Chapter 23

This chapter was very meaningful in that it put together everything that occurred and its global impact. Cultural influences was a topic that was the most interesting to me. Even though I did not really appreciate colonization, it was fascinating to read about the impact of Barbie and how its popularity reached a global culture. One quote that impacted me was an Iranian toy seller who said, "I think every Barbie doll is more harmful than an American missile." Even though I think that this quote is a bit exaggerated, I do understand the concern. I think that some Americans had similar concerns regarding Barbie and Ken. The fact that they were both skinny and white and unmarried. The impossible beauty and body standards that came from these dolls were harmful to little girls. I was also touched by Strayer's conclusion. He explained how history constantly have a pattern of people suffering and none of us are exempt. Another issue includes having hope and how it seems hard to have being that our environment, global conflict, etc. seem to keep us afraid or unhappy about the future. I definitely agree with his statements because most of us feel torn. We feel torn because we have seen a lot of progress throughout history but have also seen resistance to progress which makes us somewhat uneasy or stagnant. We are afraid to speak up and be active for what we believe are right because of what resistance we might have to overcome. My mind kept racing when I read how learning about history "provide a marvelous window into the unfamiliar, confront us with the whole panorama of human achievement, tragedy, and sensibility, and offer us company for the journey of our own lives," etc. All of this is true. This is exactly how we feel when I walk into class learning and discussing these topics.

Chapter 22

Chapter 22 was very interesting and informative. One aspect of this chapter that caught my attention was South Africa and their fight for independence. What really struck me was how the minority, which was white, managed to have all of the control and the power. It makes me think of America in how mostly white people are seen to be more in control as the majority. Many white nationalists or supremacists claim their fear of diversity because they believe that diversity will wipe out the entire power of the white people. However, white South Africans still managed to maintain power as the minority. I just thought that that was intriguing in a strange way. I also thought that it was fascinating how colonial rule in these different countries brought about ideas of race and certain ideologies that brought inequality and injustice towards others. I liked how Strayer described our ignorance of what the future holds. He further explained the uneasiness that historians have about history and its future. I would say that I feel the same along with others. None of us know what the future holds, but we can have some kind of understanding since we realized a certain pattern with history and how it seems to repeat itself at times. I would like to be hopeful and feel hopeful but can't help but have a sense of uneasiness when it comes to seeing a future where everyone has equal opportunity and everything is close to perfect with no war or struggle. However, I feel good in that I know that I am not the only one who feels the same way.

Chapter 21

After reading about communism and how that affected certain countries, I find myself still somewhat confused about the process and goals behind communism. I think that the confusion comes from me learning it in middle school and how that was seen as not good for society. I always felt that communism was like a dictatorship because that was what was insinuated to me during middle school. Now, I realize that communism is for equality. However, communism has its downsides as well. Therefore, I feel that there should be a happy medium. In countries such as Russia and China, many people died and suffered from these revolutions and fight for communism. One aspect that I am still trying to understand is the difference between socialism and communism. From what I understand in the chapter, socialism and communism seems to be interchangeable in some parts. We hear the term socialism in the news all the time in the same sentences as Bernie Sanders or other Democratic politicians even President Obama. I still find myself stuck when learning about communism and socialism and wonder if I consider myself to be one or some of those values that they hold. I definitely believe in equal opportunities for everyone, but I also believe in working for what you want. Everyone has to put in the work in order to be successful financially. However, not everyone is given a fair chance, which is a major problem that is being discussed everyday. There are still injustices that occur, and many people are suffering from being discriminated against. I think that communism and socialism were meant to fight against those inequalities and injustices and give everyone a chance at succeeding to make their country thrive. Of course there will be issues with every form of government, and there needs to be some kind of compromise between capitalism and socialism in my opinion. I believe that there is an answer to social inequality and further believe that there are people who choose to not work for social inequality and wants to keep things the way that it is, unfair while they continue to find loopholes for their own benefits.