The Institute of Slavery and the Impact on African Culture

The Institute of Slavery and the Impact on African Culture Free Online Research Papers The institute of slavery was a cruel, violent and a heartless system from its starting places in West Africa to its implementation in the cotton fields of the American south. Though we as a nation have abolished slavery and worked to have equality among all races. We have rarely taken the time to realize the extreme mental and physical stress placed upon African-American people by this cruel system of economics we called slavery. A wise man once said â€Å"In order to understand where you’re going, you must understand where you came from† which means in order to understand the African-American psyche, we must take a journey through this ugly piece of American History. During the 17th and 18th century, the demand for slaves was at its peak. Europe slave traders quickly provide the labor needed. This is how the Middle passage started. The potential of earning a small fortune in the slave trading business was enough of a profit for traders to put aside the fact that Africans were human beings.† In the 1760, in some markets, a trader could sell a male slave for 50 pounds, which was enough to live comfortable for one year. With the promise of making more than a decent living from slave trade, it also became profitable. Traders could not have been successful without the formation of a relationship with the Africans who provide them with other Africans to enslave. In return for providing human cargo to the enslavers, African kidnappers received guns, textiles, iron bars, and other products.†(The Middle Passage, http://afroamhistory.about.com, 3/1/08 ) The African slaves were about to embark on the infamous Middle passage, so called because it was the middle leg of a three-part voyage. A voyage that began and end in Europe. â€Å"The first leg of the voyage carried a cargo that often included iron, cloth, brandy, firearms, and gunpowder. Upon landing on Africa’s â€Å"Slave Coast,’’ the cargo was exchanged for sugar, tobacco, or some other product. The final leg brought the ship back to Europe.†(The Middle Passage, pbs.org,3/1/2008). Captains of slave ships were known as either â€Å"loose packers† or â€Å"tight packers†, depending upon how many slaves they crammed into the space they had. Most ships, especially those of the later 18th century, were â€Å" tight packers†, carrying a huge quality of slaves who were often forced to lie in spaces smaller than that of grave, or in some cases stacked spoon-fashion on top of one another.†( Hell Bellow Deck (life on the slave ship), http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu,3/1/2008) Once at sea, the slaves were brought up out of their steamy dungeon each morning. The men’s leg-irons were linked to a chain running down the center of the ship to prevent suicide attempts. On some ship they were made to dance for exercise. The slave would receive their meal, usually the same as the first. While on deck a good captain had the slaves washed down with warm vinegar and scrubbed. Some did not bother and in rough weather the slaves would not be allowe d out at all. â€Å"Shackled in darkness and filth, seasickness and disease were rife. The heat in the hold could be over 30 degrees Celsius and the slaves would have no access to toilets or washing facilities. Extreme foulness was the smell of slave ships that other vessels try to stayed far away from them. In such conditions disease spread, and many slaves died.†(The Middle Passage, headleypark.edu, 3/1/2008) Other deaths can be attributed to the Africans being faced with the horrible conditions of the voyage. The unknown future that lay beyond, many Africans preferred to die. But even the choice of suicide was taken away from these people. From the captain’s point of view, his human cargo was extremely valuable and had to be kept alive and, if possible, uninjured. A slave who tried to starve him or her self was tortured. If torture did not work, the slave was forced fed with the help of a contraption called a speculum orum, which held the mouth open. Eventually, after the hard 3,700-mile voyage, the slave would reach North America. In order to strengthen them before sale, the slaves were normally fed better in the days directly before their arrival in the new world, however their suffering was far from over. Before the could be sold, the slaves would be oiled to make their skin shinny and any imperfections, such as scars from whipping, would be filled in with hot tar in order to improve their appearance and get the best market price. Most slave ship would not be allowed to dock in the ports, which they could not due to their horrible stench and the fear of the spread of any diseases, which had been spread throughout the ship. Therefore, the slavers would drop anchor a few miles off shore and carry slaves to land the slaves in land in smaller boats, which had been stored aboard the ship. After arriving on land, almost all slaves were separated from there loved ones and sold off to different households never to see each other again . Slavery in the south was hard. Over 4 million enslaved African Americans lived throughout the south by 1860. Most of these slaves were agriculture laborers, either on a small farm of large plantation. These slaves worked from sunrise to sunset. Women worked the same hours as the men and pregnant women were expected to continue until their child was born. Most slaves worked in cotton tobacco, or sugar fields. A few slaves held specialized jobs as artisans, skilled laborers, and factory workers. An even smaller number of slaves worked as cooks, butlers, or maids. The law provided slaves with virtually no protection from their masters. On large plantations this power was delegated to overseers. These men were under considerable pressure for plantation owners to maximize profits. They did this by bulling the slaves in increase productivity. The punishment used against slaves judged to be under-performing included the use of the whip. Sometimes slave-owners resorted to mutilating and br anding their slaves. Some punishments were associated with certain areas. According to William Wells Brown, slave owners in Virginia smoked slaves. This involved whipping the slaves and putting them in a tobacco smokehouse. â€Å" Moses Roper claimed that in South Carolina they used to â€Å"drive nails into a coffin like box, so as to leave the point of the nail protruding in the side of the cast. In this he used to put slaves for punishment, and roll them down a very long and steep hill.† ( Slave Punishments (Testimonials), www.spartacus.net,3/1/2008) Lewis Clarke, a house slave in Kentucky, describe in his autobiography the different methods use by his mistress: â€Å"instruments of torture were ordinarily the raw hide, or a bunch a hickory- sprouts seasoned in the fire and tied together. But if these were not at hand, she would use beat him with a chair, the broom, tongs, shovel, shears, knife-handle, the heavy heel of her slipper, and an oak club, a foot and a half in length and an inch and a half square. With this delicate weapon she would beat us upon the hands and upon the feet until they were blistered.† ( Slave Punishments (Testimonials), www.spartacus.net, 3/1/08) Another method slave owners use to control slaves, was what I call the Willie Lynch method. This is a portion of the letter he wrote, to explain his method.† I have a foolproof method for controlling your black slaves. I guarantee every one of you than if installed correctly it will control the slaves; for at least 300 hundred years. My method is simple. Any member of the family overseer can use it. I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves; and I take these differences and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust and envy for control purpose. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and it will work throughout the south. Take this simple little list of differences and think about them. On the top of my list is age but it’s there only because it starts with of plantations, status on plantation, attitude of owners, whether the slaves live in the valley, on a hill, east, west, north, south, have fine hair or course hair, are tall or short. Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action, but before that, I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust and envy is stronger adulation or admiration. The black slaves after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self refueling and self-generation for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Do not forget you must pitch the old black male vs. the young black male, and the young black male against the old black male. You must use the dark skin slaves vs. the light skin slaves, and the light s kin slaves vs. the dark skin slaves. You must use female vs. male. And the male vs. the female. You must also have your white servants and overseers distrust all blacks. But it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend on us. They must love, respect and trust only us. Gentleman, these kits are your keys to control. Use them. Have your wives and children use them, never miss an opportunity. If use intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful. Thank you gentleman.† (The Willie Lynch letter (1712),osirisgroup.org,3/1/2008) This method still acted out among some African Americans today. This is called Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder. The Theory of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome is that centuries of slavery followed by systemic racism and oppression have resulted in multigenerational adaptive behaviors, some of which have been positive and reflective of resilience, and others that are detrimental and destructive( Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Leagcy of Enduring Injury and Healing. This is common in African Americans that are 60 years or older or has been spread from generation to generation. What it is, is a slave like mentality, if you have children you treat them according to their color, age and sex. People who have this disorder usually severely beat their children and call them names such as nigger as slave owners did. Willie Lynch’s method is also portrayed in today’s African American youth. By calling each other nigger, which was a word used to degrade the African Am erican slaves. As well as the staggering number of African American men in our prison system compared to our other racial counter parts. As African-American we have been treated as an inferior race for over a decade. Even during the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s, we were still beaten by police and made to sit in the back of the bus. As well, as forced to go to separate schools and to use separate facilities as our white counter parts. Though our generation didn’t have to deal with the extremes of this racism, these stories and hostilities are still passed from generation to generation. In conclusion, the institute of slavery was a cruel, violent and a heartless system from its starting places in West Africa to its implementation in the cotton fields of the America south. Though we as a nation have abolished slavery and worked to have equality among all races. We have rarely taken the time to realize the extreme mental and physical stress placed upon African-American people by this cruel system of economics we called slavery. In order to start the healing process , I feel we must as a people start to recognize this slave like mentality and break threw this state of mind as well as the habits that come with it. Research Papers on The Institute of Slavery and the Impact on African Culture19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHip-Hop is ArtBringing Democracy to AfricaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoDefinition of Export QuotasCapital PunishmentNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropePETSTEL analysis of India

Women, Voice Pitch Authority, and Gender Bias

Women, Voice Pitch Authority, and Gender Bias Do we respond differently to the sound of a voice based on its gender? Do mens voices have more authority and are womens voices more friendly? These questions skim the surface of an overlooked aspect of gender discrimination bias that arises from how we judge a female voice, especially pitch. Typically, gender bias against women is rooted in optics. We look at hair color, body shape, size, weight, height, physical attractiveness and make assumptions. Clothing, skirt length, and style of attire provide visual cues that fuel stereotypes and feed into gender expectations. Take away sight and we still jump to conclusions, but now the pitch of a womans voice becomes the yardstick by which we measure her worth. Picture the stereotypical dumb blonde. How does she sound? Either we imagine her voice as high and squeaky, or soft and breathy like Marilyn Monroe. Its sexy, but it doesnt convey authority or increase trust. Going Low To gain authority, women have long believed that its better to pitch their voices lower. And experts have discovered that most women are following that dictum. Over the past 50 years, womens voices have dropped significantly. Although womens voices normally register a full octave higher than mens voices, today theyre just 2/3rds of an octave higher. The most prominent example of this vocal divide can be seen in the media where an enormous distinction exists between the types of products sold by female voices and those pitched by male voices. At first glance, it might appear that women and men enjoy parity based on the number of voiceovers on TV commercials. Womens voices are commonplace in commercials that sell everyday household items such as dishwashing detergent, toilet bowl cleaners, diapers, paper towels. But commercials selling big-ticket items such as cars and trucks are largely the domain of male voices. Thats because of the sexual politics surrounding how we perceive male and female voices. Writing for the UK website the New Humanist, Sally Feldman observes: [Theres] a basic difference between the way men and women tend to speak. Whereas men often breathe from their abdomen, women are more likely to constrict their voices to an upper range which allows less variety and less control. In a recent collection of essays, Well-Tuned Women, Kristin Linklater writes: â€Å"When a high voice connects with a strong impulse based, for instance, in anger or fear, it becomes shrill, strident, screechy, piercing, nasal, penetrating, sharp, squeaky or brassy and generally unpleasant to the point of causing major distress in the hearers.† Men, on the other hand, with their deeper voices and richer tones, find it easier to convey authority and control. It’s partly physiological. Men’s voices are lower than women’s because they have a larger larynx, developed in the Adam’s apple at puberty, and longer, thicker vocal folds.... Anne Karpf [author of The Human Voice] argues that men have come to assert power through their deep voices and resonant tones to such an extent that â€Å"pitch has become a weapon in the gender wars. Men in Control Look beyond TV commercials and youll see how effectively men have wielded the power of pitch in the gender wars. Ever notice there are no female announcers on game shows? asks veteran voice actor Lora Cain. None serve as announcers on TV talk shows, and very few do network promos or movie trailers two of the most prestigious and highly-coveted jobs in the voiceover industry. According to Cain, statistics bear this out. Men do 80% of the voice work while women accounting for only 20%. Why does gender discrimination exist in a field where its not how you look but how you sound? Cain feels its because those positions of clout that determine whether a voice will be male or female namely, writers and directors are held primarily by men. The key is more women writers and women directors, she observed in a recent phone interview. If there were more women writers, thered be more of a tendency to say, Lets consider a woman for this. Opening Doors for Women Voiceover professional Lora Cain is one of just a handful of women competing at the upper levels of this male-dominated field, and shes acutely aware of how the deck is stacked against female announcers and women voice actors. Theres this belief that women dont sound good in certain situations or that women dont like to listen to women. Wheres the logic in that? she argues. Women talk to each other, and women make 80% of the buying decisions in this country. But when a woman wants advice on what to buy, shes not as likely to ask her male partner as she is a female friend...or even another woman standing in line at the bathroom. Thats just what women do. So, of course, we listen to other women. We seek out each others opinions. We are  our greatest resource. Im hoping that we can change that belief little by little. Cain credits changing opinions in the industry as opening doors for women. Whats popular now is the real person sound. Its created new opportunities and thats really wonderful. But women are still shut out of certain jobs where theres an expectation that you need to have a certain weight behind your voice. Some say that women dont have that, but thats not true. She cites Randy Thomas  as a woman with vocal weight. Described as the most recognized female voice in America,  Thomas is best known as the voice of the TV show  Entertainment Tonight  and the Hooked on Phonics commercials. Thomas shattered the voiceover glass ceiling in 1993 when she became the first female announcer of the Academy Awards. Since then, shes done the Oscars at least seven times as well as the Miss America Pageant and the Democratic National Convention. Shes the first announcer male or female to hit the trifecta of announcing the Big Three Awards the Oscars, the Tonys and the Primetime Emmys in a single year. Confidence Thomas has broken out of the pack of female voice talent due to that authoritative voice, as Cain describes it. You hear it and you believe her. This authority and forcefulness is ultimately the biggest hurdle facing women in the voiceover industry and in business as well. Listeners, like clients and co-workers, are more willing to place their trust in the voice that sounds confident and assured. The Count Is In A March 2010 AdweekMedia/Harris Poll  bears out these findings. Researchers asked participants to listen to male and female voiceovers in commercials and judge them based on various criteria. When asked who sounded more forceful, 48% chose the male voiceover while only 2% chose the female. When asked who sounded more soothing, respondents overwhelmingly chose the female voiceover 48% vs. only 8% for the male. Both genders were regarded as equally persuasive with 18% choosing the male voiceover vs. 19% choosing the female. Yet when it comes to major purchases, authority seems to trump soothing or persuasive. When asked which voiceover would be more likely to sell them on buying a car or a computer, respondents chose the male voice 3-4 times more often than the female; only 7% chose the female voice in either situation. In comparison, 28% of respondents felt the male voiceover was more likely to sell them a car, and 23% felt they were more likely to buy a computer based on the male voice. The problem is that we hear gender first and form assumptions about the speaker even before we have a chance to assess timbre, pitch, speed, clarity, and other vocal qualities that might establish authority or trust. Unfortunately, hearing gender isnt all that different from seeing gender when we discriminate based on sex alone and assign characteristics to physical traits often arbitrarily, stereotypically, and unfairly. Crossing Barriers Like Thomas, Cain has come up against the structural bias inherent in an industry where voices are judged by how well they sell. Shes been taking a crack at another glass ceiling announcing TV game shows as the only woman among half a dozen candidates vying to announce the popular syndicated show  Wheel of Fortune.  When the shows longtime male announcer passed away in November 2010, Caine pushed for the producer to consider a woman. Although there are no female announcers on any games shows currently in production, Cain is optimistic, noting, We go through these cycles in the 80s and 90s women could be heard as announcers on game shows although they were mostly cable channels. When she pointed out to  Wheel of Fortune  executive producer Harry Friedman that there were no other women announcers on TV game shows today, he was willing to give her a shot. Although the person behind the voice usually remains invisible, Cains putting her thoughts forward along with her voice to make audiences aware that women are capable of doing the same quality work as men, just as they do in every other career field. Im calling attention to this, Cain explains, because we need to recognize when women cross these barriers. At the same time, however, it would be nice to have viewers listen to someone like Randy Thomas and think, Oh, she sounds great instead of focusing solely on the fact that, Oh, thats a woman. Sources Camber, Rebecca.  Why women who want to get ahead get a husky voice.  DailyMail.co.uk.Dolliver, Mark. How People React to Male vs. Female Voiceovers.  Adweek.com. 8 March 2010.Feldman, Sally.  Speak up.  NewHumanist.org.uk.Hendrickson, Paula. Choice Voice. EMMY Magazine at RandyThomasVO.com.