"Less is More"

I thought this article was very interesting. When first passed out this passage I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The lady speaking seems to be someone who has lived a very productive life. By this I mean she has had her share of rough and happy patches and has seen what it is like to not always be on top. The poem on the cross stitch is something all of America and the world should live by. She was completely right when she inferred that the world is ungrateful for the possessions they have. People take everything for granted and don't realize what they have. It would be very interesting to listen to the talk she was going to have with her son. I think if the world was to hear this talk, it would change a lot of people. I also agree with her when she said that to help the environment would be to take away some of our many new gadgets. Having an iPhone myself, I realize it is much a want and not a need. Although our society focuses on things like these and addresses people based on what others have, the world should put all these new technologies aside even for a day and realize what they really do have and what really matters.

Black Men and Public Space

When first starting this passage I had mixed understandings as to what it would be about. It was somewhat close to what I was thinking. I think Brent Staples hits this passage perfectly. This man's occurrences on the street are exactly what happen. People perceive black men with an attitude of hatred and fear. Whether people know them or not, they categorize black people based on their ethnicity. When Staples describes the man's walks at night and the people's reactions to him, it portrays the man as a murderer and violent person. Even though this is what the world has become and we can't help the situation, it is a sad state that Americans judge people based on color. Without knowing everyone personally people begin to place every person from a particular cultural group in the same category. Even though this is not fair and not the way the world should be, it is the way the human mind works to generalize people. I think Brent Staples's story was written very well and portrayed this man's life in a way to come across to people to influence their thinking.