Why We Are Responsible For Being Born

In our societies, persons identify themselves with individual and group identities. Every person is considered to be related to a certain race, religion, and other social aspects of life (Appiah, 2005). Identity refers to the unique characteristics that an individual or a group possesses.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Why We Are Responsible For Being Born specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The characteristics of a certain group influence whether an individual will remain or leave the group. Each group has unique social, political, and economic characteristics that are depicted in the behavior of each member. Cultural studies indicate that every person has unique identifiers such as nationality, race, ethnicity, history, religious beliefs, and language. In developed countries such as the United States of America, UK, and France, group identity is based on the social values and practices (Appiah, 2005). In this art icle, the events that led to the acquittal of George Zimmerman are analyzed with the aim of illustrating how tension between individual identity and group identity arises and how it can be resolved. The killing of Trayvon Martin by Zimmerman has never been documented with certainty. However, it is apparent that the two persons were from two different races (Yancy, 2013). Martin was an African-American, while Zimmerman is white American. The racial identity of Martin must have been the main cause that led to his killing. Therefore, it can be argued that Martin’s group identity and not his individual identity played a huge role in his demise. In the US, racial conflicts between the whites and blacks have existed for a long time. However, in some few scenarios murder cases between members of same races have been reported (Yancy, 2013). On 26 February 2012, the fateful day that Martin was murdered, Zimmerman was watching over the neighborhood in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman was th en a community security guard and had a gun. Coincidentally, Martin had moved to stay temporarily in the Sanford neighborhood.Advertising Looking for essay on ethnicity studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is reported that when Zimmerman spotted Martin walking around the neighborhood, he immediately informed the police. The police advised him not to confront the minor, but he ignored their orders and proceeded to confront the minor. What Zimmerman feared most was burglary related crimes. According to the context of the murder, it is clear that he believed that the blacks engage in burglary crimes. Because Martin was an African American, Zimmerman must have thought that the minor was up to something bad in the neighborhood. As such, Zimmerman intentions were prejudiced by the minor’s group identity. When Zimmerman confronted Martin, the two broke into a fight where he injured his nose. During the fight, Zimmerman shot Martin killing him on the spot. He later argued that he shot Martin while defending himself. It is apparent that Zimmerman did not take time to consider the individual identity of Martin, but instead judged him based on his group identity. Similarly, it is clear that Zimmerman did not interrogate the identity of Martin and the reason why he was walking around the neighborhood. If he had waited for the police to arrive and investigate Martin’s actions, he could not have killed him. Through this, he would have discovered that Martin was living temporarily in the neighborhood. Equally, he could have discovered that Martin was not a criminal despite being an African American. In addition, he would have realized that Martin was a minor. Therefore, the above conflicts are blamed on the tension between individual identity and group identity. Based on the above illustrations, it is apparent that Martin was a victim of group identity. For a very long time, African Americans have been associated with criminal acts such as burglary by the majority whites. Through this, some African individuals have been persecuted and even jailed for being black despite the fact that there were lawful individuals (Yancy, 2013).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Why We Are Responsible For Being Born specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the case study, Martin was an innocent person and not a criminal as supposed by his attacker (Yancy, 2013). Based on Beller‘s arguments that we should be responsible for the actions of our groups, Martin bore the responsibility of being born into a black race. In his case, the group identity is stronger than the individual identity and it is the sole reason for his murder After the killings, Zimmerman was not arrested for the offense because he argued that he was defending himself and there were no evidence to prove otherwise. However, it is clear that he was not apprehen ded immediately because of his racial background. If Zimmerman came from African American background and Martin came from Caucasian origin, Zimmerman would have been apprehended by the police after the offense for further questioning. The above illustrations confirms Beller‘s arguments that group identity and individual identity have led to conflicts in our societies. The murder of Martin and acquaintance of Zimmerman demonstrated a degree of negligence on racial killing acts in the US (Pietruszynski, 2008). The group identity in most cases conflicts with the individual identity. In fact, Americans perceive the group identity to be more significant. As such, they base most of their judgment on group identity. The murder case of Martin attracted public attention and led to series of protests condemning the act. Most importantly, the public and other government agencies were furious because the murderer had not been arrested (Pietruszynski, 2008). Because Zimmerman was acquitted , I believe that the conflict in the American society concerning the group identity and individual identity has never been solved (Yancy, 2013). Therefore, as Beller argues Americans will still be accountable for dealing with injustices that result from their group identity regardless of whether they are responsible for the situations (Pietruszynski, 2008).Advertising Looking for essay on ethnicity studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although conflicts exist between individual identity and group identity, it is unfair for individuals to be responsible for the actions they encounter in their lives. Despite the existence of the shared social characteristics, group judgment should not be used to discriminate against individuals. It is also true that the group action do not predict the behavior of an individual. Based on the above illustration, it is apparent that tensions between individual identity and group identity usually arise in our society. The circumstances determine why a person would choose to engage or not to engage more as a group member. The characteristics of a certain group influence whether an individual will remain or leave the group. The characteristics are dependent on the values and social facts of a particular group such as social, political, and economic factors that the group upholds. Depending on the context, individual identity at certain times conflict with the group identity. When there i s no clear boundary between the individual and group identity, then tension arises, hence the Beller’s conclusion on why we are responsible for being born holds. References Appiah, A. (2005). The ethics of identity. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Pietruszynski, J. (2008). Race, gender, and human identity in a diverse society: an anthology (9th ed.). Acton, Mass.: Tapestry Press. Yancy, G. (2013). Pursuing Trayvon Martin: historical contexts and contemporary manifestations of racial dynamics. Lanham: Lexington Boos. This essay on Why We Are Responsible For Being Born was written and submitted by user Archer Wiley to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Definition of a Post-Industrial Society

Definition of a Post-Industrial Society A post-industrial society is a stage in a societys evolution when the economy shifts from producing and providing goods and products to one that mainly offers services. A manufacturing society is comprised of people working in construction, textiles, mills and production workers whereas, in the service sector, people work as teachers, doctors, lawyers, and retail workers. In a post-industrial society, technology, information, and services are more important than manufacturing actual goods. Post-Industrial Society: Timeline A post-industrial society is born on the heels of an industrialized society during which time goods were mass-produced utilizing machinery. Post-industrialization exists in Europe, Japan, and the United States, and the U.S. was the first country with more than 50 percent of its workers employed in service sector jobs. A post-industrial society not only transforms the economy; it alters society as a whole. Characteristics of Post-Industrial Societies Sociologist Daniel Bell made the term post-industrial popular  in 1973 after discussing the concept in his book The Coming of Post-Industrial Society: A Venture in Social Forecasting. He described the following shifts associated with post-industrial societies: Production of goods (like clothing) declines and the production of services (like restaurants)  goes up.Manual labor jobs and blue collar jobs are replaced with technical and professional jobs.Society experiences a shift from focusing on practical knowledge to theoretical knowledge. The latter involves the creation of new, invention solutions.There is a focus on new technologies, how to create and utilize them as well as harness them.New technologies foster the need for new scientific approaches like IT and cybersecurity.Society needs more college graduates with advanced knowledge who can help develop and advance technological change. Post-Industrial Societal Shifts in the U.S. About 15 percent of the labor force (only 18.8 million Americans out of a workforce of 126 million) now works in manufacturing compared to 26 percent 25 years ago.Traditionally, people earned status and gained and privilege in their society through inheritance which could be a family farm or business. Today education is the currency for social mobility, particularly with the proliferation of professional and technical jobs. Entrepreneurship, which is highly valued, generally requires a more advanced education.The concept of capital was, until fairly recently, considered mainly to be financial capital gained through money or land. Human capital is now the more important element in determining the strength of a society. Today, thats evolved into the concept of social capital the extent to which people have access to social networks and subsequent opportunities.Intellectual technology (based on math and linguistics) is at the forefront, utilizing algorithms, software programming, simul ations and models to run new high technology. The infrastructure of a post-industrial society is based on communication whereas the infrastructure of industrial society was transportation.An industrial society features a labor theory based on value, and industry develops proceeds with the creation of labor-saving devices which substitute capital for labor. In a post-industrial society, knowledge is the basis for invention and innovation. It creates added value, increases returns and saves capital.