Assuming Is Dangerous Essay Example for Free

Assuming Is Dangerous Essay When people make assumptions, based on things that they think they see, hear, or know; without confirming their conclusion first, anything can result. For Lester Burnham, it can be concluded, the result of someone else’s assumption would be his own death. Throughout the movie America Beauty, there were many miscommunications between the characters, but only one particular failure to communicate cost someone their life. Colonel Frank Fitts was very concerned with his sons’ activities and his relationship with Lester Burnham, unaware of the true nature of the relationship between his son and Lester, the Colonel made accusations based on bits of information he gathered from short conversations with Lester and even â€Å"seeing† something he actually did not see. Had he asked the right questions his conclusions would most likely not have caused him to take Lester’s life in the end of the movie. There was also one particular moment where Lester could have possibly saved his own life by telling the Colonel that he was actually not a homosexual. It was stated in our textbook Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication written by Kathy Sole that a very important part of communicating is making sure the message received is the correct message intended. It would appear that the Colonel has a problem with homosexuals but when he kissed Lester in the movie, there is more to understand about Colonel Frank’s sense of self. As it says in our text â€Å"Today most researchers believe that who you think you are is a complex mix of how you see yourself; how others see you; what parents, teachers, and peers have told you about yourself; and what your society or culture tells you that you are or should be. †(Sole, 2011) Colonel Frank must have never accepted his true self if he was a homosexual, instead he adapted to what others always believed he was. He appeared to have done his best to prove everyone else right. Therefore, instead of the Colonel actually having a problem with homosexuals; he actually had a problem with himself. When the Colonel confronted Lester about his relationship with his wife, Lester’s responses were vague in a way that further solidified Frank’s assumptions that Lester was gay. When he kissed Lester and Lester said, â€Å"I think you have the wrong idea† Colonel Frank took it as a rejection, when Lester could have said, â€Å"No, man, I am not gay† or something of the sort. If Lester had responded in a way that did not humiliate or make Frank feel inadequate he may not have killed Lester. Colonel Frank and, Lester both should have delved a little deeper, and made more of an effort to understand what each of them were actually trying to say, or the messages they were trying to convey. If they had done a better job and communicating, Lester would have been aware of Colonel Frank’s assumption that he was gay, and able to correct Frank. If Colonel Frank had asked the right questions after Lester’s vague responses, he would have understood that Lester’s relationship with his wife was not â€Å"just for show† because he was gay but rather because they were trying to be the couple that others thought, they should be.

Personal Stregnths and weaknesses Essay -- essays research papers

The Personal Strengths and Weaknesses of Lindsay Nanna   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I first came across this assignment, I was quite apprehensive. I thought about what my teacher and fellow classmates would really think about me then. How would my Learning Group react? But at the same time I knew that this would be a growing experience and when I was completed I could look back on the paper and take a sigh of relief. Honestly, it is much easier for me to say what my weaknesses are than my strengths. I usually tend to go for the difficult men; the ones with some kind of â€Å"problem†. This tends to land me in the middle of nasty break-ups and unfortunate broken hearts. So now one would also agree that I am too forgiving and give too many second chances. Now, all those hurt feelings can sometime tend to leave me cruel and bitter. I am now beginning to understand that not everyone has the same work ethics as I do. It greatly frustrates me when I see a fellow co-worker messing around on the job and when I tell my manager it seems as if they don’t care. It makes me feel like a nag, but it is really something that is important to me, especially since the matter deals with patient care on the bottom line. At work, I get rather upset when I see fraternizing between certain cliques. I know that any office has the same politics, but it to me is still hard to swallow. Another weakness is that when I have my mind made up, there is no stopping me. Now, one could see this as a strengt...

Media Review

Al Gore’s environmental campaign is really becoming a very significant endeavor in this modern period. It is not only because of the fact that environmental degradation has really brought forth devastating effects in almost every parts of the world but also because of the idea that people all over the world have started to pay attention to the environmental problems. Global warming has been the focus of Al Gore’s environmental campaign. He showed how such phenomenon could really lead to serious environmental problem such as the intense change in climate, melting of the ice caps of the Polar Regions, health hazards to people due to intense heat, the ozone depletion, and many other environmental issues (Gore). According to Al Gore, that which could only lessen the effects of such global warming, if not really prevent them, is by being aware and having concern about environmental problems. Being aware, as he stressed out, is not enough. But being involved and participating in environmental check-ups and environmental preservation and protection are the most effective ways in solving the problems in the environment (Gore). Though Al Gore is becoming a political figure – which means that his endeavor in making the people realize the importance of caring for the environment can be seen by others as a form of political strategy to get the trust of the public, he becomes very firm on saying that his campaign has nothing to do with politics or something about it. He argues that even if he is not a public official or even if he is not holding any public office, he can still help the American government in treating the problems in the environment. Like what he said, everyone and anyone can do something about the environmental problems that are being experienced in this period. One need not have any political power to do it. Saving the world from the detrimental effects of environmental problems such as global warming can really be solved by having knowledge about and concern for the environment. Work Cited: Gore, Al. An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming . Viking Juvenile , 2007. Â  

How Did Jews Become White Folks - 917 Words

Since the beginning of time, individuals have been discriminated against based on their religion, culture, race, and sexual orientation. The article â€Å"How Did Jews Become White Folks?† by Karen B. Brodkin highlighted the struggles that European immigrants, Jews, and African Americans faced in the United States pre and post World War II. In her article Brodkin focused on the idea of â€Å"whiteness† in America, and how the word has evolved over time to include a variety of ethnicities. Since its inception, America has been called the land of opportunity, but around the late nineteenth century the United States started limiting the entry of European and Chinese immigrants. These closed door policies for European and Asian immigration in the 1920s were a result of increased racism in the United States. People living in the United States began to redefine and selectively narrow the amount of ethnicities that the word white included. The book Passing of the Great Race by Madison Grant stated that the white race can be broken up into superior and inferior races. According to Grant, people who were of Nordic descent made up the superior upper class, while the other European immigrants and Jews were considered low class and inferior. Grants novel defined who is considered to be white which subsequently led to the mistreatment of the inferior white race in America. In the 1930 census, the United States Government distinguished the differences in whiteness by asking participants toShow MoreRelatedHow Did Jews Become White Folks?933 Words   |  4 Pagesorientation. The article â€Å"How Did Jews Become White Folks?† by Karen B. Brodkin highlighted the struggles that European immigrants, Jews, and African American faced in the United States pre and post World War two. Brodkin focused in on the idea of â€Å"whiteness† in America, and how the word has evolved overtime to include a variety of ethnicities. 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We see them learn the law and the unwritten rules of society. Scout and Dill, in particular, are blank slates who begin to develop ideas of equality and become repulsed by the cruelty and hypocrisyRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird: Mans Inhumanity to Man Essay examples1666 Words   |  7 Pagesintentions are not cruel, merely childish and playful – as they are. However some examples of inhumanity found in the novel are not as innocent. An evident struggle that continues throughout the book , is the inhumanity black people suffer at the hands of white people; as well as men`s towering empowerment over women, which is often shown in violence and other cruelty. It is evident in the novel, that racism of all kinds affects the everyday lives of many people. Though this may be a fictional story, theRead MoreThe American Of The United States1559 Words   |  7 Pagesexclusion, to Japanese internment, the United States has a plethora of examples where the state failed to promote racial equality and harmony. There is no questioning that these are the facts of history, but there are many questions as to why and how these injustices occurred in a nation founded on the ideal that all men were created equal. The only way to unpack these questions is to examine and explore the notion of race itself. Some would argue that race is biological, that people are destinedRead MorePublic Service At The Station1434 Words   |  6 Pagescontest to â€Å"be a disk jockey for the dayâ₠¬  (Kellogg 2016). Even after the contest had finished and her prize received, she would continue to work at the station writing PSA’s (public service announcements) and was assigned other errands. She would see how â€Å"the music was being ‘sold’†, the meetings between the disk jockeys and the record companies’ representatives carrying along artists to persuade the station to play their music (Kellogg 2016). In her time working, Payola was a scandal that raised the