Joshua Saint Germain

Brooklyn, NY 11236

jsaintg000@citymail.cuny.edu

6th September 2018

Elisabeth von Uhl

ENGL 21002

160 Convent Ave

New York, NY 10031

Dear Elisabeth von Uhl,

For a majority of my educational experience, I have went to predominantly black schools and lived in predominantly black neighborhoods. And I’ve never really integrated to the popular culture there, whether it be their brand of rap music, basketball and football, religion, or materialistic tendencies. It should be no problem if I don’t understand and participate in that culture because everyone’s different, but it seemed that as time when on I learned that people, even my parents, were viewing me as some sort of outkast because my difference of interests and beliefs, which may have to some of the bullying I’ve experience through that period. After graduating high school, I have been able to travel to more predominantly caucasian neighborhoods for either work or school related purposes, in which after spending most of my years trying to be accepting and understanding to the culture I once grow up in, I have to learn and adapt to a new one. As I take the train to school, and walk amongst other males and females of different ethnic groups and races , I do feel the sense of foreignness and uncertainty as they gaze and stare upon me. And understandably so, I don’t expect someone who is not used to seeing people of a certain race act comfortably and not be curious as to the culture and nature of those people, as I do the same to other races and foreign cultures. But this has caused my to realize that people tend to fear what they don’t understand question why America to identify itself a nation of many cultures and ethics when it is really dominated politically, socially, and economically by one.

As a hobby, I research philosophical wisdom on life to help better make decisions and understand the world around me. Through sifting through various philosophical ideologies and spiritual/religious doctrines, I’ve decided for a significant number of years now that I would subscribe to moral relativism. In short, moral relativism has helped me view at the world with a more objective, logical, and honest mind. I no longer have to look at the particular actions of a nation, group, or individual as right or wrong, but instead see it as a behavior that is acceptable only in that area or community. This world is one of interests, beliefs and self created values, and all people act in order to satisfy or fulfill those beliefs and interests. Even if those actions happen to be detrimental or conflicts with another groups interests, beliefs, or values, in the actors’ mind, that action is justified as being required in his or her own culture. I believe this emits a level of honestly that I would desire from people, because I were to decided to instead help a group of people, this wouldn’t be from a sense a seemingly abstract sense of right and wrong, but instead I’m doing because it is in my personal interests to look out for the interests of another group of people.

Sincerely,

Joshua Saint Germain