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