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Photographs of Death or Dying; Are They Necessary It has been said that, it would be a good thing if newspapers published more photographs of death and dying. There are many reasons why people say that photographs of dead and or dying people should or should not be published by newspapers. For example, some people say that pictures of people dying should be published in newspapers because death is a huge part of life. While members of the opposition state that death should remain private, and it should not be published, especially in a newspaper. The argument for or against publishing pictures of death will be disputed forever, however, I believe that photographs of death are appropriate, and I will argue why I believe in the publishing of photos of death or dying. I believe that photographs of death or dying should very well be available for the to observe. Death is an inevitable part of life, it is going to happen, regardless of whether or not one wants it to occur. If death is a part of everyone’s life, why shouldn’t it be published? Perhaps if death were published in newspapers or magazines people would become less afraid of it because they know what death entails. Nora Ephron states â€Å"Death happens to be one of life’s main events. And it is irresponsible- and more than that, inaccurate- for newspapers to fail to show it† (Ephron 113). This quote is evidence that there are others that feel the same way as I do about this topic. Death is a part of life, and it should be av...

Family Relationship in Movie the Descendant Essay

The King’s family depicted in the movie â€Å"The Descendant† reflects the family live style and dynamic in many of the typical middle income families. The core values that the King’s family fostering, such as love the nature, honest to each other and the united of the family, are in rooted with their heritage as the Hawaiian. The tragic incident of the main character Matt King’s wife Elizabeth provides an opportunity for Matt to review his relationship with his seventeen-years-old daughter Alexandra and ten-year-old daughter Scottie. During the coma of Elizabeth, Matt learned how to be a real father. He is growing with his daughters and building a strong relationship within his family. The author believes the King’s family in this movie set an adequate role model for families to learn how to reestablish a dysfunctional family to a healthy family. Primary Relationships Matt King is a lawyer specialized in real estate transaction. He is also a sole trustee of 25,000 aces of Kauai virgin land passed from his ancestor. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, older daughter Alexandra, who is 17 years old and a younger daughter Scottie, who is 10 years old in Hawaii. Matt is too concentrated to his work. He has very little time to be with his family members. He neglected his wife, he has not seriously talk to his wife for years, in fact, he hasn’t talk to his wife three days before she had the boating accident and dying in the hospital. He doesn’t involve much with his daughters; he thinks that taking care of the daughter is her wife’s responsibility. Since Matt hardly has time to Elizabeth, she has spend many her time in playing motor boat racing; parting with her friends, and heavily drinking. Until 23 days ago, she had an accident on her boat which was driving by her friend. Alexandra is in a boarding school because her parents want to discipline her with alcoholic and dating with older man issues. She loves her family members, however, she refused to talk to her mother after last Christmas because she found out that Elizabeth was dating another man, and she was angry with her for betraying her marriage. Scottie was a lost young girl. She has difficulty to make friends at school; she often uses inappropriate body language and profanity language when talking with people during she was angry. She likes to put on Alexandra’s under dress to express her eagerness of being a big girl. All the behavior of Scottie is try to get people’s attention. She wants people to care of her feeling and interact with her more. She revealed that all the behaviors and languages were learned from Alexandra. Scott is Elizabeth’s father. He loves Elizabeth dearly. In his eye, Elizabeth is a strong and thoughtful girl; she devoted one hundred percent to her family; and takes good care of the daughters. No one can compare with her, even the granddaughters. Family’s Developmental Stage King’s family was living in a nuclear family with adolescent girl and young girl before the wife, Elizabeth was comatose. The absent of mother in the family, turned Matt, the father from a backup parent to in charge. The daughters have to adapt their father’s new role and live with a single parent; while all of the family members have to accept the death of Elizabeth. Before Elizabeth was hospitalized, this family was a dysfunctional family already. With Elizabeth alcoholism and life risk motorboat racing hobby, workaholic Matt, alcoholic recovery Alexandra, and left alone Scottie; the family was in the movement of centrifugal. It seems that Matt and Elizabeth did not have a parents system in the family. They did not set the clear boundaries to their daughters. Their daughters do not respect them and they do not have authorities. When Matt started to take charge of the family, he self-examination the family’s development, and decided to change from a distance father to be a caring father. He constantly reminding his daughters to use the appropriated language and talking with people with respect, event the mother was not able to listen, they still need to talk to her the was to pay their respect. He draws a very clear boundary for their daughter of being respect to parents and grandparents. The family crisis of losing the mother provided a chance for them to be more closed to each other. Alexandra reflected from Scottie’s behavior and started to be a better role model for her young sister; she is lso a main support for her father to recover from the hurtful feeling of wife’s infidelity, and defending her grandpa’s incorrect accusation of her father treating her mother. Scottie’s behavior is getting less dramatic. Matt and Alexandra spend time with her and educate her about selecting the right friend and avoid the bad influence her friends. Without the mother in their life, the structure of the family changed. Alexandra alliance with the fath er and they make the family reacted to the crisis more positive and reduced the negative impact to the minimum. The family slowly moves toward the centripetal. Family’s style of communication The family had a poor communication system before the tragic incident of Elizabeth. Matt neglects her wife; he had not talked with her for three days before the comatose and had not talked with her for serious matter for ten years. Matt also not communicate with his daughters well neither. He did not talk with her younger daughter since she was three years old. When Matt and Elizabeth found out the problem of her older daughter, they put her in boarding school. There were frequent verbal fighting in the family; Matt with Elizabeth, Elizabeth with Alexandra, and Alexandra with Scottie; for the issues of what they want. When Matt took charge of the family during Elizabeth was hospitalized, he often gave order to the daughters and the daughters often ignored him and kept to do things their way. At the last stage of the movie, the family life cycle has changed and they must to learn how to communicate better in order to live in a functional and health family. The non-verbal communication style in the last scent indicated that they are moving toward that direction. Strengths, Weakness and Clinical Problems The strength of the family is they love each others; they treasure the family as a whole and against anyone who try to break their unity. The weakness of the family is they lack of communication skill, they don’t devote enough time to each other as a family. Matt and Elizabeth have challenge on parenting their daughters. Matt complaining Elizabeth for not being a good role model and Elizabeth complaining Matt for neglecting her and the daughters only bought the high tension in the family, but not solve the problem. The couple has marriage issue and Matt may better take Elizabeth’s advice to seek professional help together. For their daughters’ behavior issues, they could go to family counseling together. Matt was being accused by Elizabeth about his out of touch of his own feeling; he could talk to the therapist how to feel about this accusation. Therapist could help Elizabeth find a better way to handle the drinking issue and the feeling of being neglect by Matt. Therapist could discuss with Alexandra what is the underneath cause to her drinking problem and wanted to data the older person. Therapist could talk to Scottie and help her to see the cost and benefit of using profanity language and inappropriate body language. As a whole family, therapist could guide them using effective language to address their concerns and avoid any angry complains. Have each of the family members to agree on getting a regular family time to bond their relationship. Relevant Gender Concerns Matt and Elizabeth were growing up in the Hawaii, and Matt has the blood of the indigenous royalty of Hawaii. The met in the law school and established their family later. The only relevant cultural concern would be the male supremacy. This reflected from the Elizabeth who had to stay home to take care of the daughters with a law degree, but Matt is devoted hundred percent of his effort and time to his law firm. Conclusion In the family development, it is normal to have family structure change and experience some different degree of family crisis. Some families can survive from the change or crisis; they adapt the new situation and move on to form a healthy family relationship. Some families cannot sustain the impact of the change or crisis; they fell apart and each of them develop a different kind of symptoms and hard to stay as a family anymore. With King’s family illustration, the author believes, if every family members willing to take their responsibilities, setting a goal for helping each other to living a better life, remaining family unity and love each other as their core value, having effective strategies, such as making clean boundaries from parent to children and making new alliance to a subsystem, then, such family will be not only survive but evolve from the crisis and living in a much healthier and functional family.

A Brief History of Softball - 720 Words

The way that softball is played today has evolved to be a direct descendent of baseball. According to Margaret Dodson, a professor of physical education at Portland State University and also a member of the Amateur Softball Association, â€Å"The game as we know it did not take shape until the 1980’s† (4). One version of the origin of the game was given to George W. Hancock, a reporter for the Chicago Board of Trade. (Dodson, 4). According to Dodson, on Thanksgiving Day in 1887 Hancock and a few other men were relaxing at the Chicago Farragut Boat Club with nothing to do so they decided to tie a battered boxing glove into a ball and throw it back and forth to each other (4). As they were throwing the glove one guy took a broom handle and used it as a bat to hit the glove back to the thrower. Dodson states, â€Å"Hancock concocted the idea of using a huge wrestling mat for a diamond, forming teams and playing a game similar to baseball† (4). From this game Hancoc k decided to make rules and create an appropriate bat and ball so that they could gather again on the next day to play a more organized game (4). As a week went by Hancock wrote out a set of official rules and devised a softball and a special rubber-tipped bat. According to Asasoftball.com, â€Å"Hancock appended 19 special rules to adapt the outdoor game to the indoor game, and the rules were officially adopted by the Mid-Winter Indoor Baseball League of Chicago in 1889† (â€Å"History of Softball†). With these new rules Hancock andShow MoreRelatedEssay about Walla Walla University and Oregon Institute University927 Words   |  4 Pageslevels they have them in allows a lot more access then some of the bigger government owned schools. Here is the list I have compiled of sports played at WWU: Badminton, Basketball, Football (non-tackle), Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Racquetball, Soccer, Softball, Table Tennis, Tennis, And yes there is Volleyball. 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Pitchers had to pin their skirts down to avoid hitting them when they took their windmill windups, and base runners collected hugeRead MoreBiography of Barbara Walters1711 Words   |  7 PagesPortuguese-American journalist and working mother Meredith Vieira, 46; and Italian-American comedian Joy Behar, 54. In 1999, Walters’ two-hour-long exclusive with the former White House intern and Bill Clinton paramour Monica Lewinsky made broadcasting history as the highest-rated news program ever broadcast on a single network. Her other notable interviews range from controversial figures like Jack Kevorkian to political leaders like Fidel Castro. Currently, Walters holds the notable distinction of havingRead MoreBarack Obama s Presidential Election1820 Words   |  8 Pagesservice and social justice. Ultimately, Hillary’s youth is where everything took shape well before she stepped foot into the political arena and made her into the strong and well-rounded women she is today. According to her website, Hillary.com a brief biography about how Hillary was brought up in a middle class home in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois of Park Ridge. It gives a testimony about her parents. How her father, Hugh Rodham was a World War II veteran in the Navy, and then went on to becomeRead MoreThe History of Titile IX Essay4884 Words   |  20 PagesThe History of Titile IX Sex. That one little word has led to a mini-revolution in all aspects of a girls education, from Kindergarten to Graduate School, all across the nation. In 1972, Title IX was adopted as the landmark legislation for prohibition of gender discrimination in schools, and was signed into law, by President Richard Nixon, on June 23. This legislation encompasses both academics and athletics. Title IX reads: No person in the U.S. shall, on the basis of sex be excluded from

Essay on Police and Corruption - 1393 Words

Police and Corruption The police. Twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year, this division of our government has a mandate to enforce the criminal law and preserve public peace. Understood in this mandate is an obligation to police everyday life matters that originate in the daily lives and activities of citizens within their community. Police interact in some form with the average citizen more often than any other government official. In society today the police play a key role in maintaining a civil society. This role assumes a substantial amount of power and authority over the general public. With power comes corruption and/or misuse of power. The question that is presented is, how and why do the police†¦show more content†¦That also leads to the fact that citizens who behave antagonistically towards an officer are more likely to be arrested than those who are civil or very differential. Donald J. Black reported in â€Å"Police control of Juveniles†, American sociolo gical Review February 1970, that when Complaints are present 72 percent of adults who behave antagonistically toward the police are arrested in the field while only 45 percent who are civil and 40 percent who are differential toward the police are arrested. This is an obvious misuse of discretion. When a police officer treats a citizen antagonistically there is not much the citizen can do, but when it is the citizen acting antagonistically it more than likely will be a determination of guilt. When a police officers judgment is constantly questioned and his sense of justice is not validated he may lose his commitment to the system. Police are often alienated in the criminal justice system, in a sense there status is demeaned by the decisions of lawyers and judges. They are treated as less of a professional. To see a person who in the officers discretion was guilty be released time after time, it is difficult for the officer to keep his commitment to the system. â€Å"Where moral commitment is lost, subcultural practices take over. One such practice that exacerbates the relationship of the police with the public is harassment† (Reiss, p.138) Therefore police create their ownShow MoreRelatedThe Corruption Of Police Corruption1484 Words   |  6 Pagesconcerning police officers, police corruption has become a major topic. Police officers seem to be making more questionable and unethical decisions according to the media. With these questionable actions, the idea that police officers are corrupt has been a steadily growing opinion. I will be focusing this literature review on the history of police corruption, mostly in major cities/countries; the nature of police corruption; the ethics involved in law enforcement; causes for police corruption and finallyRead MorePolice Corruption And Corruption1538 Words   |  7 Pagesbeen around for as long as the police have, is corruption. Police corruption has been defined as the abuse of police authority for personal gain (Police Corruption and Misconduct. Wests Ency clopedia of American Law, edition 2. 2008. The Gale Group 4 Dec. 2017) . Corruption can be as limited as one officer, or can be group of officers as well. There is the rotten apple theory, which attempts to explain police corruption and where it comes from. While all corruption fits under abuse of authorityRead MorePolice Corruption969 Words   |  4 PagesPolice Corruption Second Essay for AJ 101 Krystal Lamas Victor Valley Community College Author Note This paper was prepared for AJ 101 for Mr. Ronald M. Field .M.A. Abstract Police corruption is a complex issue. Police corruption or the abuse of authority by a police officer, acting officially to fulfill personal needs or wants, is a growing problem in the United States today. Things such as an Internal Affairs department, a strong leadership organization, and community support are justRead MorePolice corruption770 Words   |  4 Pagesdefinition of Police corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial gain, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest. One common form of police corruption is taking bribes in exchange for not reporting organized drug or prostitution rings or other illegal activities. 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Wilson. Wilson was superintendent of the Chicago Police Department during the early nineteen sixties. The second hypothesis is called the structural theory. The thirdRead MorePolice Corruption2291 Words   |  10 Pagesand discretion in police work produces great potential for abuse. Police corruption has been a problem in American society since the early days of policing. An ancient natural tendency of human beings is to attempt to placate or win over those in positions of authority over them. This tendency is complicated in today’s materialistic society by greed and by the personal and financial benefit to be derived from evading law. The temptations toward illegality offered to police range from freeRead MorePolice Corruption2879 Words   |  12 PagesStanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy corruption is defined as the abuse of power by a public official for private gain. Police corruption is the abuse of power by a police officer for their own personal gain. Police officers become corrupt mainly for monetary gain because most feel that police officers do not make enough money and they want to make more. Police corruption can be costly to society and it can even violate the rights of society. Police corruption can show favoritism to some and unfairness Read MorePolice Corruption3338 Words   |  14 PagesAnalysis of Police Corruption Police corruption is a complex phenomenon, which does not readily submit to simple analysis. It is a problem that has and will continue to affect us all, whether we are civilians or law enforcement officers. Since its beginnings, may aspects of policing have changed; however, one aspect that has remained relatively unchanged is the existence of corruption. An examination of a local newspaper or any police-related publication on any given day will have an articleRead MorePolice Corruption9501 Words   |  39 PagesPolice Corruption: A Perspective View Into the Definition, Cause, Harm Randy Botelho BSLS Capstone, LS498-01 – Unit 9 Professor Odim December 17, 2011 Thesis Statement Corruption in law enforcement is not victimless and creates a negative perception of the United States legal system. Introduction There are few professions in the United States that are entrusted with protecting society’s safety and system of laws that have been established throughout the course of American

Events Of The American Revolution - 1264 Words

Events That Led to The American Revolution Throughout history there has been many wars, some wars were fought for world domination and others were fought for independence. One war that fought for independence was the American Revolution. The American Revolution was fought between the colonists and the English with the French aiding the colonists. There are many causes for the American Revolution some of the causes are the French and Indian War, The Sugar and Stamp Act, The Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Acts. The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War, was a conflict involving Austria, England, France, Great Britain, and Sweden. The war took place in Europe, India and North America. The†¦show more content†¦Which angered the colonist because it was done without their consent and without a representative in the parliament to speak for them. This was the beginning of open hostilities between the colonies and Great Britain. After months of protest, and an appeal by Benjamin Franklin before the British house of Commons, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act in March, 1766. However, the very same day, Parliament passed other act. The Declaratory act. The Declaratory Act was passed by the British parliament to affirm its power to legislate for the colonies â€Å"in all cases whatsoever†. According to Berris (2015), the declaration stated the Parliament authority was the same in America as in Britain and asserted Parliament’s authority to pass laws that were binding on the American colonies. The colonies did not dispute the notion of Parliamentary supremacy over the law. In fact, most of the colonist at that time wanted to be part of the British empire, and were horrified at the idea of breaking away from England. But the Declaratory Act allowed the colonies to be taxed without representation. Which infuriated the colonist and caused them to truly start thinking about breaking away. By 1767, a series of taxations were introduced to the English Parliament by Charles Townshend called The Townshend Revenue Acts. These

Nazi Germany Free Essays

Nazi Germany relied heavily on control of the mass media of communications and expression and the mighty propaganda machine played a vital role in the Nazi party. In 1933 Hitler commented that (Lee, 30) â€Å"the art of propaganda lies in understanding the emotional ideas of the great masses and finding a way to the heart of the broad masses. † Propaganda was a means to gain and keep the support of the masses and the crude and over simplified weltanschaung (psychology) projected by Nazi propaganda inspired and overwhelmed millions of Germans, promoting the ideological goals of the regime and the creation of the ‘Fuhrer myth’. We will write a custom essay sample on Nazi Germany or any similar topic only for you Order Now Passive acceptance of the new regime was converted into active support and used to encourage Germans to pursue national socialistic goals. Through deliberate attempts to create a new social ritual, the Heil Hitler salute, Horst Wessel song and the supremacy of Militaristic uniforms were fabricated to strengthen the individuals identity with the regime. Music was carefully scrutinized and Jewish musicians such as Mendelson were removed from the list of composers, whilst special places were given to Opera’s of men such as Richard Wagner as they dealt with heroic German Legends from the past. Modern art was condemned as degenerate and any war and anti nazi ideology literature were burned in the ‘burning of the books’ on the 10th May 1933. Control of expression and communication is vital for a totalitarian state to be upheld and the Nazi’s were successful in indoctrinating its peoples and controlling both their expression and communication. According to Kershaw a totalitarian state requires passive and isolated population who are unable to respond however Gobbels turned passive Germans into active Germans. Propaganda during the Nazi regime was totalitarian in intent, however did not fulfill a totalitarian outcome. From a cultural perspective, Nazi Germany does not fit the social attributes of a totalitarian state whereby the people of the state are a passive population. Germans were encouraged to become part of the greater Volksgemeinschat (peoples community), and this is demonstrated in the Nuremberg rallies, where over one million Germans pledged their support to the Nazi Party through their presence. â€Å"Strength of Joy† a creation company that organised concerts where people would flock together, all in support of the Nazi Regime. The emphasis on group participation in social activities infiltrated all sections of society especially the youth. Young girls form the age of fourteen joined the Bund Deutscher Madel (League of German matrons and boys were encouraged to join the â€Å"Hitler Jugend. † Hitler youth had a membership of 3 500 000 14-18 year olds, a level of voluntary participation before it became law in 1936. Social activities and education for the youth were extremely well coordinated and schools were used for the purpose of indoctrination. All subjects particularly History and Biology were influenced by both the Nazi’s determinations to shape the minds of the younger generation as well as trying to achieve an Aryan Herronvolk (master race). Physical education (compromising 15% of school time), was important to encourage competition, enforce discipline and keep them young and healthy- in short pre-war training. Special schools – National Political Institute of Education- were provided for the most gifted and talented who were considered to be the future leaders of the third Reich. Despite the indoctrination of student, minority youth resistance groups still existed within the period of 1933-1942. White Rose, amongst the most effective condemned the killing of Jews as well as the ‘Swing; resistance group who opposed Hitler’s beliefs that Jazz and swing music were degenerate. Both groups however were ineffective and exposing led to imprisonment or death. Despite these splinter groups, all sections of society succumbed to the Nazi’s party direction for participation in both social activities and active support for the regime. The majority of the people embraced Hitler and Nazism with enthusiasm and willingness to support all of their endeavors. How to cite Nazi Germany, Papers Nazi Germany Free Essays

Demographics free essay sample

I often find myself pondering, to certain lengths, the precise purpose of the â€Å"demographics† section of most official documents. Its not that it bothers me much, really – on the contrary, Ive hardly given it any notice in the past. It is simply that, being an incoming senior and college-applicant, I have had to fill in quite a few of these little surveys in the past ten or so months – be it for SAT forms, or resumes, or even the applications themselves. Always, it seems, it takes me a few moments more than most others to decide how to reply to the questions listed. Should I bubble in the â€Å"Black or African American† option? Or perhaps the â€Å"Native American† line? Usually, I end up selecting the â€Å"White or Caucasian† choice, simply because, quite frankly, I look more white than anything else. The truth is, however, my ancestry is quite unique, and much more complicated than a simple paper scantron can attest to. And although the lines tracing my ethnicity are twisted and entangled, and sometimes not completely clear, I have always done my best to try to take on the burden of learning it, understanding it, and, most importantly, embracing it. My maternal grandfather, you see – the great source of my unique ethnic blend – comes from two â€Å"legally Black† parents. Although my great-grandmother was more strongly of white descent than black, it was the official doctrine in those days that a single drop of African American blood made a person â€Å"Black†, de jure. My grandfather, on the other hand, was mostly African American, with quite a bit of Native American blood. This, in my opinion, is where things get really interesting. My Native American great-great-great-grandmother went by the acquired name of â€Å"Mertie Outlaw†. Quite a jump from the traditional â€Å"Red Bear, Little Creek† nomenclature, yes? Thats because she was no teepee-squatting earth-mother; she ran with the infamous Jesse James (James-Younger) party, the legendary â€Å"Wild West† gangsters of the late 1800s. Despite much research, we are not sure who exactly fathered her baby – my great-great-grand-mother or -father – or what his ethnic roots entailed. We can infer, however, that the child they bore eventually grew up to marry the illegitimate child of an English plantation-owner and his secret Black slave mistress. Together, this pairing yielded my great-grandfather, who eventually coupled with a Ms. Hattie Speller, my aforementioned, partially-white, but â€Å"legally Black† great-grandmother. My grandfather, Mr. Thomas Bond, went on to fight some of the fiercest stigmas of American history to marry a white Englishwoman by the name of Joy Toms, and to become a pioneer in Black medicine for the State of New York, as well as for the nation during the Korean War. Sent overseas as a lead medical professor, he helped to set up the very first Venereal Disease clinic for American soldiers in Europe. That makes me, by the end of this lengthy trail, roughly two-thirds white, one-fourth black, and one-twelfth Native American (my mother married an Englishman named Mark Carlson who, despite having been born and raised for many years in South Africa, carries 100% Caucasian blood). By all appearances, I could be considered white – at most, Ive been called â€Å"exotic-looking†. Most people are quite shocked when I share my â€Å"secret ethnicity† – hesitantly titled, because I am not purposely keeping it a secret, by any means. Quite honestly, I simply dont very often see any reason to share the fact, because it has nothing to do with who I am, and thus should have no bearing on the way people perceive me. Ill confess, though, that I tend to keep my tongue locked away regarding the subject, simply for the sheer guilty pleasure of observation. Growing up in a town like Summit, New Jersey – a small, wealthy, upper-middle-class, mostly-white community – Ive been granted a unique sort of â€Å"fly on the wall† experience, by which I can observe the way in which people talk about race, without their knowledge that I come from the very peoples about which they are joking. Believe me, I am no cruel manipulator – I am not the type who would take pleasure in politely listening to a Black joke, and then calmly informing the person of the fact that I am partially African American, watching as their jocular grin transforms into an expression of horror. I have never done anything of the sort. I can shamelessly admit, however, that Ive come to see myself as a sort of undercover rogue spy without a team to which I am loyal. The most intriguing part comes out of the reactions of the people who I do tell. At first, they dont believe me; then, theyll look sort of nervous – ask a few tentative questions, indulge in a detail or two; and finally, theyll laugh, and say things like â€Å"Ohh, I can see it now! In your nose and your eyes!† With my close friends, I guess Ive become a sort of novelty – they show me off like a baby being passed around at a party. They never cease to find amusement in it: that thrilled moment, standing with a group of friendly acquaintances, when they take me by the arm and say proudly, eyes full of ecstasy and voices quivering dramatically â€Å"Carolines black!† I just laugh and nod in uncomfortable affirmation while the people gush. The questions pour out, the shocked laughter reverberates – and for a few moments, Im a celebrity. Its strange, really – after that, I never hear another black joke within that group of people again. It makes me feel almost guilty, as if Ive ruined their fun. Naturally, though, my ethnicity never been a problem of any kind with people; for this, I am thankful. My mother often tells me about what it was like growing up as a child, living in fear each day that they would go outside to find a cross-burning on the lawn. Im proud of who I am, and so Im proud of where I come from. The unique perspective Ive been given throughout life has taught me a lot about people, and I wouldnt trade the experience for anything in the world. Just the other day, in fact, I was at lunch with a good friend of mine, and, as the bread-sticks arrived, the topic of conversation turned to college applications – a common topic over the past year or so. â€Å"You dont have anything to worry about,† she said, reaching across the table for the butter. â€Å"Youre black. Colleges eat that stuff right up.† A part of me wanted to tell her how silly she sounded – how stupid it was to think that the skin-color of a few dead people whom I have never met should have any effect on my future, and what university I end up attending. But I just sort of shrugged, smiling bemusedly. Perhaps she was right. At the end of it all, though – after everything I had ever seen and learned – I didnt want that to be all it added up to.