Rima Reveals...

In David Foster Wallace’s piece, “Consider the Lobster,” he makes a rather bold statement:   “To be a mass tourist, for me, is to become a pure late-date American: alien, ignorant, greedy for something you cannot ever have, disappointed in a way you can never admit…It is to impose yourself on places that in all non-economic ways would be better, realer, without you.”   As an avid traveler, I tend to disagree with Wallace’s point of view.   His statement appears to be one of subjectivity; I mean depending on who you are/where you’ve been, your opinion could vary widely . I have spent a good portion of my life touring cities around the world, and never once have I felt “greedy for something [I] cannot ever have.” In fact, I feel quite the opposite. Every time I visit a new part of the world, I feel so thankful and blessed to experience such a journey – trying local foods, seeing the beautiful scenery, exploring ancient areas, meeting new people, etc. I don’t feel as...

This was me when I first read Brandy's piece Once upon a time , deep in the world’s profound abysses, there existed a society where women were viewed and valued as the utmost powerful human beings. Everyone respected females and no one dared mess with them. Women were entitled to their own personal husband(s) – someone who cooked, cleaned, managed the children he supplied (only if the women wanted them of course), took care of the family schedule, and that of the like. My god, who wouldn’t want a husband?     This sadly fictitious nation exemplifies a norm that is the exact opposite of the way gender roles work today . In fact, the current demanding nature of men in society is perfectly illustrated through Judy Brandy’s rhetoric in her piece, “I Want a Wife.”   Brandy states she wants a wife who : “arrange[s] to lose time at work…and pay for the care of the children,” will “do the cleaning up while [Brandy does her] studying”, “is sensitive to [Brandy’s] sexual...

Deborah Tannen claims that “there is no unmarked woman,” and that men, unlike women, have “the option of being unmarked.” I’ve been thinking about Tannen’s words lately and I can surely say I agree with her wholeheartedly. When walking down the street, or in the halls at school, most people can say that they pay more attention to women than men. Women’s fashion tends to stand out more than men’s. Honestly, women make a statement about themselves no matter what they wear – assumptions are automatically made about them based on their appearance and they can further be classified. I mean, we even have stereotypical names like “the basic white girl” for females, but why isn’t their “the basic white guy” for males’ appearance? Men can choose whether or not they are marked. They can choose to wear everyday ordinary clothes like sweats, jeans, plain shirts, etc. or business attire like a suit, slacks, etc. Most of the time, people don’t think twice when they see a male in passing,...

On a recent trip to my local Kroger, I witnessed an event that not only surprised me, but it also left me thinking hard. What better time to share this story than now - considering the fact that it fits perfectly into what we have been discussing in my English class lately. As Brent Staples puts it, I witnessed a human being’s ability to “alter public space in ugly ways.”                 I was waiting in line at the self-checkout area one night and a young African American male was standing in front of me. He fit the stereotypical description of a black man from Detroit – saggy pants, a hoodie, boots, the whole look. Needless to say, he seemed a little out of place in a predominantly white area (Troy). I didn’t notice this at first until after the incident. He seemed to me like any tired person just waiting to pay for their groceries and go home to their family. However, I started to realize people stari...