The word “wetback” has a long historical trace. It was originally used to refer to Mexicans who illegally entered the US by swimming across the Rio Grande, a river that flows from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico. The definition evolved to encompass any immigrant who entered the United States illegally, whether that was by foot, cars, or any other method of transportation. In 1954, the term reappeared with the introduction of “Operation Wetback” by the US government. Although “Operation Wetback” was meant to fix the recent increase in people entering the country illegally by deporting anyone who looked like an “illegal alien,” Mexicans once again became the primary focus. The program executed its goal by partnering with the police, and had them …show more content…
It evokes a connotation far more degrading than its seven individual letters can prove. Just like we learned from the “N-Word,” this word can hold different meanings to different people; some people see it as an insult, and others simply view it as a description for the common immigrant experience. Personally, I strongly believe that when one chooses to refer to an immigrant by “wetback,” they simultaneously strip the person of their humanity and identity, mocking the journey many immigrants, including my parents, struggled with as their only way of seeking the opportunities they never had in their native countries. Each time the word is used, it carries with it the long historical thread of racial discrimination used in “Operation Wetback.” This is a term deserving of being spoken about more often in the rhetoric of race, because it is used to divide people by marking specific groups as the “other.” Loosely using words we do not have recognition of is a problem we can fix with more public awareness of where they came from through a conversation about race; a conversation that may seem daunting, but that has the ability to teach profound lessons of the way our society
Operation Rolling Thunder is one of the largest US air force to strike the NVA (the North Vietnamese Army) during the Vietnam War. It was intended to destroy many industrial buildings in NVA's homeland to cripple their supplies, productions, and others. This would help to reduce the NVA's supplies to their army into the South Vietnam. However, it was the worst and ineffective ways because the NVA has a stronghold with mainly an air defense. This shows with more powerful and effective coordination plans.
I find it impossible to separate the perspective from the term, and because of this I find it difficult to justify the usage of a slur outside the contexts of an unknowing speaker or needing to describe to someone what a slur means and why it is offensive. In order to prove his point, I think Jeshion’s argument would benefit from more examples.
Carpenter and Kennedy say, we should first adopt a procedure, next educate the parties and then develop options. In this conflict, the police was the in charge of helping the community to get the problem solved. “One way to improve the effectiveness of a program at the outset is to explain to all participants the procedures that will be used” (Carpenter & Kennedy, 1988, p. 117). The police did a wonderful job to inform the public on the procedures that would be used. They held public meetings and news conferences on to get the information to the public.
The Skin That We Speak The way a person speaks is a direct link to a person’s culture and the environment which he or she was raised in. A person’s language, skin color as well as economic status influences the way he or she is perceived by others. Lisa Delpit and eleven other educators provide different viewpoints on how language from students of different cultures, ethnicity, and even economic status can be misinterpreted due to slang and dialect or nonstandard English by the teachers as well as his or her own peers. The Skin That We Speak: Thoughts on Language and Culture in the Classroom by Lisa Delpit and Joanne Kilgour Dowdy, who collected essays from a diverse group of educators and scholars to reflect on the issue of language
There is a children’s rhyme that includes a sentence about how words will never hurt them. However, Christopher Fairman explains in his argument, “The Case Against Banning the Word “Retard”, that it’s not the words that need to be removed it’s the way that people use them that needs to be banned. He believes that certain campaigns may cause people to be aware of the consequences of their word choices and that it could eventually lead to people censoring themselves over it. Christopher Fairman states that “Inherent in this idea is the realization that words have multiple meanings and that those meanings depend on the context and circumstances surrounding any particular statement.” Fairman argues that certain words have become taboo
Associating slang words with “gangs” and “ghettos”. Carl eventually starts to use the n-word to refer to people. Demonstrating the lack of representation and knowledge about racism is absent to the main characters. And not knowing how damaging these stereotypes are to these racial minority groups. One stereotype is that black people are more likely to be thought of as
In James Baldwin’s essay titled “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me What Is?” Baldwin highlights his major argument by capitalizing the words in the title so that it can stand out to the readers. His main idea is that all languages are equal, and there is an inequality in society where one is judged by the way they speak. Baldwin wanted the readers to understand that all languages do serve a purpose no matter how a person articulates it. Baldwin also wanted to convey that there is racism that is placed upon a black person just because of the way they speak.
The Atomic Bombs explosive power is the results of a sudden release of the energy from the splitting, or fission of the nuclei of the elements such as plutonium or uranium. On July 16, 1945, at 5:30 a.m. at the desert of New Mexico 100 miles south of the city Santa Fe, The Trinity Test took place, the test is the event where the very first atomic bomb detonated. Scientists distanced themselves to observe as the cloud of mushroom rise 40,000 feet into the sky with blinding lights and created the cataclysmic detonation of 20,000 tons of TNT. When the atomic bomb detonated atop of the tower it was staged at, bright light and burst of heat followed with a wave of sound in the valley echoing created a mushroom cloud and a ball of fire that completely
This offensive slang shows the discriminatory beliefs of society and how young people can be easily corrupted to support these beliefs.
Judgment for using colloquialisms found mostly in the black community (African American Vernacular English, or AAVE, as it is called) is commonly paired with a white person’s latent racism — despite that white person perhaps thinking his or her
The battle of Okinawa, codenamed operation Iceberg , formed part of the Pacific war. This battle between the Japanese and the Americans resulted in victory for the allies. it is known to be the bloodiest battle in the Pacific. The battle took place when the US wanted to take the biggest island in the Ryuko islands in Japan in order to make it a base for air operations. The 82 day long battle lasted from 1st April to 22nd June 1945.
In George Carlin’s Doin’ it Again (1990), Carlin argues that Americans use euphemistic language in an attempt to not face the truth. To support his thesis, Carlin gives an example of how euphemistic language got worse over time, how it makes describing a simple condition harder than it should be, and how certain people use euphemistic language on purpose. Carlin wants others to realize just how bad euphemistic language is in order to never let themselves be victims of it. Carlin’s main audience is basically anyone that will pay attention and listen to him.
“If Black English Isn’t a Language Then Tell Me What Is” In the essay “If Black Isn’t a Language Then Tell Me What Is” (The New York Times, 1979) written by James Baldwin, the author asserts that the African American community has altered the English language into a new language during the last five centuries to accommodate the black experience in American history despite the white’s attempt to submerge it. To begin the essay he makes his argument clear by referencing the alterations the French made to their native language to describe how people will eventually “...evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances…”; furthermore he continues to analyze how the caucasian people of America have only accepted the black language when it came out of a white mouth; he ends the essay by reinforcing his position, elaborating on the racism black’s have faced when they were denied the right to an education unless it was for the white benefit. His liberal purpose is to bring light to the subtle racism that African Americans experience even after the Civil Rights movement and to acknowledge the cultural influence they have in America. His writing appears very personal and intimate like he’s voluntarily opening up to his audience by letting them know of his own struggles as an African American, targeting mostly minorities and people who feel oppressed by white America.
It is known that the Nazi U 977 and the 530 submarines went aground in Argentina after carrying supplies to the Antarctic a few weeks after the end of the war. They also allegedly supplied ships operating out of neutral Spain carrying hundreds of Germans to Antarctica and South America. The Byrd Expedition from 1928-1930 was the first Antarctica expedition since 1840. Nazi ships were reported headed South at the end of the war and the Secretary of State, Secretary of War, and the Secretary of the Navy on August 7, 1946 approved Operation Highjump. The memorandum prepared for the meeting stated that “Navy proposed to send an expedition to the Antarctic early in 1947.
It is with much sadness that I regretfully inform you: the American language has morphed into a monster. What started off as a few harmless insults between friends quickly grew into something much larger and more dangerous than it was ever supposed to become. This monster grew and grew, harnessing the tongue and manipulating it to carry out its heinous deeds. Choosing youthful victims, this abomination attaches itself for life, continuing to grow as its host does. Soon the entire vocabulary of youth and adults alike is reduced to rubble, filled with pointless words; the sole purpose of which are to either offend another human being or cause them to feel uncomfortable.