[Right or Wrong?]

This link is to the Plain Dealers Letters to the Editor about this letter to Arsenio Winston.
http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1185266135130890.xml&coll=2#continue

This letter was from a council man in Cleveland to Arsenio Winston after Arsenio was arrested for dealing drugs again. I picked this as my media item because it is an example of the argument of racism in our society today.

This letter got a lot of different feedback. Some thought that it was good that Michael Polensek sent it because “the black community is not doing enough to get its kids on the straight and narrow” (Plain Dealer: Letters to the Editor). Others responded like, “Mike Polensek is an idiot! If he is what passes for a dedicated public servant, I pity the citizens of Cleveland. I’ll take my chances with the “nuts” in L.A.” (Plain Dealer: Letters to the Editor). Many of the blacks have responded that Michael Polensek is racist because of this letter he sent. This relates to class material because it is talking about the constant struggle of racism in the world and how it is still there. This is just one example of it.

I think that if a black councilman would have sent it many of the people who disagreed with it would not of had a problem with it as much as they did. Because councilman Michael Polensek is white he was accused of being racist, when really is just trying to help the city of Cleveland. I do agree that the letter was a little harsh, but if it was not so harsh I do not think that it would have been affective at all. He would have just brushed it off and been like well whatever I can keep dealing, but I think that the councilman got his point across that he will not put up with drug dealing anymore.

[Who is White?]

http://www.understandingrace.org/lived/who_is/index.html

This is a link to the reason why Professor Randall created this survey that asks you what countries are white and which ones are not white. I picked this for my media item because it is interesting to take the survey and see how your results are compared to other people.

Professor Randall states that she made this survey for a couple different reasons, “I created this survey to help show that we make judgments not only about who is white but also about what countries are white (or predominantly white), and to call attention to some of the questions this raises. For example, when someone is not considered white and is a citizen of a country that is considered white, that person is often perceived as a foreigner. For instance, even though the families of many Japanese Americans have been in the U.S. much longer than the families of European Americans they are often viewed as outsider’s. Our opinion of who is white and who is not can affect how we relate to one another. Race matters because discrimination based on perceived racial grouping continues to exist.”

This response by Professor Randall relates to the article “Yellow” written by Frank Wu. Professor Randall stated, “Race matters because discrimination based on perceived racial grouping continues to exist.” Likewise Wu stated, “Others cannot invent themselves by sheer will, because no matter how idiosyncratic one’s individual identity, one cannot overcome the stereotype of group identity” (415). Both of these quotes are talking about how people have stereotypes of different races and when people see someone that they think is from a certain group, they just assume all the stereotypes are true about them. This affects how they treat the person. For example, after September 11th many Americans think that all the people from the middle East are terrorists. They try to avoid them and treat them as if they were terrorist. This is not fair to the people from the middle East. They are American citizens and they are being treated as if they are murderers.

I thought that this survey was very interesting and made me think about how I really do consider white and how is not white. I agree with Professor Randall, that we do tend to do a lot of racial grouping. Americans love to make groups and categories for everyone to fit into so we can see the social classes, and actually, to make it easier to do racial grouping. I think that we should try to work on not racially grouping and actually getting to know the person.

[Examining Skulls]

To determine the race and ethnicity of Train Man a comparison of known skulls is used. A few of the collection's skulls feature additional information such as one with a sabre wound, one with a bullet hole, and one from a South American culture whose head was distorted in life to emphasize the shape of the forehead

This photo is from the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History Research Training Program Events Photo Gallery. The skulls in this photo were used to try to determine people’s race and ethnicity. I chose this photo for my media item because it relates to the movie, “Race: The Power of An Illusion Part II.”

In the movie, “Race: The Power of An Illusion Part II,” it talks about how scientist use to measure the size of skulls to show that whites were superior to any other race. They would say that the white people’s skulls were larger because their brains were larger, which made them smarter and superior. This was a common technique used to scientifically support how the whites treated the blacks. Many of the scientists would not report their real results if they did not support their beliefs and biases.

I think that these experiments should not have been performed. The scientists did not even report the real results half the time because they most likely had the opposite results that they wanted. This just proves how simple minded and selfish the white people were. They would do anything to prove that they are superior to the blacks. Looking at these skulls should have been used to get an understanding of the differences between different races, not to discriminate against them.

[Jim Crow's Goal: Making Blacks Inferior]

http://0-proquest.umi.com.maurice.bgsu.edu/pqdweb?index=11&did=482075651&SrchMode=1&sid=8&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1185159487&clientId=3340

[Jim Crow's Goal: Making Blacks Inferior]
Price, Hugh. Sacramento Observer. Sacramento, Calif.: Oct 16, 2002. Vol. 39, Iss. 44; pg. C-5

The above link is to an article about the Jim Crow laws. It tells about some of the things the blacks had to endure and how they fought back. This article not only talks about the past, but it also touches on our society today. I chose this article because it was a good description of the Jim Crow laws. It talks about how many whites wanted this nation to be an only white nation. However, the blacks fought back and showed that they could be successful.

This article is related to class material because it talks about the Jim Crow laws that were portrayed in “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow,” written by Richard Wright. In the chapter by Wright, it talks about a little black boy who does not know the Jim Crow laws and ends up paying the price for it. At his first job he had, he asked if he could learn how to do more things. The white people who worked there did not like this because blacks are suppose to be inferior to them. Likewise in the article, “Jim Crow’s Goal: Making Blacks Inferior,” it states that, “If White people couldn't make Black people inferior, then they could make them act inferior” (Price). The white people could not make the blacks be inferior to them, because realistically they are not inferior to them. So, instead they had to make the Jim Crow laws to make them act inferior.

I think that it is interesting how people were so simple minded and how some still are. It amazes me how someone could have come up with them laws to degrade and humiliate black people just because they have a different skin color. They saw them as inferiors, barely even humans. The whites cut down every chance the blacks had to move up in life or become better educated. I think that the Jim Crow laws degraded the blacks and not only made them feel inferior, but also made them think that they were inferior. Nevertheless, some people who were strong fought this believe and made the whites know that blacks were equal to them and diffidently not inferior.

[The Fight Against Racism Today]

http://race.eserver.org/fight-against-racism-today.html

This article is about the main features of the ruling class’ increased promotion of racism, how the increase of racism is related to capitalism, and the key issues of fighting against racism in our society today. I picked this article as my media item because it talked about how racism is related to capitalism and some of the key issues on how to fight against it.

This article is related to the chapters we have read in Johnson and it also references Indian slavery that agrees with Zinn’s chapter, “Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress.” The article states, “Institutionalized Racism - Racism is ruling- class ideology and is the concept and practice of white supremacy. It is the practice of discrimination and oppression based on skin color, physical characteristics, continent of origin and culture. It has its origins as a justification for slavery and the conquest of the Americas. From the beginning, slavery in the United States was tied to the development and growth of capitalism. Founded on the sale and ownership of human beings on the basis of their physical characteristics and color, its purpose was the exploitation of unpaid labor for super profits. As chattels, Africans were hunted like animals, transported to the ‘New World,’ and then sold on the auction block like beasts of burden. In like manner Native American Indians were exterminated on a massive scale.” This relates to Johnson and Zinn. It relates to Johnson because they both agree on what racism is and how slavery and racism came from capitalism. It relates to Zinn because it talks about discrimination and oppression based on skin color, physical characteristics, and continent of origin and culture. The Indians were discriminated against by Columbus because of their culture and their physical characteristics. The article also relates to Johnson when it talks about, “Almost 130 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the legacy of slavery remains. It is embedded in and influences every aspect of social, economic and political life. This is what is meant by institutionalized racism.” It relates to Johnson because he talked about how after the slaves were “free” there was still that negative attitude against them and the white people still thought that they were above them. It will always be in our society and linger in peoples thoughts and actions.

I think that this article raises a lot of good points. Because slavery existed in our country it created a strong and powerful idea, called racism. Racism fuels a lot of things in our society. For example, racism is what controls who is privileged and who is oppressed. It will be very had to fight against racism in our country and help people to understand that we are all equal.

[Eaten up by Stereotypes]

http://race.eserver.org/eaten.html

The above link is to an article titled, “Eaten up by Stereotypes.” It is about how the stereotype that Christopher Columbus had about the Indians created an opportunity for slavery and the creation of many other stereotypes. I chose this media item because it talked about Christopher Columbus’ stereotype of the Indians, which began racism, as we know it in our society today.

This media item relates to the article by Zinn, “Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress.” It talks about how Christopher Columbus and other Europeans created these stereotypes out of selfishness. They told the Europeans that the Indians were cannibals, which allowed colonists to enslave the Indians. These rumors of cannibalism also “influence the work of William Shakespeare, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.” Because these famous people were influenced by Columbus’s rumors and stereotypes, their famous works have influenced “modern thought.” This was the start of racism. Racisms start can be traced all the way back to Columbus. He started it all when he thought he was superior to the Indians because they were naive and had darker skin. Zinn wrote that, “The Indians, Columbus reported, ‘are so naïve and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it’” (5). Columbus was very egocentric and thought he was above everyone else. This also had a great influence on the people of his country, because then they also thought that they were better than the Indians were.

I feel that if Columbus would not have told the Europeans rumors about the Indians and he had a little more respect for them, then the settlers who came into America would not have thought that it was ok to enslave the Indians. Also, then people might have not thought it was all right to enslave the blacks either. It is a long stretch, but if Columbus had not brought back Indians as slaves to his country and had not told rumors about them, it might be possible that there would have been no slavery in the United States at all or at least not until later in our history. Furthermore, if this had happened, racism would not have occurred at all. People would not have had negative feelings about black people and it would have stayed the way it was, white and black people working side by side with no privileges or tension between races.

[Paris Hilton? Getting of the Hook again??? no...]

Paris Hilton, "Getting off the Hook" Again??

http://www.broadcaster.com/clip/17711

This video is about how Paris Hilton might have gotten off the hook again from going to jail. I picked this video because it is a prime example of how certain people can “get off the hook” just because of their status in society, their privileges.

This video relates to our class material that is on getting of the hook. It is an example of sick and tired. This is because when they announced that Paris Hilton was going to be released from prison people were like, “Well I knew it was going to happen, I’m sick of hearing about her.” So many people just brushed it off like it was ok, nothing we can do about it, sort of situation, because they are simply sick and tired of hearing about celebrities getting out of trouble all the time because they are wealthy and have a high status in our society. Johnson stated, “Privilege similarly encourages people to be self-centered and unaccountable to others. […] It makes avoiding responsibility for what they do and don’t do a path of least resistance” (123). This is saying that Paris Hilton never takes responsibility for her own actions because privilege encourages her not to. Moreover, because of privilege she follows the path of least resistance, the easy way out, to get out of all her problems. She thinks that because she is privileged and is wealthy that she can do whatever she wants and will have no consequences to face. In addition, society almost proved that true for her by almost letting her out of jail before her sentence was up.

I think that society defiantly encouraged people to believe that they have to get off the hook. By encouraging this, it results in people not dealing with issues and taking the easy way out, or the path of least resistance. When something goes wrong everyone has a different way of dealing with it, some say, “It wasn’t me!” while others might say, “Eh, it wasn’t that big of a deal,” and so on. Nevertheless, it is so unusual for someone to immediately come forward and say, “I am very sorry everyone it was my fault and I’ll be responsible for my own actions and take the consequences.” But, when that happens it is refreshing and inspiring for those to see that they do not always have to “get off the hook,” that they can stand up for what they did and deal with it for once. If we always take, the path of least resistance nothing in this world would get accomplished.

[Inequality]

Below is the link to watch part of John Edwards speech on inequality.



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8122509468274917453&q=racial+inequality&total=36&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

This video is of a speech about inequality given by John Edwards. He talks about how race and inequality have played a part in making America what it is today. I picked this short video because of what John Edwards says in it. John Edwards talks about how there is absolutely no question about it, racism and inequality has significantly shaped America into what it is today. According to him there are two Americas. The people who are struggling, who are good, hardworking people, just want a world to live in where they have a chance. This relates to the class material because Johnson talks about inequality, privilege, and oppression. He talks about how making changes to the system of racial inequalities would be hard to change, in the like, John Edwards said, “We have a lot of work to do to bridge that gap between the two worlds of America.” Privilege and oppression are linked to his idea of the two worlds of America. There is a huge inequality between the people who have a lot of privilege and those who have a lot of oppression. A huge gap is starting to form between the middle class and the upper class, but it is still not as large as the one between the lower class and the upper class. If we do not work to fix the problems Johnson talks about and bridging the gap Edwards talks about then these gaps will just continue to grow bigger every year.

I think that inequality should be abolished. Every man, women, and child is equal not matter what their skin color is or what nationality they are. We should all be treated fairly with no privilege or oppression. Privilege was something made up by the white people so they could feel better about themselves, it should not still exist today. It is a shame that hard working, good people with integrity can barely better their standards of living. On the other hand people who are privileged and have no integrity have no problem becoming wealthy and staying that way. They are living the luxurious life while most of the rest of the country can barely paying the bills every month. People in our country need to stop talking about fixing these problems and actually do something about them.

[Wonderful]

Wicked Soundtrack Lyrics
Joel Grey - Wonderful Lyrics

WIZARD I never asked for this Or planned it in advance I was merely blown here By the winds of chance I never saw myself As a Solomon or Socrates I knew who I was: One of your dime a dozen Mediocrities
Then suddenly I'm here Respected - worshipped, even Just because the folks in Oz Needed someone to believe in Does it surprise youI got hooked, and all too soon? What can I say? I got carried away And not just by balloon
Wonderful They called me "Wonderful" So I said "Wonderful" - if you insist I will be "Wonderful" And they said "Wonderful" Believe me, it's hard to resist 'Cause it feels wonderful They think I'm wonderful Hey, look who's wonderful -This corn-fed hick Who said: "It might be keen To build a town of green And a wonderful road of yellow brick!"
(spoken) See - I never had a family of my own. So, I guess I just - wanted to give the citizens of Oz everything.
ELPHABA(spoken) So you lied to them
WIZARD(spoken) Elphaba, where I'm from, we believe all sorts of things that aren't true. We call it - "history."(sung) A man's called a traitor - or liberator A rich man's a thief - or philanthropist Is one a crusader - or ruthless invader? It's all in which labelIs able to persist There are precious few at ease With moral ambiguities So we act as though they don't exist
They call me "Wonderful" So I am wonderful In fact - it's so much who I am It's part of my name And with my help, you can be the same At long, long last receive your due Long over due Elphaba - The most celebrated Are the rehabilitated There'll be such a - whoop-de-doo A celebration throughout Oz That's all to do - with you Wonderful They'll call you wonderful:
ELPHABA It does sound wonderful:
WIZARD Trust me - it's fun
When you are wonderful It would be wonderful? Wonderful, wonderful
WIZARD One! Two! And:(they dance)

These are the lyrics for the song "Wonderful" in the musical Wicked. This musical is set before the Wizard of Oz. It is about the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and Glenda when they were in school together. This song is when Elphaba finds out who the Wizard really is. I picked this song for my media portfolio because in the middle (I highlighted it in green) it talkes about how history is all dependent on the person writing it and what perspective they have, like Zinn.

In the song it says, "Elphaba, where I'm from, we believe all sorts of things that aren't true. We call it - 'history.' A man's called a traitor - or liberator. A rich man's a thief - or philanthropist, is one a crusader - or ruthless invader? It's all in which labelIs able to persist." The phrase, is a man a traitor or liberator, according to history could be both. It is all dependent on the writters interpretation and what side he is writing from. This can be referred to when Zinn said, "The historian's distortion is more than technical, it is ideological; it is released into the world of centending interests, where any chosen emphasis supports some kind of interest, whether economic or political or racial or national or sexual." The Wizard was trying to convince Elphaba that he did not lie to the people of Oz by telling her that history is all a lie. Elphaba is like Zinn in a way. She wants everyone to know the truth about the wizard, she does not agree with history being a lie. She turns down working with the wizard and having all her dreams come true because she feels so strongly about this issue. Zinn also wants everyone to know the truth about history, he says it himself that he is very blunt about telling history.

I personally love this song and musical. I agree with what is said in the song though. To tell the difference between if a man is crusader or ruthless invader, for example, it all depends on what side you are on and who you want to look good in the end. Historians tweek the truth all the time. The historians purposly do this is, in my opinion, because they want the reader to think what they want them to think, not what actually happened.

[A Class Divided]

[ A Class Divided] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/view.html

This is a documentary about, Jane Elliott, a teacher who divides her third graders into blue and brown-eyed groups. She tells the blue-eyes they are “the better people in this room,” gives them privileges and comments on their superiority all day. The brown eyes must wear collars. On the second day, the roles are reversed. Elliott says she lied and that “the truth is that brown-eyed people are better than blue-eyed people.” On this day, the brown eyes score higher on a test compared to the previous day when they were “inferior.” She observes their behaviors throughout these two days.

I picked this video for my media portfolio because it reminded me of what Johnson said about privilege, oppression, and race. I also found it very interesting and thought you all would too.

The photo is of the children that were in her class. If you would like to watch this documentary then you can click on the link above.

This documentary is closely related to Johnson. In Johnson, it says that, “Unless you live in a culture that recognizes such differences as significant, they are socially irrelevant and therefore, in a way, do not exist” (Johnson 17). The blue-eyed children did not feel superior and smarter than the brown-eyed children until their teacher told them they were and made them recognize their differences. By doing this experiment, she made the blue-eyed children the privileged group and the brown eyed children the oppressed group on the first day. Jane Elliott commented during the documentary, “I watched what had been marvelous, cooperative, wonderful, thoughtful children turn into nasty, discriminating little third graders in a space of fifteen minutes.” The documentary helps support that unless you live in a society where difference matters about who is privileged and who is not, then it does not exist. There was no privileged group until the teacher made one. You can see this in the video when the children came in from recess on the first day. Two of the boys got into a fight and when the teacher asked them why the brown-eyed boy said it was because the blue-eyed boy called him “brown eyes.” Therefore, Jane Elliott asked the blue-eyed boy if he meant that to be mean or funny and he responded mean. Jane then went on to ask, “Well you did not call him brown eyes yesterday, so why would you call him that to be mean today?” The blue-eyed boy responded, “Because of that collar you put on him.” This just proves the point that unless our society makes and points out peoples differences, then they are not there. The children also made the reference that calling him “brown eyes” is like calling a black person a “nigger.”

When I saw we had to do this assignment, I immediately thought of this video. This is because it captures what we have been talking about with privilege and oppression perfectly. I think this video is very interesting and every time I watch it, I learn something new. It really puts things in perspective for me about privilege, racism, and oppression. Even fourteen years later, those children can still feel the pain and suffering they went through on those two days. It is hard to imagine what it would feel like going through that everyday of your life. I think that everyone should watch this documentary at least once in their lives because it has a very powerful message and there is a lot to learn from it.