My favorite discussion in this course was probably individualism vs collectivism. It is a part of everyday life that here in America we are indivisualistic in the way we think and act. The media portrays a sense of individuality and it is looked upon in the community as well. Everybody wants to be their own person, but at the same time people get put into group listings and get put under categories. It would be crazy to think of a culture where individualism wasn't looked at as a primary way of viewing yourself and the world around you.
Collectivism is prcaticed in many Asian cultures and really focuses on the importance of the group primarily. This is something different to look at because this is simething we're not used to here in American culure. It would certainly be interesting to see more of a emphasis on the group here. There would be a backlash against that here because you always have people that argue against so called "socialist" views. Overall this is the concept in the course that has interested me most this semester.
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FROM FREEDOM TO SLAVERY
ReplyDeleteIn the 1858 debates with Senator Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln said; “[T]here is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.” Keep in mind; Lincoln reflected the Hamilton-Clay interventionist ideals, where the central government and the “superiors” will determine the extent of federal “assistance” to infrastructure and industry in America, certainly opposite the hands-off policies of the 19th century state’s rights Democrats. The 20th century Democrat is closer to Lincoln’s policies than Jefferson’s. Modern Democrats tend to follow the ideals of Rousseau and Marx, where almost everyone, regardless of race, is inferior to the very few superior elite who must rule. Jefferson’s democrats were libertarians, and as such, figured individual freedom and a free market would establish superior and inferior by works and not by government or chains. Claysamerica.com