Evolving Opportunities

I am in awe of how fast the town of Immokalee developed. It's truly amazing what happens when people come together for a main cause. In this case it was to farm, and like one of the men in the video described, it truly was like a bee hive. Immokalee has developed from a unique agricultural society to an industrial and diverse society where not only are there farmers, but railroads, casinos, and even a technology park. The future of Immokalee surely seems bright and I hope it continues to expand and grow culturally.

Outposts of Opportunity

I find it extremely important and interesting to learn about your environment and the people that are a part of it. As I watched "Outposts of Opportunity" it was very clear to me that the town of Immokalee has undergone so many changes. They started out as a town that housed mostly Seminole Indians to a town made up of pioneers and cattlemen where the sound of a train's whistle is anything but unfamiliar. The town of Immokalee is very different from where I am from. Orlando may very well be the complete opposite of Immokalee in the sense that it's all about technology, attractions, and nightlife. I have never seen any open land in Orlando much less farms. I believe Immokalee is representative of the farmer's American dream. They can have their land and raise cattle, horses etc and not have to sit in an office to feel successful. The future of Immokalee will unfortunately be driven by power hungry politicians such as Governor Brown who wanted to drain out the Everglades. I hope that Immokalee will retain it's vivid culture and not be forced to change.

A Quilt of a Country: Out of Many, One? By: Anna Quindlen

The author starts out by explaining how our country is one of a kind. "A mongrel nation" (Quindlen pg. 15) where there are people from every background or religion that you can think of, all living together, sharing the same streets and avenues. We tolerate each other, yet we sometimes avoid walking on certain streets because we are avoiding certain people of a background or religion. The author explains how much of the stories told of our nation are based on the notion of bigotry rather than tolerance. Children in schools are taught all about slavery, racism, women's denied rights to vote and the murder of gays all throughout history, yet we all unify when we have one common enemy.

The author explains with the end of the Cold War, there was a slight concern in the back of everyone's head that without a main focus of a common enemy, we would now focus on our ethnicity's enemies, our religious enemies etc.

The study in 1994 by the National Opinion Research Center found that a majority of those surveyed believed that America was a unique country where it consists entirely of refugees from other countries and how it was truly special how we could coexist peacefully.

Response:

I find it truly amazing how this nation consists purely of refugees and how we coexist. It's amazing to be living in a place where I can experience and learn about other cultures and religions from a direct source and probably from many people I have gotten to know. It is sad to see how much prejudice still lurks in America and even though we "tolerate" each other, there are still prideful people who complain and make life difficult for those who are new or different. What is even more upsetting is that the only way for us to unite is to find one common enemy. This can lead to opportunities for the power hungry individual who uses fear as a way to manipulate people. People in nature are fearful of "the Other", someone who differs from societies approval. Therefore when the Other introduces himself into our society we immediately exclude him. Fear of "the Other" can be helpful in creating a united nation where everyone follows the same ideals and beliefs and excludes the rest of the world, but it does not work in America and not to mention the idea itself being fundamentally and morally wrong. It happens in in our country and that in itself is the ultimate conundrum, how can we live in a nation where we exclude and treat each other based on our beliefs and yet abide by the laws that everyone is created equal.

About Me

My name is Yenny Castro, I was born in Bogota', Colombia but raised between Medellin, Colombia and Orlando, Florida. I am a sophomore at FGCU, and am really enjoying my classes so far. I am double majoring in Criminal Forensic Science and Psychology. I have a 17 year old brother and an 8 year old sister, both whom I love dearly. I love to be around my family and to go out with my friends.