Zeitoun
Zeitoun
Have you even judged someone on who he or she is or what they looked like? And have you ever had a bad experience or traumatic experience happens and you looked for someone or something to blame, but in reality there was nothing to blame? Well, a natural disaster can be blamed on no one, but in times like that emotions run wild and blame can be put on someone who fits a certain profile. Racism and Hurricane Katrina were two forces that clashed together to create an even bigger problem for the victims. This is caused by an insecurity of the situation at hand. In the book Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, racism and racial profiling is the underlying themes in the story. These themes are also the underlying themes of people who are subjected to this every day of their lives. Racism and profiling in America today are two growing factors due to the terrorist attack on September 11th, the war in the Middle East, and the fact that most people think that people from the Middle East are terrorists. Zeitoun’s story should be told so that the people who are not subjected to racism and profiling can get a taste of how a person who has done nothing but good for himself, his family and neighbors can just instantly be subjected to misperceptions of others because they are scared from a traumatic experience. To judge another person without knowing them is wrong, even though everyone does it, but to accuse a person of something without knowing is worse. Zeitoun was accused of crimes, thrown in jail, thought to be a terrorist, and treated not as an American citizen, but as an alien.
According to Mollyann Brodie, Hurricane Katrina hit land on August 29, 2005, as a category four hurricane, causing great damage throughout the Gulf Coast region and also basically destroying the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Abdulrahman Zeitoun was a victim of this hurricane, making him a victim of racism. For Zeitoun, being a Muslim made him no different than any other person, except for some
Have you even judged someone on who he or she is or what they looked like? And have you ever had a bad experience or traumatic experience happens and you looked for someone or something to blame, but in reality there was nothing to blame? Well, a natural disaster can be blamed on no one, but in times like that emotions run wild and blame can be put on someone who fits a certain profile. Racism and Hurricane Katrina were two forces that clashed together to create an even bigger problem for the victims. This is caused by an insecurity of the situation at hand. In the book Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, racism and racial profiling is the underlying themes in the story. These themes are also the underlying themes of people who are subjected to this every day of their lives. Racism and profiling in America today are two growing factors due to the terrorist attack on September 11th, the war in the Middle East, and the fact that most people think that people from the Middle East are terrorists. Zeitoun’s story should be told so that the people who are not subjected to racism and profiling can get a taste of how a person who has done nothing but good for himself, his family and neighbors can just instantly be subjected to misperceptions of others because they are scared from a traumatic experience. To judge another person without knowing them is wrong, even though everyone does it, but to accuse a person of something without knowing is worse. Zeitoun was accused of crimes, thrown in jail, thought to be a terrorist, and treated not as an American citizen, but as an alien.
According to Mollyann Brodie, Hurricane Katrina hit land on August 29, 2005, as a category four hurricane, causing great damage throughout the Gulf Coast region and also basically destroying the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Abdulrahman Zeitoun was a victim of this hurricane, making him a victim of racism. For Zeitoun, being a Muslim made him no different than any other person, except for some
Cited: Adams, Glenn, Laurie T. O’Brien, and Jessica C. Nelson. "Perceptions Of Racism In Hurricane Katrina: A Liberation Psychology Analysis." Analyses Of Social Issues & Public Policy 6.1 (2006): 215-235. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Alan M. Zaslavsky, et al. "Recovery From PTSD Following Hurricane Katrina.” Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269) 28.6 (2011): 439-446. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Brodie, Mollyann, et al. "Experiences of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Houston shelters: implications for future planning." Journal Information 96.8 (2006). Carl F. Weems, et al. "Sleep Fears, Sleep Disturbance, And PTSD Symptoms In Minority Youth Exposed To Hurricane Katrina." Journal Of Traumatic Stress 24.5 (2011): 575-580. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Eggers, Dave. Zeitoun. New York: Vintage, 2010. Print. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]." Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]. N.p., 16 Apr. 1963. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html>. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: The Management of PTSD in Adults and Children in Primary and Secondary Care. London: Published by Gaskell and the British Psychological Society, 2005. Print.