Buck vs. Bell Case

                                        
                                BUCK VS. BELL CASE

Eugenics is defined as

a science that deals with the improvement (as by control of human mating) of hereditary qualities of race or breed.

                     There are positive eugenics and negative eugenics. Positive eugenics seeks to make the human beings the best they can be (more creative intelligence). An example of this is artificial insemination. Negative Eugenics attempts only to eliminate genetic weaknesses. Examples of this are genetic screening and sterilization.

 

                        This case was between Carrie Buck vs. James Hendren Bell, the superintendent of State Colony for epileptics and feeble minded.

 

Carrie was 18 years old with the mental capacity of a nine year old and
her mother had the mental capacity of an eight  year old child.  James Hendren Bell sued Carrie Bell for having a child because he did not believe feeble minded people should have children.  

 

 

 

 

The Supreme court basically ignored the 14th amendment by  

upholding a statute, instituting compulsory sterilization of the unfit for the protection and health of the state by stating:

"We have seen more than once that the public welfare may call upon the best citizens for their lives. It would be strange if it could not call upon those who already sap the strength of the State for these lesser sacrifices, often not felt to be such by those concerned, to prevent our being swamped with incompetence. It is better for the entire world, if instead of waiting to execute degenerate offspring for crime, or to let them starve for their imbecility, society can prevent those who are manifestly unfit from continuing their kind. The principle that sustains compulsory vaccination is broad enough to cover cutting the Fallopian tubes.”

 

              Unfortunately, Carrie Buck lost the case and ended up being sterilized against her will. I found this case to be very interesting because it presents the question of how much does the law regulate humans? Lawmakers believe that “The state’s interest in improving the quality of a population’s genetic pool in order to minimize suffering, to reduce the number of economically dependent persons, and possibly, to save mankind from extinction arguably justifies the infringement of individual’s civil liberties.” But is this always fair?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Famous Anthropologist

                                                        
                                                    Zora Neale Hurston

 

 

 

         Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7th, 1891 in Nostulga, Alabama. She grew up in Eatonville, Florida and has two children. her two children are John Hurston and Lucy Hurston.

 

 

                 She attended Howard University and received her Associates degree in 1920. Then she attended Barbard College, where she studied Anthropology with Franz Boas (1925-1927). Zora Neale Hurston began her Ph.D in Anthropology at Columbia University.

 

 

                    Major works that helped her become one of the most famous Anthropologists today were the texts Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), Mules of Men (1935), and Tell My Horse (1938).

 

 

                   As an anthropologists, her contributions were very significant. "Hurston's research was deeply rooted in a Diaspora paradigm, which stressed an examination of the cultural continuities and differences that emerged when Blacks were scattered across the Americas and Europe as a consequence of slavery" (aaanet.org).

 

 

 

 

                                                 

 

 

                   

Ancient Egyptian Gods/Godesses

ANCIENT EGYPT: GODS AND GODDESSES

 

 

 

 





                                                                                  *Atum:

                                                    - The God of the Sun (Lord of creation)

                                                    -Depicted as a sun disk

                                                    -Gave off elements of moisture and air

 

 

 

* Shu and Tefnut:

 -Shu is depicted with the body of a man wearing with the head of a lion. (Described as the God of Wind and Air but also the God of punishment in the land of the dead and the bridge between life and death.)

- Tefnut is the sister, and wife of Shu. She is depicted with the body of a woman, and the head of a Lioness or Lion. (Described as the Goddess of Rain, and linked to the Sun and Moon.

 

 

*Geb and Nut:

- Geb is the God of earth. Both brother, and husband to Nut. (Depicted far underneath her lay the earth god, Geb, sometimes ithyphallic, looking up at his sister-wife.)

  - Nut is the Goddess of the sky. (Depicted as dark, star covered naked woman, holding her body up in an arch, while facing down.)

- Together they bore Osiris (brother to Seth), Seth, Isis (sister, and wife of Osiris), and Nephthys( sister to Osiris, Seth, and Isis but at the same time she is also the wife of Seth).

 

                                                         
                                                                            
                                                                           *Osiris:
                      - The eldest God of "Geb and Nut", believed to be the God of order

 

 

*Set(h):

- Was Osiris brother who was his evil opposite. He was often referred to as the God of chaos, confusion, storms  whom murdered Osiris and spread his pieces throughout Egypt.

 

 

*Horus:

- Is the son of resurrected Osiris & sister Isis who avenged Osiris by displacing Seth as king of Egypt.

 

 

*Mut:

- Was the great mother goddess of Egypt, even outranking Isis. Often Mut was believed to be a sort of grandmother figure, as Isis was the mother figure for the world

 

 

*Khonsu:

- The moon God, who is the son of Mut & Amen

 

 

*Thoth:

- The God of knowledge and writing. Also, associated with rebirth and the afterlife

 

 

* Anubis:

- The God of the underworld and of mummification

 

 

 

 

** WHICH GOD/GODDESS IS YOUR FAVORITE?!?**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Embedding YOUTUBE Video

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         Heterophobia

 

 

   Heterophobia is defined as a homosexual who shows hatred, disapproval, or fear of heterosexual people and their culture. However, it is a term we rarely hear about because we live in a world where heterosexuality is the social norm. 

 

 

        Homosexual people are often victims of bullying, inequality, discrimination, and more. Our society is quick to judge others and put labels on people.

 

 

                              BUT

 

 

          What if we lived in a society where the norm is to be homosexual instead? I invite you to watch the short film above called Imagine A World Where Being "Gay" is The Norm & Being "Straight" Would Be The Minority! After watching this video, I hope people can be more open-minded, loving, and accepting of every human being regardless of their sexuality, or gender.

 

Embedded Code from YouTube:
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CnOJgDW0gPI" width="480"></iframe>)
 

Reproductive Rights and Gender: Pro Choice, Pro Life, and Beyond

Reproductive Rights and Gender: Pro Choice, Pro Life, and Beyond

*What are Reproductive Rights and Gender?

ž *Reproductive rights and gender are legal rights and freedoms relating to the reproduction or reproductive health for either men or women.

ž *Is being able to decide on how many children you want and the spacing between each child as well.

ž *These rights include safe and legal abortions, control over own reproductive functions and health care, education and access to help you and others make reproductive choices free from discrimination, coercion, and violence, also receive education based on contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases. 

ž *Even though women have gained legalized abortions and  contraceptives, to be able to access or afford this has been made difficult.

 *Men have the right to ask for a paternity test if a women is pregnant and claims the baby is his, until proven he is the father he has absolute no responsibility towards the child.  

*Pro Choice:

  *The belief that women should have individual control over decisions she makes over abortion and fertility. Pro choice is being able to consider continuing or terminating a pregnancy.

ž*Lives are improved when women are able to have the right to legal and safe abortions.

ž*Pro choice people vary in ideas over abortion under certain circumstances like far term pregnancy.

*žBelieve that if abortion is banned, women will have no choice over pregnancy and the rise of illegal abortion will put the health of many women at risk worldwide.

*žConfusion exist between pro choice and pro abortion, abortion is still illegal in some states and illegal with exceptions like rape, maternal life, and health in others.

*Pro Life:
ž*Pro life is the belief that the government has the obligation to preserve all human life, regardless of intent, capability, or quality of life.

-Strongly believe in prohibiting abortion, death penalty, war, and suicide being horribly wrong.

ž*Pro life groups of people tend to be conservatives in abortion and suicide, but liberals in cases of death penalty and war.

ž*Believe that the soul starts to exist in the moment of contraception and that being a live person determines in having a soul, then there is no difference in terminating a week old pregnancy and killing breathing person.

*žMany people are pro life due to their religious beliefs; religions such as the Roman Catholic Church are supporters of this movement and believe the presence of life alone determines person-hood.

*A Mans' Right to Choose:

ž*The article “ A Man’s Right to Choose: Is it fair that women have reproductive rights while men have reproductive responsibilities?” by Cathy Young states that by making fatherhood a choice, it will allow men to feel obligation free, and not become resented or avoided.

ž*The majority of the men feel that they at least should have the ability to be involved in decisions that affect their lives as well.

*žCathy Young believes that parental desertion is often the males irresponsibility and selfishness.

*žMen want their parental role to be taken seriously and that women should have the obligation to let the man know about any decisions taken towards pregnancy.

*Our Bodies Our Souls:

      ž*This article by Naomi Wolf mentions how abortion right within a moral framework admits that the death of a fetus is a real death and there are degrees of culpability, judgment, and responsibility in the decision to abort.

ž*žFeminism engages in holding women as well as men responsible and inseparable of their rights.

ž*This country has increased its abortion rate; regardless of the responsibility, grief , mourning  and possible health problems that comes with the traumatic event of abortion.

***ARE YOU PRO-LIFE OR PRO-CHOICE?!? WHY?!?***

Clay Shirky

"It Takes A Village To Find A Phone"

                           " Finders keepers. Losers, weepers "

"Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough, and I will move the world"

           In chapter one of Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky, "the loss and return of the Sidekick is a story about many things - Evan's obsessive tendencies, Ivanna's good fortune in having him for a friend, how expensive phones have gotten - but one of the themes running through the story is the power of group action, given the right tools" (pg.7). 

      Having the power and speed of the media, Ivanna was able to get her stolen/lost phone back. Posting any information online can travel faster than the word of mouth. By using social networks to connect with people all over, you are able to inform a bigger audience about any case. 

      From Sidekicks, we have upgraded to iphones which store way more data in. Not everyday do we acknowledge the importance of these small,personal,portable computers. That is until we loose it or damage the phone somehow. Our lives have began to revolve and depend on these computerized smartphones. From alarm clocks to cameras to stored office files, cellphones have become a necessity, as breathing air is to our lungs.