Interracial Marriages Essay Example for Free

Interracial Marriages Essay In any marriage relationship, it is usual or rather natural to have some adjustments in its early stage. This is so because there is a high degree of expectations in both parties; and so, because these expectations are mostly â€Å"unrealistic,† to modify or adjust them are somewhat difficult to both sides. It is a fact that when two individuals come into a marriage union, they bring with them two different perspectives in almost all respects, and this is no different with interracial marriages. However, there are more at stake when racial backgrounds or ethnicity is the core issue, as studies reveal. Marriage and the fruit of the union – the family – is the basic unit of society and regarded as one of the most principal institutions of the social order. When marriages fail and families disintegrate, there is without a doubt a â€Å"ripple† effect on the community’s functioning in terms of that community’s solidity, and law and order. Although many facets of the relationship operate as components to the enjoyment and development of the marriage bond, the common and usual fundamental rationale for the union is intimacy. It is this vital ingredient that draws couples from different persuasions, race, or creed together despite the potential drawbacks and heartaches that will soon shake the very foundations of that union. This paper dwells on these potentialities in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of interracial marriages. The author believes that despite the difficulties and at times the impossibilities that complications beset interracial marriages, for as long as both parties or the individuals involved have explored beforehand the complexities, and settled for the facts and realities, their relationship is off to a better start. This paper then offers to describe and explain the polarities that entail in a marriage coming from two different ethnic or racial backgrounds. Definition demographics In US history, many things that speak of the American way of life are deeply affected and influenced on the issue of race and especially on cross-cultural marriages. Since its â€Å"pioneer† days, being attached with another not your own color, creed, or race is neither new, nor surprising. A study of endogamy’s other extreme, i. e. mixed marriage then and now is still quite of interest to many (Rosenfeld, 2007). To tackle the subject matter that this paper endeavors to explore, the author starts by defining the main concepts used throughout the study. Definition Marriage is defined as a â€Å"socially recognized and approved union between individuals† with the idea that both will commit themselves to a lifetime of togetherness in the hope that there will be stability and happiness that the couple will enjoy in their intimate relationship (Microsoft Encarta, 2005). Such relationship has legal, cultural, economic, moral, and psychological dimensions that may impinge on its eventual longevity and permanence. Miscegenation or â€Å"intermarriage between races†, according to Encarta, is defined as â€Å"marriage or cohabitation between people of different races† (2005). Demographics According to a study by Kara Joyner, assistant professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell and co-author of a study on interracial relationships in a recent issue of the American Sociological Review (Vol. 70:4), â€Å"Hispanics had the highest rate of interracial relationships: 45 percent of 18- to 19-year-olds and 33 percent of 24- to 25-year-olds were in interracial relationships in the early 2000s, compared with blacks (20 and 14 percent, respectively) and whites (16 and 12 percent, respectively† (Lang, 2005). Although Asians are comparatively the same with Hispanics in the aspects of interracial union in Joyner’s study, the ethnic group was not included due to lack of research yields when it comes to as when they likely get into their liaisons and when these end. However, in some studies, the case of Asians engaging in interracial marriage, demographics painted a different picture. Whereas in the case of Hispanics, Blacks, and Whites who intermarry, the surveys say that as they age, the tendency of these relationships’ potential to last dwindles, the Asians’ marriages tend to increase and last longer (Lang, 2005). The US Bureau of the Census points out that intermarriage is still â€Å"relatively uncommon† basing on a 2002 survey because only 2. 9 percent of all marriages come from interracial unions (Lang in Joyner study, 2005). Review of Literature Family Values Every home has its set of beliefs or tradition that they hold in high esteem. This is referred to as family values. Anything that the family believes is important comprises a family values system. This paper attempts to explain what family values are and how people uphold their beliefs and what makes them hold on to those beliefs in a highly individualistic country such as ours. Among the values an individual possesses, the most important I believe is that a person must regard most his/her values about family as the most significant. Many people don’t usually pause and contemplate what their values are. They may not know whether these values they already have are still practical or useful in a modern day world. Moreover, they do not think how their values fit in with their kind of milieu that they evolve in. (â€Å"Values: what are they? †2007). There are families that take time out though to impart to their children what had been passed on to them when they too were yet very young. The values may not be as strong as when were yet children because the person may have adapted to his world and adjusted his values that others may be accommodated. Through the years, a family value system may be a combination of what had been passed on to an individual and the values system of one’s friends or colleagues at work. Why are family values important? The primary reason is that what we hold as important affects how we use time, money and energy or how we interact with people. If a family believes the importance of education then parents try to save for the schooling of their children which includes books among others. Family values influence how we spend our resources and make decisions. Parents then need to communicate what their own family values are, why these are important and the specifics of what are most essential that the children must also adopt or follow. Children also need to respect others who have dissimilar value system as compared to their own. Most likely values will evolve but when parents lead the children and model these beliefs, their children will be able to learn and pass these on to the next generation (â€Å"Values: what are they? †2007). Social Clock The belief that there are descriptive and prescriptive age norms concerning adults during their developmental shift involves the concept of the social clock. The social clock hinges on its description of society’s expectations where time to get married and have children at the same time attaining more of life’s burdens. For example, the traditional or what has been considered as the perception of women who have not yet entered into matrimony as individuals who are negatively appraised during their middle adulthood stage in contrast to the young adults. Social clock has something to do with an expectation that a person must somehow behave or conduct him/herself according to established developmental milestones or else, risk the consequences that may happen because the individual has allowed it to slip through (Altenbernd, 2004).

The Ghost Story of Haunted Roads :: Ghost Stories Urban Legends

The Ghost Story of Haunted Roads The story of a haunted road in comes from a resident of the city. He is an Asian, male University sophomore. He told me the story in March at a very late hour. Among friends discussing plans to one day explore some supposedly haunted areas of the state, the storyteller spoke of a â€Å"rumor† he had heard from one of his college friends. The â€Å"late hour† previously mentioned is noteworthy since it affected the way the urban legend was told. There were four of us in a diner, eating at a time when most restaurants had been closed for hours already. Thus, we were all a bit tired, including the storyteller, who blamed the combination of hunger and the time of day for his lack of presentation skills. For example, he would eat and talk and restate certain parts. He started by describing that the haunted road was â€Å"somewhere in the city, I think it was Marriott Road. Like the hotel, ya know?† He claimed that the road was close by because his friend said so. Later, we looked online and found a nearby street named Marriottsville Road. The storyteller continued by saying that the road is haunted because when you drive there at night, when the sun has completely set, the area seems to be pitch black. Even with headlights, it is supposedly unsafe due to the darkness that shrouds the pavement. He said that the trees there are so tall and the vegetation so thick that they â€Å"practically cover the road and form a tunnel around it† to block any light from entering. Not only is the road a dark one, but there are two more supernatural elements to it. The first is a barn off the side of the road. The storyteller said that noises have been heard from the barn. When people go to investigate the noise, they eventually get close enough to hear whimpering animals. The sounds get louder until, as the storyteller claimed, â€Å"They sound more like screaming than whimpering.† At this point, any would-be investigators run away from the site of the barn. Furthermore, there is an even more terrifying aspect of the road. As already described, it is hard to drive there. The darkness is just part of the difficulty. The road also has many turns and curves along with steep hills. At this point of the story, the teller used lots of hand gestures to help us visualize the severity of the road’s twists.

Dominant Culture Essay

Contrast the dynamics between dominant cultures and subcultures either in a work setting or in society. According to Baack (2012), a dominant culture articulates the core values shared by a majority of an organization’s members. The dominant culture is the one that has the most power and influence. This culture represents the majority in society. The subcultures consist of the minorities in societies that differ from the dominant culture. Even though they are different, they deserve to be respected. Explain why it is important to understand the impact of culture. It is important to understand culture, so that all employees will be sensitive to the differences of others and value them, in order to work together to achieve the goals of the organization. Understanding culture is important so you do not offend others which could lead to a hostile environment. Give an example where you demonstrated your awareness and or openness to understanding a cultural difference. When traveling abroad for my company, I often came into contact with managers that stood very close when talking. At first, I did not understand and would quickly back away. This gesture often times offended the person that I was speaking with. I had to learn to embrace and respect the culture, in order to close the deal for my company. Explain how these differences underscore the need for understanding diversity. Diversity is what makes the world interesting. If we were all alike; what a boring world this would be. Understanding and respecting other differences helps us to appreciate diversity. In order to appreciate diversity, one must have an open mind and be willing to change. From the information given, develop guidelines for embracing diversity. My guidelines for embracing diversity are: educate people concerning diversity, create an environment where people can share ideas, get to know everyone on the team, and reward those that appreciate diversity.

Honduras Essay - 2311 Words

LOCATION Honduras is approximately 1000 miles southwest of Miami and has a mainly mountainous area of 48,200 square miles. To the North it has a large coastal line with the Caribbean sea and to the South it enjoys a small access to the Pacific. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; HISTORY Honduras lies at what was the southern tip of the Mayan civilization that spread southwards from the Yucatà ¡n peninsula through modern Guatemala to the city of Copà ¡n, now in north-west Honduras. The Mayan civilization collapsed long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, who visited Trujillo in north-east Honduras in 1502 on his third†¦show more content†¦General Là ³pez Arellano tried to resolve growing land conflicts in the West at the cost of Salvadorian immigrants, and as a result, Honduras fought a brief war with El Salvador in 1967 that went into the history books as the quot;soccer warquot; since it was triggered by abusive treatment of the Honduran team during a World Cup qualifying game in San Salvador. In his second presidency, from 1972 to 1975, General Là ³pez Arellano supervised the most radical phase of the agrarian reform, which took the form of a colonization movement in the Aguà ¡n valley, during which rangers were cleared from the valley to make way for peasant cooperatives dedicated to bananas and African palm. A state forestry corporation, Corporacià ³n Hondureia de Desarrollo Forestal , was established, marking the start of a period of military government that also saw the foundation of the Corporatià ³n Nacional de Inversiones. These initiatives led to a rapid increase in external debt, to US$1.5bn by the end of the 1970s. The 1980s was a period of political and economic crisis in Honduras. The world recession of 1979 and the debt crisis of 1982 revealed the flaw in a development strategy that relied on foreign borrowing to pay for public spending. The first half of the 1980s were dominated by the Contra war in Nicaragua. The Honduran army turned a blind eye to the Contras presence in southern Honduras, and in return the liberal government of Roberto Suazo Cà ³rdova received economic and military aid fromShow MoreRelatedHonduras773 Words   |  4 PagesHonduras is located in Central America, between the two countries of Guatemala and Nicaragua. You may find it pretty easy to fund Honduras on a map because its about the same size of Tennessee. The exact location of Honduras is 15 degrees North longitude and 86 degrees East latitude. Honduras covers 43,278 square miles, which is approximately the same size of Tennessee, as I stated before. The country of Honduras is full of all different kinds of land types including; wetlands, mountains andRead More Honduras Essay643 Words   |  3 Pages Honduras nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Have you ever wanted to travel to a beautiful country far from where your at now. To visit a land full of many different customs and where culture is put into a whole new perspective. Well if this is what you have dreamed of take your Spanish class and fly or drive down to a friendly neighbor Honduras! 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FULLER IN HONDURAS: sTREET CHILDREN AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE Organizations are continually faced with ethical dilemmas. Though each dilemma may vary in degree of impact they will have on a company, it is essential that a company establish a wise solution to the problem. As we have gathered from this course, there are a large varietyRead MoreGuajilote1174 Words   |  5 PagesCase 8: Guajilote Cooperativo Forestal, Honduras 1. What is your impression of Guajilote as a business venture? The Guajilote Cooperativo Forestal was founded in 1991 to improve economic development in developing countries. The COHDEFOR (the Honduran forestry development service) issued Guajilote the right to exploit naturally fallen mahogany trees within the buffer zone of La Muralla National Park in Honduras. 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