The Mr. T. Experience, Yo La Tengo, and The Knitting Factory?...Oh... :: Free Essays Online

The Mr. T. Experience, Yo La Tengo, and The Knitting Factory?...Oh... "Tonight at Tramps, Chisel, Fuzzy and Velocity Girl, seven dollar cover, all ages." Before I became indie rock literate I would not have been able to understand the above quote from a concert flier. Someone who is indie rock illiterate might read it as an add for a brothel, featuring the use of tools, and hairy fast women of all ages. On the other hand, someone who is indie rock literate would know to read it as "tonight at the concert venue called Tramps there will be a show featuring the bands Chisel, Fuzzy and Velocity Girl, it costs seven dollars to get in and you may be any age to attend." I used to watch my friends Mike and Zoe with awe and jealousy. They had found a way into the seemingly elite world of indie rock (independent rock music). They bought the records, wore the clothes, and most importantly they spoke the language. The language was one that sounded a lot like English, but it was filled with words and phrases like "Brownie's," "Bikini Kill," and "all ages show". It was clear that although these could be taken as normal English words they had other meanings, meanings with which I was not familiar. I wondered how these friends of mine had managed to obtain their passports into this land of mystery, wonder, and seven-inch singles. I now know that there is not a secret handshake that gets a person into the indie rock scene. Nor is there a panel of ultra-cool guardians hiding out in rock clubs deciding who's in and who's out. There is merely a certain type of literacy that one eventually picks up if one observes and listens and lets oneself become part of the scene. Just like any other kind of literacy, nobody is born with it, it needs to be learned. My transition from illiteracy to literacy in this area has become something of a blur for me. I'm not sure when or how I became indie rock literate, but I am now. One of the most important aspects of this form of literacy is that it enables me to talk to people about something that I am interested in. Being indie rock literate, it is easier to clearly convey thoughts and ideas that have to do with the world that particular subculture within American popular culture.

Racial Inequality Essay

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout, the narrator, asks her father, â€Å"Atticus, are we going to win it?† to which he replies, â€Å"No honey† (Lee 87). Atticus knew his hometown of Maycomb would never emerge from its racial inequality, but he did everything he could to prevent it. Racial inequality is the unjust treatment of minority groups, such as African Americans. While some believe America can achieve true racial and social equality, America is unable to rid itself of racism because it is a human characteristic for people to group together with those whom they share similarities, and years of unequal opportunities for minorities will not be forgotten. Certainly, it is human nature to assemble into groups. The Civil War began because the Northern and Southern states started to develop different political and ethical beliefs, thus slowly growing apart from each other. The most profound of these beliefs was the veracity of enslaving African Americans. Once African Americans, tortured and neglected, were freed from slavery and finally recognized as American citizens, a new social ladder was created, where blacks were typically found at the bottom. This is referenced in the article â€Å"Only the Accused Were Innocent†, where author David Oshinsky writes about the Scottsboro trial of 1931 when nine black teenage boys were accused of raping two white women, â€Å"As news of their story spread across the country, a huge crowd, chanting â€Å"Give ‘em to us† and â€Å"Let those niggers out†, threatened to storm the Scottsboro jail† (Oshinsky 1). These statements uttered by white men allude to the fact tha t prejudice against blacks is a negative factor, causing different associations within society. In this situation, no one can deny that African Americans, as a whole, will always remember the wrong that has been done to them by society. For example, in the article â€Å"Affirmative Action Harms Society†, Martin Luther King Jr. is quoted, â€Å"Segregation scars the soul of both the segregator and the segregated† (Canady 6). Segregation gave African Americans scars that  will never fully heal. Also, in the article â€Å"Only the Accused Were Innocent†, the truly innocent Scottsboro Boys, some found guilty, some found not-guilty, continued to struggle through life, many of them returning to jail, and even one committing suicide. One of the nine boys says, â€Å"Everywhere I go, it seems like Scottsboro is throwed up in my face†¦ I don’t believe I’ll ever live it down† (Oshinsky 5). In final consideration, African Americans dealt with racial inequality for years, and they continue to face unjust treatment. A typical white man is suspicious when he sees a black man walking along a lonely street at night, and a typical black man is scared when he notices an unfamiliar white man strolling toward his front door. These are small ways barriers are set up between races. Maya Angelou once said, â€Å"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.† This statement is true when realizing blacks will not forget about segregation. Racial inequality might have diminished, but it will never fully disappear. Works Cited Canady, Charles T. â€Å"Affirmative Action Harms Society.† Affirmative Action. Ed. Leora Maltz. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Jan. 2015. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Harper Collins, 1960. Print. Oshinsky, David M. â€Å"Only the Accused Were Innocent.† The New York Times 3 Apr. 1994: 1-6. Print.

Ancient Sumer vs, Ancient Egypt - 1584 Words

Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian Cultures Around the time 4,000-1,000 BC there were two major western civilizations. Those civilizations were the Ancient Egyptians and the Mesopotamians. Many similarities exist between the civilizations of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, as well as many differences. Both Egypt and Mesopotamia were polytheistic, that is, they believed their worlds were ruled by more than one god. Both cultures also believed that they themselves were created for the purpose of serving their gods. Their similarities include the existence of educational systems and codes of law. Their differences are found partly in those similarities, as well as their medical practices and their interpretations of the great floods. There are†¦show more content†¦The laws are also very severe when it comes to punishment. Law number twenty-two states that, If a man has robbed and has been captured, that man shall be put to death. Law number twenty-five say that If a fire broke out in a mans house and a man who has come to extinguish the fire has lifted up his eyes to the property of the householder and has taken the property of the householder, that man shall be thrown into the fire. Law number fifty-three states that If a man has ne glected to strengthen the dyke of his canal, and a breach has opened in his dyke, and the waters have ravaged the meadow, the man in whose dyke the breach has been opened shall make good the corn that he caused to be lost. (The Code of Hammurabi, ARC 5). Despite these strict laws, it seems as though their code was either never followed very closely or the Mesopotamians didnt care much for the code, since a large amount of evidence of dispute over these laws and their subsequent punishments exists. There are laws about stealing, divorce, adultery, and negligence, just to name a few. The Egyptians did not have a written form of law, at least that we know of, even though there is evidence that they did have laws. When an Egyptian died and was buried they were typically buried with a tablet that had their declaration of innocence on it. This shows us that they understood the difference between what was right and what was wrong. A portion of the declaration reads: Hail, Fentiu, who