Topic for Inquiry Contract

I read an article on the problem of jails becoming crowded with mentally ill inmates due to the shutting down of many state hospitals. I found the information interesting but also horrifying so I read a book on it. Pete Earley, a journalist, wrote the book "Crazy" which was a combination of his own story about his son and also his own research. He focused on the Miami Dade County Jail, which houses the most mentally ill patients in one facility, and talked with staff at the jail, doctors, judges, law enforcement officers, and inmates. The conditions are far from optimal and in some ways inhumane. Inmates are first prescribed medication from which the jail has connections with the manufacturer even if that is not what is needed. Many people suffering from mental illness get pushed through the "revolving doors" of the jail because of repeat offenses which can be linked to insufficient or nonexistent treatment. Although many officers are trained to deal with such people, there are still many unnecessary altercations and tragedies that occur due to a lack of knowledge and training. According to the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are currently 1.25 million inmates suffering from some type of disorder. Because of deinstitutionalization, jails have become mental hospitals where inmates are not receiving appropriate treatment.

Ideas

I don't want to research any ideas related to politics such as the war or global warming. I would be interested in a health issue possibly related to psychology, but I'm not sure on the specific issue. The only ideas I have right now are related to different treatment options/requirements, commitment, etc.

Proposal Argument

In her letter to the CEO of Stone's End Restaurant and Brewery, Laurel Wilson presents the problem that servers make more money than hosts because they receive tips. She states that hosts do an equal amount or more work than servers and that the difference in wages is unfair. She presents her argument in a reasonable way and suggests possible solutions. She also uses her personal story in an attempt to make her point more valid. However, her argument comes across as very self-serving considering she only uses herself as an example and it seems like she's whining. She doesn't really provide any facts and uses personal opinions instead to support her argument.

C.P. Ellis

I think his story does offer credible way of overcoming hatred and misunderstanding between races. The method told about uses communication between people of differences to solve dislikes and tensions. He says, "I didn't until I met a black person and talked with him, eyeball to eyeball, and met a Jewish person and talked to him, eyeball to eyeball. I found out they're people just like me." This shows that it is easy to hate a group of people, but more difficult to hate an individual person. By talking about issues between different races and religious, for example, people saw that there wasn't a great deal of different between them. This realization allowed them to discard their hostility towards each other. I think that this method to get rid of discrimination is possible, but difficult to achieve. In order for it to work, both sides would need to be committed to solving the problem. Although I think some would be willing, many would oppose. I think it is possible to use this method to help discrimination, but I don't think it would work to solve it completely on a large scale.

The Pressure to Cover

Mainstream is a myth because no one is normal. Everyone has differences, but most people cover them up to appear to be mainstream. I think that mainstream person is someone who the majority of the population views as typical of our society. This doesn't mean that everyone in our society would like or want to be a mainstream person, but they have to pretend to be that mainstream person to be accepted by society. I think that Yoshino makes good points to defend that mainstream is a myth by giving examples that everyone covers something. People cover small and large things only because they believe that will make them appear to be mainstream.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl - Credibility

"And now, reader, I come to a period in my unhappy life, which I would gladly forget if I could. The remembrance fills me with sorrow and shame. It pains me to tell you of it; but I have promised to tell you the truth, and I will do it honestly; let it cost me what it may." (46)
She makes it clear that it is difficult for her to write and this shows how much slavery has impacted her. It lets the reader know that she is taking a risk by writing this, but she also says that she will tell the truth. She also uses certain language, description, and often imagery to make her stories seem real and appeal to people's emotions.

Freedom

Emily Flint tries to find Linda so Linda hides. Mrs. Bruce offers to buy Linda, but Linda doesn't like the idea of being passed on from owner to owner and being bought and sold. Mrs. Bruce buys Linda anyway and frees her. Linda is appreciative of being free but is frustrated with the whole system of slavery.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

It is important that this book is fact and not fiction because fact is more real and believable. The fact that the events in the book are real makes it easier for people to make a real connection. It appeals to people's emotions with real facts. Many people would expect for a slave to write in the type of language used and that just reinforces credibility. If it was edited, there could also have been some question on whether the content was modified. Just like “What to the Slave is the Forth of July?” which was from the viewpoint of a slave, it gives an inside look.