My Presentation: "Mean Words and Girls"

This painting was inspired by Mean Girls. It depicts what every adolescent girl goes through, things like name calling, self identity, and self worth. When girls especially feel like they don't fit in, it can result in violence. Anorexia, bulimia and cutting among young women is a huge problem.

From Olivia: Proposal for your SJ Doc Proj

Two of the last three posts explain guidelines for upcoming assignments.

1. The Bridge Essay is due Wednesday/Thursday, depending on your section.

2. You need to decide on the topic/form of your SJ Doc Proj (guidelines below).

As you decide what to do, you want to make sure that the historical record you make will meet our criteria and will be a strong example of a "text" that documents a social justice/injustice issue. To be sure that you're on the right track, and as a way of organizing your thoughts, you will be submitting a typed proposal on Friday/next Tuesday (depending on your section).

The proposal must be typed, single-spaced, 1/2 to 3/4 page long. You need to address the following:

a) What is your project? Who will you interview or what will you photograph or what kind of survey will you conduct, etc.?
b) What social group/s is/are present? Faces of oppression?
c) What form will your project take? A transcription of an interview? A series of drawings? A video? An audio recording? Will you make a website? Will you post your material on the blog?
d) How will it fit our class criteria for judging texts as SJ Doc?
e) After you have a plan for your project, you'll begin researching topics related to this for your Research Paper. What topics will you look up?

This is worth 10 points. You lose 2 points per missed question and points for excessive, repeated grammatical errors. Proofread carefully.

From Olivia: The Social Justice Documentation Project

Hi, All.
I am going out of town tomorrow (Thursday), and I thought I should post some info.

1. Bridge Essay is due during the week after break. (Details are below.)
2. The next thing to worry about is your Social Justice Documentation Project. Remember that although this project will create the topics for your Research Paper, this is NOT a paper; it's a historical record.

Your Documentation Project must make a record of something. You want to create your own Social Justice Document. Documentation might include: oral history (transcribed and edited, or recorded and turned into a sound piece), photography, video, a web-based feature, a survey, a poem, a song, a play, a series of drawings, a comic strip, or ???

The only rule is that it MUST comply with our class criteria for judging texts as SJ Doc.

You must have a clearly identifiable subject (your grandmother, an ex-convict, a rape victim, a community, a family, an event)
Your subject must somehow connect to/offer ideas about a social group that you can argue experiences one of Young’s Five Faces.

Remember to think in terms of groups, not just individuals.

You must create something that “documents” your subject. Think of yourself as a historian; you are creating a historical record of someone/something/a group of people that/who might not be a regular part of our histories; you are making a "primary source."

Eventually, you will: 1) complete your Documentation, 2) put it into a presentable form, 3) make a list of research topics related to your subject, 4) write a 1-2 page introduction to a research paper—explaining your project and what kind of context your research puts it in, 5) conduct your research (paper is 10 pages total, including intro and statement, but not Works Cited, Documentation attached, any appendices), 6) create and support a thesis, 7) present your project and turn in your paper

Please do not forget: SJ Doc Project and Res Paper are TWO different things!

From Olivia: Something of interest . . .

This New York Times video explores some other issues related to our class themes.

From Olivia: The Bridge Essay

All 102 sections: you have turned in or will turn in your NA2 this week. Our last short essay is The Bridge Essay.

Your job: to write a short essay in which you connect 3 different texts from class (song, poems, ST, DL, Faces of the Dead, Fifties, Miss America, storycorps.org, OHs from our blog, CR2s from your classmates, news articles, Pyongang comic strip, Baghdad Burning, etc., etc.).

The connection you make can be thematic, technical, thesis-based, social group-based, or anything you choose.

Your goal is to make an interesting connection and communicate the connection in a thesis, with clear support in the form of examples (quotes, paraphrasing). You should feel free to use this assignment as a way of thinking about your own project and upcoming research paper--and also as a way to think about your personal approach to social justice and information.

You must include MLA citations and a Works Cited page. Please use the DH list to identify proper formatting for your sources.

The Bridge Essay is worth 30 points.

Thesis: 10 points: A sentence--with style!--that communicates the connection, as you see it, between the three texts. Example: Studs Terkel's interview with Florence Scala, Maga and Griselda's performance for class, and "The Lonesome Ballad of Hattie Carroll" all demonstrate the idea that an individual can shape social group relationships and can fight injustices.

Development: 10 points: Illustrate your thesis with examples from all three texts, in the form of cited quotes and paraphrases. Integrate this material with style and care. Use a thoughtful method of organizing your ideas; don't just throw things together.

MLA in-text citations and Works Cited: 5 points
Grammar and Spelling: 5 points

Blog Related To Our Class Themes

Our class themes are not only bound with the purpose of this class but are also going to help in the way we live our lives. In this class we are focusing on the social justice and learning about injustice done to people in society. Through this class we are broadening our knowledge about the injustice and sufferings of people in the world. For example, before taking this class we might had some general definition of Oppression but now we have broader definition of it. Now we know five faces of oppression and how to relate them to the injustice done to people in society. We may find some solutions for these injustices, and try that we do not repeat those done in the history.

Cultural Document

The cultural document that I examined was a Truth commercial. Truth commercials are anti-tobacco commercials that show the consequences of smoking. These commercials show that in today’s culture there is a need to advertise against smoking. Decades ago people were unaware about the consequences of smoking. However, these commercials show that our culture has come a long way in discovering these consequences. Truth commercials also show that in today's culture the media is used to inform the public about important issues. I don't think that these commercial have any social justice themes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRHvZazd4IM

oral history

Oral History

           

 

I did my oral history project on my friend Eric whose dad is dyeing from cancer. My first question I asked him was, “what is the relationship with your dad right now?” He responded, “That he has a great relationship, and his father and him are very close with each other, Eric tells him everything that is going on in his life. He has a better relationship with his dad than he does with his mom.” The second question I asked him was, “How did you feel when you found out that your dad has cancer?” He responded, “He was very upset and he felt like his whole world was going to end, and he felt very depressed about the whole situation.” The next question I had for him was, “After you found out your dad has cancer did the relationship with your father change and did you think different about him?” He said, “Yes, my dad and I are a lot closer then we were before, I go and visit him a lot more often then I did before. And I listen to his advice more, I just don’t think that I am right and he is wrong.” The next question was, “How are you coping with his cancer?” “I am really having a lot of trouble coping with it. I try to go out as much as possible, to keep my mind off of it because he really doesn’t have much time left, on this planet.” “Do you think you have changed as a person, emotionally, physically, and mentally?” “Yes I believe so; I do a lot more stupid thing with my life, like drink a lot more and just hook up with different people. I am more depressed than usually, that’s why I feel like drinking all the time, spending money at the bars, and casino. Also I feel angry all the time. I just really can’t get over it. I just really can’t express my feeling about it. I keep pushing away my friends and girls, I just feel that no one knows what I am going through, I can’t talk to any one about it. Even you can’t understand Becks.” “Do you wish that you could go back in time and take back or change anything in your relationship with your dad, now that you know about the cancer?” “Yes, a while back not to long ago he and I got into a huge fight and I told him I hated him, and that made him really stressed out. And I almost feel like I made the cancer stronger with stressing him out so much. And then when I was younger I ran away from home for about a week and a half, which also stressed him out. So much that he got stomach ulcers.” So tat the end of the interview, I really could tell that this horrible situation really taking a toll on him all around. And he asked me to stop the questions, so I stopped. 

Cultural Video: Phelps Family on the Tyra Banks Show

The video I chose was of an extremist Christian family that went on the Tyra Banks show to preach their message. Some of their views on things were very extreme and offensive to many people in the audience, and even to Tyra Banks herself. This family is known throughout the nation, and is often considered "America's Most Hated Family". During the interview, Tyra Banks gets pretty upset and tries to reason with her guests. It tells us how there can be many people of extremist religion within our country that have no tolerance for others' ideas. Its sad that some people see this as a representation of all Christian faith.

Cultural Document: "It's A New Day" by Will.i.am

Aside from having a catchy tune and awesome rhythm, I think Will.i.am’s “It’s A New Day” also effectively captures the spirit of our nation. With over one million views on YouTube, one might suspect that this video is nothing more than a simple fad with little to no meaning whatsoever. However, it is so much more than that. In this wonderful video, the very talented Will.i.am illustrates the state of our nation after our first African American president Barack Obama was elected. Using a unique compilation of various memorabilia, he is able to express the joy our nation experienced that Election Day. What is even more amazing, however, is the way that Will.i.am shows the journey that we have taken to get to this point. He shows the progress that we have made in overcoming marginalization in terms of racism and discrimination. He reflects on the dreams of such great leaders as Martin Luther King, Jr and Abraham Lincoln and believes that the events in the video serve as evidence of the accomplishment of their dreams. Not just that, but I think that Will.i.am also effectively illustrates a rebirth of our nation that has taken place. While some of us might have felt powerless before, it seems as though we have been replenished with a sense of determination and ability to overcome. We have welcomed change like never before. We appear to be invincible for what seemed to be impossible has actually happened. With this state of mind, the possibilities for changing the world positively are unlimited. Using such inspiration as this remarkable video, we must now try to each make our own little difference in the world.

Link to “It’s A New Day” by Will.i.am: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHWByjoQrR8

Cultural Document

My cultural document is a funny Billy Mays video. Someone dubs in their voice to make the video more ridiculous than it already is. I think this video shows that our culture is centered around crude, sarcastic humor and material things. Television is absolutely over run by commercials and buying ridiculous items that we don't really need. Granted the infomercials do sometimes sell products that truly work it shows how our society is based on material things and selling items that are unessential. The products sold to us are often sold in funny way too. Such as when Billy Mays makes a chain with the mighty putty and someone outs their hand under it not to subtly as if it might not actually work. I don't think there are any social justice themes or issues here. Just really shows out typical American culture.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_4a4O7kXQo

This is England---A Cultural Document

I chose the movie, This is England, because I thought it touched on topics that are not always thought of as themes of injustice. In the movie, a boy named Shawn finds a place of belonging in a skin head gang in a suburb of London. The movie touches on race, love, belonging just to name a few. It's a good movie and I would recommend it.

From Olivia: News Analysis 2

News Analysis 2
(Check your syllabus for due dates for your 102 section.)

Use the news story you read for homework. It should be related to our themes and, unless we discussed an alternative, should be from nytimes.com

Your job is to analyze the story according to our themes-- definitely IMY's ideas (social groups, oppression, criteria/five faces), maybe ideas about Documentation, maybe Social Justice in general.

What does this mean, exactly?

1. Use any ideas from class to analyze the topic and issues. It does NOT have to be an example of SJ Doc according to our criteria. It does NOT have to be an example of a social injustice.

2. Your goal is to simply use ideas from our class to analyze the story/the circumstances/the cultural meaning.

3. When I ask: "How does this relate to our themes?" I am looking for you to seriously and thoughtfully reflect on the information, using any ideas from our class as tools.

4. You might consider: What interesting connections have you found between this and any of our texts/other news/an OH?

Your analysis should include a clear thesis statement (in one complete sentence) that states your idea about this news item.

Use class notes and DH to quote the article and to put your citations in MLA format. In this case, you'll just have just one single source at the end ("Work Cited").

2-3 COMPLETE pages, double-spaced (you will be deducted points for underdeveloped, too short essays).

Thesis Statement=10 points
Development (with ideas, quotes, examples)=10 points
Use of MLA formatting=5 points
Grammar, Mechanics, Spelling=5 points

A reminder: I know that we have had limited time to review MLA formatting. There are three things you need to consider: a) how to integrate both quotes and paraphrased ideas into your writing--DH p. 418-423, b) in-text citations that show where the info comes from and how it is linked to your Work Cited list--DH p.426-435, c) a Work Cited that follows the MLA formatting to document your source--DH p.437, 452.

You can do exercises related to all these things by skimming the Hacker website.

E-mail me or come see me with questions.

-Olivia

Class Blog

Seeing all the post and different videos on some form of oppression show that it happens everywhere and to just about anyone. Even our great nation of these United States isn't so united. Looking at the different videos on youtube show that we have many faces. We can go on youtube for the simple fact that we want to entertain ourselves or do something during our free time. We can also look at videos that show somebody getting hurt and find that amusing and that itself is exploitation but I guess you can say it is one we can live with. 

Class Blog

The discussion about using the Internet as "social life" and a way to establish relationships (whether it is with friends or something more), to be very interesting. In my opinion people shouldn't use the Internet as a replacement for a " social life." It is not the same to establish some sort of relationship with someone through the Internet, rather then when you meet someone face to face. For all you know the person your talking to is not really how they describe themselves (sometimes using pictures that aren't their own), for example they could be telling you their 21 but they can end up being 53 or something. I understand that some people have trouble socializing, so they use the Internet to establish relationships. I think it's fine, unless you spend all day in the computer and have no real relationships ( as in being able to talk to a friend face to face). Being so attached to the computer can be unhealthy, in my opinion. I think that even if people have cyber-friends (or whatever they want to call them) is okay as long as you don't take it to seriously, or use it as a replacement for your social life (Plus some online relationships can turn dangerous).

Class blog Theme

I learned that there are so many problems, and they involve with the Five Faces of oppression. You can see them in the media ( online, television, radio, etc.). Are we always going to live by what the media says and shows? I guess we are, some of us believe everything that is published in the media. Our lives are controlled by the media, i know that some of us can live with out it but some of us cant. The media sometimes scares me because mostly all of the things that come out in the media are false and it makes me think "is this world a fake?". I have my doubts. But there is nothing that we can do to stop it. And that's what really sucks.

Class theme blog

Well, I learned that youtube can be used to find out more then just music videos, which can be scary. Youtube and other online stuff show that are culture now-a-days is based on the computer. Online you can find anything to an IQ test or a kid getting high from the dentist's laughing gas. It is interesting to me that our world today is looking at an object to tell us about our world. The world around us is scary and the computer allows one to view it which is interesting for anyone.

Oral History

For this oral history project I interviewed a person who I look up to. A person to whom I’m grateful for all the things she has done to give me and my siblings everything we have. My mother has always been my role model. She came to the United States about thirty years ago. Her journey when crossing was not an easy one. She attempted crossing six times before finally having achieved her seventh time. “Cuando me junte con el papa de tus hermanos, nunca pense irme de Mexico.” My mother didn’t have in mind to come to United States when married to her first husband.

When married to her first husband my mother had no voice. Her husband was one of those “machistas” who beat her all the time. She couldn’t turn to her family because they just turned their back on her. My grandmother had said to her that it was her decision to escape with him and that my mother couldn’t go back in with her and my grandfather. Typical family customs, everyone has pride, too much pride. When my mother finally did decide to migrate to the United States, it was only because her first husband had been shot and died. She had no other choice. My grandparents and the rest of the family wouldn’t help her out. She wouldn’t have been able to make it on her own with two children.

In her seven attempts my mother was put in jail twice, the second and sixth time. They handcuffed her harshly. At one of those times they even tried taking both my brothers away from her, but she didn’t let it happen. “Claro que no iva a dejar que me quitaran a tus hermanos.”

It wasn’t easy to cross even tough she says that she realizes how much harder it must be now. My mother came to the United States with the help of a Coyote. She remembers being squeezed in the trunk of a car with other people. The heat of the car would hit them and she was scared she wouldn’t survive at one point. “Senti que me iva a morir.”

The six times they caught her, she recalls the officers being mean to her. They would call all the immigrants names. They threw out any food or beverage anyone carried with them. They would push and shove them all together. Imagine dealing with those officers six times.

When finally getting settled in Chicago my mother started of working at a factory. She says the bosses would treat all the Mexicans bad. There was a lot of racism and a lot of the people wouldn’t speak up. They gave the immigrant workers the harder jobs. The bosses would enjoy humiliating the workers. Not even a bathroom break was permitted, and if it was four minutes was your limit.

My mother says not a lot has changed since then. To the last job she had it was almost the same situation has her first job. There was racism and if you did any little thing wrong you would get fired. If you where a Mexican of course. My mother quit this last job she had.

It’s awful to see how some things still remain the same but I’m very proud of my mother. She is now a U.S citizen.

From Olivia: Checking in . . .

Lots of you have been making great observations this week; keep up the excellent blogging.

Things/Reminders/Requests:

1. Please work on more carefully proofreading your posts; at this point in the term, you should be able to identify major errors (sentence structure, commonly confused words), and you should be checking for spelling/caps mistakes.

2. Look at this for another set of ideas to add to our discussion.

3. Presentations of CR2s begin today. If you're going between Monday the 9th and Tuesday the 17th, and if you have questions, please contact me via e-mail or look at this post.

4. NA2s are coming up, for all of my 102 sections. I'll re-post the guidelines over the next few days.

5. If, when we met for our individual conference, you were missing a OH or CR1, and we made arrangements for you to post these assignments on the blog, please e-mail me a link to your post, so that I can confirm that you have gotten credit for the work.

6. Work on CR2, read news for your NA2, e-mail me with questions, and try to squeeze in a stroll/a picnic/a soccer game/a barbecue in the sunshine this weekend; all these tasks are equally important. Winter is slowly ending.

Class theme blog

In class we discussed about people using the interent to create a soical life or some form of community and would we consider it that. Some agreed and some disagreed. I think that in some way it can be a community. I guess the community can communicate on chatrooms but discussing important or more useful information rather than just chatting to meet people or talk about celebrities and spread their opinion about a topic because that just seems like something to do on one's own spare time and having nothing else. But to communicate effectively in a neighborhood awarness or say for example woman encouraging each other to lose weight or how to keep your kids safe online seems more of what one may label to be a social group because what parent wouldnt want to protect their child or a community; safety first!

I would call it a community within an online social group (OSG) hehe. The internet, like most advance technology, for communication has become more impersonal I think. Conversations with someone tends to be more misunderstood than understood and the language is being recreated. I wonder about the people, psychologicaly, who live on the net more than they do exploring the world and breathing actual air than the one inside their homes. Not that their is anything wrong with them but why do they feel that making friends and being social online is better than meeting them in the "real world"? As much as it is that we can not trust anyone we see, why is it that some can trust those that they cannot? Is it because we cannot see them there is less chances of their being some type of harm to be committed (although it has been said that it is more dangerous on ground than it is in air) or bypass any types of judgements or rejections passed when one doesnt see really how one looks?

Anywho, not only have the OSG may perhaps become less social in person and some may disagree. I would not consider them so much an actual social group because they are just doing what everyone else would do to communicate but through device. Im assuming if we were not so advance in technology would those who like to hide out in their cave room even step outside? Probably so or probably not. So, I guess I can say the internet just made us alot closer like some mobile phone commerical say when they advertise their products.

Whether it is a social group or a community I don't honestly know to each is own and what these two labels mean to him or her. I just wish him or her luck to the person trying to meet someone and forbid any harm done. I mean anyone can say just about anything and post just about anything. Don't get me wrong people in person can also do the same but those behind a screen have probably a beter chance of getting away with it. i.e. a man saying he's 20 when he is realy 65 eeeww!!! So those who would call themselves an OSG your discretion is in your hands and may luck be with you. Enjoy!

Class Themes Blog

Our class has discussed and learned many important themes. Not only do they apply to our class but also we can use them later on in life. I feel it is important to know all these terms. They discuss things that are happening around the world at all times. We are living in a country of freedom and peace; however, other people around the world are not as lucky. Discussing topics such as the five faces of oppression allow us to better understand and be aware. Learning to classify documents as being related to social justice according to our class criteria was a big step to being informed.

Blog about class discussion

I would like to comment about our discussion about people getting "social" skills in person rather than online. The internet can be a world wide thing and a scary thing because you never really know who you are talking to. The internet and talking to individuals on it should not be your main source of what you call a "social life" because you are not interacting face to face with someone else; really getting to know someone and their emotions and body language. You can not touch someone over the internet and these people that spend all their time on the computer need to get off and get some fresh air outside!

Oral History

I was interviewing my mom because I wanted to find out how she went through her teenage life.

She told me that her life as a kid was not that fun. She lived on a farm with her parents, sister, and brother. When she was ten, her parents gave her choirs to do, that were for adults. Her mom taught her and her sister how to cook and clean. My mom’s brother, on the other hand, was taught how to drive a tractor and clean up in the barn. The three of them had to go to school, so after coming back, they had to leave their homework and go help their parents. When summer was coming, there was always so much work that had to be done outside, my mom was waking up at 7 every day and had to go gather vegetables that would later on be sold. Few years later, her dad came to America to get some money. He stayed for good few years and the four of them had to be on their own doing all the choirs that they were taught. My mom’s mother got very sick and the doctors said that she won’t be able to walk again. Now my mom, her sister and brother were on their own. They were older but that didn’t change anything. They had to manage somehow to handle school, work around the farm and their sick mom that always needed something. My mom told me that it was very hard for them when they found out about the sickness. Even though, their dad was sending some money from America, they still had to work very hard. Few years later, my mom got a phone call from her dad that he wants her to visit him. She came to the United States and discovered that he had a cancer. She told me, "When I found out that my dad has a cancer, I burst into tears and fell on the ground." Her life changed dramatically. She stayed in the United States until his last days would come, because he didn't want to die in Poland. After two years, she came back to Poland with everything that her dad left there.

Obama " I can do what ever I like"

Can we pass this you tube- video to our class criteria???

criteria:
* Must connect to IMY's
* Must tell a story
*Must be public
* Must appeal to our emotions


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58bHytrkAnw

cultural document

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV09SYxFKR0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkSMhZOPMZI

The video i posted is the 2004 Ryan Seacrest interview with Britney Spears. At this time Ryan Seacrest had his own TV show and one of his guest was to be Britney Spears. What is so bizarre about this is that he actually had a countdown all week in his show of how much longer before Britney was to be on the show. Now i posted this because i feel it represents a good part of our culture and obsession with celebrities. Now a days people just cannot get enough of celebrities and their lives, we catch ourselves reading magazines, reading online posting and keeping updates with what is going on in their lives. Now to me Britney Spears is just a normal girl, i mean sure she is a celebrity and if given the chance will get her autograph but does our society have this much of a fascination where we countdown the days til seeing her on a show. This to me is a great representation with our culture and how it reacts to celebrities. Another video i posted is a video of Paula Abdul talking about her stalker's death. This news made headlines when a stalker of Abdul committed suicide outside of her home, to me this is bizarre in the sense that looking at what these celebrities have to deal with and problems they have to encounter with the obsession that people have over them, i do not feel this should be something celebritites should be forced to face. I think people need to start learning how to separate reality from fantasy and keep celebrities as a form of entertainment and not their whole lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19_c58yNYVw

This is a song written by Bone Thugs N Harmony. What they talk about here is about how the world is so corrupt, and we need change. It's called Change the World, and it's true, because we've been living lies, and now it's time to live the truth.

Cultural Document

The cultural document I decided to post is about anti-drugs. I find it shocking to see how the drug problem in our society has escalated. I first remember seeing that the anti-drug commercials were about weed. Now the anti-drug commercials have shifted their focus to that of crystal meth. I think this video shows more the reality of doing drugs and some of the consequences that come with it. I think most people that do drugs don’t realize the consequences, think they’re just going to do it for that one time but compellingly they rapidly become addicted to it.

Non American Culture in American Culture

One thing Ive noticed about American Culture is the growing and increasing popularity of things from foreign cultures becoming mainstream in America. a few exampls: there are growing numbers of Taco Bells around the country, showing how Mexican Food is becoming americanized and also showing how its becoming popular among americans. Another example is how Japanese culture is becoming mainstream and popular in America; you cant walk in a borders or barnes and noble without noticing the Japanese Manga section. theres also the popularity of anime cartoons, video games, etc.

Another thing ive noticed, using my group of friends as an example, how things spread. I am currently reading a Manga called Deathnote because a friend of mine got me into it, and i recently got my friends into it and my brother into it, so im sure he will spread it among his friends. I think this goes back to the notion of Viral, with the idea of how quickly things spread.

cultural document

The image I chose to write about shows a good example of American culture. This video I found on youtube shows a clip from the television show none other than "American Idol." American Idol is a reality based t.v show that allows regular people to display there talent and America then votes everyweek on their favorites. This show is a huge part of our culture , however the fact that America has these people's musical lives in their hands is a bit on the scary side. America choses who they believe is the most talanted, but is talent the real contest? America also votes on other aspects that turn the contest into a popularity contest. America votes also on the most funniest, cutest, and even ditsiest contestant. The outcome is the winner receives a record deal and a chance to make a career off there talents. America brings them up to stardom but then has the power to also have this new crowned idol rise or fall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9nw9sMfCWA

Cultural Document

Our American culture is formed by a combination of food, music, celebrities, movies, TV shows, traditions, customs, laws, etc. Present minority cultures were uplifted and united due to the inauguration of Barack Obama. He brought celebration, hope, and happiness to the majority of Americans and this did not only change the way we of think of the United States, but it also brought inspiration to people of all ages. I chose a video from YouTube that has been circling around the internet and media because it depicts our culture and thoughts of our president today. It is a music video in which “our president” raps and sing in a very popular melody. A young boy who looks like Barack Obama makes up the words to this song and impersonates our president in a way that appeals to the teenage crowd. The music is hip and a part of our culture and this video shows how much faith and how proud our young nation is of our “first black prez.”

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-yJBsjatW0

The video that I picked from YouTube is P!NK's music video, "Stupid Girls". This shows the perception of how girls act in America. Women in America have this picture in their mind to have the perfect body and the buy the most expensive accesories to be accepted in our culture. P!NK shows how women have plastic surgery or throw up just to keep that perfect body that America pictures women. The media is reason why women are so self-concious about their appearance.

Click here: P!NK - Stupid Girls

Cultural Document

I did my cultural document on the golf swing of Charles Barkley. I believe that this video shows how our culture finds joy in other people's misery. It could be something as simple as a golf swing or as terrible as laughing at a homeless person because of the way he/she is dressed. I feel that it gives a person in our society the chance to feel better or more powerful than someone else, which is all due to thats persons own insecurities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s50K65PNeBU

Cultural Document

The cultural document I decided to chose was a music video called, "Dime que te Paso" by Wisin and Yandel. I chose this video because in a way I can connect to it. I have family members, including my own brother, who are in the army. The music video is basically about a guy who is enlisted in the army and goes off to war, having to leave his wife and new born daughter. When he goes off to war he experiences many things that changes his personality and the way he interacts with his wife. Later on, he has to go back to war having to leave his wife and daughter again, but before he leaves he has a huge fight with his wife. At the end, when the wife is getting ready to leave to work, she gets a knock at the door and there is a guy from the army who hands her a folded American flag (which signifies that her husband died). I have noticed that lately in the past couple of moths/years there have been many music videos with the same sort of theme. I think it demonstrates the solidarity that there is among society (showing respect and admiration) towards the people who risk their lives in the war. Also, I think that these videos help people see how going to war changes not only the soldier, but the family too. They show how the war not only affects an individual but a whole nation too. And like this video the stories of these soldiers don't always have a happy ending.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBSxnOgoVck

Cultural Document

For my Cultural Document, I chose a movie I saw a couple years back called The Magdelene Sisters. The movie is based on 3 woman that lived in Ireland. Since Ireland is a Catholic country, they used to send women to asylums (laundries) when they were caught doing "unholy" things so they can fix their sins. One of the women was raped by her cousin and was still sent to the Magdelen Laundries just because she wasn't pure anymore. The second woman was sent because she had a baby out of wedlock and the third was sent just because she was too flirtatious. Women in these asylums were beat, forced to do hard labor and shunned from society. I chose this to show the type of world we live in where there's religious extremism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFz9DvCPFbs

Oral History

I interviewed my best friend Matt because he was adopted and I wanted to get his thoughts on that.

When did you find out you were adopted?
Oh, my parents never kept that from me. They told me when I was first able to speak.

How did you feel about this?
I was cool with it. Eh, whatever. They are my parents now. They are the only parents I've ever known.

Do you ever want to meet your real parents?
Nah. They gave me up. They realized they couldn't afford to have me and gave up their rights to find me. Why should I invade their lives all of the sudden?! Im happy with the parents I was given.

Do you know anything about your real parents?
I know that they were young. Maybe in their 20s and they already had other kids and decided they couldn't afford me but didn't want to get an abortion so adoption was the best option so that they could give me a better life.

Do you ever want to meet your brothers and or sisters?
Ummm I never really thought about that and I'm not sure I want to... I... I don't know. I think it would be weird you know?

Why did your parents decide to adopt?
Well, yeah... my mom can't have kids. She tried six times and had six miscarriages. The doctor told her to stop trying because there was something wrong with her uterus and it would heurt her and the baby. I feel real sorry for her.

Do you know how your adoption happened and what your parents went through to get you?
Well my parents waited for a long time until they came across me and they had to sign all these papers and go to court and finalize everything. It was a very long process. I remember my mom telling me they put me in her arms and she almost didn't get me at one point, but i looked at the judge and smiled and totally won him over. My mom was sure as hell not letting me go that day.

Do you like the life you were given?
Oh god yes. I love my parents. Wouldn't trade them for the world. They give me food, shelter, clothes, and anything else I really want or need. Like my car. She's my baby. [His parents bought him a 2004 Infiniti G35 for a graduation present.]

Do you think you would have turned out differently if you were given different parents?
Oh! Most definitely. My parents are the greatest. I think they are wonderful parents. They taught me a lot of good life lessons and I love them for it. They taught me wrong from right and how to deal with life when it's good or bad. If I had different parents I would have learned different perspectives on life and I would have thought differently about issues in the world and I would definitely handle situations just a whole lot differently. The way you turn out has a lot to do with who raises you and how.

When you get older and even married would you consider adoption?
I definitely would. It give kids opportunities they would have never had with their real parents. All children need love and affection and if I had the money like my parents do then i would definitely love to adopt.

Cultural Document

For my cultural document, I chose an interview off youtube with the octuplet mother. The reason I chose this documentation is because it shows a lot about the culture we live in. In the interview Nadya (the mother) says that she just wishes everyone would stick to their own lives and business and not worry about her and her extremely large family. Everyone can agree that what she has chosen for her lifestlye is defintely out of the ordinary and that is why we the Amerian culture and society are so wrapped up in it. In the case of Nadya and her fourteen kids I would have to say they have been exploited. She is all over the media. This case also faces a sense of powerlessness because Nadya (the mother) has no money and no husband. Although, Nayda claims the help of friends and family will be enough. Nadya's mother claims that she is incapable, but Nadya strongly disagrees. All we can do now is wait and see if she is indeed successful in raising her fourteen children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtwG4pe9rqI

Cultural Document

I saw the video named "A forgotten Injustice." This video is very sad. It talks about the injustice done to the Mexican people during 1930's. About two million Mexican people, of whom approximately 60% were citizens and legal residence of the United States, were deported from the U.S. They were deported just because they had Mexican ancestry. This act of discrimination in the history is not fair. To discriminate and punish someone just because of his race is very bad. Nowadays in our culture, this kind of videos interviewing the victims of injustice are found to inspire people, not to repeat the history again. I hope that the history does not repeat again because the one who has to suffer at the end are the innocent people, as in this case were the Mexicans. The link to the video is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9coxGJNjZI

cultural document

"Document China Opress Tibetan & Culture Genocide," is the name of the viral video i watched on youtube. The document is about a human smuggler Gyamtso, he helps people escape from tibet. the people that try to escape tibet risk their life's, health and possibly their freedom if they are caught by the Chinese police. the Tibetan people are suffer from opression by their government. their government doesn't allow the people to study their culture and language. the link to this document is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0qFlcQPfUY

Hidden Culture

There is a hidden culture in the US. This hidden culture is that of the lock pick artist. There are many groups of people across the U.S who pick locks for fun. This is not for illicit purposes but more for fun and the challenge. There are entire contests just for these people. Just to keep pushing the limit. It forces you into a state of mind this is complete concentration and relaxation. I can vouch for anybody who is part of that community for I am a member myself. People feel threatened for it destroys their illusion of security. For a $50 lock that is supposed to protect your valuables to fail makes you realize that your property is not safe. For example my friend had just bought a $150 lock box that he kept going on how would keep his valuables safe until I opened it in less than 30 seconds. This subculture is part of a another subculture who thrives on a hack. By hack I mean bypassing a security system ranging from security programs to picking locks. This subculture will continue to thrive and become more and more popular.

Cultural Document

The Latino Comedy Project's "300"

This video shows marginalization, powerlessness and cultural imperialism. I really don't have to say why, you can see it all in the video. This video shows the way that Americans and anyone else thinks about Latinos. The thing that is really disturbing are the comments  that people wrote. I think that the people who thought that this video was funny are really immature. This video is racist. This video makes it look like the Mexicans come here to U.S. to take away jobs, but that's not true. They are here to be successful in life, they want to have the American dream. The American dream to Latinos is to have a home, a job and a great family. All they want is to be happy and successful. I don't see anything wrong with that. The way that they put the pregnant women and fat man and brooms. That's shows that supposedly us Latinos are here just ti have babies and to do the hard and dirty work. And of course that all Mexicans are fat, hungry people. I don't agree with this video its disturbing and dumb. It proves how ignorant people are in the U.S. All this bad stuff about immigrants is a waist of time. All I know is that these videos and information about immigrants is not true. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7qKD-Ph7ds

Oral History

Oral History Report
I interviewed my mother Carmen Torres. She moved to the United States from Mexico in 1973. She had no education growing up and few jobs in Mexico. Today she is now 56 years old with a successful business in Chicago, Illinois, a house in the Northern Suburbs, and a wonderful family.

What was it like growing up in Mexico?
Well, it was very hard; we were a poor family living in a small village with no work, little food, and a big family. Our family had no running water, no electricity, no gas, and any heat or AC. I remember by the age of seven I was already helping my parents milk the two cows we had, fetch water for the dishes and animals about 6 miles away from our house, clean the house, clean the animal coral and I would do the same thing over at my grandmother’s house daily.

When did you first decide to come to the U.S?
When I was 18 and met your father. He was living in the same situation my family and I were living in. He was very poor, working 80 hour work weeks as a driver by the age of 20. When we met it wasn’t long after his sister Maria came to the United States and told us that there were a lot of factory jobs in Chicago, a lot of housing and if we wanted to move in with her. Your father and I decided that we should move to the United States to start our own family, become economically stable and bring our family from Mexico. In the winter of 1973 we moved to the U.S. and began our journey.

Which lifestyle did you prefer?
When we first arrived we wanted to go back immediately, we thought Chicago was cold and it was snowing all year round. We finally got situated with your Aunt Maria, and as she told us, factory owners would pull people off streets to offer them jobs. After a while we were still very poor but better off than we were in Mexico. We had our first child, your sister Mary, and things were pleasant. By 1983 we bought our first apartment building and things turned for the worst. It was an older building but with a lot of hard work we fixed it up and almost looked new. In 1985 our building burned down, we had invested our savings to bring our family from Mexico. Again we had to find better jobs, rebuild our building, and get back on track. In 1988 we sold the building and bought our first restaurant. From there we started to love the life we were living, we bought our first car, a house In Lincolnwood, and our business kept growing.


Are there any things you miss from Mexico?
Unfortunately yes, I was never able to bring my mother to the United States to live with us because of her illegal status. My father was only granted a visa for two weeks and he was never granted another. Also there is a sort of peace you get from a little village, in Chicago there is always crime and a feeling of insecurity in some places you go but not in Mexico since everyone knew everyone.

The violence that has taken over many cultures. . .

The cultural document that i chose was a music video by Wisin and Yandel featuring Franco De Vita making the statement on how violence has taken power over the many cultures that we know of and that violence has created a culture of its own. their title of the song "Oye Donde Esta El Amor", means hey where did the love go? In video they show the struggle of a little boy trying to bring money and food for her mother who was sick. also how the violence that goes on to effects the lives of many Innocent kids, and how for example this video the boy witnesses the death of his father. Now a days no one tends to help out on another but to help themselves. And how the struggle for surviving with one another is being replaced by selfishness of people today. All due to violence.

Pork and Beans

The social document I chose was that of the music video "Pork and Beans" by the popular band Weezer. I chose this video, because you wanted us to choose some video that provides social documentation - and this video goes one further. It is a video that documents other videos from you-tube and other places on the internet that provided social documentary, and that where widely popularized, and thus represent current Internet culture. The reason I find this video particularly significant is because it is the first documentation I(at least) have ever seen that celebrates Internet culture at this level. Art expresses some facet of the human experience. That the subject of this art piece was You-tube culture find very significant. Internet culture has finally become an integral and widely experienced enough facet of human culture to be expressed as art in popular culture - an this is not art by some internet blogger - this is not a sub group expressing their particular little world. This video is a professionally produced music video by a popular, widely publicized band. You tubing must seen a social phenomena that exist over many social groups, and rightly so - you can find people of every group imaginable, race, age, interest on you-tube. We are truly at a new point in Human culture. This video celebrates the "settlers" entrepreneuring on this new frontier - The Internet.

Pork and Beans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muP9eH2p2PI

Here, I'm finally transferring this from my personal blog to the school blog.

Dear Studs Terkel,

In your brief interview for the Story Corps, you lamented the loss of the “human voice” in today’s society. You alluded (through your mention of the prerecorded train announcements) that the Voice of humanity is being replaced by the mechanization of computers. The thing is, I think you’re wrong. Unless we, as a race evolve quite drastically, the human voice could never really be gone. I believe that. I hear people complaining, nowadays, about the frequency of text messaging, online communities, the ridiculous language used, but I think they are misunderstanding of how humanity fits into this new world of technology. Technology does not replace humanity – it simply creates a new outlet for humanity. Is the human voice less human because it lives in a metropolis and not a rural small town? The song sung may be different, but it is the same body as sings it. Was it lessened by the fact that it found it could express itself in written words and mass-produced magazines? You died only last year, so I am sure you have encountered the internet, but I am not sure if you got to know it like I do. I love the internet. people are loud, rude, thoughtful, demeaning, demeaning, inventive, base, foolish, friendly, emotional, and unguarded on the internet. The technology has not, as some feared, zombified the modern human, an taken away his basic nature. Rather, it has created a new outlet for out nature, a new, virtual plain in which to practice culture. I think you would be heartened to read the intelligent blogs posted by various laymen in their free time. I think you would be amused to follow some of the heated and completely ridiculous fights on youtube. There is an argument there which I have been following. It spans across many videos and comments threads. What is it about? Two people each accusing each other of being the same individual – this youtube troll who leaves offensive messages on various videos. They are deep in debating, each contending that the other is this troll. Maybe they are both troll, maybe they are m=both innocent. Maybe they are actually one person, arguing with himself from two different accounts. It doesn’t matter – they are so quintessentially human – as ridiculous and bawdy and mean as Kid Pharaoh. But the internet is not just a slum for characters. It is a powerful tool for organization. It is not something to be ignored, and, widely unregulated as it still is, it is the people’s tool. Our latest election was run in large on the internet, and to great results – the voter turnout was greater than ever before in history. The human voice, and the good it can do when self disciplined, is alive and well.

Love, Maga

Interesting Movie

I recently saw this movie, titled The Invasion, on t.v. even though it came out a year ago. The whole movie is based on Nicole Kidman finding her son in a world full of people infected with an alien virus. What I liked about the movie was not the plot (wasn't too good), but the idea behind it. The alien virus made people emotionless and almost robot like. The aliens justified it by saying that it would be a perfect world filled with no crime, no wars, no injustice what so ever. It made me wonder if such thing was possible, if it would really be a wrong thing. Yes, we would not be ourselves, but the world would be perfect. No injustice, no crimes, no discrimination, what could be better than that. At the end of the movie, one of the characters said the following:

"In the right situation, we are all capable of the most terrible crimes. To imagine a world where this was not so, where every crisis did not result in new atrocities, where every newspaper is not full of war and violence. Well, this is to imagine a world where human beings cease to be human. "

Cultural Document

The video I chose is an episode from "Family Guy" about the F.C.C. What this video says about our culture at this moment is how euphemism is the new sugarcoating to truth and what actual information will be exposed to the public. Euphemism is used quite a lot especially in the media and anything that is news related and in the public’s interest. Whether there is Social Justice or not depends on the material that is being exposed. Based on the contents, it is determined by the F.C.C what should be censored or expressed in so many words. On movies or TV shows exceptions for vulgarity in language and picture censorship is a necessity. In IMY's readings and photographs and what the government did was a Social Injustice that was seeking Social Justice through the work of IMY. Listen to what the words say and define what they mean to you in regards to the cartoon itself or relate it to another source of government controlled information accessible to the public. For example: the news and their brief discussions, or the newspaper, radio, other TV shows, or films.

WARNING VIEWERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED. PLEASE WATCH RESPONSIBLY.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10hjUEuxbjo

Cultural Document.

For an example of cultural documentation, I choose a video called 'The Un-Funny Truth about Scientology'. The reason I picked this for my cultural documentation is because of the relevance of Scientology in a culture (a 'religion' made relevant by mainstream actors/actresses/other famous or socialite people). Scientology has sparked many controversy because of various reasons (their beliefs, the way the handle situations, etc.) and how Scientology has high-profile lawyers to deal with any situations in which its name is shown in a bad light. Within the past year there have been many protest against the "religion" often organized when a celebrity follow of Scientology has a movie/cd/production being released. This shows us a lot about our society and how some people interact within it as well.
WARNING: Contains graphic images/information.

Cultural Document

This YouTube video was about the social discrimination that immigrants in the United States deal with in a daily basis. There are many injustices that immigrants have to face for being undocumented. Discrimination is seen not only among the people, but also towards the jobs and things that immigrants do. Immigrants have contributed to the cultural and economic improvement of the United States, yet this is not seen by the people. They think that immigrants are here to take their jobs and take the benefits this country provides. However, this is not true. Immigrants are here to work hard for their families, help the country, and obtain a life with more opportunities. All the discrimination is unfair.

Cultural Document

The document I chose was "Superbad." This movie right now in our culture shows the amount the immaturity and indecency that all young adults love now a days. I for one find this movie hilarious, and this shows how we now accept all the bad behavior in teenagers because we now think all this "partying" and having sex is part of this culture's norm. That we have thrown modesty out of the door and brought in dirty humor that is captivating millions. The American culture goes for what is in and what sells and sex, humor, and making fun of people is what people want, then the media will give it to them. This type of comedy makes me laugh, and this shows how America is changing, (who knows if for the good or not), but how we have gone from tear jerking classics to knee jerking comedies and how comedies have really come a long way. The social justice issues might have to do with the people that get made fun of during the movies or ones that get affected by the jokes in the media, but it is all supposed to be in good fun. This is a link to the plot and characters in the movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829482/

Cultural Document

This to me was just sad. It shows Julian Morrow, a comedian from Australia talking to regular Americans and asking them what I belive is easy question or current news question and they can't even responde to them correctly. I believe they only showed the Americans who answered the questions wrong but still I believe we all know who Fidel Castro is. America likes to show off that it has power but its citizens are up to date with current news. Also I know we love to make fun of many other countries and it looks like in this video we are getting ours handed back to us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6r1IcY1pv0

Discussion Question

Why is it that the media tends to support cultural imperialism? Our society says they want a new improve Nation to make a change but still our media shows more interest in different cultures. I watch the news and it seem like all these kills happening in urban community with African American and Hispanic kids aren't as important to the "innocents" as they call it. When things like this happens to celebrity it's on the News everyday but when it happens to normal people it doesn't make it to the News.

Cultural Document

Gossip Girl-The CW

Gossip Girl is a show on the CW about ritzy high school kids who are extremely wealthy. You could say that some are “good” and some are “evil”. I say this because the ones I consider “evil” are the ones who are possibly the favorite of the show. Blair Waldorf is one of the IT girls in the show. She is the most popular girl and everyone knows it. You don’t mess with her. She is also the rudest. She will take revenge on anyone who hurts her, and doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process. Yet, people love this show even though it’s all about gossiping and hurting people. Yes, there is love and friendships happening, but if you ask someone about the show people will most likely tell you about the gossiping part. Don’t get me wrong, I love this show. I myself find it very interesting, but how come our culture thrives on shows like this; shows about gossip, cruelty and being rude. We find things like people getting their feelings hurt funny. Why? Why does our culture put things like this on TV when some people copy it?

(here is a link to imdb.com about the show. it tells you the plot and characters of the show)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397442/

Discussion Question:

Q: If the U.S. claimed this was some kind of Liberation War, then why does it seem that they have less freedom? She clearly states how women can't even leave the house anymore because of the scare of anything from being insulted to being abducted(8.23.2003).