Bitter Stereotypes :: Essays

acerbity StereotypesFrom the writer When I was in mellow school, I was precise involved with Amnesty International. Ever since then, the concern about basic human rights has been a resilient part of my outlook on life. I chose Elisabeth Rosenthals article because I liked the challenge of analyzing the complicated and sensitive issue of human rights in China. The realization that close people couldnt care less about the topic pushed me. I hope that by choosing Rosenthals article, I have made at least one psyche more aware of the need to protect human rights. From the teacher The writers sense of justice and humanity comes across clearly in this essay. This transitional studio appellation asked students to examine a mass media article for its hidden motives and insidious uses of rhetorical devices. Angie reaches beyond the assignment with her suggestion that the setting (a Western publication) may limit as yet the potential severity of such a story, due in the beginning to w hat constitutes proof in this setting, and that proofs disconnection from the reality of the issue. From the editors What drew us to this piece was how passionately Haupt critiques the validity of a strictly Western explanation for the problem of self-destruction among women in rural China. She points out that such stories may best be told by those hand-to-hand to the issue. We agree. The prevailing Western stereotype of Chinese society is that it is cold, harsh, and backward. Our building block image of China is tainted. We associate China with the ridiculousness of Mao Zedongs Cultural Revolution, with the brutality of the Tiananmen agora massacre, with the horrors of human rights abuses in Tibet and in mainland China, with the fortune cookie, and with the phrase Confucius says (even though only a handful of us could explain who Confucius was and what he said). Therefore, it is not surprising that the media tends to over-simplify Chinese issues, so that they can fit with our (m is)understanding of Chinese society. I see that Elisabeth Rosenthals article, Suicide Reveals Bitter Roots of Chinas Rural Life, (New York Times 24 January 1999 early ed. Sec. 1 1+) fell into the stereotype trap. Rosenthals article is about the unusually high rate of suicides among Chinas rural female population. The title promises to explain the phenomena Reveal Bitter Roots. And yet, only sixer short paragraphs (in a five-page story) address the possible causes (roots) of the problem.Bitter Stereotypes EssaysBitter StereotypesFrom the writer When I was in high school, I was very involved with Amnesty International. Ever since then, the concern about basic human rights has been a vital part of my outlook on life. I chose Elisabeth Rosenthals article because I liked the challenge of analyzing the complicated and sensitive issue of human rights in China. The realization that most people couldnt care less about the topic pushed me. I hope that by choosing Rosenthals article, I ha ve made at least one person more aware of the need to protect human rights. From the teacher The writers sense of justice and humanity comes across clearly in this essay. This transitional studio assignment asked students to examine a mass media article for its hidden motives and subtle uses of rhetorical devices. Angie reaches beyond the assignment with her suggestion that the setting (a Western publication) may limit even the potential validity of such a story, due primarily to what constitutes proof in this setting, and that proofs disconnection from the reality of the issue. From the editors What drew us to this piece was how passionately Haupt critiques the validity of a strictly Western explanation for the problem of suicide among women in rural China. She points out that such stories may best be told by those closest to the issue. We agree. The prevailing Western stereotype of Chinese society is that it is cold, harsh, and backward. Our whole image of China is tainted. We ass ociate China with the ridiculousness of Mao Zedongs Cultural Revolution, with the brutality of the Tiananmen Square massacre, with the horrors of human rights abuses in Tibet and in mainland China, with the fortune cookie, and with the phrase Confucius says (even though only a handful of us could explain who Confucius was and what he said). Therefore, it is not surprising that the media tends to over-simplify Chinese issues, so that they can fit with our (mis)understanding of Chinese society. I believe that Elisabeth Rosenthals article, Suicide Reveals Bitter Roots of Chinas Rural Life, (New York Times 24 January 1999 early ed. Sec. 1 1+) fell into the stereotype trap. Rosenthals article is about the unusually high rate of suicides among Chinas rural female population. The title promises to explain the phenomena Reveal Bitter Roots. And yet, only six short paragraphs (in a five-page story) address the possible causes (roots) of the problem.