media portfolio #10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q56pHCGrlc4
In this song titled "Dear Mr. President" by Pink it touches on issues that are very sensitive in America today. The song is a letter to the President asking him pretty much why has he blindly sent our fathers, brothers, uncles, and husbands into a pointless war. It's easy for him as the President to sit and watch things happen because he thinks his decisions are right but he isn't the one fighting and loosing his life day after day. She says in the song "How can you sleep while mother's are crying." She says that families don't even get to say goodbye and he is sitting there like nothing is happening. How can you think that we are in an ok war and homeless people are on the streets everynight. If he is supposed to be the leader than lead. How can you be ok when so many of your people are dying and holding on by a thread. The war is affecting everyone in a bad way. She says in the song " What kind of father might hate is own daughter if she were gay." I am very religious but I can't hate someone for being different from me. I'm not God and at the end of the day no one has to answer to me. He is quick to say how certain things are wrong and these type of people should be treated differently because of the lifestyle they live but he forgets that before he was president he drank whiskey and and abused cocaine. The song is powerful because it's the way that alot of people feel. People are struggling everyday with the decisions that the president makes. If he were on the other end maybe things would change for the better.

I agree completely with the song that Pink wrote. I have had family members and friends fighting in a pointless war. I know the pain of not knowing when they will be home and if they would return home alive at all. I have walked along the streets of downtown Cleveland and seen many many homeless people. The President is supposed to make things better and instill hope and comfort in people not make things worse and put fear in their hearts.

media portfolio #9

This picture reminds me of the clip we watched on the Japanese Relocation Camps. This was a video based on the Japanese Relocation Camps. People were taken from their homes due to the war and relocated to different areas. They housed between 7-18,000 people. It was 12-14 people to a block. Most of the people were from California. They were put in 300 room buildings where there was one family per room. They would do a regular routine in the morning meet and eat in the "mess hall", the kids would go to school, and the parents would go to work. The kids were in schools where the teachers were either caucasion or have some type of Chinese background. They were taught a typical "american" education. The parents worked as farmers. People who were doctors, teachers, or other professionals where they came from were now farmers. The wages that were paid were $12 for regular workers, $16 for more skilled workers, and $19 for those professional workers. Some people were able to continue with their fields like doctors so they could help the people who were in the relocation camps. People 18 and older were allowed to vote, and they had court proceedings like regular life. When they left the relocation camps most people moved to areas like Chicago, Colorado, and different areas in the Mid-West. They have adapted really well to life after the relocation centers. Volunteers began to train to go and fight for the Japanese culture that was affected by the relocation caused by the American War.

This video made me realize how other groups of people were treated in the same times that my people were mistreated. I usually only look at the things that were done to my race but there are people all over the world that have been victims of discrimination and mistreatment.

media portfolio #8

This picture brings me back to the reading on McBrIn the article “Why I Hate Abercrombie and Fitch” by Dwight McBride, he states that the Ambercrombe and Fitch name is geared towards a certain group of people including their age, color, and social class. The name is influencing the way the youth and the young adults look at clothes themselves and what they represent. He says the clothes are made to target the young middle and upper class kids. McBride argues that Ambercrombie and Fitch are doing more than just selling clothes to people they are in a way showing them a way of life. He says that this is bad because young people will try to measure up to the clothes and what they stand for, and in the end they won't be accepted in society, or looked at as having money. He says on page 71 “Ambercrombie and Fitch codes for race and class without actually having to name it.” On the website, there's alot of pictures of young people that represent many different backgrounds. There are blacks, whites, asians, hispanics, etc that appear on the website. If you look at the way they advertise it's made to look like they are appealing to everybody but that really isn't true. The mass majority of the employees that work in the store are white. The employees that are not white nine times out of ten are working in the back stocking or doing some over night work. They are rarely on the front lines helping customers. The website makes an outsider think that the store is diverse and gives all races a fair chance but in person it's clear that's not true. Most stores if you really look at have an un spoken policy like Ambercrombie and Fitch does. Discrimination is something that has been a problem in alot of stores world wide.

Again I agree and disagree with McBride. I see kids going in and out of Ambercrombie and Fitch trying to capture the latest styles and looks. Even in school the kids mostly white would go out and buy up the store just to look like the models that came out in the newest magazine. They feel like if they dont look like them in some way they aren't as cool or rich. The one's who aren't wearing the clothes are viewed as uncool or "lame", which is one of the things McBride was talking about. If you ask me it's all over rated. The clothes are nice but it's not as serious as they make it to be

media portfolio #7

Heaven by Mary Mary

[chorus]
I gotta get my self together
cause i got some place to go
and i'm prayin when i get there
I'll see everyone I know
I wanna go, to heaven [4x]
Do u wanna go

[verse 1]
Can you picture a place
Where there's a smile on every face
And all the worries, all the stressin
And all the pressure been erased
Walking down the streets thats golden
Angels sing in perfect weather
Everybody gotta mention
Lord it just don't get no better
I wanna know
OOooooooh

[chorus]

[verse 2]
Any way I can explain it
That in life we go through changes
But we know it deserves a purpose
Yes sometimes it just seems worthless
But this race that I'm running
Weither I run it fast or slow
Long as I just keep on running
I'm gonna make it there some day I know
Oooooh

[chorus]

[bridge]
(There's a place for us)
One day I'm gonna see it
(There's a place for us)
And you may not believe it
But I'm just living my life
(So I can live again)
Everyday I'm gettin ready
(Cause I wanna make it in)
Ooh Heaven

[chorus]

Oh, it gets hard sometimes
And sometimes I lose my way
But God knows I'm trying
To get to heaven someday
To that beautiful city

I wanna go to heaven [6x]

This song brings me back to the discussion we had in class about how the slaves would use religious songs to cope with the things going on in their lives. They used God and spirituality to get through the discrimination and the treatment they received. If they had a horrible life here on earth then when they reached Heaven they will be lifted up to glory with God and have a blessed life then. In the song Heaven it talks about doing just that, getting to Heaven.

Looking at this song starting with the chorus it's saying "I have to get myself together because I have somewhere I want to go, I'm praying when I get there I will see everyone I know. Heaven I want to go to Heaven." Just like then they wanted to go to Heaven. No matter what was going on they had to keep it together because there wasa bigger picture going to Heaven.

In verse one it's the ideal description of a place where the slaves and people who were victims of discrimination wanted to go. Streets that are golden , Angels singing in perfect weather, those are the things that people are looking forward to when they lived their lives to get to Heaven. Verse 2 is a great example of how the slaves felt.[verse 2]
Any way I can explain it
That in life we go through changes
But we know it deserves a purpose
Yes sometimes it just seems worthless
But this race that I'm running
Weither I run it fast or slow
Long as I just keep on running
I'm gonna make it there some day I know
Oooooh
That is so powerful. Things may not have gone the way they wanted it to go but in the end the most important thing is living life right so they can go to Heaven to be with God. That idea and purpose got plenty of black people through the rough times that we look back at now and see as unfair.

My grandma always says "Why would I live in Hell on Earth just to die and go to Hell." If you don't understand she means it's not worth it to do wrong and go to Hell when you can live a good life here and go to Heaven. Life is so unpredictable with people but with God you already know what your getting, Eternal Life.

media portfolio #6

MARCHING ‘’ROUND SELMA(Snippet)

Marching ‘round Selma like Jericho,
Jericho, Jericho
Marching ‘round Selma like Jericho
For segregation wall must fall
Look at people answering
To the Freedom Fighters call
Black, Brown and White American say
Segregation must fall
Good evening freedom’s fighters
Tell me where you’re bound
Tell me where you’re marching
“From Selma to Montgomery town

This reminds me of when we were discussing negro spirituals in class. The slaves sang these songs to make it through all the bad times. They were also code songs that were only understood by the slaves. The master's didn't understand what they were singing about so they let them sing with no punishment. Really people were singing about escaping and different meeting places.

In this song "Marching Round Selma like Jericho", most people would think it was just a regular song sang to lift up spirits. If you really look and analyze the song you can see different. In the Bible Jericho is a wall that they couldn't get over or defeat. Marching Round Selma like Jericho means marching round selma like the wall of Jericho. In the bible the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. It says in the song that "Segregation walls must fall" just like the walls of Jericho. At first glance you will think the song is just a song to up lift people's spirit's during segregation but it's so much more than that. It's a decleration that the people who lived through the pain and discrimination will make the segregation stop no matter what.

It's crazy to me how this song and songs like it means different things to different races of people. These songs were the only things that got some of those people out of the storm. My family from down south always says that music is a universal language because it means something different to everybody. It touches people in multiple ways.

media portfolio #5

Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou
"Phenomenal Woman"
from AND STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou,
copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou.
Used by permission of Random House, Inc.



Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need for my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.


This particular poem actually reminds me of Kindred. Dana in the book was a Phenomenal woman for Rufus and Kevin. Even through all the problems and situations she was still a great woman. The book Kindred was a great story of a woman who traveled back in time on many different occasions to the very plantation where her ancestors were born. She is called back by a young white boy who in more ways than one needs her help. He calls her at times when he is doing something that could endager his life and the lives of others in his house. She risks her life time and time again in this book by just being near the boy. The time is set in slavery days and she is obviously out of place which may cost her, her life. The book takes many twists and turns and is very interesting. Dana which is the name of the woman who is called back to the plantation time and time again gets to experience these visits with her husband. They journey there together and live as master and slave owner. She is treated just like a slave by every person in the town. They adapted to the life of being a slave and a slave owner. Kevin which is Dana's husband tries desperately to keep her out of harm's way. They make the plantation owner (Weylin) think that they were having a relationship between slave and owner which was normal in those days. They were both waiting to leave and because it comes so suddenly they never know what to expect. One of the last times of traveling Dana left without Kevin and that created a lot of problems. It was only 8 days for Dana but for Kevin 5 years had passed. He wrote letters to the plantation for when she returned and tried his hardest to be reunited with her. On Dana's last trip to the plantation she was treated horribly. Rufus which is the white boy who calls her to the plantation has become an angry owner. His lover committed suicide and in turn made him very angry. His father died and his mom became very sick. When Dana made the last trip back Rufus wanted her to act as his mistriss that died and Dana wouldn't do it. Before she knew it she had grabbed and knife and was stabbing him repeatedly. She was immediatly transported back to her time but without an arm. She really didnt travel back after that.

In the summary of everthing that happened in the book each account shows how Phenomenal Dana was in the novel.Helping out Rufus and all the while learning her history and staying with Kevin just shows how much of a great woman she was.

media portfolio #4

This image represents what Harris was refering to when he explained where we get our skin colors from.In this article Harris explains the reason's behind our skin color. He says that we get our color from particles called melanin. Now with melanin "it protects the upper levels of the skin from being damaged by the sun's ultraviolet rays"(harris 7). Harris says that we as humans dont have the right of hair that most mammals have to act as sunscreen. Not having all the hair we need exposes us to lots of bad radiation hazards. The more melanin found in the body the darker the skin is and the lower the chances are for cancer and sunburn. Harris describes the process in this manner. First the sun falls on the skin and it turns into vitamin D. Our blood carries that to the intestines and it then plays a big role in the absorption of calcium. Calcium is very important for a strong body and strong bones. Different foods can give vitamin D and help with the skin. Now at different latitudes particularly the middle one the skin changes colors with the seasons. The temperature in some areas can dictate how the skin will appear. He basically states that Black as well as White is beautiful for multiple reasons. There are many factors that contribute to the pigmentation of the skin. In this picture are different women that come from seperate of the world. The black woman is from down south where the sun is out a little more than where the white woman are from. With the mexican woman she is also out in the sun more than the other white woman are. Due to the increased exposure to the sun their skin has more of a tan to it than the other woman in the picture.

I do agree with Harris on this particular article he wrote. When you live in certain parts of the world your skin is going to reflect that. When I have seen people from places like Africa, Jamaica, Alabama, Mississippi, etc. their skin is alot darker than someone from Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, etc. Their are a select few from each of these places that have the opposite happen to them and their skin but for the most part skin color reflects where you come from.

media portfolio #3

This is a demonstration of the kind of things Johnson talks about in chapter 6.In this chapter Johnson starts off by explaining that inorder for us to do something about power and priviledge we would have to talk about it and that's to risky even for those who actually have priviledge. He says that we live in a world that allows us to think that the social world begins and ends with individuals. It's like it's a collection of people and everthing that happens begins with what those people think, and feel. He explains that everything bad in the world is seen as someone's fault, that's why talking about priviledge steps on so many people's toes. We think in an individualistic way. Priviledge has nothing to do with the individual it has to do with the society. Johnson says in order to the "paralysis" we have to realize that the individualistic way is wrong and that the social world has alot more to deal with than just individuals. He says that social life happens only when people participate in social systems. The only way to understand it is to understand the relation between people and social systems. We develope a sense of personal identities and through those we see how they position us in relation to other people and in terms of inequality of power. The main goal is to encourage dominant groups to feel like they have entitlement in relation to the subordinate groups. Although people know they have other options they stick to certain things because they are afraid to try something new. Johnson says that we have to pay attention to the relationship between humans and the social life. People change from one social situation to the next. It's not enough to look at the person's thoughts, and feelings, intentions, and personalities for the very reason that people act different in different social situations. Most people participate in social systems and think they aren't apart of the consequences. As long as we all participate in the social systems we are all apart of the consequences good or bad. We can choose though how we are involved. We can choose to be part of the problem or we can choose to be part of the solution. He tells us how power and priviledge are two things that no one likes to talk about. It scares those who are in the positions because it's not something that is discussed that often. The one's who are lucky enough to be classified in these catagories don't think anything needs to be changed because they don't want to ruin their chances at staying in their positions. They look at those who aren't priviledged or don't have power as if they are less than them. It's almost in a way of them being outsiders. This picture is exatly like chapter 6. Tourists are taking pictures of the local people in the town as if they are savages or outsiders. If you really look at it the tourists are the one's who are priviledged or in power. They look down on the tourists that kind of shows pitty. Even though they may feel that way I'm pretty sure they won't do anything to help improve the conditions that they saw the local town people living in all because they don't want to mess up what they have.

media portfolio #2

This image reminds me of the discussion we had in class about the post card hangings. Seeing things like this make me rethink the "goodness" of our country. In class like we discussed these lynchings or hangings as some people call them were considered to be like a national holiday. Families would gather around to witness the punishment of an unsuspecting black person. Although slavery had ended years before there was still no equality for black people. I wanted to include a picture like this because it brought back the same feelings I had when I saw similar images in class. The feelings of hatred, anger, disappointment, sadness, etc. I feel bad for the people who took part in this because they are ignorant to the fact that we should be treated equal. This is a reminder to me of the kind of world we really live in.

media portfolio #1

This particular picture reminds me of Johnson chapter 3. In this passage Johnson's main point was that Capitalism is the main cause of racism.
He explains that the main goal of Capitalism and Capitalists is to turn money into more money. Capitalists buy everything needed to produce services and goods all to make more and more money. He says that Capitalists hire workers and pay them in exchange for their work. Because capitalists don't actually produce anything themselves in order to make a living they charge more for the product than they pay the workers so they can come out on top. Johnson basically explains that the workers really have no other choice than to work for less than the amount they produce. The factories and places they are working are owned by capitalists so either way it goes they would be working for one capitalist or another. They can work for the capitalists or not work at all. Capitalists are always trying to find ways for workers to produce more goods for less or the same price so they can again make more money. This is why now more and more technology is being used. Capitalism produces high levels of inequality for the households in America. He says this is happening because of the class system that focuses on gaps in the income and the power between the households on top and the households on the bottom. Johnson let us know that after the Civil War and blacks were free they were still held in bondage in a new way that kept them in debt. Even the Chinese were in bondage building the railroads in extremely harsh conditions. Capitalists went so far as to go to Africa, Asia, and the Americas to get workers that would work for cheap labor. To justify this, whites came up with an idea of "whiteness" that defined thier priviledge and how it elevated over all that wasnt included in it. Capitalists have not only used low wages to control black employee's but white employee's also. They also create the scenario that controls a worker that if they try to request higher wages they will lose their jobs and they need those jobs. Capitalism also makes use of gender inequality. For example they use the fact that in the past people have devalued women and that gives them an excuse to pay them less. Johnson says that capitalism is a great example as to why people can belong to a priviledged category and not feel priviledged. He says that the complexity of the matrix of priviledge shows that work for change needs to focus on us and how we think of ourselves in relation to inequalities of power. Basically the more money the better no matter how it affects the people doing all the work to make it happen.

This a picture that pretty much shows exactly what Johnson was talking about. The workers are in a less than flattering work area doing what they are required to do. It's a great illustration of the situations that Johnson discussed.