Muslims in America
- The social construct that is drawn from the introductory part is that Muslims are feared and are seen as not capable of intergrading with other Americans. It is known as social construction because it is the conviction that has been created by the Americans against the Muslims. Now the whole of America has adopted that notion to be true.
- The author’s main objective is to show that despite the fact the after the 9/11 American Muslims have been alienated, they face the same discrimination as immigrants in the country. They share the same values as other Americans despite the fact they are seen as a threat. Just like the synagogue and churches, the mosque provides a safe haven where their members can share different ideologies on matters pertaining to the national interest.
- The fact I found interesting is just like other minorities in the country, 64 % of American Muslims are likely to support a democratic candidate in an election.
- Unlike the general public, Muslims are opposed to abortion, and they want the federal government to do more on matters regarding morality. The general public and American Muslims are all against gay marriage.
- The categories of Muslims mentioned are Arab Muslims, South Asian Muslims, Anglo Hispanic converts, and Black Muslims. South Asian Muslims originate from countries such as Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
- Many African American Muslims are converting, and they feel they are more segregated compared to other Muslim Americans.
- The factors that influence political activity include; party affiliation, contact with politicians, and voter registration. The above-named factors also apply to the Muslim. Muslims, just like any other minority in the country, support a democratic party.
- There are the devout, practicing believers and secular and non-practicing. It is vital to note that, just like Christians, Muslims are not evenly religious and dedicated. There are those Muslims who are conservatives, while others are liberals. The attitude and behavior that controls Americans are the same that also control American Muslims.
- The same findings would hold water because there have been cases where radicalized American Muslims who have committed heinous crimes against the American public. Therefore the fear of Muslims by the Americans still exists. But such cases should not be used to generalize that all Muslims are extremists.
- There is a lack of change in the attitudes of Americans against American Muslims. Majorly it is because of the war mostly witnessed in Arab countries. Thus Americans view all Muslims as violent and extremists who cannot be assimilated into American society.
Breastfeed at You Own Risk
- There are the advertisement campaigns that the federal government makes with regard to a specific health issue that can a negative impact rather than its intended purpose. An example is the breastfeeding campaign, which shows that breast milk is pivotal for a new-born baby. The baby gets all the required nutrients from the breast milk. This pressure from such policies can affect women who are not well off economically, leading to stress.
- The information put out by the author supports his argument. For instance, he has used the research carried out by a political scientist Joan Wolf on how the benefits of breastfeeding have been overstated. By observing the children who used baby milk formula and comparing it with those who were given breastmilk, the scientist found no conclusive difference between the two.
- The conclusion drawn by the author is that scientific research on health is critical, but when policies are implemented, care is needed to ensure the policies do not have a negative impact on people. The author recommends caution to be taken when implementing policies as there are usually unintended consequences.
- Firstly, those researchers have found out that breast milk contains environmental toxins, alcohol, and drugs. Secondly, it is the research carried out on the Vietnamese women in Quebec. Those ladies preferred bottled milk because they lacked social support in Canada that was present in Vietnam; thus, they did not give fresh milk. Thirdly, is that white working women understood the importance of breastfeeding, but job constraint was a major impedance of them not breastfeeding.
- The fact that the article looks at social patterns in our daily lives that influence mothers to breastfeed or not makes it sociological. There is also the aspect of culture that the author has looked at and how it determines if a mother breastfed or not.
- Social interactionist is entailed how a social world is created when human beings interact with the environment. In the article, it is highlighted when the Vietnamese women interact with the environment when they relocate to Canada. The fact that there is no social support in Canada as there was in Vietnam, they had to adapt to the environment of Quebec.
- Conflict theory is shown in the article by how white-working women take on breastfeeding in comparison to black-working women. White working women understand the importance of breastfeeding, but jobs are a constraint; Black-working women, on the other hand, do not support breastfeeding because they see it as a barbaric and racist stereotype. They prefer the whole extended family to cater for the needs of the baby.
- Expectant mothers should not be stressed if they are not in a position to breast feed. It is vital for them to know that babies who use baby formulas can also be healthy.
- I would recommend mothers to read the article so that they can know whatever they consume can be traced to the breast milk they are giving their babies. If there are any environmental toxins they have taken in it can also be traced to the breast milk.
References
- Artis, J. (2009). Breastfeed at Your Own Risk. Contexts.org. Retrieved 30 July 2020, from https://contexts.org/articles/breastfeed-at-your-own-risk/.
- Ghazal, J. (2007). Muslims in America. Contexts.org. Retrieved 30 July 2020, from https://contexts.org/articles/Muslims-in-America/.