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Blog Post #10

My initial reaction to the Jubilee Indigo poem by Tyehimba Jess was that it is really empowering. The third and fourth line really stuck out to me, “How do we prove black sounds holy and human, when the whole world swears we got no souls?” I think that she is saying black people are seen as soulless and that the work black shouldn’t sound dirty. She wants people to hear holy and human when they hear the word black, rather than the nasty things that some people say and think. I am actually really glad that this one the 2017 Pulitzer Prize because now it will get the recognition it deserves. I think that the point of poetry is to make you feel, and this excerpt from the Olio collection does just that.

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Blog Post #9

In my opinion, I think that an ethnographic scholarship should be relevant, controversial, pertain to sociology to be considered important. The ethnography that I read was “The Story of a Slutwalk” by Jo Reger, and I did think that it was important by my definition. Jo Reger wrote about a topic that many women have had to face, and have for many generations. She focused mainly on contemporary feminism, and mentioned how sexuality was a major part of that. I think her study was very relevant since it is still in progress, and an ongoing social problem in many areas still to this day. I think that we should fund studying for all aspects of the human condition because what could be important to some people can be less relevant to others and vice versa. 

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Blog Post #8

Chapter 5 was about the court system and how it is a huge factor with how people view the lives of juveniles and their opinion about cops. 

Thesis: The kids around 6th street have a reputation because of their social class, and they are more likely to be incarcerated because of their standing. 

Chapter 6 was about how 6th street residents came up with the idea that being wanted by the police was deemed as a way to make money.  

Thesis: People can now make a profitable income by being wanted by the police, and by smuggling drugs into prisons.

Chapter 7 is about “clean” and “dirty” people in the neighborhood. 

Thesis: Residents that have learned ways to avoid getting arrested in the high crime areas nearby are known as “clean” people.

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Blog Post #7

I thought that the documentary “13th” was very intriguing. I realized I only knew about half of the history that was being talked about. A lot of the racial inequality that had happened and that still happens isn’t covered in school so I thought that it was really interesting to hear about. I like how the director connected the racial inequality with mass incarceration. It’s not something that a a lot of people like to talk about or really know about. I think that they did a really good job educating while keeping everyone who is watching the documentary interested. Especially since the topic they were talking about is very controversial to society today. I also think that the governments jailing system is a little out-dated. I think it is absolutely crazy that it is possible to be sentenced longer that a murderer if you get caught having drugs on you. Overall, I enjoyed watching this documentary. It was very thought-provoking and really opened my eyes. 

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Blog Post #6

The MacIntosh and Cramer readings support each other’s arguments because they both talk about racism. Cramer talks about how most people see small towns as racist places. She states, “Racism plagues our cities, not only smaller places” (Cramer). She argues that small towns and bigger cities are divided because of this, especially when it comes to politics. Cramer also argues that the small town citizens resent the people of Milwaukee and Madison WI. because they feel like all of their tax money is going straight to the city rather than being used in their home towns (Cramer). MacIntosh writes about white privilege and what that means to her. Part of her argument is that we are taught about racism and not about privileges. She stressed, “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage” (MacIntosh). The other part of her argument is about how privileges can often be mistaken for power. MacIntosh pointed out, “Power from unearned privilege can look like strength when it is in fact permission to escape or to dominate” (MacIntosh). She mentions that this is often found in politics. Both authors compared racism and it’s role in everyday life as well as in politics.

My personal take on the importance of examining privilege at this time in my life is that I need to be more aware. I think that is is really important to comprehend that my life is valued differently than others, and that I need to use that knowledge in a positive way. Macintosh’s article opened my eyes and made me realize that even though I may not notice it, I do have an advantage since I am white, and other people will try to put me down for having this “privilege”. I think it is important to understand that everyone is equal and you shouldn’t use race as a way to split people up into groups. 

Cramer, Katherine. ‘How Rural Resentment Helps Explain the Surprising Victory of Donald Trump.” November 13, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/11/13/how-rural-resentment-helps-explain-the-surprising-victory-of-donald-trump/?utm_term=.6dacf6995eb4 

Macintosh, Peggy. “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” http://nationalseedproject.org/images/documents/Knapsack_plus_Notes-Peggy_McIntosh.pdf 

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Blog Post #5

I think that the article “Bias Isn’t Just A Police Problem, It’s A Preschool Problem” relates to the story “Brownies because they both deal with a form of racial bias. In “Brownies”, some of the young girl scouts are looking to cause a scene. One girl named Arnetta asked, “Daphne? Didn’t you hear them call you a nigger?” (Parker 6). They thought that the Troop 909 girls were calling them racial slurs because of their skin color. The article talks about how "Teachers looked more at the black children than the white children, and they looked specifically more at the African-American boy” (Turner). The teachers were assuming that it was most likely the colored children to be the bad ones. I think that this research is eye opening. It’s crazy to think that it’s 2017 and people are still acting like it’s the 1950′s. I think that the teachers should be paying attention to every child equally, therefore the outcome would result in both the black and white children receiving equal punishment. 

Cited

Turner, Cory. “Bias Isn’t Just A Police Problem, It’s A Preschool Problem.” NPR, NRPED, 28 Sept. 2016, www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/28/495488716/bias-isnt-just-a-police-problem-its-a-preschool-problem.

ZZ Packer. Brownies. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, Riverhead Books, 2001, www.qcounty.com/SCC/Fall10/Eng2_80232/Readings/ZZPacker–Brownies.pdf

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Blog Post #4 Brownies

I have to disagree with a part of Julie Myerson’s review of ZZ Packers’ protagonists in “Brownies”. I think that the main character is more mature and educated than the rest of the girls. She doesn’t try to pick fights like the others, if fact she tries to talk them out of them. On page 13, she argues “What if they say, ‘We didn't say that? We didn't call anyone a N-I-G-G-E-R’” (Packer 13). The protagonist doesn’t want to start any drama that could get them in trouble.

 I also agree with Myerson when she called the girls mischievous, because they definitely are. The main character didn’t want to be a part of the fight but she was curious and went into the bathrooms anyway. On page 20, she says “I say we go inside, just to see what’s going on” (Parker 20). This proves that even though she is a little more mature, her childish nature still comes through every now and then. 

ZZ Packer. Brownies. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, Riverhead Books, 2001, www.qcounty.com/SCC/Fall10/Eng2_80232/Readings/ZZPacker–Brownies.pdf

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Blog Post #3 - Abortion

Pro-Choice advocates believe that the female has the right to decide whether or not to abort her child since she is the one that is carrying it. They argue that the sac of cells growing inside a woman is not “alive”, therefore killing it isn’t inhumane. They also argue that the fetus doesn’t have any rights until birth. Pro-choice supporters believe that a law/ban on abortion wouldn’t help solve the problem. The limit would push women to get an illegal abortion which is unsafe, and in come cases it can be deadly. 

The Pro-Life supporters disagree with abortion. They argue that abortion is unethical and consider it to be murder. They also argue that the unborn fetuses have rights too, since they have a heart beat. Pro-Life advocates believe that if a woman doesn’t want her child, she should put it up for adoption after birth. They believe that it is inhumane to want an abortion, especially if the woman finds out the child has birth defects. Pro-Life supporters understand that there are people who have been raped, even though it wasn’t consensual they still push for adoption after birth.

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My reaction to NPR’s Student Fake News

My initial reaction is that I’m a little awe-struck. I’m confused as to why the students that participated in the study didn’t ask a lot of questions. I tend to ask many questions in my head when I am looking at a site, picture, or news title. What blew my mind the most was the picture of the mutated daisies. The students didn’t ask where it came from, or if it was a real picture, or if it was a product of photoshop. It seems crazy that over 80% of middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students didn’t realize they were looking at fake information, but I can also understand why. I don’t ever remember learning how to differentiate between real and fake news in school. The closest thing I remember learning about was that most .org sites were a reliable source for research papers. I think what the Stanford researchers found is pretty interesting, and it definitely makes you think about what you read, and share on social media.

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Intro Post

Hello, My name is Morgan Osborn. I grew up in Brimley, Michigan (Which is right outside of Sault Ste. Marie). I like painting, reading, watching marvel movies, going to concerts, and long road trips. I like to read mystery books, and books that are going to be made into movies (I just like to say that I’ve read the book first). I am majoring in Graphic Communications. My favorite class that I have taken so far is Physical Structures and Concepts. My favorite colors are olive green and burgundy.