Culture and the Black Freedom Struggle

Introduction The United States is the world’s ultimate super power constituted by a diverse mix of different races. 13 percent of these constituents are pre-dominantly blacks. Even in this era, inequality and racism seem to be rampant in the country and in fact, capitalism seems to feed off these vices; as Malcolm X said, â€Å"You cannot have capitalism without racism†.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Culture and the Black Freedom Struggle specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The aftermath of the Katrina disaster exposed these ugly trends in the country after many blacks were displaced and seemed to be neglected. Statistics show that the black community has decreased in terms of population in New Orleans; once at 67 percent, now is at 58 percent. Louisiana Republican Congressman, Richard Baker said, â€Å"We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn’t do it, but God did† referring to the displacement of poor black residents in New Orleans. Black youth seem to be the target of police harassment and imprisonment in addition to them being the most exploited and unemployed in the country. These inequalities have sparked social explosions as was evident in 1992 when there were riots in Los Angeles, a rich city having a large number of poor blacks. The past struggles which yielded the heroes of yesteryears have done little to improve the lives of many blacks who have not experienced any change. Black culture Black freedom struggle has taken many shapes over time, but during this period shaped what is commonly and popularly referred to as black (African-American) culture. The struggle has taken various steps since the slavery days when Africans were shipped into America. The march on Washington Campaign of 1940 is the earliest cited genesis of the struggle by â€Å"No Coward Soldiers† and subsequent struggles have taken the shape of bus boycotts (M ontgomery 1955-56), freedom rides in 1960, Poor People’s March in 1968 and attempts at establishing a black political party in 1970. All these events exuded passion from the black community and have largely influenced black culture to this day. â€Å"No Coward Soldiers†, has traced the development of the modern freedom struggle and attributes it to the need by blacks to have a distinct culture that uniquely defines and influences them. In an attempt to understand the modern freedom struggle, this paper focuses on the black culture which has influenced the struggle and is influenced by the black community today. The genesis of the distinct African-American culture is the fight against white hegemony. This factor has probably singularly shaped most of what constitutes the black culture albeit not single handedly. The need to have a political structure that advocates the needs of the black community has also played a big part in the shaping of black culture. Politics and culture neither substitute nor determine one another but rather relate each other in a more complex manner. Politics can shape culture and vice versa. Therefore, in an attempt to understand black culture, the book attempts to analyze black internal politics.Advertising Looking for essay on african american? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More African-American culture has its roots in sub-Saharan ad Sahelean cultures, it has however been greatly influenced by white culture in the post-slavery era. It is one of the most unique cultures which greatly influences mainstream American culture and that of the world evidenced in music, art, literature, cuisine and sport. The culture aids in the removal of historical complexities from the mind. Take for example black music which is accepted world wide and is central to black culture as it a reflection of it. Politics are central in the influence of cultures and present modern day heroes for the common African-American in the likes of Obama, Rice and Powell. African-Americans consider themselves the saving nation of the larger American nation and this notion is captured in poems such as ‘My Blackness Is the Beauty of This Land’(Martin, 11). Blacks are known for their interests in political processes compared to any other minority group in the US evident in the large numbers of registered voters. They also have higher education levels compared to any migrants in the country. This helps to show that blacks are fighting on every front to level the playing field when compared to whites so as to better advocate their rights which they feel have not been wholly addressed. While upholding the doctrine of beating people at their own game, blacks have enrolled in all social areas and are striving to excel in those areas so as to offer themselves the opportunities that they previously have been denied. The accent of Obama to presidency, the presence of sports heroes in the likes of Gay and Kobe, the wealth accrued by Oprah and Johnson of Black entertainment Television and other examples have been a driving force in empowering blacks and better placing them to advance their struggle for true and ultimate freedom. They have not only black Americans with the impetus, but also provided white America with new ways of describing black bodies and sounds distinctively(Sklaroff, 247). African-Americans largely favor the traditional American values. They cite their culture as the major determinant in their opposition to same-sex marriages and the upholding of traditional family values which discouraged divorce. Increased divorce rates among blacks, and increased single parent households evidenced by the fact that only 38 percent of black children live with both parents (McKinnon 2003), indicate an influence of white culture and changing economic realities.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Culture and the Black Freedom Struggle spec ifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More â€Å"No Coward Soldiers†, draws parallels between the past freedom struggle and the present freedom struggles and argues it from a realities perspective. The past was characterized by fight for equality brought about by segregation whereas the present although still focused on equality is of a different nature. â€Å"In black culture, we can find a history of American perfidy, American violence, American oppression and American racism, all captured for our delectation in a way that provokes reflection without spurring us into action† (Cashmore, 170). He further adds that the culture of blacks is the source of comfort rather than a challenge. It is in the culture that blacks draw their inspiration as they reflect on the road they have taken to a form of freedom envisaged by the initial freedom fighters. Conclusion â€Å"No Coward Soldiers† has discussed in detail the genesis and the co ntinued proliferation of black freedom struggle. The fact that culture has played a major role in the shaping of this struggle over the years is not in doubt, in fact, both the culture and the freedom struggle have affected each other mutually. It is the struggle that conglomerated blacks in the beginning and it has continued to umbrella them in institutions appealing to their course. For example, blacks initially were republican since Abraham Lincoln aided in abolishing slavery, they have since defected to the democratic movement as Johnson and Kennedy were sympathetic to the civil rights movement of 1960’s. Works Cited Cashmore, Ellis. The Black Culture Industry. London: Routledge, 1997 Martin, Waldo E. Jr. No Coward Soldiers. Black Cultural Politics in Postwar America. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2005Advertising Looking for essay on african american? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More McKinnon, Jesse. The Black Population in the United States: March 2002. United States Census Bureau, 2003 Sklaroff, Lauren Rebecca. Black Culture and the New Deal: the quest for civil rights in the Roosevelt era. Charlotte: The University of North Carolina Press, 2009 This essay on Culture and the Black Freedom Struggle was written and submitted by user Yaretzi Williamson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Definition and Examples of Buzzwords in English

Definition and Examples of Buzzwords in English Buzzword is an informal term for a fashionable word or phrase thats often used more to impress or persuade than to inform. Also called a  buzz term, buzz phrase, vogue word, and fashion word. The second edition of Random House Websters Unabridged Dictionary  defines buzzword as a word or phrase, often sounding authoritative or technical, that is a vogue term in a particular profession, field of study, popular culture, etc. In  Communication at a Distance,  Kaufer and Carley nicely observe that buzzwords come under attack with the recognition that a person may be trying to pass off for substance or meat the hum of a buzzwords remote implications. Examples and Observations For months the [Federal Reserve] used the word ‘patience’ to describe its stance toward a rate hike. Having lost ‘patience’ in March, the new buzzword is ‘flexible.’ As used by the Fed, the terms are essentially synonymous. But get used to hearing ‘flexible.’ It’s going to be around for a while.(Dunstan Prial, Flexibility New Fed Buzzword. Fox News, May 14, 2015)Iterate- Weve long lamented the rise of trendy language in advertising and business, but while we’ve played buzzword bingo and occasionally pointed fingers at those who speak in clichà ©s, something more serious lies beneath the jargon.The catchphrases we use serve as a shared language- they’re how we signal our belonging to the tribe of marketers. But when highly precise terms are misappropriated in an attempt to project a false sense of authority, that’s when we lose meaning. . . .Iterate. Once iterate meant a design process where various eleme nts would progress through sequential steps, to hone in on the optimal solution; now it means nothing beyond merely describing a stage in a process.(Tom Goodwin, 8 Media Buzzwords That Weve Lost Forever. Adweek, 2014)The dictionary tells us that iterate means to do again and again. In its buzzword guise, it is one of many design terms that has jumped the rhetorical fence, pulled along by related terms like innovate, into philanthropy. Sexier than your grandmother’s pilot program, iterations mean trying something small, learning from it, and improving as you go along.(Lucy Bernholz, Buzzwords to Watch in 2015. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, December 8, 2014) Sound ScienceNo one . . . is sure what sound science means.The phrase has more to do with anti-regulatory lobbying than with laboratory results, said Donald Kennedy, the former head of the Food  and Drug Administration and now the editor in chief of the influential magazine Science.Sound science is whatever somebody likes, Kennedy said. Its essentially a politically useful term, but it doesnt have any normative meaning whatsoever. My science is sound science, and the science of my enemies is junk science.The phrase has been on a roll since 1992, when lobbyists for the tobacco industry argued that no sound science showed that secondhand smoke is a health hazard.(Iris Kuo, Sound Science Isnt Just a Catch Phrase- Its a Real Persuasive Technique. Knight Ridder Newspapers, May 3, 2006)Reform[T]oo often, the word reform is co-opted to add a veneer of credibility to lazy thinking and bad ideas. Reform must be more than a password politicians whisper in search of approval. Or a buzzword ta cked on to a poorly crafted policy. True reform isn’t a test of rhetoric, or salesmanship, or spin.(Bill Shorten, Reform Should Be More Than a Buzzword. The Australian, November 7, 2015) Leverage and DeleverageLeverage is a word heard frequently during the current financial crisis. It means borrowing heavily to maximize investment returns. The problem is that leverage was used to invest in mortgages that went bad. The new buzzword in the financial world is deleverage.(Chris Arnold, Financial Sectors New Buzzword Is Deleverage, Morning Edition, NPR, Sep. 19, 2008)Personalized LearningLets do a fact check. Personalized learning is a  buzzword  for software programs that act like automatic tutors: giving feedback, allowing students to go at their own pace and recommending lessons based on a students previous work.(Anya Kamenetz, Mark Zuckerberg Is Betting Tech Can Address Educational Equity. Is It That Simple? NPR, December 5, 2015) Buzzwords in Business Writing The Fortune 500 communications professionals surveyed for this stylebook are split down the middle when it comes to the use of buzzwords in business writing. Approximately half disdain buzzwords of any kind while the other half think some buzzwords are effective (for instance, bottom line, globalize, incentivize, leverage, paradigm shift, proactive, robust, synergy and value-added). As a general rule, use buzzwords judiciously, always keeping the readers in mind. If a buzzword is lively and capable of injecting some spunk into a dull sentence (and it does not alienate the readers), then use it.(Helen Cunningham and Brenda Greene, The Business Style Handbook. McGraw-Hill, 2002)Im  no fan of buzzwords. I dislike them so much I created my own buzzword to describe the fight against overused workplace gibberish: dynamic jargon disruption.  Its a phrase Im hoping will catch on, but even a nationally renowned dynamic jargon disrupter like myself will admit that some buzzwords have their place. One of those is engagement.You hear it a lot these days, and with good reason. Engagement, which is essentially how much you dig your job, has been shown quantitatively and qualitatively to have a direct impact on productivity.Its a simple concept, really. If you like your job and care about your job and feel invested in the work youre doing, youll work harder and the company will retain quality workers.(Rex Huppke, Engagement Is a Buzzword Worth Making Noise About. Chicago Tribune, April 17, 2015) Of all the buzzwords to evolve in management science, change may be the most venerable of all.  A buzzword is  assumed to represent such a good thing that its use and form are unexamined.(Jonathan I. Klein, Corporation Failure by Design. Greenwood, 2000)GranularityTheres that word again: granularity.Its a mouthful of a term used by guys like Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq; retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey; and White House press secretary Tony Snow. . . .Lately, people have been invoking the word to mean specificity. Certain things, such as the administrations vision for the future of Iraq, lack granularity. Newlyweds dreams, psychic-network predictions, and late-night kitchen-table get-rich-quick schemes also suffer from granularity deprivation. . . .Granularity is a hot word, says Mike Agnes, editor in chief of Websters New World dictionaries, in Cleveland. It gives people a word they can use for a new way of looking at thingswhether it be engineerin g, business, politicsand a new way of evaluating.It means depth of detail, he says. If you were a photographer or an astronomer, speaking of an image, you would use the term resolution.All of a sudden, Agnes says, granularity is a buzzword.(Linton Weeks, Granularity: The Nitty-Gritty About This Particulate of Speech. The Washington Post, Feb. 7, 2007) Buzzword Bingo in the U.K.Office jargon has become so prevalent in the UK, people are using phrases and happily admitting they have no idea what they are talking about. A new survey by Office Angles found 65% of those who attend daily meetings frequently encountered business jargon.It has even spurned a new boardroom pastimebuzzword bingo, in which employees gleefully tick off corporate-speak used by their bosses.(Buzzword Bingo: Coining the Lingo, BBC News, Feb. 15, 2000)The Coming and Going of BuzzwordsEvery decade seems to have its particular buzz words that roar through the culture and become mantras in media, business, and political lexicons, then disappear after a few years like Boy George. Topping the business charts in 1970s was the very buzzy Management by ObjectiveMBO. CEOs and Governors twitched with excitement over it. And remember synergism, in the 1980s? It sounded vaguely sexual. America was going through one of its frequent merger cycles and synergy was the yellow bri ck road. That is until vertical integration came along.(Tom Alderman, The Best Buzzwords of the Year. The Huffington Post, September 25, 2008) The Lighter Side of Buzzwords (Simpsons Style)Executive:  We at the network want a dog with attitude. Hes  edgy, hes  in your face. Youve heard the expression lets get busy? Well, this is a dog who gets  biz-zay! Consistently and thoroughly.Krusty the Clown:  So hes  proactive, huh?Executive:  Oh, God, yes. Were talking about a totally outrageous  paradigm.Meyers:  Excuse me, but  proactive  and  paradigm? Arent these just  buzzwords  that dumb people use to sound important? Not that Im accusing you of anything like that. Im fired, arent I?Executive:  Oh, yes.(The Itchy Scratchy Poochie Show.  The Simpsons, 1997)