P4+MAronson

Let's face it: noboody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. But the fight between good and evil, right and wrong, isn't always so black and white. Everyone is influenced by their upbringings and surroundings.

athe process of dehumanization has been recorded over and over again throughout history. It is defined as being morally wrong and unethical, however, many situations that are wrong are ignored. For instance, race is mentioned in John Steinbeck's, "The Grapes of Wrath." "They don't need much. They wouldn't know what to do with good wages. Why, look how they live. Why, look what they eat. And if they get funny--deport them." (Ch. 19) Time after time men and women have fought for equality of the races. It is a battle we obviously must keep fighting. In Steinbeck's novel, he illustrates many times the injustice and hate raged against foreign ethnicities. "Jesus Christ! I'd shoot 'em for dog feed first!" (Ch. 9)

We walk past them everyday. Whether there's a glance, a stare, or words and money exchanged, we've all seen homeless people. They've become almost invisible in society and been marked, "undesireables." If "home is where the heart is" like Anna Quindlen quotes in "Homeless," these people are simply just houseless! Our society is in the process of dehumanizing them by calling them homeless."We turn an adjective into a noun: the poor, not poor people; the homeless, not Ann or the man who lives in the box..." ("Homeless") How is being poor wring? Society has told us so, and misinformed us all. If anything, we who don't notice them at all, are wrong.

The government also plays a large part in its people's concepts of right and wrong. Laws and rules are set up to keep people in line. However, it is the people's duty to questions these laws to see if they are just. In Henry Thoreau's, "Civil Disobedience," he state's that "It is not a man's duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous wrong." However, is is a man's duty to question all. Just like Lars Eighner asks, "What is safe to eat?" and has a process of evaluating the condition of food, so must we with laws of the government. ("Dumpster Diving")

All people are effected by their surroundings. Steinbeck makes this point many times in his novel. "And the families learned although no one told them what rights are monsterous and must be destroyed." (Ch. 20) Without even knowing, one subconsciously picks up many things from their surroundings.

One's environment is very important in the influence of one's attitude. As individuals, we must question everything. That way, we can decide what is truly right and good. All this is done to stop the dehumanization process. It is a long road, but one we must take as humans.