US-Mexico Border and Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

US-Mexico Border and Racism - Essay Example Both Sweatt v. Painter and the Brown v. Board of Education case were decided to grant equality and abandoning of state-based segregation laws and the based case that was overturned was Plessy v. Furgerson. In Smith v. Allwright, (1944), the United States Supreme Court decided to keep in view the voting rights and the racial desegregation. This decision resulted in the overturning of the utilization of all-white primaries by the Democratic Party in Texas as well as in other states. It was claimed by Texas that the Democratic Party, being a private party is permitted to set its membership rules and regulations. However, the Court agreed that the restrained primary refused Smith his defense under the law. All three cases addressed the issue of racial segregation that was sponsored by state laws and in each case, the Supreme Court decided to eliminate discrimination on the basis of races and provided the ways for integration within all communities residing in a shared state (Foote 50). A nswer 5 Communities residing along the border of Mexico and the United States have a significant commonality, including two desserts, a shared history, rapidly growing population, deepening integration economically as well as thriving tourism. The routine life of individuals living along both sides of the border is influenced by these general elements, in addition to the distinguishing characteristic of an international border that separates friends, families as well as businesses. This international border draws closeness amongst two immensely unlike countries while at the same time dividing local communities of excessive similarity.  

Discuss whether or not the media is a reliable source of knowledge Essay

Discuss whether or not the media is a reliable source of knowledge about crime and criminality, and utilise examples to illustrate the concept of 'media and moral panics' - Essay Example Determining the crime rate based solely on reported crime and number of arrests can be inaccurate because not all crime is reported and not all arrests turn into convictions. According to Crimestoppers U.K. (2009), recorded crime provides a majority of the crime statistics and can determine the amount of police manpower necessary to keep crime in check. However, it is the surveys that provide more valuable information about unreported crime. Crimestoppers states that â€Å"The BCS (British Crime Survey) count also gives a better indication of trends in crime over time because it is unaffected by changes in levels of reporting to the police and in police recording practices.† In Pfeiffer’s (2007) preface, she states that her motivation to write a book about mentally ill persons in prison stems from a statistic regarding suicide that had been prepared about conditions of New York State prisons. In her further research, the high suicide rate that she had read about turned out to be a conservative figure. Pfeiffer realized that the statistics reported were grossly inaccurate and decided that she needed to find out the truth for herself. Throughout her book, she follows the stories of six mentally ill inmates who ultimately took their own lives. On page eleven Pfeiffer states, â€Å"When people commit suicide, rarely is the information released to the public. When reporters ask for it, they are given minimal details and told to wait for official reports.† Pfeiffer’s discovery opens another aspect to why the media is not always an entirely reliable source of information regarding crime. A reporter can only relay the facts they are given. The reporter has no choice but to relay the information he has been given, and if the information is inaccurate that is how it will be reported. Where the information comes from initially plays a huge role in the accuracy of the report. Leighton (2007) states that, â€Å"Statistics are tricky. For every statistic designed to