Barack Obama

I must say that I was extremely frustrated by some of the comments made in class today about Barack Obama's race speech. Not only frustrated, I was sincerely disappointed by the willingness of some others to dismiss his views because of his background. I heard one student announce that Barack is white-washed. What does that even mean? He has become too involved in the white culture and can therefore no longer relate to black-america? Are we really that segregated still? And if we are, isn't he the ideal candidate to bring us together? That was the point of his speech. He was not seeking pity upon bringing up slavery, as another student discussed. He was simply seeking the opportunity to address a past that has undoubtedly shaped America today. And it is this America that he seeks to change. And of course he has the right to discuss slavery, even if no ancestor of his was a slave because slavery is part of the nation's history, not just the ancestors of specific people. It is that past that is a large contributor to how black Americans live today, and he is a black-American. As Barack Obama said, in South Carolina they still wave the confederate flag, and you don't think that affects black people everywhere?

Sticks and Stones

We were discussing Sal's kid in class today, and the choices he has made in attempting to shield her from materialism. I agree wholeheartedly with his efforts, though at some points extreme, to have his daughter grow up in a traditionally child-like way, rather than sitting on the couch watching TV constantly.
Anyways, I was thinking about growing up and all the games we used to play outside - truth or dare, ring around the rosie - and all of the sayings we had when the bully came along, my favorite at the time was "sticks and stones can break my bone but words can never hurt me!" That saying is one of the least true statements I have ever heard, honestly. Children of all people know the power of words and should harvest it, though it is often first learned in a negative way when one is first called a poopyface.

Juno.

Upon navigating the blogs of our class, I have seen multiple negative blogs about the movie Juno, so I'd like to respond to them here. I don't believe this movie condones teen pregnancy. I don't believe that the movie encourages anything but compassion in fact. The movie is a social commentary about how we, as a people, deal with social issues. Like Sal was saying in class about addictions, people tend to simply exclude/look down upon those with problems instead of helping them. There is a well-deserved stigma attached to teen pregnancy - that I do believe - because many girls are not prepared or can't provide or just don't want a baby. Though there are some, I'm sure, that turn out to be wonderful mothers. That is not my point. My point is that Juno shows parents acting with true compassion and love towards their child. They hold off on their anger as much as possible while still relaying their shock and disappointment with well chosen phrases, then they help her in every way they can. They do not make her suffer for her mistake over and over. Isn't this the appropriate way to deal with a situation like this?

And I Thought The English Were Stuck Up...

Never in my life have I encountered a place with as many rules and regulations that are constantly and actively followed by a bunch of teenagers (!) as is currently the case at Stevenson High School. It is so unbelievably well put together, the school is a machine. There is an amazingly low level of outrageous activity that one would expect at any high school. Rarely a fight occurs and usually the security guards step in before any true punch is thrown. Come on! What is high school without some good old-fashioned ball busting? When I lived in England the school was split into the young'uns, of which I was a part, and then after 6th grade the school was split into a boys school and a girls school. The girls are vicious - cat fights prevail and often they are accepted as normal and are left to be split up by surrounding spectators/friends which usually happens relatively fast. Would that happen at SHS if the guards disappeared? I think not. The students would be so enthralled that I bet the fight would be allowed to continue a lot longer. There's a lack of exposure here that one has to identify and analyze before appreciating. You cannot imagine what went on at the boy's school in England. Paper airplanes set on fire were thrown at the teacher, slingshots built in the back of the class made to fire markers at lightning speeds among various others. So which community better prepares one for the world outside? I clearly have my own opinion, but anyone else got one?

Hey Hey Hey, Whatcha Got To Say? Hollywood Swingin'!

This was a very obvious post for me to do because my house is filled with People magazines, W, O by Oprah, and Hello/Okay! from England. What is the basis for people's undying obsession with celebrities? Jealousy? Boredom? Curiosity? I think it is a mixture of these things and the basic American values engrained in all who have lived here. These are people who appear to have achieved success, they are busy all the time (activity and work), they have freedom (in the economic sense), they are popular. What could be better right? And yet there is the case study that Sal brought up in class that suggests money doesn't make you happy, but in fact lowers self-esteem due to the consequential consumerism attached to a high paycheck. People know this. It is a message relayed in corny film upon corny film, and even in some good ones, so why do we still idolize those who have pretty clothes and walk the red carpet? I know that in some aspects it is an obvious question - they are beautiful (by our society's standards), they own lots of stuff (which Americans love), they are seen by everyone. I think the extremely disturbing part is that Americans LOVE when these celebrities screw up. Failure of others is the ultimate in entertainment (notice shows like Extra and TCM). Sad, but ultimately true.