Select An Example Of Contemporary Popular Culture (from Pop Music,

Select An Example Of Contemporary Popular Culture (from Pop Music, Select An Example Of Contemporary Popular Culture (from Pop Music, Video Games, SocialNetworking, â€" Essay Example > IntroductionPop music which is basically a term that is an abbreviation of popular music is generally understood to be a recorded music that has a lot of orientation to the young generation. It consist of very simple, short songs that currently makes use of technological advancements to come up with new variations on already composed themes. Pop music has emerged due to influences from other forms of music. As a genre of music, popular music is more closely linked to rock and roll as paying critical attention to them demonstrates the high degree of similarity. Pop music has been linked to a lot of youth culture which is at the foremost marked by pleasure and eventual evolution to other aspects of undesirable life such as violence and rebellion to societal authority. Many of the American leaders as well as school authorities are on record to be have advocated for regulation of music industry so as not to be a recipe for cultivating bad traits in the young generation. Pop music and youth cultureParents of youths who don’t have the ability to differentiate pop music from heavy metal music may generally have a hard time having a concerted discussions with their children as the former is a favorite of the youth especially in the developed world such as the United States. That may be attributed to the fact that music is key to the youth culture which cuts across the adolescent ages. For instance, at an adolescent get together, the fundamental question relates to what one listens to and not what one does. Different pop music has diverse lyrics as others may have decency in use of language; others may be too obscene and as such may offend so many in the society. Teenagers and entertainment moguls who mostly argue that pop music is not different from other types of music do not consider the fact that a lot of human learning is principally incidental in nature and more often than not occurs outside the realms of educational settings. Entertainment managers would n ot be so much concerned about what they offer to the consumers as most of them are driven by capitalist ideology of getting rich. It is in this aspect that pop music may be referred to as a heavy equipment that has more influence in the lives of the young people as compared to movies, television, and computers (Denisoff and William, 1986). The consumption of pop music by the youthAccording to Hatch and Millward (1978), it has been found that on average, a typical American adolescent listen to music as well as watching music videos for four to five hours on a daily basis, which is in fact more time compared to that they spend with friends at home or the neighborhoods. Music therefore matters a lot to adolescents, and hence cannot be well understood without a critical examination of how it perfectly suits their lifestyles. As is the case of American youths, pop music intensifies and alters their moods, dominates their conversations, furnishes a great deal of their slang, and provide s the right ambiance during their social get together. Music styles such as the ones noted in pop music define the cliques and crowds the youth associate with. Music personalities therefore provide models in relation to how they dress and behave. The consequences of music may not show up as fast as possible to the mind as violence and sex, but ultimately may play a very significant role in the development of adolescents. Many a scholar have in fact viewed television as the main media influence on the youth, but in the real sense, they devote a lot of their time and energy to music. Most youths use music to enhance their emotional beings and moods. Music is believed by psychologists to have the ability to make good mood to the better and can enable one overcome the bad ones. The latter has led many to believe that music lyrics about violence and suicide against the feminine have resulted in troubled youth committing violent crimes and suicide. News and movies reports have the tende ncy of over-emphasizing the bad examples drawn from music, but psychologists have suggested that music has the potential of energizing listeners as opposed to de-energizing. Youths also use pop music to get vital information about the adult world as well as withdrawing from other social contacts. It also helps in the facilitation of social settings, friendships and creation of a personal identity.

Best Poetry Books for Children

On Raves and Club Drugs - 1058 Words

2003. Hungary. I remember my way on a road to an abandoned airport in the middle of the country. I was with my four other friends fulfilled with euphoria in the car waiting for the moment to get to a place where we felt that all of our problems will be sorted. We bought the tickets weeks before the venue and we were all counting the days back with full of excitement like little kids around Christmas and the day had come. When we got off the road the beat of the music in the background just hit our ears. As we approached to the scene the music got louder with our excitement as well and we finally got there. Hundreds of our friends were already jumping around to our special music in the hangar with the hugest smile in their face. I could feel the love in the air in the shadow of the laser lights. We were so happy that we could not describe in words. This made us feel that we don’t have to worry about anything in our life, that we part of a family where everyone respects each other. Thatâ€℠¢s what made us feel different and being part of something that not many people could tell back in the days. Can’t deny that club drugs helped to achieve this feeling and it was a massive part of it as well. We were confused teenagers who desperately tried to find the way to make sense of this whole world. We wanted to choose our way of life against from a prescribed life what our parents and the government tried to push ourselves into. 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Recently, partying at a club is regarded as a hobby for the rich. For example, the Hollywood famous jet set people; Paris Hilton and Nichole Ritchie. They go to the club almost every night. Clubbing alsoRead MoreEssay On Edm1249 Words   |  5 PagesThe awareness of the drug use from DJs allowed them to better cater their music for their audience. When DJs had lyrics in their mixes, they would frequently include themes of love and acceptance. Additionally, DJs will often include white noise, initially beginning at a low pitch and volume, gradually increasing during the buildups of their songs before the drop. This supposedly garners a positive reaction from the audience who is rolling and have a heightened sense of hearing. These traits canRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Club Drugs1252 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to Drug Free World, an estimated 208 million people use illicit drugs internationally. 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Hercules Paper Free Essays

Heroes are an important part in Mythology history, they date back as far as anyone can remember, accomplishing great things. Heroes give a town a feeling of security that if anything happens the heroes are there to save them. Heroes like Hercules, give the town a sense of hope, that nothing bad will happen to them and they can live in happiness and peace. We will write a custom essay sample on Hercules Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, when comparing hero myth’s to their movies it can major differently, and be just alike. In the movie Hercules compared to the myth Hercules there are many differences.In the book, Apollo and Hercules have a quarrel about Hercules taking the oracle for himself and Apollo would not let that happen, however; this was not mentioned in the book. Within the book, Hercules got so angry at the sun for being too hot, that he shot the sun with an arrow, yet; it was failed to be reffered to in the movie. In the movie, Hercules was born atop Mt. Olympus, although; in the book, it mentions how he was born in Thebes. During the movie, Hades (god of the underworld) was out to ruin Hercules, yet in the book Hera was out to ruin him.Throughout the movie and the book, there are two different ways how Hercules meets Megara. In the movie, Megara sold her soul to Hades, therefore; she works for Hades and has to try to ruin Hercules. Although, in the book, Megara becomes Hercules wife whenever he conquers Minyan and as his reward he gets to marry Princess Megara. The quests of Hercules are different throughout the movie and the book. In the book, Hercules quest to complete the twelve labors that he recieves for killing his wife and kids. However, in the movie, Hercules quest was to prove himself a hero so that he could live with his dad (Zeus) on Mt. Olympus. In the book, Hercules fights Acheolus the river god, concerning Deianira, whom Hurcules wanted to make his wife. Nevertheless, this is not brought up in the movie. In the movie, it shows how Hercules grew up with his adoptive parents, because Hades tried to change him into a mortal, although; in the book, it doesn’t mention anything to do with his childhood, growing up. In the movie, Hercules recieves Pegasus at a young age, and Pegasus stays with Hercules throughout the whole way, yet; this is not communicated through the book. In the book, Hercules doesn’t get his powers taken like he does in the book.Also in the book, Hercules doesn’t trade places to sell his soul, to save Megara like he does in the movie. In the movie, the fates made several appearances in cutting Megara’s string, although; this is never mentioned in the book. Towards the end of the movie, the Titans return like the Fates predicted they would in eighteen years, however; this had failed to be mentioned in the book. In the book, Phil helps Hercules becomes a hero, however; this is never mentioned in the book. Although there are many differences within the movie and the book, there are similarites also.A similarity would be that in the both the book and the movie, Hercules had confidence in his powers and strengths. Hercules, never really used his intelligence when making decisions. Hercules emotions were very strong throughout both the book and the movie. Hercules strangled two snakes at the nursery in the dead of the night. At the end of both stories Hercules had eternal peace. In both the movie and the book Hercules dad is Zeus. Hercules is a demi god. In both the movie and the book Hercules overcame many obstacles. Hercules falls in love with Megara in both the movie and the book.In the end, Hercules saves the day, in both the movie and the book. Even though the movie Hercules and the book may be two totally different things, they still have the same theme around them both. The struggles, that Hercules went through to become a hero, no matter how big or how small he overcame them all. Hercules is a hero that will always be looked up upon no matter what quest, god, villian or monster that he conquers, Hercules will always be great. At the end, of the movie Zeus said this following quote which will forever be true, â€Å"A true hero isn’t measured by his strength, but by the strengthed of his heart. â€Å" How to cite Hercules Paper, Papers

Profile Of Filmmaker Errol Morris Essays - Films, The Thin Blue Line

Profile Of Filmmaker Errol Morris Dallas police officer, Robert Wood, was shot five times and murdered after pulling over a vehicle for a minor traffic violation. Randall Dale Adams was arrested, convicted and sentenced to death for the crime. Adams plead "not guilty" to the charges. He claimed 16 year old David Harris, whom he had spent several hours with on the day of the crime, was the true killer. In Mark Singer's "Profile of Filmmaker Errol Morris," Singer describes Randall Adams case as it was portrayed in the movie The Thin Blue Line. Singer argues that Morris made the film to prove Adams innocence and illustrate "that Adams had received anything but a fair trial." Singer, an author for The New Yorker Magazine, took personal interest in the case because he, as well as Morris, believed Adams was innocent and deserved a new and fair trial. The prosecution won the case against Adams for three major reasons: David Harris' testimony, Prosecutor Douglas Mulder's prominence, determination, and the prosecutions three key eyewitnesses, Emily Miller, Robert Miller, and Michael Randell. After the conclusion of the trial Adams maintained his innocence and filmmaker, Errol Morris met with David Harris and began to have doubts about Adams guilt. Morris investigated the case further and discovered it was "unfair" on constitutional grounds and Adams was in fact innocent. Morris made a movie entitled The Thin Blue Line, which was a description of the actual events in the Adams homicide case. Morris intended to illustrate thirteen points of unwarranted prosecution. There were four blatant acts of perjury or outright unfairness in Adams first trial. Judge Metcalf would not permit the use David Harris' extensive previous criminal record, including pending charges in another county as evidence. This left Adams in the "guilty chair" even before the trial began. Prosecutor Mulder demanded a guilty verdict with a death penalty sentence for this trial and he was willing to go to any length to achieve that. He found three witnesses to the crime scene after offering a $20,000 reward and an all expense paid stay at Dallas motel during the trial. The first witness, Emily Miller, had a daughter who was facing robbery charges in another county and Mulder agreed to drop the charges in exchange for Emily's testimony. Emily testified to witnessing Adams in the driver's seat of the car, at the time of the shooting, and she positively identified Adams in a police line-up. Morris conducted interview with the three witnesses, Emily Miller, Robert Miller and Michael Randell. Emily Miller admitted to being directed to pick Adams in the line-up after she chose the wrong man. Robert Miller was quoted as saying; "I didn't see anything." Randell admitted to being drunk "out of his mind" when he passed the scene. The fourth major point of perjury in Morris' defense for Adams was Teresa Turko's, Robert Woods' partner, original description of the killer. She described him as "Mexican or light-skinned black" which varied greatly from Adams Caucasian skin. Her original description was not used and had evolved to match Adams description by the time of the trial. The Thin Blue Line was effective in getting Adams a writ hearing and the chance for a new trial. The judge ruled on six grounds of constitutional unfairness deeming it an unjust trial. It was apparent that Singer was on the side of the defense for several reasons. Singer said, "Dennis White (Adams attorney) was simply no match for Doug Mulder, who is said to have once boasted, "Anybody can convict a guilty man. It takes talent to convict an innocent man." He includes this quote to demonstrate Mulder's determination to win even if he is prosecuting the wrong man. A quote such as that evokes the sentiment of a reader who is in favor upholding justice. Throughout the excerpt Singer uses words like, "unfortunately" to depict actions Adams' lawyers did not take, and "ensconced" to describe the so-called witnesses stay at the Alamo Plaza motel. Singer recognized Adams bad luck and referred to it as "consistent." These words and phrases are influential in expressing his opinion because they have negative connotations and portray the prosecution in a bad light. Singer's distaste for "witness" Emily Miller is very clear. He describes her as a "bleached blonde" and says one of her childhood ambitions was to be the "...wife of a detective." A woman who is willing to settle for the position of wife to her goals, is not a beneficial member to society. Singer makes it a point to quote Emily's interview

Free Essays on Nightmares

Nightmares Dreams have been studied for a long time now. People have been having dreams for century‘s. People have wondered if dreams have any significant value in are life. If the dreams we have mean anything and why we have them is another question people have. Dreams play a bigger role and mean more in our life then people may think. Nightmares are a common type of dreams people have. Before one can fully understand why people have nightmares they must first know why people dream. Dreams occur during a type of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement â€Å"REM†. While in this type of sleep the eye’s move rapidly under the eye lids, and the large muscles in the body are relaxed. We experience REM almost every one and a half hour three to four times during our sleep phase. The last REM we experience can last up to almost and hour (Common Questions about Dreams). The brain has two parts a conscious and sub-conscious. The conscious part works while we are awake. Sub-conscious is always alert and keeps on working even when we are asleep. A large number of thoughts appear in our conscious mind. The thoughts come and then they go. They go to are sub-conscious part of the brain which disputes them in its own unique way. It then reappears in our dreams (Dreams). Dreams are more then random fragments that appear in are daily life. Understanding the dreams that one may have can help people understand themselves and the way they see the world. Dreams help people deal with problems in their life. Dreams also can help people figure out problems that they may not realize that they have (Dreams are Slippery Things). People have been fascinated by the secret of why people dream. It has been long understood that dreams deal with emotion. However, not all dreams come from emotion but instead emotional arousal unexpressed while awake (Elloitt and Tyrrell). â€Å" So, for example, if you have a screaming row with your partner you are unlikely to drea... Free Essays on Nightmares Free Essays on Nightmares Nightmares Dreams have been studied for a long time now. People have been having dreams for century‘s. People have wondered if dreams have any significant value in are life. If the dreams we have mean anything and why we have them is another question people have. Dreams play a bigger role and mean more in our life then people may think. Nightmares are a common type of dreams people have. Before one can fully understand why people have nightmares they must first know why people dream. Dreams occur during a type of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement â€Å"REM†. While in this type of sleep the eye’s move rapidly under the eye lids, and the large muscles in the body are relaxed. We experience REM almost every one and a half hour three to four times during our sleep phase. The last REM we experience can last up to almost and hour (Common Questions about Dreams). The brain has two parts a conscious and sub-conscious. The conscious part works while we are awake. Sub-conscious is always alert and keeps on working even when we are asleep. A large number of thoughts appear in our conscious mind. The thoughts come and then they go. They go to are sub-conscious part of the brain which disputes them in its own unique way. It then reappears in our dreams (Dreams). Dreams are more then random fragments that appear in are daily life. Understanding the dreams that one may have can help people understand themselves and the way they see the world. Dreams help people deal with problems in their life. Dreams also can help people figure out problems that they may not realize that they have (Dreams are Slippery Things). People have been fascinated by the secret of why people dream. It has been long understood that dreams deal with emotion. However, not all dreams come from emotion but instead emotional arousal unexpressed while awake (Elloitt and Tyrrell). â€Å" So, for example, if you have a screaming row with your partner you are unlikely to drea...

Why Race Matters in the Amanda Knox Case

Why Race Matters in the Amanda Knox Case Given the popularity true crime series covering O.J. Simpson, JonBenà ©t Ramsey, and Steven Avery have recently enjoyed, it’s no surprise that Netflix released the documentary â€Å"Amanda Knox† on Sept. 30 to enormous fanfare. The program stands out from others on Knox- the U.S. exchange student in Italy  accused of killing her British roommate  in 2007- in that it is largely told from her perspective. Teasers for the film show Knox sans makeup with a severely cut bob. Her features are now angular, the round cheeks that led the European press to call her â€Å"angel face† gone.   â€Å"Either Im a psychopath in sheeps clothing or I am you,† she says sternly. But the documentary only pretends to be interested in pinpointing the real Knox. The omission of information that reflects badly on her makes that clear throughout. Whether she’s guilty or innocent was never the most compelling aspect of her case, anyway- the culture clash, the false accusation of a black man for the crime, the slut-shaming and the idea that U.S. courts are somehow superior to Italian courts- are what drew in people from across the globe. Nearly a decade after Meredith Kercher’s murder, my questions about the case are unchanged. Would the press have given Knox as much attention if she’d been a student of color accused of killing her roommate abroad? Would Kercher, born to an English father and an Indian mother, have garnered more press had she been a blonde like Natalee Holloway?  People of color make up a disproportionate amount of crime victims and those falsely convicted of crimes, but they do not generally become celebrities like Knox and other whites, such as Avery, Ryan Ferguson and the West Memphis Three have.   The Central Park Five, the group of black and Latino teens wrongly convicted of attacking a white woman jogging in 1989, are the exception to the rule. Their conviction was the subject of a 2012 Ken Burns documentary. But from the outset, the public widely believed they were guilty. Donald Trump even referred to them as â€Å"animals† and took out a newspaper ad calling for their executions. When the real attacker confessed, Trump refused to apologize for his previous comments. In contrast, when he heard about Knox’s murder case, he offered to help her, demonstrating how an accused person’s race and gender affect public perception of her guilt or innocence. Reflecting on the Knox case in the age of Black Lives Matter makes it rather comical that Americans argued that the U.S. legal system was more just than the Italian counterpart. Only a few days after Knox’s 2009 conviction for killing Kercher, I wrote about my concerns with media coverage of the case for the now-defunct Racialicious blog. The conviction was later overturned, but my observations about Knox’s defenders remain relevant today as the Netflix documentary shines a spotlight on her case once more. Here’s what I had to say:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  * * * I first heard the name Amanda Knox nearly a year ago. As someone who, like Knox, traveled to Europe to study abroad, even visiting Italy during my time there, I sympathized with the young Seattle woman charged with killing her roommate while an exchange student in Perugia, Italy. Numerous articles portray the University of Washington student as an innocent wrongly targeted by a corrupt Italian prosecutor and victimized by Italians who were misogynistic and anti-American. Despite my sympathy for Knox- found guilty of murdering Meredith Kercher by an Italian jury Dec. 4- I take issue with the articles written in her defense. They reveal that America’s ideas about white womanhood have changed little since the 19th century, the whiteness of Italians remains tenuous and black men continue to make convenient crime scapegoats. I’ve no idea if Amanda Knox is innocent or guilty of the charges leveled at her- a jury’s already deemed her the latter- but some American journalists decided that she was innocent long before a verdict was reached. What’s disturbing about some of these journalists is that Knox’s race, gender, and class background played central roles in why they considered her innocent. Moreover, in defending Knox, their xenophobic and arguably â€Å"racist† feelings about Italy came to light. New York Times columnist Timothy Egan is a case in point. He wrote about Knox for the Times both in June and just before the jury issued its verdict in the case. â€Å"All trials are about narrative,† Egan remarked in the summer. â€Å"In Seattle, where I live, I see a familiar kind of Northwestern girl in Amanda Knox, and all the stretching, the funny faces, the neo-hippie touches are benign. In Italy, they see a devil, someone without remorse, inappropriate in her reactions.† What makes these â€Å"touches† benign- simply the fact that, to Egan, Knox was â€Å"a familiar kind of Northwestern girl?†Ã‚  While waiting to be interrogated, Knox reportedly did cartwheels. Egan chalks this up to Knox being an athlete. But if Donovan McNabb or LeBron James were being investigated for murder and did cartwheels during an interrogation, would their behavior be taken as that of a benign athlete or make them look unfeeling and flippant? Egan attempts to undermine Italy by making it appear as if sinister Italians were angling to punish this girl who not only reminds him of numerous girls from the Pacific Northwest but also of his own daughter. Yet, non-Italian friends of British murder victim Meredith Kercher considered Knox’s behavior to be strange as well, counteracting Egan’s attempts to discredit Italian sensibilities. â€Å"While I was [at the police station] I found Amanda’s behavior very strange. She had no emotion while everyone else was upset,† Kercher’s friend Robyn Butterworth testified in court. And when another friend reportedly remarked that she hoped Kercher hadn’t suffered much, Butterworth recalled Knox replying, â€Å"What do you think? She f___ing bled to death.† At that point, Butterworth said, the way Kercher died hadn’t been released. Amy Frost, another friend of Kercher, testified about Knox and Knox’s boyfriend at the time, Raffaele Sollecito. â€Å"Their behavior at the police station seemed, to me, really inappropriate,† Frost said. â€Å"They sat opposite each other, Amanda put her feet up on Raffaele’s legs and made faces at him. Everyone cried except Amanda and Raffaele. I never saw them crying. They were kissing each other.† Egan could have written a defense of Knox that focused on the fact that there was virtually no physical evidence of her having been at the crime scene and what little there was came under dispute because it was collected more than a month after the murder and, thus, thought to be contaminated. Instead, he chose to characterize Italy as a nation of backward, inane people. â€Å"As this week’s closing arguments showed once again, the case has very little to do with actual evidence and much to do with the ancient Italian code of saving face,† Egan wrote on  Dec. 2. Just as Egan chose not to explain why Knox’s odd antics during her interrogation were benign, he doesn’t explain why â€Å"saving face† is an â€Å"ancient Italian code.† It’s seemingly so just because he declares it to be. In the same editorial, he discusses the Italian jury much in the same way whites have traditionally discussed people of color, such as Haitian practitioners of Vodou, Puerto Rican practitioners of Santeria, Native American medicine men or African â€Å"witch doctors.† â€Å"Their verdict is not supposed to be about medieval superstitions, sexual projections, Satan fantasies or the honor of a prosecution team,† Egan writes. Egan implies Italy’s legal system is filled with people who can’t be trusted to make rational decisions, a matter of crucial importance when the future of a young American white woman is at stake. How horrible that Amanda Knox’s fate is in the hands of these crazy Italians? These people still believe in superstitions and Satan, for heaven’s sake! The way Egan and Knox’s own relatives described Italians reminded me that Americans haven’t always regarded Italians as white. This makes undermining the rationality and trustworthiness of the Italian people and court system go largely unquestioned. In a book called Are Italians White?, Louise DeSalvo writes about discrimination Italian immigrants to America faced. â€Å"I learned†¦that Italian-Americans were lynched in the South; that they were incarcerated during World War II. †¦I later learned that Italian men who worked on the railroad earned less money for their work than ‘whites’; that they slept in filthy, vermin-infested boxcars; that they were denied water, though they were given wine to drink (for it made them tractable)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Some of the comments about Italians in the Knox case certainly seem like throwbacks to a time when Italians weren’t viewed as white. I have a hard time imagining that if Knox had been tried in England, consistent efforts would be made to discredit the British judicial system. To make matters worse, while American xenophobia is being aimed at Italy, American supporters of Knox are painting Italy as anti-American. Former prosecutor John Q. Kelly even used racialized language when discussing Knox’s plight, likening treatment of her to â€Å"a public lynching.† Isn’t this how racism works today? People who exhibit clearly racist attitudes and behaviors accuse President Obama of being anti-white or blame Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson for perpetuating racism rather than historic, institutionalized white supremacy. After Knox was found guilty of murder, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell stated, â€Å"I have serious questions about the Italian justice system and whether anti-Americanism tainted this trial.† This argument of anti-Americanism falls apart considering that Italian national Raffaele Sollecito was also found guilty of murder. Are we to believe that an Italian jury would sacrifice one of its own to spite America? The problematic racial overtones in the reporting of the case not only involve Italians but black men. Following her November 2007 arrest, Knox wrote to police that bar owner Patrick Lumumba killed Kercher. â€Å"In these flashbacks that I’m having, I see Patrik [sic] as the murderer, but the way the truth feels in my mind, there is no way for me to have known because I don’t remember FOR SURE if I was at my house that night.† Because of Knox’s repeated insinuations that Lumumba murdered Kercher, he spent two weeks in jail. Police ended up releasing him because he had a solid alibi. Lumumba sued Knox for defamation and won. While Egan has mentioned that Knox mistakenly linked Lumumba to Kercher’s murder, he quickly let her off the hook for it, as did a commenter at women’s Web site Jezebel who remarked: â€Å"I don’t judge her for that at all. She was held in an Italian prison, questioned for days, and encouraged to ‘confess.’† But to ignore Knox’s transgression on this front is to ignore the history of sympathetic (but guilty) white Americans fingering black men for crimes the men never committed. In 1989, for instance, Charles Stuart shot and killed his pregnant wife, Carol, but told police that a black man was responsible. Two years later, Susan Smith murdered her young sons but told police initially that a black man had carjacked her and kidnapped the boys. Although Knox said that she fingered Lumumba for the crime under duress, her doing so casts suspicion on her and shouldn’t be overlooked by those who find it hard to believe that a pretty American coed is capable of murder. Another black man, Rudy Guede from the Ivory Coast, was convicted of killing Kercher before Knox and Sollecito were, but evidence suggested that more than one assailant was involved in Kercher’s demise.  If authorities believe that Guede didn’t act alone, why is it difficult to believe that Knox also played a role in Kercher’s murder? After all, Knox gave inconsistent statements about her whereabouts the evening of Kercher’s death and did not call police after reportedly finding the door to her home wide open and blood on the floor. To boot, her lover, Sollecito, bought two bottles of bleach the morning after Kercher’s death allegedly to clean up the crime scene, where police found his bloody footprints as well as Knoxâ €™s. These facts hardly reflect well on Knox, so I’m willing to consider her guilt as well as her innocence. Perhaps her use of hashish the night of Kercher’s death clouded her memory. But those who refuse to consider that Knox is guilty, all the while attacking the Italian justice system, remind me of those who struggled to believe that Lizzie Borden hacked her parents to death in 1892. â€Å"The horrific ax murders of Andrew Borden and his third wife, Abby, would have been shocking in any age, but in the early 1890s they were unthinkable,† writes Denise M. Clark in Crime Magazine. â€Å"Equally unthinkable was who wielded the ax that butchered them†¦The idea that the murderer could possibly be†¦Lizzie took days to register with the police – despite overwhelming physical and circumstantial evidence that pointed only at her†¦.What would end up saving her was the remarkable violence of the murders: The murders were simply too grisly to have been committed by a woman of her upbringing.† Isn’t this the argument that Egan makes when he described Knox as a benign hippie type from the Pacific Northwest? Knox, we’re told, worked multiple jobs to save up money to study abroad. She excelled in athletics and academics  alike. Girls like her don’t commit murder, many Americans believe. And if she were tried stateside, perhaps she would have gotten off as Lizzie Borden did. But apparently, Italians aren’t burdened by the cultural baggage that weighs down America. White and female and from a good family don’t equal innocent.