Religion is a Priority

Since the origin of civilization, people have been following a religion to give them guidance, to develop spirituality, and give them a sort of identity. Many writers since have been writing about God’s significance, power, and wrath. Other than books like the Bible, many writings have served the purpose of influencing people to become more religious and reform themselves so they can achieve Heaven and avoid God’s wrath.

In Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” he wants people to realize how completely sinful they are, and God’s anger with them for being sinful.  He wants them to be aware that it is only by God's salvation that any of them can be rescued from Hell.  He makes it seem that there isn’t anything his audience can do to reach Heaven and that the Congregation deserves damnation. He uses the emotional appeal of fear to convince them of their sins and give them a “Great Awakening.” Although a majority of this piece is negative, he does give good news at the end; if people embrace God and reform themselves to be pleasing to Him, they will be saved from the punishment of eternal damnation. In short, people are inherently sinners and that God is merciful, but only chooses to save few from punishment.

Early religious writers have left a legacy for the people and a precedent for future writers. Some still follow the Puritan themes Edwards discusses in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and continue to be religious, and some have dissented from their religion or totally abandoned it. The variety of religions that are followed today, although conflicting on some controversial beliefs, have achieved one prevailing goal—they have made people aware of both God’s undefined wrath and mercy.  

We Just Want to be Accepted

The widespread diversity and potpourri of cultures in countries across the world, especially countries like the United States of America, has resulted in the loss of cultural identity in people, and what remains of their identity—stereotypes—are the characteristics others choose to place upon you. The rejection of a race or culture in society results in generalizations that can be rather harsh and offensive.  In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie amalgamates humor and sorrow to show that you must break the stereotypes placed on you by society to find out the deeper truth about yourself and your real identity that has been masked by stereotypes your whole life.

                Racism and stereotypes exist because people fear a loss of their own culture. The majority wants to dictate over the minorities in fear that the assimilation of these minorities into their own culture will adulterate their traditions in their own society. When Alexie goes for a drive to blow off steam in a nice residential neighborhood, he gets pulled over by a cop who tells him that he “doesn’t fit the profile of the neighborhood.”(Page 183) The police officer judged Alexie based on that he was a Native American and was probably up to something suspicious. The cop, who doesn’t know Alexie at all, simply worries that the presence of a Native American poses a danger for the neighborhood.

 In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Alexie shows his struggle of fitting into American society and his challenge of breaking people’s personal perceptions of him as a Native American. For example, when Alexie goes to 7-11, the clerk was “…searching for some response that would reassure him that I wasn’t an armed robber. He knew this dark skin and long, black hair of mine was dangerous. I had potential.”(Page 183) After he asks the clerk if he knows the words to “The Brady Bunch” theme song, he breaks the clerk’s stereotypes on him.

                When you don’t fit into the profile of the majority, you are a possible victim to stereotypes. That is why you must stand your ground, like Sherman Alexie, to break the stereotypes that are placed upon you by society.

This is an example of our perception of Native Americans, based on the stereotypes placed upon them by society:

Made to Follow the Majority

How does fear fuel hysteria and mob mentality?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

            “All persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established.”
                                                                  ― Aristotle

Both hysteria and mob mentality are the unique group behavior displaying uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic. People conform to the majority in fear that they will not fit into modern society and they will be looked upon as oddities, thus their social status declines. Many also fall into hysteria and mob mentality because they are afraid to leave their traditional teachings for a new idea. Fear is the main source of mob mentality in society. Unfortunately, very few individuals are free from mob mentality.

Back in the 19^th century, slavery was considered common -- an everyday element of agriculture and commerce in the South, until it was abolished in USA in 1865. Racism and segregation persisted in America till the mid 20^th century. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, a majority of the characters view African Americans no more than tools – plainly because those were the values that they were taught and they fear to leave them. Twain satirizes mob mentality in the feud between the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons; both sides have forgotten the initial reason of the feud, but still keep fighting because they were taught to hate each other. The fear of going astray from traditional teachings and being oddities fuels the mob mentality in society, sometimes keeping people away from doing the morally correct thing to do

Another good example of mob mentality can be found if we go back to the Massachusetts prosecutions and hearings in the late 15^th century, better known as the Salem Witch Trials. Fear of witchcraft spread through the town and Salem fell into mass hysteria with numerous accusations on various people from West Indian servants to prominent townspeople, but mainly women. The Salem Witch Trials ended in 1692 when people finally realized that the stories and accusations on “witches” were made up, but by then, 19 “witches” had already been put to death. The Witch Trials show the foolishness of the Salem townspeople to get caught up in the hysteria of witchcraft just because others were strong believers in it.

After analyzing why people fall into hysteria and mob mentality, it can be concluded that it is indeed fear of leaving traditional values and ethics that seem “moral” that fuels the urge to conform to society and fit in, sometimes leading to harsh consequences such as death.