Cheating: Who Carries the Blame?
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne wears a big, red "A" to represent her sin. The is shamed for being an adulteress. When Hester is standing on the scaffold, she is harangued and judged by her fellow citizens. One citizen believes that Hester has "brought shame upon us all, and ought to die" (Hawthorne 49). Her society considers her act unforgivable and shuns her. Hester and her child are forced to live by themselves and become targets of harassment and shame.
Yet, at this point in the story, no one seems to have the desire to discover who participated in the sin that Hester has committed. The father of Pearl, also committing adultery, is not criticized or blamed by the people of Boston. While Hester is seen as a sinner, the father of her baby remains a secret.
I have witnessed this situation many times in today's society;girls are often the ones to blame for cheating while the guy is "off the hook." Girls who cheat are often called "sluts," or "home wreckers," but to think of hateful terms against boys who cheat takes a longer time for me. In pop culture and even in schools, when people hear of a cheating scandal they often antagonize the girl and disregard the boy. In a cheating scandal that most of our generation has heard about, Kristen Stewart cheated on Robert Pattinson with the director of one of her movies.


On the left, a picture of a magazine post introduces the topic of Kristen's cheating scandal. One can notice the very text in the headline, but it takes more time (and a little bit of squinting) to see who she cheated with. Furthermore, the picture on the left doesn't even state the name of who Stewart cheated with , and if I'm honest I don't know his name to this day.
On the right, the aftermath of Kristen's scandal is exhibited. This is an example of the horrible reputation that females who cheat receive. In this magazine cover, Kristen is accused of cheating again just because she was shooting a movie with Ben Affleck.
Women in society are often shamed more for committing adultery more than men are. This is depicted in The Scarlet Letter and in today's society. Although cheating is a horrible act, only one side seems to face shame while the other is free of hateful remarks.Why?

Can Stereotypes become Assets?

This week we read two passages from different authors regarding stigmas relating to race. In both stories, the characters' races make them appear threatening to others. Sherman Alexie takes advantage of this by purposely conveying fear in a 711 clerk. Brent Staples discusses his frustration with those who are scared of him because of his physical traits. Which approach to dealing with stereotypes is better?

In my life, stereotypes can often be offensive. I am Asian, and I go to Troy High, so one can imagine that I have heard remarks of  inhuman math skills and unique eye shape quite often. But for me, stereotypes that are geared toward my Asian heritage often provide opportunities for me to prove other wrong, which for me can be quite satisfying. For example, many people have approached me in my classes and have said, "Hey Eric, you're Asian. Help me with this problem." This common stereotype that I encounter often gives me the opportunity to say something like, "No. I'm dumb. Just because I'm Asian doesn't mean that I'm a genius." Then I walk away and observe their bewilderment.  Other times people assume that because I am Asian I am afraid of talking to non-Asians. However, those who know me well know that I can ramble as much as I want if my intent is to annoy people. This often comes in handy. I just talk and talk and talk, and by the times I am finished speaking I can tell some are sorry for accepting a common stereotype.  The one thing that can compensate for my anger with those who readily accept racial stereotypes is the satisfaction that I get from proving them wrong.

Suffering

Many people believe that the crisis students across the country face today is bullying. Magazines and the internet make it easier for people to be exposed to the dangers and consequences. People are too often informed of those who have ended their lives to bullying. But not everyone who has been bullied at point of their lives suffer from depression or lack of self confidence. In fact, very often the passion resulting from bullying(and any type of suffering) results in success and prominence in peoples' lives. 

Before I continue, I should emphasize that I am totally opposed to bullying and ridiculing people for who they are. I believe that bullying is wrong and that Karma will punish those who torment and purposefully create pain for others. Although I am against bullying, I've become aware of many success stories from those who have managed to overcome bullying and have harnessed strength to better themselves. I, for one, have used hateful remarks from others as a means of motivation to prove them wrong;through this process, I have managed to become a better, stronger person.

Many celebrities (not all of whom are adored by everyone) have been victims of bullying. Justin Timberlake, nine-time Grammy winner, is one example. In an interview with Ellen, he states that he was bullied for his interest in art and music. "I grew up in Tennessee, and if you didn't play football you were a sissy." Timberlake later states that "everything that you get picked on or you feel makes you weird is essentially what's going to make you sexy as an adult," Timberlake shows that by disregarding the hurtful words of bullies, he was able to believe in himself and achieve success, and he thinks other kids should do the same.

Bullying is not the only means of suffering that causes people to chase success. In The Glass Castle, Walls achieves a better life through her love of writing. She is able to make a living out of journalism and becomes wealthy. This lifestyle differs extremely to the life she had as a child. Her parents neglected her and she was often left hungry for days. Rather than expressing self-pity, Walls assumes responsibility for herself and becomes determined to become successful. To others, she is seen as "the kind of person who would be eating roasted chicken and those on-fire drinks," and she works hard to find success. In class, we determined that Walls used her past experiences and wrote about them to cope with her life. Her suffering as a child sparked a fire that caused her to have passion and yearning for a better life, which she later finds in her novel.

Suffering, though painful and pernicious, is often also an indirect means to success. Whether because of bullying or neglect, those who find themselves victims can often succor their pain by developing motivation and ultimately achieve a better life for themselves.Those who are capable of enduing pain from their past and using it to become stronger are the successful, happy people today.