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What Divides People?

January 2017

In today's society in school, at home, and in politics especially, we tend to separate ourselves from specific people because of our opinions. In the past this has happened, like in Salem in 1692, people have divided each other under lies and revenge.  In the play, "The Crucible," witch trials are taking place because of the jealousy and lies that people have made up of people dividing people into 3 groups; the accused's side, the the accusing's side and the undetermined.  For example the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump from the 2016 American Presidential Election, even though the election is over people are still carrying out the problems with the way the votes were counted. This is splitting the country into 3 separate groups; the Trump supporters, Hillary supporters, and the undecided.  People everyday divide into subcultures of bigger cultures. Different values on certain topics, government influences, and lying to one another divides people because not everyone has grown up, or was taught the same beliefs and morals. 

In many instances we have lied to each other to keep ourselves safe from punishment, but we end up separating from others in the end, and dividing the people around us.   In the book "The Crucible," by Arthur Miller, Abigail, Mary Warren and Betty are caught dancing in the woods and are accused of witchcraft.  To not get in any trouble, Abigail threatens Mary Warren and Betty not to tell anyone about what had happened that night.  "...with a confidential, wicked air.  We were dancin' in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us." (Abigail page 20)  After Abigail said this she already started to draw her line between Betty, Mary, and her, from everyone in the town.  Later she decides to draw another line pretending to be "taken over by the devil" and saying that specific women in the town are working for lucifer.  She causes over 20 people to be hanged, and more waiting.  "Abigail: I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil! Betty: I saw Goody Bibber with the Devil! Abigail: I saw Goody Booth with the Devil!" (page 53)  After 39 people have been convicted by Abigail you can start to see the two other groups starting to form.  If Abigail hadn't lied in the first place there wouldn't have been this many deaths in Salem, but at the same time Abigail was the one to end the Salem Witch Trials saving more people in the future.  So if she hadn't divided everyone to show true colors, they could still be going on now. 

After the 2016 presidential election, people swarmed the streets chanting negatively about trump.  This first uprising sparked many other riots throughout the country, sending Trump supporters into a panic, and leaving them afraid to leave their homes because of the attacks on them happening around the country.  "Police said at least 500 people swarmed on streets in and around UCLA, some shouting 'f**k Trump' and..."Not my president!"" This type of divide has torn apart schools, and businesses, spreading racism and hate throughout the country.  These riots have come to Hillary vs Trump in the worse ways for some.  American flags are being burned every other day.  Marches, and "campfires" are popping up in time square, oregan, and even washington, the capital of our country.  People are cheering on these fights, and the burning of a flag that symbolizes a country's freedom, and all the lives lost to help us all stay united under the same name, being American.  "In New York, where both candidates were based, fights broke out between rival fans in Times Square as tempers flared."  We have discarded our morals from growing up to separate from the people we have grown close to.  My sociology teacher just told my class about how she had to unfriend 7 people on Facebook, because she couldn't stand to see what they were saying about the whole thing.  We all used to believe in a country where everyone is equal, but now we just care about who we think is right and wrong.  With governing powers taking problems into the wrong direction, we as a divided country make the rash decisions to change the ballets of the 2016 presidential election.  ()

Having different values in the world to the people around you can affect how people see you as a person, and whether or not certain people would be in the same subculture as you.  When I was growing up I was always taught to believe what I thought was real, meaning what i believe as in religion, leadership, education, and to always stick by those things no matter what.  This taught me to have my own morals, and to not listen to what others have to say if they believe I am wrong in certain situations.  "You can't be on the fence about your religion." (Friend in 7th grade) I have been told this too many times before, and it has separated me from the Christian powerhouse side of my family.  The morals that I have learned from my parents pushed and divided my close family from my other relatives.  From this happening, everytime I go down to visit my grandmother she bring my sisters and me to church to cleanse us of our 'sinful thinking.'  "You should be listening to your grandmother, your mother is just grieving..." (Aunt) Sometimes, like in elections, one of the canidates

tries to persuade the undecided.  But from the morals that we have learned at a very young age, we stand our ground and separate even further from the others that try to persuade us towards what they think is right.

In conclusion government influence, different values, and lying to one another about important topics is what divides people throughout all of history, even today.  With the election, people are being persuaded to hurt other citizens that we are supposed to be at peace within the same country.  Just like in "The Crucible" when Abigail turns the town and the court on innocent people, bringing them to their deaths.  With Abigail having different morals when it comes to marriage and religion she didn't really care for whoever disagreed with her or had gotten hurt in the end.  Kind of with my personal experience, the morals I was taught as a child, divided my family later on because of my grandmother believing in God while my mother wasn't as Christian as her.