White Privilege in America Essay -- Race Racial Racism Supremacy

What is privilege? What does it mean? Is privilege inherited or is it earned? As an American resident of color I’ve learned that privilege in this country is something that is innate and inherited. The privilege that I speak of is that of White privilege. There are two prominent writer/scholars who have taken the issue of white privilege to heart and have shared their expert analysis on the subject; these authors/writer-scholars are Peggy McIntosh, a white feminist, and Beverly Tatum, an African American Psychologist. McIntosh, in her article "Coming to See Correspondences," makes excellent observations about the privilege that she has experienced just by being a white female in America. The two most significant points made by McIntosh in this article are as follows. One, â€Å"A white skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us†¦the silence and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tools here† (P. 104). The second and even more important point is that â€Å"the obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly inculturated in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocra cy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all†¦props up those in power and serves to keep power in the hands of the same groups that have most of it already† (105). Both points serve McIntosh’s objective of making clear that the notion of white privilege is not a myth. Due to the socially constructed and arbitrary nature of ideologies concerning race (a biological, phenotypic/ (physical) expression of human features) the highly immoral and nonsensical practice [whether recognized or not] of white supr... ... of â€Å"defeatism† in which people of color refuse to adhere to the demands and requirements of popular culture because they believe their efforts and accomplishments will go unrecognized. This psychological ditch works against the advancement of people of color and serves to further perpetuate the institutionalized practice of passive racism by influencing minority groups to remove themselves from the realm of socio-economic mobility, the attainment of education and involvement in political activity. Both authors have recognized the fundamental structures behind privilege –specifically white privilege in America. Their purpose and that of many civil right activists of our era is to bring awareness to those who are in positions of privilege to bring change that fosters the spirit of inclusion, reform and progression into America’s social and mainstream environments.

Gangs in Prison

Gangs in Prison The Aryan Brotherhood The Aryan Brotherhood originates in the CDC (California Department of Corrections) and BOP (Federal Bureau of Prisons). The Aryan Brotherhood was founded in San Quentin, California in the 1960s. The founders were members of other gangs from the 1950s called, â€Å"Bluebirds†, â€Å"Diamond Tooth Gang†, and the â€Å"Nazi Gang†. Barry Mills and Tyler Davis are now the leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood.Their basic beliefs and mission is they believe in the betterment and preservation of the white race, in separatism, that no foreigner should rule over the white race, that all who are against or oppress the white race are sworn enemies, in the rights of the white race, in the right to teach white children of the Aryan cultures and heritage, believe only in the support of the white race, and that it is important to guide the upbringing of white children, as they are the heirs to the future. The Aryan Brotherhood is known to be str ongest in the southwest and pacific regions.They are weakest in northeastern regions, where the African-American population is more dominant. It has been stated that the Aryan Brotherhood is growing. As of now, there are approximately 500 members. The criminal activities that they are involved in are murder, kidnapping, racketeering, and drug distribution. At least one example of how dangerous it is in prison for these members is the ABT leader Kelly Ray Ellery and other members ordered subordinates to kill a prospective member and make it â€Å"messy as possible† to send a message to gang members to cooperate with law enforcement.They also ordered to return the man’s severed finger as a trophy. The Black Guerilla Family The Black Guerilla family originated from San Quentin Prison in 1966. The founders of this gang are George Jackson and W. L. Nolen. Their basic beliefs and mission is to eradicate racism, maintain dignity in prison and overthrow the United States Gover nment. They are strongest in San Quentin, CA and Baltimore, Maryland. They are weakest in the southwestern and Pacific regions. Their ranks are growing, they have 50,000 members today. The criminal activities they are involved in while in prison are drug trafficking, extortion, and violent crimes.One example of how dangerous it can be in prison is the supreme commander, â€Å"Doc† Holiday, proved he still had what it takes to be in the Black Guerilla Family by stabbing a random fellow prisoner to death. The Folk Nation The Folk Nation originated from the Illinois Department of Corrections. I would also like to note that The Folk Nation is not a gang- they are alliances which gangs are aligned. Larry Hoover, the chairman of the Gangster Disciples Nation, created the idea of alliance and persuaded black, white, and Latino gangs from Chicago to join. He did all of this in November 11, 1978.Under their basic beliefs and missions, they maintain a strict code of solidarity, with me mbers promising to hold â€Å"Folk before family† and claiming they will â€Å"not let my brother fall to a knee†. They are strongest in the Midwest and southwest; there is no record of where they could possibly be the weakest, because they are all over the United States. They are continuously recruiting members in the streets and in prisons, therefore stating that they are very dominant and only getting stronger. The criminal activities they are commonly involved in are racketeering, murder, robbery, assault, and illegal use of firearms.The Mexican Mafia The Mexican Mafia originated in 1957 at Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, California. Luis â€Å"Huero Buff† Flores from the Hawaiian Gardens gang was the founder of The Mexican Mafia. Their basic beliefs were to control the prison system. They are strongest in northern and southern California, but they are in a decline right now. The most obvious of criminal activities of The Mexican Mafia are extortion ( RICO), narcotics distribution, and murder. An example of the danger in the prison system from the Mexican Mafia is in the 1960’s, the Mexican Mafia conducted hits in San Quentin and DVI.Doroteo â€Å"Sleepy† Betancourt and Frank â€Å"moose† Bazure murdered a correctional officer; just to prove their existence. MS13 The MS13 gang originated in Los Angeles in the 1960’s and the 1980’s. They didn’t actually have just one founder; it was a group of young Salvadorans that broke off from other Hispanic gangs. Their basic beliefs are self-protection and protection of their families. They are strongest in Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Utah; they are also strong in Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador.They are weakest in the East coast. They are neither growing or in decline, because they no longer exist; they are known now as the Surenos. Their criminal activities consists of drug smuggling, gun running, people smuggling, hits for hire, theft, drug sales, and arson. An example to illustrate how dangerous they are is in a recent Texas incident, a member of MS13(Surenos) participated in a gang rape of a 24-year-old woman and then he kicked her in the neck so hard that he broke it and killed her instantly.In conclusion, I noticed that they all had similarities in criminal activity. All of their beliefs were very different except for one thing, they all focused more on their own races of people. I also noticed that all but the Mexican Mafia are growing in population. I also realized that the strongest and most dangerous gang in the world is MS13 aka Surenos. Although the other prison gangs are growing in threat level and population; MS13 aka Surenos is the largest organized crime entity in the world.Therefore, in conclusion, these prison gangs actually have a lot more in common than what they think th ey do. The only thing that is really separating them is their racial beliefs. References: History of the Mexican Mafia prison gang; July 25th, 2007; Valdemar, Richard; www. policemag. com Ten members of Bronx drug trafficking crew charged; Jan. 9th, 2013; U. S. Attorney’s office; www. fbi. gov The Aryan Brotherhood; Montaldo, Charles; Jan. 2013; www. crime. about. com Ebook: Corrections Today; Chapter 8 The Prison Experience(males)

Orphan Movie Rieview - 623 Words

Movie – orphan Orphan is a psychological horror thriller film. Orphan is about a married couple who recently lost their baby and adopts a 9-year-old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be. Esther (adopt girl) have Borderline personality disorder she have long-term patterns of unstable and turbulent emotions. These inner experiences often result in impulsive actions and chaotic relationships with other people (new family) .Symptoms of borderline personality disorder are: Intense fear of being abandoned, Cannot tolerate being alone, Frequent feelings of boredom, inappropriate anger , impulsiveness, such as with substance abuse or sexual relationships, Repeated crises and acts of self-injury, such as wrist cutting or overdosing. In the beginning of the movie when they took Esther in she wanted the family to feel sympathy for her she appears to be 9 years old but she’s 33 year old woman She has hypopituitarism, a hormone disorder that stunted her physical growth, and has spent mo st of her life posing as a little girl. Esther Frequent displays of inappropriate anger when she kills Sister Abigail ( the head of the orphanage) because after Kate (adopted mom) becomes suspicious that there might be some problems with Esthers she have more knowledge of sex than a child at her age she calls her sister Abigail and warns her that Esther is dangerous to be around . Kate warns her husband john but he refused to listen because he thinks she’s a innocent little child and