Started at the Bottom...I'm So Glad to See You, Winter Break

To swiftly summarize, I have learned how difficult cohesive writing is. Organizing one's thoughts enough to make a well-supported argument involves patience, practice, and passion. I do not have the patience or practice to write as much as this course asked me to, but I do have a passion for analyzing and constructing arguments. This passion alone saved me many nights filled with writer's block, procrastination, and mindless keyboard typing. The many fields that this class included went well beyond just writing, and I took immense pleasure in seeing how the world is an argument.

"3rd Rock from the Sun", the Miss America Pageant, and images such as this:



are all statements on our world and what sells. This class opened my eyes to all of the current problems our world is fighting to change like the N-word in public discourse, the way history glorifies some and shuns others, and to solve the divisions of race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, etc. These types of issues interest me because, by researching them, I have learned been allowed to open my eyes to new issues. While again, the process of hammering out draft after draft was daunting and tedious, the daily analysis of the American media was amazing. This skill and viewpoint are tools that I'm bringing with me through out future classes and in my everyday internet surfing. While again, I could've done without so much physical writing, the most valuable skill this class taught me is to find the argument in anything beyond words. It forced me to find my own solutions to today's problems, even coming up with counter-arguments on the way. These solutions, while I do not think are the exact answer, have given me a starting point in activism and argumentation.

Winter Break HERE I COME

~DSB

Bad Faith and Public Discourse

Does our current model of public discourse reward bad faith argumentation? Yes, it completely does. It does so because the commercial and entertainment values of anything goes up for bad faith arguments. Getting your opponent or the audience "riled up" helps to promote anything. I remember watching the Fab 5 documentary and while the documentary was about the glory of five freshman starting for college basketball and making a back-to-back appearance in the title game. However, the commercials promoting the documentary showcased how these black men were treated because of their race.

The bad faith argument comes in when Jalen Rose, the point guard for Michigan, stated that the Duke Blue Devils only recruited "Uncle Toms" for their program. This argument alone spawned media attention and even became the catalyst for Duke's own documentary covering those same years. This showed their opponent to be for a certain kind of black people (racist), when the fact was that they were a better team and proved it in the second half of the 92 title game. The documentary was phenomenal, but it could've done without the attack on another college. This became the focal point of many people's discussion about the movie instead of how amazing a feat it was to be underclassmen starting at the collegiate level.

Taking Sides: A Source for A4

Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Race and Ethnicity

This book by Raymond D'Angelo and Herbert Russel chronicles a wide variety of issues that are tied to race. From the first appearances of racist thought among children to the racial arbitrariness of a genetic versus cultural definition, this book is a short anthology of every issue concerning race under the sun. I found the book through the USC Homer tool after browsing for a short amount of time. I found three books that were tailored to my argument and decided that this one would be the best among the three because of the wide spectrum of race debates that it covers.

Having already started writing my paper, this book is crucial because it argues how damaging it is to any movement to attach "race" as the primary issue. They show affirmative action for what it is and offer a solution to focusing on the disadvantage of class instead of race. The main focus of this book is to argue about race issues in a debate style format. Each chapter rotates between the "yes" and the "no" on the toughest race dilemmas. It's like watching a tennis match; the passion that each side argues with is heated.

Spectrum Series: Michele Norris

While listening to much of Norris's speech at Bovard last Wednesday, I found myself not one hundred percent engaged. I sat there respectfully trying to piece together exactly what this "post-racial" society is and disagreeing on the fact that the term exists period. It was laughable that anyone could've come up with that term and truly believed that this is where society is today. For most of the beginning I was lulled by the conversation and deep in thought about that term. It wasn't until later in the speech where I really perked up and hung on to every word Norris said.

What was interesting about the section of the event that I keyed in to was that none of the words were Norris's. She created a dialogue using a smorgasbord of six word race cards that could float back and forth between similar ideas and concepts. They ranged form humorous, to dark and traveled through every kind of discrimination in the process. It showed me not that these cards could have an entertainment value to them, but that six words alone is not enough. I was correct in my assessment in how limiting the experience is and while I agree with Norris in forcing you to nutshell your story, I believe that each is a puzzle piece of conversation. Once put together, we will see what the vision of a post-racial society can truly be. Right now, we're still assembling the pieces.

3rd Rock from the Sun: Race?

What I think is interesting is that race goes beyond physical looks, but that generally is the first marker. If let's say that Dick looked at the Black Freedom Movement, he would see a majority dark-skinned group of fighting for voting rights. If in his shoes, I would see a group of people fighting for a fair chance at representation. It wouldn't be where you came from that defined you, but what ties you together currently. If race and ethnicity no longer exists, those with similar interests and situations would group together.

Dick's obsession to fulfill stereotypes fulfills a very American stereotype of needing to "fit in." Stepping into his shoes, unable to understand this "caste system", I would find other ways to relate to a group of people. Life is defined by who you are, but also by who you're not. Unfortunately, an alien wouldn't understand this differentiation.

Being in Dick's shoes teaches me that race is almost pointless, when referring to the past. There are many people throughout history that couldn't receive the vote, including poor white and women. Yes, linking a social movement to race will bring unity within, but the ultimate goal of obtaining voting rights is equality for all. If race is the main factor bringing a group of people together, then the mantra is not equal rights. It would be more accurately, equal rights for just one. 

Laramie: What Did I Learn

By researching The Laramie Project, I learned how much the myth of equality in America is still present. America still pretends to be the golden boy of opportunity and protecting the rights of all, but the gay rights movement shows that there's so much work to do. I found that my perception of this event was that it was a hate crime, but I also figured that more people knew about Laramie. I was sorely mistaken as people read my paper for the first time. I also thought that there was much more exposure and that Laramie, after ten years, would've changed after such a tragic event. I was 0 for 2 after realizing that Laramie just wanted to forget its past, and not for the better. I learned how much having a face for a cause makes or breaks the movement. Shepard was definitely a great launching point for empathetic activists to change the way we view sexuality.

The Laramie Project truly gave me a sense of purpose in studying theater here at USC. It is a beautifully crafted story that tells it how it is, but provides a way for those who perform and watch it to understand how tragic the event was. Theater can and should be used as a way to excited change in others and move them emotionally and spiritually to come together and take the world by storm. 

I performed The Laramie Project during my Senior year of high school. It was such a moving piece that it certainly shocked me that it was my first time hearing about the Defense of Marriage Act and Prop 8. While I admit that I don't avidly follow politics, it still shocked me that I had no prior contact to gay rights issues before doing a play in which someone was killed for being gay.

The reason why I'm picking this topic isn't limited to Laramie alone. I want that to be my major focus, but I want to examine gay rights in general as well. I've studied lots of different social movements on gaining rights for voting, on education reform, and on achieving the basic civil rights. Already in my studies I've noticed that homophobia and gay rights were very taboo subjects throughout history, but now it's becoming an everyday conversation. It's in the earliest forms of becoming a social movement. I'm always fascinated as to why violence sparks most social movements, but more importantly I want to look at why it isn't taught in schools. To begin, maybe I'd talk about how we can even begin to talk about gay rights in the classroom.

Especially since Facebook users united to bring forth a WUNC display that correlates with a social movement. We might just be in the earliest stages of the latest American social movement to take flight.

RACE CARD PROJECT

After following the site for a few weeks, I've noticed that the reasons for its limitations may just be that we're not ready to have a site devoted to race in general. In order to build community, there must be a sense of trust in the strangers that are posting aimlessly on the web. It's hard to breach across races even though most people come into contact with various races in their daily lives. Race issues reuire you to admit the truths you have about other groups, uncover where you might be ignorant, and be vulnerable, again in front of strangers. That's not say it can't be done, but it's incredibly hard to get to that point without a face-to-face conversation.

The site should include moderators, videos, and articles about race. That way the site doesn't solely rely on the race cards but a variety of different mediums. You can have threads that are focused and topic generated by moderators so that the conversations have a specific dialogue that must be followed. The site can't leave it up to the users alone to keep the site going because it won't work. There needs to be support from those running it to make sure that people are drawn back in. Also, reward those that freuently post and share race cards and hold competitions for the best ones that define race in America today. Having people vote on them not for the sake of competition but it builds, again, a sense of community where everyone agrees on a six-word story and its meaning. Mostly, these ideas are to keep the ball rolling and expand on the functions the site already has. 

DB

MY DAUGHTER SAYS TIANA'S TOO DARK

This six word card struck me the hardest because of the ideas that race is instilled in children at the earliest of ages. White faces circulate through all types of media and are the most represented. Tiana, Disney's first black princess, was created in order to add diversity and boost black faces in the Disney franchise. It's striking to me that a child recognizes this and comments in such a way because even television and the internet reinforce the "white is right" idea on a daily basis. When children turn on the t.v. and see light faces on Disney or Nickelodeon, with other races vastly underrepresented, they're fed that white is the standard and the natural way and everything else is rare. 

This card reminds me of the Barbie doll project where little girls were asked which Barbie, the white or black one, was prettiest and which they would rather play with. Almost all pick the white Barbie as prettier and more fun to play with. It's unfortunate but in daily activities whites are the winners so to speak. And unfortunately, when they're not, like in the case of Miss America, problems occur and some feel as if they've been slighted. 

2pac - Changes (Official Video)

I've chosen to write about Tupac's song "Changes" for my first assignment. This song struck me mostly because it's apparent pessimistic views on violence and poverty in black communities. After listening to it further, I found it easy to dissect the true meanings of Tupac's lyrics, and the history of the song hit me hard when I learned it was released postmortem. I didn't know a lot about the song beforehand, but I knew a general idea about Tupac and his life. I figured that one of his songs would fit the assignment because he is notorious for rapping about the current social issues, and I admired the courage it took to use his art to speak so strongly about an issue that hits him so close to home. I picked a different song earlier, but upon looking at the "Changes" a second time, I realized how incredibly easy it was to pull out themes and ideas from his lyrics. Tupac truly knew how to tell a story in song and move listeners with his harsh tones but catchy melodies.

~STRANGE FRUIT~

Strange Fruit as sung by Billie Holiday continues to powerfully creep and linger on the minds and in the hearts of all those that hear its lullaby. Like a siren in the deep, the lyrics don't lead one to temptation, but lure any that hear it to confront the illustrative images that attack all five senses. The graphic nature of the violent horrors that Billie is describing contrasts perfectly with her sweet, soft, and almost broken voice. This almost creates a darker performance than than it does paint an even darker painting of shadowy bodies represented as now spoiled, dead, strange fruit. 

The lyrics and performance give this piece a "staying power" that transcends art, but becomes a message that forces social change. Add the fact that the composer was a white male, shows that their thesis goes beyond black and white. It demands that lynching be looked at in a purely human level, as one of the lowest forms of dehumanizing someone. 

"Strange Fruit" is a song that came out at the right time. It's controversial not just for the hell of it, but because the danger of producing such a song is what people needed to hear in order to enact social change. What separates it from many other songs is that you wouldn't listen to it at a social event or for pleasure. It's listened to because it's a reminder of what art can do. It's a reminder of the ways that anyone and everyone has a right and duty, in whatever talent of division they come from, to do what they can to make this world the BEST place it can be. 

hu-yuck

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