#theinsecureamerican

[lucas-gabriel1]

Scheper-Hughes RQ

1. How has death transformed into a treatable condition according to the author? Provide an example.

Through new innovations in technology and medicines, we live in a society of medical perfectibility, therefore death has become a treatable condition. In other words, death can now be endlessly postponed. An example in the United States is how far we've come in finding a cure for cancer and HIV/AIDS. In previous times, if you were diagnosed as HIV positive, most individuals would start to plan the end of their lives. Nowadays individuals are living longer than ever with these diseases and others, for example Magic Johnson. Scheper-Hughes also presents a valid example in that a lot of elderly people are in need of renal transplants to prolong their lives. The process of obtaining a "spare" kidney from an adult child or grandchild is becoming a norm. "Those lacking children can look to others who might owe them honor and respect" (Scheper-Hughes 318). 

  2. Is there a cultural context to death? Explain 'friendly death'. Speculate about how we treat death in the United States...is it 'friendly'?, is this a major component of fear and anxiety in this cultural context?

In certain cultures, they accept death as a part of life and don't try to run from it. They realize that life has been lived and when it's their time, it's their time. However, death in the United States is now viewed as a technological failure. Doctors now fear when they have to admit "there's nothing else I can do." They feel as if it is their job to keep an individual alive by all means necessary. This is seen when people are put on life support. These people are basically already "dead" however, through the fear of being declared/announced dead, and the fear of failure by looking at a dead body, we attempt to keep trying even when there is really no point.

[lucas-gabriel1]

Hirsch RQ

1. Explain the author's premise of the transformation of law into a weapon? Can you provide an example?

America uses law as a weapon in response to terror attacks. Law can be viewed as a legitimate tool of counterterrorism. The theory became subsumed into a logic of war and was deployed to serve the ends of war rather than the ends of justice typically associated with law and legal processes. "Deploying law as a weapon draws attention to a relationship between law and violence that is usually hidden" (Hirsch 294). Law is usually depicted as the opposite of violence or means of controlling it. However, defining law as the opposite of violence can and does attribute to a more complex connection. Using law as a weapon can bring about the problematic outcome of reusing law as a response to terrorism, which in return resembles revenge rather than justice through its evident violence. An example of law becoming a weapon is illustrated through the Patriot Act, in which the United States can keep more surveillance on citizens whom may be a threat to the United States.

2. What is social death?

Hirsch (294) defines social death as the condition that results when individuals are intentionally denied access to social networks and relationships that recognize their humanity, especially their right to exist as humans. In a sense, the government has gained way too much power through passing acts such as the Patriot Act.

[lucas-gabriel1]

Wedel RQ

2. Detail the reorganizing forces that have enabled 'flex-nets' to thrive. Which of these do you think has the most power?

The 1st force was the neoliberal reorganization of the government. This occurred in countries that were under pressure from international financial institutions like the IMF and the World Bank. Policies by the government promoted outsourcing, privatization, deregulation, and free-trade. As this force was being instilled, the communist governments of Eastern Europe collapsed. The end of the Cold War became the 2nd driving force. The system of bipolar authority disappeared,causing many boundaries to become less distinct, more permeable, and harder to regulate. Without rules and referees, profitability became easy for corporations, consultants, activists, and NGOs, as well as organized crime and terrorists. The 3rd restructuring force was spurred by the innovation of increasingly complex information technologies. These technologies favor flat networks over hierarchies, and flexible maneuvering over bureaucratic process. Technologies also allow us to respond quickly to unpredictable events. 

I feel as though the 3rd restructuring force illustrates more benefits however, I think the neoliberal reorganization of the government possessed the most power. It created changes that have never been seen in the World and some of these policies still carry on in our current era.

3. What is the modus operandi of the neocon core? Could any of these elements create conditions for fear and anxiety?

The Neocon core has attempted to influence policy while undermining democratic processes. This has been done through creating and empowering alternative structures, both within and outside government, to realize its policy aims. "The core set out to meld relevant government units and processes to its purposes and also exerted influence through quasi-government entities and might-be-official, might-not-be-official dealings" (Wedel 282). 

I believe that any of the elements can create conditions for fear and anxiety. The neoconservatives are political figures with power and most of them dictate what is portrayed in the media, which for the most part determines what society fears. They can make the public support their policies by showing what they want people to see and hiding what they don't.

[lucas-gabriel1]

Kwong RQ

2. How have Chinese immigrant workers been exploited and used in labor disputes?

Chinese immigrants come to the United States in search of opportunities just like any other immigrant. However, before they even get to the U.S., they are in debt with the "snakehead" (human smuggler) that brings them here. One of these smuggling trips from China to New York ranges in price from $33,000 - $50,000. Usually the families and relatives of these immigrants pay the smuggler. However, "If the relatives make the payment, the new arrival pays them back, normally within three to five years at a 3% interest rate" (Kwong 260). With so many Chinese immigrants desperate for work, Chinese employers can depress labor conditions and pay. In the early 1980s, Chinese immigrants were working eight hours a day and only making about $40-$50 during those eight hours. Nowadays, with such competition, Chinese immigrants work 12 hour shifts to make $30. "It is common for workers to work seven days a week, twelve hours a day,at an average hourly wage of $3.75" (Kwong 261). Employers use these immigrants desperate for work to lower wages and make more money.

2. What is the problem with the guest worker program? Can you present an alternative for immigration policy in the United States?

Guest worker programs are full of contradictions. They harm productivity and the growth of the economy as a whole.Not to mention the fact that immigrant workers are not easily disposable when the economy slows down. They are not machines that we can just turn off or throw away. They are people with families and children they attempt to support. In other words "there is nothing more permanent than temporary workers" (Kwong 266). There are alternative options for immigration policy in the United States. As a nation, we could completely cut the borders off and allow absolutely no immigration, however this could in fact hurt our economy as well. There is also the option of allowing illegal immigration, however allow employees and laborers to report unjust situations and extremely low, poverty causing wages. If laborers had to pay an actual "minimum wage" or risk getting in trouble with the government, they would potentially stop hiring illegal workers.

[lucas-gabriel1]

Bourgois RQ

1. What do you deem to be a more productive way of discussing the connection between homelessness, drug use and other issues posed by the author? Behavioral, socioeconomic, bio-medical...speculate

Bourgois describes the connection between homelessness, drug use and other issues through behavioral, socioeconomic, and bio-medical standpoints. In my opinion, the most productive and easiest way to understand this relationship between homelessness and drug use is through the construction of socioeconomic position. Through 'deinstitutionalization', homeless people are close to the bottom in terms of importance in society. They must fight for everything they want and need in their lives as they get little to no help or support from other members of society. Homeless people then turn to drug use to compensate for certain things they have lost in the course of their lives. Drug use results in addiction, which in turn limits the opportunities these people may have been able to obtain. 

2. What is a 'righteous dopefiend'? What does neoliberalism have to do with it?

A 'righteous dopefiend' is a term by Bourgois given to an individual who becomes physically and psychologically addicted to opiates. Their main priority in life is to obtain heroin "by any means necessary." Bourgois (240) explains that this imperative regulates their social relations, gives them a sense of purpose, and allows them to construct moral authority and interpersonal hierarchies. The term 'righteous dopefiend' ties in with neoliberalism because it is a term given to an individual by society. In most instances, instead of trying to make a change in their lifestyle, they live up to the name. By living lives that are controlled by drug use, they give up their rights to healthcare and must work jobs that only pay them enough to buy more drugs. They are never truly able to get out of this lifestyle.

3. Explain the notion of 'moralizing suffering and abuse', can you provide an example beyond those discussed by the author?

The notion of 'moralizing suffering and abuse' claims that individual suffering is not politically structured. "Both the rich and the poor adhere to a puritanically inspired tradition of righteous individualism that defines poverty to be a moral failing of the individual" (Bourgois 252). In other words, people cannot blame anyone but themselves for their failures. There are people all around the world that beg for money on a daily basis. Whether these people really use this money to better themselves or spend it on drugs, this is a perfect example of the above mentioned 'moralizing suffering and abuse'.

[lucas-gabriel1]

Williams RQ

1. Explain how debt is entangled in poor people's lives.

With the rich getting richer, the poor do in fact get poorer. The government plays a huge role in this situation. Williams (225) states that the government fails to enact or enforce regulations to rein in greed or protect the people who are vulnerable. Although debt and disease seem unrelated or at the bottom of the list of problems for rich people, these issues are entangled in poor people's lives. Instead of helping poor people, the government does the opposite. For example, banks have pulled branches out of inner cities, replacing them with pawnshops or other businesses that will be more profitable in these areas. These businesses cause poor people to pawn their personal items when they need money for bills and charge an extra fee to get the items back causing debt to rise even more.

2. Explain the author's assertion that 'With bad credit, you are not a full human being anymore.' By what processes would this be true?

In the past 30 years, individual credit reports have become increasingly important. "Your credit report becomes your identity, your rights to be an adult, your right to be a citizen" (Williams 229). Poor people with bad credit are excluded from transactions that the middle-class take advantage of. Many businesses (employers, landlords, rental agents, car dealers, and insurance providers) use credit scores to determine what kind of person an individual is. "With a bad credit history or no credit history, you are dispossessed not only of your resources but of important parts of yourself, your goals, and the possibilities for your life" (Williams 230).

3. There are several disastrous consequences of being poor as outlined by the author. What is the socioeconomic context of illnesses as described by the author?

"Poor people all over the country live shortened lives, often coping with disabling illnesses that afflict them when they are way too young" (Williams 232). Like in the case of redlining, poor people can only afford to live in the poorest parts of cities. These particular communities are often located near waste sites, full of pollution, causing numerous illnesses to occur. The healthcare in these communities are just as bad off, making it nearly impossible for poor people to receive the proper treatment.

[lucas-gabriel1]

Luhrmann RQ

1. The author poses a fundamental oxymoron in that people need help and want that help, but simultaneously see this help as personal failure.  Can you illustrate an example of this contradiction involving individuals and an institution in the United States beyond those discussed by the author?

[lucas-gabriel1]

Schor RQ

1. Find any form of media that demonstrates marketing to children that illustrates the author's thesis of the creation of 'insecure youth'.

http://teenhealth.about.com/od/bodyimage/a/malebodyimage.htm

2. Is 'junk food' a gateway drug? How is food marketing creating conditions for insecurity/fear/anxiety around children and their future?

3. Is permissive parenting leading to potential panics over youth? Or, is it more complex than that? Is there a better way to protect children from marketers and the potential consequences thereof? Speculate.