize the seriousness of stereotypes because a lot of them are created in environments where we are comfortable like around friends and family.  Even stereotypes that are thought of as good like “Brazilians are the most beautiful people on earth” can create standards that every person is judged by because of a few people.  In this way, stereotypes have created a misrepresentation of people.  People are judged by their ethnicity rather than their individuality.

Even though there is cultural misinterpretation, people today are trying to fix this.  Many people have friends that are of different races and backgrounds, which give them a broader idea of what different races are like.  In doing so, they develop a sense of understanding towards other people’s races.  For example, a lot of kids with nannies have seen me playing cricket and are able to identify the sport.  However, to people that are ignorant, cricket is regarded as a reason to make fun of a certain group of people.  The main reason certain people are oblivious to the cultures of other people is because they have not learned about them or refuse to.  For this reason, I believe the only way to fight misrepresentation of groups and individuals is to grant everyone exposure to different cultures.

As history shaped and reformed ideas of people in the world, everyone has their own perception of other races, ethnicity, and culture that is not their own. Much of these conceptions are influenced by what is seen on television, movies, and even commercial ads as society becomes more technologically advanced. I think that sometimes certain ideas of race, ethnicity, and culture of others and even my own are misrepresented, usually by stereotypes.

Many movies that come out in America where the main actor or actress is Asian, talents that would seem attractive to the audience and bring in revenue are the only things that are focused on. In the Rush Hour series, the plots used all revolved around how Jackie Chan would display his Kung Fu skills. Another movie that involve an Asian main actor was Ninja Assassin, that also revolved around displaying fighting skills that would awe the audience.In a way it feels as if the movie industry see Asians and think of fighting skills.

Also, in the Rush Hour series, besides the fighting, there were parts that revealed bits and pieces of the Chinese culture were not entirely correct or even seemed to mock it as well. I remember one part in one of the Rush Hour films where a a Chinese Buddhist monk was introducing his name to Chris Tucker’s character and the monk had spoken his name in an American way as to cause confusion, which then became comedic. I don’t have anything against these movies, as I find them humorous myself, nor do I have anything against this scene, since I did burst out laughing as well, but thinking back I feel a bit mocked by it because the monk’s name is actually my sister’s first name and a part of my own name as well. Not only that, but it feels as if they think the Chinese language is funny, because the monk could have introduced his character name in Chinese but instead it was introduced in the English way.

I think that for people to really understand another race, culture, and ethnicity, they have to experience and learn it themselves from where it originated. I agree with David Henry Hwang’s idea that what you are doesn’t mean you can’t try to accept or in a way be another. I love my own race, ethnicity, and culture, but I am interested in Japan’s and South Korea’s culture sometimes more than my own that my mom claims I was probably reincarnated from one of them.

We have the liberty of living in one of the most advanced countries in the world, and our style of living is quite high. Our daily lives are structured around comfort and well..  aesthetic purposes. A well designed house for us is pleasing to the eye, with unusual or advanced ideas for simple products such as the stairs or the bed, and the outside of the house would preferably have a lawn of grass and flowers with a nice pavement. However, there is a different design occurring all over the world right now – instead of serving the pleasures of a person, these designers are serving the needs of the people.

In the article Rescued by Design, designers are helping slums and communities living in poverty all over the world. And what better way of actually going to the people to find out what they want instead of assuming what they need? These designers are designing according to the needs of the people. “The poor… are the creators and implementers of the most comprehensive and far-reaching systems for solving problems of poverty, housing and basic services.” The best ides are the simple ideas, or solutions, that stem from the complexity of the living situations of the people. For example, architects were assigned to help devise row houses for those living in houses along the Canal in Bangkok, helping the families build steadier living environments based on what they wanted.

Now if you ask me, this is something worthy of reading. Instead of designs, such as apple, that serve to benefit our lives beyond our needs, these designers and architects are actually helping to improve the necessary needs and living environments of people.

Although the play and opera of “The Barber Of Seville” are similar in nearly all aspects, there are a few characteristics that differentiate the two versions.  One difference between the two involves the significance of the characters. Throughout the play the Count and Rosine are acknowledged as the main characters as they struggle to overcome Dr. Bartholo in their quest to get married. Meanwhile, in the opera, Rosine and the Count’s importance in the story are overshadowed by the actions of Figaro. Through his singing and clever plans to trick Dr. Bartolo, Figaro acts as the sole controller of fate. He is able to deceive Dr. Bartolo and gives the Count several opportunities to speak with Rosine and ultimately ask for her hand in marriage.

Another distinguishable modification between the two versions is that the opera puts a greater emphasis on the impact of love, while the play highlights the comic aspects of the story. In the first act of the opera, the Count expresses his love for Rosina by hiring a band of musicians to serenade her. This humorless scene foreshadows the significance of love in the opera. On the other hand, in the play, the Count starts off peering into Dr. Bartholo’s house, dressed as a poor university student, hoping to catch a slight glimpse of Rosine. This scene leaves an amusing image in the viewers’ mind while exposing the humorous side of the play.

The opera version was very similar to the play version. Both have the same story line and ending. The story still remains about Count Almaviva trying to garner Rosina’s love. The count has the help of Figaro in his attempt to gain Rosina’s love; Bartolo still tries in force Rosina to marry him. The ending of the story as well hasn’t changed at all. The Count marries Rosina and Bartolo is left without love but with some money.  There were some differences though and the main one would be the importance of Figaro in the opera. In the play the title of the play was a little misleading because the play wasn’t really about Figaro it was about Rosina and the Count. In the opera though the title is very befitting. Figaro becomes someone who controls the fate of everyone around him. With his entrance in the opera it becomes evident that Figaro’s role in the opera would be more than a former employee to the Count.

Another difference was the ending. In the opera it was more of a happily ever after for everyone. In the opera even Bartolo was happy even though his love, Rosina, had just been stolen from him and his only compensation is some money. The ending of the play gave off an unrealistic fairy tale feeling. The fact that Bartolo was marrying Rosina for her money has completely changed the story from the play.  In, the play Bartolo was in love with Rosina as opposed to with her money.  I feel that I was able to be more empathic to the Bartolo in the play character because he was in love and you were able to feel sorry for him. But, in the opera he was a scrooge and even though people can relate to this opera version I did not feel as much emotion for him as I did for the play version.