Sorry that I did not make it to class on monday. I am still having some issues with my...lets just say digestion. Anyway, I will present my project on Monday. Can people please tell me what I missed and what is the new assignment?
Thanks,
Leona
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
New Post for 3/24 and photo project
Sorry all- I did not get this weeks reading, but I will do the post after class. I found out this weekend that my boyfriend's and I's identities were stolen in Mexico. Damn it! But at least the bank took care of everything.
I am not really sure what I am supposed to do for the photo project. I will obv put something together, but I hope its what Dr. Bogad wants. Some conclusions I have are:
-Mexican teenagers dress more conservatively, but act more sexual in public. I have many pictures of hard-core making out in public spaces that would get stares in the US. It seems that they are less ashamed of showing true sexuality and love between two people. In the US, you rarely see PDA, but see many superficial images of sexuality, such as scantily dressed girls in advertisements or in public.
-Mexican teenagers often have begun their careers and seem to have grown up earlier. I saw and spoke with many teenage police officers, salespeople, etc.
-Many dress in the same fashions as in the US, but you rarely see short skirts, shorts, tube tops, sandals. Although some girls dress up in long skirts, most wear jeans, t-shirt and puma-style sneakers. It seems they often dress for comfort. Males wear basically the same styles as in the US. There are all sorts of styles, just like the US, such as punk, goth or preppy.
I am not really sure what I am supposed to do for the photo project. I will obv put something together, but I hope its what Dr. Bogad wants. Some conclusions I have are:
-Mexican teenagers dress more conservatively, but act more sexual in public. I have many pictures of hard-core making out in public spaces that would get stares in the US. It seems that they are less ashamed of showing true sexuality and love between two people. In the US, you rarely see PDA, but see many superficial images of sexuality, such as scantily dressed girls in advertisements or in public.
-Mexican teenagers often have begun their careers and seem to have grown up earlier. I saw and spoke with many teenage police officers, salespeople, etc.
-Many dress in the same fashions as in the US, but you rarely see short skirts, shorts, tube tops, sandals. Although some girls dress up in long skirts, most wear jeans, t-shirt and puma-style sneakers. It seems they often dress for comfort. Males wear basically the same styles as in the US. There are all sorts of styles, just like the US, such as punk, goth or preppy.
Preface of "Fast Forward" by Lauren Greenfield
What I Understand:
Lauren Greenfield, a photographer, wrote Fast Forward after numerous interviews and photographs of teenagers in LA. She was interested in this topic not only because she grew up in LA, but also because "LA teens help create the trends and attitudes that reverberate among international youth" (Greenfield 1). She also found that teens from all socio-economic classes have a "community of shared influences that create shared values" due to the over-reaching effects of the media. Images from Hollywood have become a homogeneous force for teenagers from all backgrounds. Therefore, Greenfield felt that LA would be the best and most dramatic place to study the media's affect on teens.
One of Greenfield's conclusions was that the LA youth experience, especially with the advent of hip-hop culture has resulted in an "early loss of innocence" (1). S Greenfield claims that the power of the Hollywood dream, which states the importance of image and fame, has led to this so-called "loss of innocence." Teens try to emulate these superficial values they see in the media, especially those values they are lacking. Although teenagers from all backgrounds may listen to "gangsta rap," Greenfield gives the example of the white suburban teen attempting to adopt the inner-city "gangsta" style, or of an inner-city student trying to portray an image of wealth. In all, Greenfield concludes that "the self-consciousness that underlines their aspirations (whether to be famous or look famous) inevitably costs them their innocence."
What I don't Understand/Topics to Bring Up:
What does innocence even mean? Does it mean ignorance of the big, bad world? Why is this supposed to be good?
Connections to other readings
Lauren Greenfield, a photographer, wrote Fast Forward after numerous interviews and photographs of teenagers in LA. She was interested in this topic not only because she grew up in LA, but also because "LA teens help create the trends and attitudes that reverberate among international youth" (Greenfield 1). She also found that teens from all socio-economic classes have a "community of shared influences that create shared values" due to the over-reaching effects of the media. Images from Hollywood have become a homogeneous force for teenagers from all backgrounds. Therefore, Greenfield felt that LA would be the best and most dramatic place to study the media's affect on teens.
One of Greenfield's conclusions was that the LA youth experience, especially with the advent of hip-hop culture has resulted in an "early loss of innocence" (1). S Greenfield claims that the power of the Hollywood dream, which states the importance of image and fame, has led to this so-called "loss of innocence." Teens try to emulate these superficial values they see in the media, especially those values they are lacking. Although teenagers from all backgrounds may listen to "gangsta rap," Greenfield gives the example of the white suburban teen attempting to adopt the inner-city "gangsta" style, or of an inner-city student trying to portray an image of wealth. In all, Greenfield concludes that "the self-consciousness that underlines their aspirations (whether to be famous or look famous) inevitably costs them their innocence."
What I don't Understand/Topics to Bring Up:
What does innocence even mean? Does it mean ignorance of the big, bad world? Why is this supposed to be good?
Connections to other readings
- Greenfield's article is similar to Ferguson's in that they both describe the need to imitate images in the media. This is true with the "bad boys" having to "be hard" from hip-hop culture in Ferguson.
- Greenfield and Prensky both argue about the homogenizing force of the media. Teens from all different cultures now try to imitate and can relate to the media in Greenfield. In Prensky, teenagers from many culture understand how to use technology. These medias change how teenagers view the world and how they learn.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Mexico City and Salmonella
Hi everyone!
I have just returned from Mexico City. I was supposed to be back Monday morning, do my blog before noon (I had written it out before I left) then make it to class by 4pm, but it didn't quite happen that way. Although the beginning of my trip made the problems worth it, by Wednesday, disaster hit. Starting that morning, I had a stomach ache. That night I started vomiting like I never knew could happen. I was in such agony that I wanted to die. Soon, I just kept vomiting blood. My boyfriend (Eamon) asked the hostel owner what to do, and he told us I had to go to the hospital. He called his personal doctor, who said he would meet us at the hospital because he spoke english. I speak Portuguese, but that only helps me be understood. The Mexicans speak Spanish too quickly and have so many colloquialisms that I do not understand much.
Eamon and I grabbed a trash can for me to vomit in and took the taxi to the hospital. Once there, the doctor was the only person that we saw. He took my blood for testing, gave me some shots in my ass (sorry) and told me that I had to stay in the hospital. I was at this point in so much agony and terrified because of all the blood that Eamon and I didn't see an alternative. The doctor (in broken english) then told us that the hospital charged $2000 a night. I was so confused as to why my health insurance and travel insurance would not cover it, but I had to trust him because he was the person who could help me. I told him that I didn't have $2000, so he transferred me to another hospital.
We took another taxi and the doctor came with us. I was in absolute agony and kept losing consciousness while my boyfriend panicked. We were so grateful to this doctor for helping us, especially when no one spoke english. They gave me an IV and some morphine and soon I was out. Meanwhile, the Dr. took a terrorfied Eamon to an ATM to withdraw $400.
I spent the next couple of days in the hospital very sick. I never saw the doctors affiliated with the hospital and our Doctor gave me a strange feeling. He kept touching me inappropriately. He told me he had gone to Emory University and Harvard Medical University, but his English was not that great. I couldn't pass off his touching as something cultural, because if he had spent that long being educated in the US, he should understand US etiquette.
Then, he told me I was in a very dire situation because I had deadly parasites making me sick. Meanwhile, the nurses increased my drugs, making me feel sicker. He told me I would have to give them thousands of dollars upfront to remove it. Yet, he would not show me the paperwork, or tell me a price. My mother called the US Embassy, so someone could explain what was happening to me. It turned out I had salmonella, which no one had told me. The doctor was really rude to the ambassador and became belligerent with me for contacting the embassy. Whenever he saw me on the phone, he would take it from me and hang it up. Finally the Embassy told me I had to leave the hospital and go to the Embassy immediately. I made the nurses take the IV out. Eamon and I changed to a new hotel, saw an Embassy backed doctor and I took antibiotics until I was well enough to fly home.
So that's my story. Although it seems that I focused on the negative, Mexico was still an amazing trip. Please see my facebook for all the picture from before I got sick, because you will see how beautiful (and different) Mexico is. Meanwhile, I will post the blog that was due Monday, and post the Teenager pictures I took in Mexico. Hopefully I can figure out how to do it!
I have just returned from Mexico City. I was supposed to be back Monday morning, do my blog before noon (I had written it out before I left) then make it to class by 4pm, but it didn't quite happen that way. Although the beginning of my trip made the problems worth it, by Wednesday, disaster hit. Starting that morning, I had a stomach ache. That night I started vomiting like I never knew could happen. I was in such agony that I wanted to die. Soon, I just kept vomiting blood. My boyfriend (Eamon) asked the hostel owner what to do, and he told us I had to go to the hospital. He called his personal doctor, who said he would meet us at the hospital because he spoke english. I speak Portuguese, but that only helps me be understood. The Mexicans speak Spanish too quickly and have so many colloquialisms that I do not understand much.
Eamon and I grabbed a trash can for me to vomit in and took the taxi to the hospital. Once there, the doctor was the only person that we saw. He took my blood for testing, gave me some shots in my ass (sorry) and told me that I had to stay in the hospital. I was at this point in so much agony and terrified because of all the blood that Eamon and I didn't see an alternative. The doctor (in broken english) then told us that the hospital charged $2000 a night. I was so confused as to why my health insurance and travel insurance would not cover it, but I had to trust him because he was the person who could help me. I told him that I didn't have $2000, so he transferred me to another hospital.
We took another taxi and the doctor came with us. I was in absolute agony and kept losing consciousness while my boyfriend panicked. We were so grateful to this doctor for helping us, especially when no one spoke english. They gave me an IV and some morphine and soon I was out. Meanwhile, the Dr. took a terrorfied Eamon to an ATM to withdraw $400.
I spent the next couple of days in the hospital very sick. I never saw the doctors affiliated with the hospital and our Doctor gave me a strange feeling. He kept touching me inappropriately. He told me he had gone to Emory University and Harvard Medical University, but his English was not that great. I couldn't pass off his touching as something cultural, because if he had spent that long being educated in the US, he should understand US etiquette.
Then, he told me I was in a very dire situation because I had deadly parasites making me sick. Meanwhile, the nurses increased my drugs, making me feel sicker. He told me I would have to give them thousands of dollars upfront to remove it. Yet, he would not show me the paperwork, or tell me a price. My mother called the US Embassy, so someone could explain what was happening to me. It turned out I had salmonella, which no one had told me. The doctor was really rude to the ambassador and became belligerent with me for contacting the embassy. Whenever he saw me on the phone, he would take it from me and hang it up. Finally the Embassy told me I had to leave the hospital and go to the Embassy immediately. I made the nurses take the IV out. Eamon and I changed to a new hotel, saw an Embassy backed doctor and I took antibiotics until I was well enough to fly home.
So that's my story. Although it seems that I focused on the negative, Mexico was still an amazing trip. Please see my facebook for all the picture from before I got sick, because you will see how beautiful (and different) Mexico is. Meanwhile, I will post the blog that was due Monday, and post the Teenager pictures I took in Mexico. Hopefully I can figure out how to do it!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Bad Boys; Don't Believe the Hype by Ann Arnett Ferguson
Some Things I Understand:
Ms. Ferguson began this her book "Bad Boys; Public Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity" because she noticed during her fieldwork at Rosa Parks Elementary School that black males tended to be the vast majority of youngsters getting into trouble. Most of the kids in the so-called "Punishing Room" and were even labeled as "having a jail cell with [his] name on it were black males. Using observation and interviewing, Ferguson discovers a lot of new things about individual "salvageable" students and the environment they live in. Her thesis is probably that schools have the power of institutions to create identities. In the case of young men, these identities are either "criminal" or endangered" causing these black boys to be treated and conform to an "salvageable" bad boy.
One interesting things that she observed was that "salvageable" boys, such as her main subject, Hector, were kind and intelligent when taken out of the classroom. Because she tried not to have such a strong adult/child power structure, Hector learned to be comfortable with Ferguson. She noticed that black boys were subconsciously treated differently by the staff of mostly white women. Although they did not mean to be racism, many felt intimidated why the black boys and treated them either an dangerous or as an "endangered species." Because of these images, teachers punished and treated black boys differently. Outside of school, many of the boys observe crime and stereotyping in the media about black men. Therefore, black boys feel that their identity and path to black manhood goes along with being "bad."
Some Things I don't understand:
* I did not realize that places such as Montana allow corporal punishment
*I did not understand why the "delinquent" students were rarely absent from school.
* I felt that by the end she was rambling on with her same message of the power of institutions of schools to shape identity. I did enjoy the reading and wished I could have read more.
Connections to Other Course Themes:
I can relate Ferguson to Tricia Rose in her essay A Style No One Can Deal With because they both discuss that one must listen to hip-hop in order to understand the Afro-diasporic culture. Rose states that hip-hop emerged as a new identity and status for youth and Ferguson agrees when she states that rap is "some key sources that the boys used for self-fashioning" (Ferguson 17). They also agree that hip-hop is an expression of the "tragic realities of urban poverty, as well as the dangers, pleasure and privileges of being male (Ferguson 17)."
I can also relate Ferguson to Linda Christensen's essay Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us because both discuss how the media has a deep effect on children. While Christensen states that cartoons that have sexist and misogynistic messages, such as Popeye or Beauty and the Beast, have a negative impact on kids, Ferguson argues that when boys see black men constantly portrayed on the media as criminals, they internalize those lessons of what it means to be a black man.
Thomas Hine's essay The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager also relates to Ferguson because they both discuss how certain groups are treated as "criminals" or "endangered species" (Ferguson 20). Hine states that teenagers are seen as half-finished adults, completely different than adults, bound to be rude and have failures. Ferguson argues the same for black males, that they are seen to be the "other" and they are expected to be criminal.
Points to Bring Up:
I felt that the article was a little one-sided when discussing teachers. At times, the high stress of being in a overcrowded, low-paying and under-supplied school can effect the teacher's job performance. For example, if s/he has a class of thirty, s/he will probably have to spend most of the time disciplining rather than getting to know the students.
Ms. Ferguson began this her book "Bad Boys; Public Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity" because she noticed during her fieldwork at Rosa Parks Elementary School that black males tended to be the vast majority of youngsters getting into trouble. Most of the kids in the so-called "Punishing Room" and were even labeled as "having a jail cell with [his] name on it were black males. Using observation and interviewing, Ferguson discovers a lot of new things about individual "salvageable" students and the environment they live in. Her thesis is probably that schools have the power of institutions to create identities. In the case of young men, these identities are either "criminal" or endangered" causing these black boys to be treated and conform to an "salvageable" bad boy.
One interesting things that she observed was that "salvageable" boys, such as her main subject, Hector, were kind and intelligent when taken out of the classroom. Because she tried not to have such a strong adult/child power structure, Hector learned to be comfortable with Ferguson. She noticed that black boys were subconsciously treated differently by the staff of mostly white women. Although they did not mean to be racism, many felt intimidated why the black boys and treated them either an dangerous or as an "endangered species." Because of these images, teachers punished and treated black boys differently. Outside of school, many of the boys observe crime and stereotyping in the media about black men. Therefore, black boys feel that their identity and path to black manhood goes along with being "bad."
Some Things I don't understand:
* I did not realize that places such as Montana allow corporal punishment
*I did not understand why the "delinquent" students were rarely absent from school.
* I felt that by the end she was rambling on with her same message of the power of institutions of schools to shape identity. I did enjoy the reading and wished I could have read more.
Connections to Other Course Themes:
I can relate Ferguson to Tricia Rose in her essay A Style No One Can Deal With because they both discuss that one must listen to hip-hop in order to understand the Afro-diasporic culture. Rose states that hip-hop emerged as a new identity and status for youth and Ferguson agrees when she states that rap is "some key sources that the boys used for self-fashioning" (Ferguson 17). They also agree that hip-hop is an expression of the "tragic realities of urban poverty, as well as the dangers, pleasure and privileges of being male (Ferguson 17)."
I can also relate Ferguson to Linda Christensen's essay Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us because both discuss how the media has a deep effect on children. While Christensen states that cartoons that have sexist and misogynistic messages, such as Popeye or Beauty and the Beast, have a negative impact on kids, Ferguson argues that when boys see black men constantly portrayed on the media as criminals, they internalize those lessons of what it means to be a black man.
Thomas Hine's essay The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager also relates to Ferguson because they both discuss how certain groups are treated as "criminals" or "endangered species" (Ferguson 20). Hine states that teenagers are seen as half-finished adults, completely different than adults, bound to be rude and have failures. Ferguson argues the same for black males, that they are seen to be the "other" and they are expected to be criminal.
Points to Bring Up:
I felt that the article was a little one-sided when discussing teachers. At times, the high stress of being in a overcrowded, low-paying and under-supplied school can effect the teacher's job performance. For example, if s/he has a class of thirty, s/he will probably have to spend most of the time disciplining rather than getting to know the students.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Tricia Rose; A Style No One Can Deal With
Some Things I Understand:
Rose's thesis statement is that "hip-hop is an Afro-diasporic cultural form which attempts to negotiate the experiences of marginalization, brutally truncated opportunity and oppression within the cultural imperatives of African-American and Carri bean history, identity and community" (Rose, 1). Although this is a mouthful, I think that she is saying that hip-hop is an African-American art form that expresses the experiences of racism, degradation and frustration over lack of opportunities. She explains that hip-hop is an black urban renewal that came from the destruction of low-income homes in New York City that caused extreme inequalities between the wealthy and the poor.
South Bronx, the dubbed 'home of hip-hop culture' bore the brunt of the destruction of low-income homes during the 1970s, the start of hip-hop culture. Because of city planner Robert Moses, over 60,000 Bronx homes were destroyed. This caused landlords to sell to slumlords, or torch their buildings for insurance money, shopkeepers selling their shops and intensified economic, political and social inequalities. During the black-out riot 0f 1977, South Bronx became a symbol for America's problems, giving youth the over-pervasive message that "to be stuck here was to be lost." According to Rose, hip-hop emerged as a new identity and status for a youth that no longer had traditional support systems.
Some Things I don't Understand:
1. Rose did not discuss why so many rap lyrics are so negative. She briefly discusses that hip-hop culture is a confrontational culture, but this does not explain the extreme misogyny in many lyrics. This could be because it was written in 1994, so perhaps lyrics were not as offensive.
2. What does she mean "post-industrial?" I take this to mean that many companies ship overseas and many have moved to the suburbs, but I am not sure
3. I did not know about the relocation process. I want to know how this can possibly be legal to take away people's homes. I will bring this point in class.
Connections to Other Course Themes:
1. Although Prensky does not discuss social class in "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" we discussed this topic in great detail in class. In discussing technology, the ability to afford a computer is important in who is a "digital native" or "digital immigrant." According to Prensky, students now "think and process information fundamentally differently..." with the experiences that technology provides. This relates to Rose because it shows how social class can create a culture. The culture of hip-hop rose out of a tradition of "brutally truncated opportunity." Likewise, the digital culture rose out of a prosperity that allowed many young people to afford computers, games and cell phones.
Rose's thesis statement is that "hip-hop is an Afro-diasporic cultural form which attempts to negotiate the experiences of marginalization, brutally truncated opportunity and oppression within the cultural imperatives of African-American and Carri bean history, identity and community" (Rose, 1). Although this is a mouthful, I think that she is saying that hip-hop is an African-American art form that expresses the experiences of racism, degradation and frustration over lack of opportunities. She explains that hip-hop is an black urban renewal that came from the destruction of low-income homes in New York City that caused extreme inequalities between the wealthy and the poor.
South Bronx, the dubbed 'home of hip-hop culture' bore the brunt of the destruction of low-income homes during the 1970s, the start of hip-hop culture. Because of city planner Robert Moses, over 60,000 Bronx homes were destroyed. This caused landlords to sell to slumlords, or torch their buildings for insurance money, shopkeepers selling their shops and intensified economic, political and social inequalities. During the black-out riot 0f 1977, South Bronx became a symbol for America's problems, giving youth the over-pervasive message that "to be stuck here was to be lost." According to Rose, hip-hop emerged as a new identity and status for a youth that no longer had traditional support systems.
Some Things I don't Understand:
1. Rose did not discuss why so many rap lyrics are so negative. She briefly discusses that hip-hop culture is a confrontational culture, but this does not explain the extreme misogyny in many lyrics. This could be because it was written in 1994, so perhaps lyrics were not as offensive.
2. What does she mean "post-industrial?" I take this to mean that many companies ship overseas and many have moved to the suburbs, but I am not sure
3. I did not know about the relocation process. I want to know how this can possibly be legal to take away people's homes. I will bring this point in class.
Connections to Other Course Themes:
1. Although Prensky does not discuss social class in "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants" we discussed this topic in great detail in class. In discussing technology, the ability to afford a computer is important in who is a "digital native" or "digital immigrant." According to Prensky, students now "think and process information fundamentally differently..." with the experiences that technology provides. This relates to Rose because it shows how social class can create a culture. The culture of hip-hop rose out of a tradition of "brutally truncated opportunity." Likewise, the digital culture rose out of a prosperity that allowed many young people to afford computers, games and cell phones.
Troubles with the blog
Uh, no offense, but this online thing is not going well for me. I have not received any comments, which leads me to believe that I did not send the right link to Dr. Bogad. I am missing the talking points from last week because I must not have saved it, so now I have to do them again. I guess I really am a "digital immigrant." More and more professors are doing the blog thing, and I am having a hard time getting used to it. I always do something wrong with them and for some reason, I find it more stressful to write on a blog than to hand in a paper. Anyway, I guess I have to rewrite the missing blogs. I thought I would explain why I seem to be behind.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)