White Privilege

Number 13
Whether I use checks, credit cards, or cash, I can count on my skin color to not work against the appearance of financial reliability.

This privilege stuck out to me, because I think it is relatively true. I do believe that it is a stereotype for younger black teens to young adults more so that older black adults. I believe that most cashiers that take my money wonder where I got my money from. You would think that white cashiers would have this type of thought, but I've been in black stores where they pause and look at me after I hand them the cash. Sometimes I wonder what goes on through their head while I'm paying for my items, whether I stole the money or if it's drug money. The reason I believe that they think its drug money because I normally pay with twenty dollar bills, but most people carry around twenty's. This is sort of racism 2.0, because they think about where my moneys, but they don't want to ask where it come from. Why can't they just understand that I got bread??

Cornell West Affirmative Action Response

I disagree with Cornell West's statement that "the elimination of affirmative action would only justify racial discrimination," because I believe that participating in affirmative action is justifying racial discrimination. Using affirmative action as a tool to accept or hire a person is wrong, because it favors and focuses on minorities for who they are and not what makes them, them. Affirmative action is a way of discrimination and it does not justify racial discrimination. I do not agree with affirmative action, because it singles out and gives others special treatment that they may not deserve. By using affirmative action we are using race and gender and bringing it in account when making decisions, and I believe that basing those decisions only off those two facts is not the proper way to accept people.

Visual Essay Follow Up Questions

For my group, I believe that some characteristics of Creative Collaboration were achieved and used. We were always kind and empathetic towards each other, and I was in charge of keeping the group work fun by cracking a few jokes here and there. However, there were some times where we all did not agree on a topic or what pictures we should select and we all had different ideas and believed that your own idea was the better one. Like the first day we were assigned the topics, my group got together to brainstorm ideas, but took us the whole class and some to agree on the decided topic. Overall, I believe that our group's flow was off and on through different stages. Off when we were brainstorming, on when we took pictures, off when selecting pictures and music, and semi-on with the final project. A cool aspect that I did not realize is that you don't have complete control of the outcome. When my group was drafting the plan we decided to do it steps starting from the beginning to the middle to the end. Well, once we showed the class our essay, they came up ideas that we did not even think about, and hearing those ideas put different ideas about my own project in my head. Then I started asking myself questions and it kind of changed my views or ideas around about that section.

I think I became a leader in the project, by putting some of my ideas aside and put the group first. There were times where none of us agreed, and it took a leader to bring us together and I believe that I was, when needed, a leader. But don't get me wrong, my whole group had their times of leadership. I believe that in the end, we all put our egos to the side, and put all four brains together to create a great project. I believe that Quianna showed strong leadership in this project. She was the one who shouted out Woodley and it's years of History, which was out goal for the paper. She also was the one who met with Mr. Kilborne to find out more about the history. And finally, she had the song choice. I am glad that Quianna stepped up in our group, because without her, we probably wouldn't have had such a great project and that cool song.

I think that our greatest challenges in this group were staying focus, saying what you think, owning to what you say, and pushing yourself without whining. Even though we finished our project on time, and we meat all the requirements, our group took the drive on the bumpy road several times. One of our problems, was to stay focused. If we were to go to the library to take pictures, we all could not do that. Some of us would take pictures, where some of us would take a couple of meaningless pictures and talk to a friend or get on a computer. Another issue we had was to say what think and own up to whatever you say. I know in the past, I had/still have this problem in class, however I knew that I needed to work on it. In the group, when we were planning, I could see on some peoples faces that they were not fully satisfied and agreed on what we finalized. I remember asking somebody what they though, and they said "It's fine, I like it." Maybe they were being a leader at the time by putting the group first, but I saw that they had something important to say, and maybe if they said it our project could have only gotten better. The final challenge we faced was to continue working without whining and push until it was complete. There were a couple instances, where some did not like the topic and wondered why Mr. Gordon would give us such a hard topic. Instead of moaping around and complaining, we should have sucked it up, and just started working. We probably wasted an entire work day because the group would not collaborate. Overall, I though this project was unique, interesting, and cool, and I am glad that it was a group project, because I don't think that I would have thought of all the ideas that my group came up with.

Udated Catalyst for Change (Blueprint)

Everybody Wants To Be Hard

From the selected chapters of Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, "Everybody Wants To Be Hard" seemed to catch my attention very quickly. In the rap game, the main purpose, for most songs, is to be seen as intimidating, or "going/being hardcore." This idea is normally found in male rappers and their "hard" lyrics. For some reason, today's rappers think being hard is a cool thing to do. Now almost every song played today is about being hard. In history, the males have a consistency to be the alpha dog and the omega, and now history is currently showing up in our music. Maybe male superiorty is in the mindsets of most men. What hard rappers don't realize is that they are sending a message out to the community and youth is that it is okay to be a gangsta, pimp, thug, because it is the cool thing to be. This poor rolemodeling is now confusing, because it goes against the proper standards. Most children are raised to treat women with respect, keep good qualities and traits, however; the popular music out today totally breaks the rules. These hard lyrics are telling the community that it is okay to degrade woman, steal, and kill because it is the cool thing to do. I believe that the crave for being hard is destroying the communities and sending out the wrong type of message. To be hard is not an accomplishment, but a major setback. We just have to be proud and happy of who and what we are meant to be, and nothing else, no matter how strong of surrounding influences.

Homework #8 Fav Literary Work

One of my favorite literary works would be considered "The City of Ember", by Jeanne DuPrau. The story is about a city, which is built underground, where it is dark all the time. There is no sun, moon, and stars. The only light they have is due to electricity, but that is running low. Imagine living in a city where the only available light is flood lights mounted to the top of giant poles and buildings. Everything in the city of Ember is old, which causes the lights to go out in the middle of the day. Darkness then begins to take over the town during mid day. It takes two brave pre-teen charcters, to go down into the city's basement, the sewer, to investigate on why the town is always dark. They soon solve the mystery of the cities opaqueness. The author of this story is Jeanne DuPrau, because she wrote the book. Another author would be myself, because I had my own insight, which may differ from Jeanne DuPrau's interpretation. I may have felt different feelings from DuPrau when reading parts of this story.

Paper Topic

http://http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-lockner-plea-20100922,0,2290373.story

Two Questions About Race

Alan Goodman vs. Armand Leroi

Throughout this article, the entire piece sounds like a debate between the two. They refuse to agree on a topic, and have diferent ideas on everything. Goodman believes that race is not genetic, because people rarely share genetic traits. Human variation is another reason contributing to Goodman's beliefs of that race is not genetic based. Leroi, on the other hand, approached race as a "social construction," and he researched that biological evidence and racial differences are "genetically indentifable." I believe Goodman's point of view about race would lead to a division of races, where Leroi's point of view is that race is scientific based which attributes to racial differences.

Homework #3

I chose to write about number 8, because I believe that this "white supremacy" is still practiced today. This problem has dramatically changed over time, but the fact that "white" equals power is a terrible mindset to have. In history, all non-whites were forced to believe that they could never have the same power as a white person could, but today we have a African American President. However, President Obama is still being criticized by racists and prejudice people. We claim that the world we live in today, has matured and set aside the "white superior" rule, but it is still the standard mindset some people have.

My Blog Design

I chose to have raindrops and nature be the main background of my blog page, becasue these pictures cause an automatic soothing and relaxing feeling. And that's what I want my page to show to viewers. I want to welcome them and keep them interested in my blogs. Also, It is very simple, but can have a complex meaning. I like nature and it is one magnificent creation that I think about alot. Peace and Blessings

-Chili

8.1.10 Precious Entry

I'm Me

Hello Ms. Jello