sarahtaing-blog

[sarahtaing-blog]

WWR

Within the theatre industry, East West Players is in the forefront of efforts to dismantle racial archetypes. Stereotypes displayed in any outlet, such as theatre or film often shape one's beliefs about a group of people. Asians are often misrepresented in films and it shaped their identity to the people around them. EWP is the “nation’s longest-running professional theatre of color and the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work”; they promote a better understanding of Asian Pacific American experiences by funding playwrights who wish to share their stories as well as sponsoring playwrights to write specifically on overlooked aspects of Asian experiences. They also connect many aspiring actors with playwrights. Many of their plays are very successful, and although written and played by a majority Asian crew, around half of the audience at these plays are Asian while the rest are non-Asian. EWP noticed a lack of representation for the Asian community and to foster the sharing of Asian culture, heritage, and experiences, they also offer lessons to give people the tools to write their own stories. EWP also has a Youth Arts Education Program that shared multi-ethnic perspectives and stories with youth to foster a better understanding of other races from a young age. East West Players “is leading a call to action’ to the American Theatre demanding equity, diversity and inclusion”. EWP has proposed a 51% preparedness plan that all funding, whether from the government, organizations, or individuals should only be given to organizations where at least 51% are women, people of color, or under the age of 35. They don't think this should actually be implemented, but think of it as a call to action. Instead of implementing a quota, they truly target the main reason minority groups are being discriminated against or inaccurately portrayed in media.

Quotes from their website: http://www.eastwestplayers.org/

[sarahtaing-blog]

Rough Draft

Consider the general characteristics of a super hero. You may think of someone strong, fair, selfless, and admirable, but be honest with yourself, was the hero you imagined Asian? Would Superman still be Superman if he weren’t a white male? It is difficult to deny the different vibe of an Asian super hero. It is so common that a white male plays the heroic character and so rare that an Asian gets the main lead. Examples of movies starring a white male hero include: "Diehard (1988), Terminator (1984), Rambo, First Blood (1982), Barman (1989), [and] Superman (1978)” (Lee PEER). Within the last few years, the lack of diversity in the American film industry is a rising issue that is catching the attention of many millennials and encouraging current actors to no longer tolerate the racial inequality. To offset the lack of Asian American actors in the industry many have thought of an obvious answer: If there isn’t enough diversity, then implement a quota that forces companies to hire people of a difference race. Yes, this solves the immediate problem from a numerical standpoint, but does not address the underlying cause: racial and cultural stereotypes. Archetypes such as the characteristics of a mainstream super hero define and limit who can play certain roles and are suppressing the efforts of the Asian American actors trying to have a voice in American media. Although the film community seems to think the lack of Asian actors and actresses in American productions can be solved with a mere quota system, the real solution would be to focus on unhinging the cultural stereotypes that hinder their success in the film industry.

Racism and stereotypes have deeply rooted themselves in American Society. They limit people’s freedom and potential, and that is exactly what is happening to the Asian American Actors who are being discriminated against because of their ethnicity. They are chosen only for roles that suit their skin tone or their accent, and are at a loss when competing for the neutral roles that should be able to be played by anyone. Neutral roles, roles that have nothing to do with one’s race, are usually given to white actors, while marginalized people of color “work only to frame narrative about white people” (https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/doi/full/10.1111/jpcu.12335 (peer-reviewed)

In mainstream media, Asians are hired to bring the film diversity; they usually play the role of side characters that have only a few insignificant lines and very specifically fit the Asian stereotype. Asian males are often displayed as non-masculine and submissive. They’re usually pushovers, and not mentally or physically strong. They often play roles that specifically connect them to the commonly conceived Asian culture such as a karate master or smart, try-hard student. In the rare case that Asian females are casted, they are often portrayed as exotic and have sexually affiliated roles such as prostitutes.

Even recently with the release of the movie blockers, about a group of high school seniors planning to lose their virginity on prom night, the only Asian character was a side character that played the role of the lesbian. Whenever she appeared on screen she would have an almost angelic or mystical aurora to her and her voice was almost weirdly angelic. She was portrayed in almost the most exotic way possible. Almost like an alien. Another popular series with an lesbian Asian character was in 13 reason why. What is this tendency to cast Asians for the roles of such weird nature. Quirky, deviant, Courtney, crazy for academic success.

One might suggest to just reject take the dehumanizing, humiliating, or inaccurate roles, but there is a “dearth in opportunities” for an Asian American actor or actress in the American film industry(Wu on The New York Times). Asian American actor Constance Wu who plays Jessica Huang in “Fresh Off the Boat” claims that “An Asian person competing against white people, for a [majority] white audience has to train for the opportunity like it’s the Olympics” (Hess Hess, Amanda. “Asian-American Actors Are Fighting for Visibility. They Will Not Be Ignored.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 May 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/movies/asian-american-actors-are-fighting-for-visibility-they-will-not-be-ignored.html.) Asians are competing for roles not only with other Asian, but also with white actors who tend to have the upper hand in the American industry. They are already having a difficult time getting any jobs offers at all so in order to pay rent they must take whatever roles they can get. There are so many people trying to become actors that if they turn down a role because it is demeaning or stereotypical, there will be someone else to jump at the opportunity to take it in their stead. This does little to impact the production, but leaves the actor or actress out of much needed income. It is difficult to stand up for one’s dignity and demand accurate representation when directors will just move on to the next Asian person that is desperate enough to take the role. Advocating for one’s identity puts their financial success at risk, which is why many actors become accepting of inaccurate roles.

Directors and producers also feel like they are putting their financial success at risk when they hire non-white actors because they believe that in “general Caucasians prefer to see other Caucasians in leading roles”. This is just a common belief with no statistical support however it is still too much of a risk for employers to take. In further efforts to rake in even more revenue, producers try to hire already popular actors/actresses to play the main roles. The issue with this however is that since it is so difficult for Asian actors to land significant roles, they’re chances of becoming famous is very slim. Since many Asian actors are not popular enough to be desired by producers, it continues the cycle of excluding Asian American actors from roles that would boost their acting career. Their lack of popularity not only puts them at a disadvantage for neutral roles, but can even go as far as hinder them from being casted for roles where their appearances and past experiences make them a better fit for a character. An example this is the casting of Scarlett Johansson, a white actress, as the Japanese character, Motoku Kusanagi in the Manga adapted film “Ghost in the Shell” (Kenneally https://www.thewrap.com/scarlett-johansson-is-lying-about-ghost-in-the-shell-whitewashing-asian-group-says/). Netflix has also been under fire for their live-action film adaptation of the popular Japanese manga and anime “Death Note”. They hired Nat Wolff, a white actor, as the protagonist and even went another step to change the name of the character from Light Yagami to Light Turner to compliment the change in ethnic background of the character. (Velocci https://www.thewrap.com/death-note-netflix-trailer-japanese-whitewash/) The already popular white actors are favoured even in the case of an Asian rooted character; such castings of white people for ethnic roles have been coined “whitewashing”.

To counter the disproportionate hiring of white to non-white people, many companies try to promote the employment of minority groups a diversity standard. Recently within the film industry, some production companies have developed a quota system that specifies how many non-white actors or actresses need to be hired in order to be deemed diverse and acceptable. This is a form of tokenism because it tries to give the appearance of ratio equality within a workforce instead of attack the larger reason behind the inequality.

The diversity quota is an easy fix that masks the unequal opportunities of the Asian communities; it makes the numbers show that there is diversity, but does not show the inequality of the roles they obtain. The quota system does better the ratio of Asian roles to white roles, but it can become difficult to notice that there is a still problem once the numbers do not show an obvious disparity. For instance, since Asians make up only 5.5% of America’s population, seeing that 5.1% of speaking characters in American films are Asian can lead one to believe that this is reasonable (United States Census https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045216; Smith, et al. https://annenberg.usc.edu/sites/default/files/2017/04/07/MDSCI_CARD_Report_FINAL_Exec_Summary.pdf). It fuels the argument that the reason so little Asian actors are hired is because there is just not as many Asian actors available. Looking solely at the plain statistics of who gets hired is insufficient in terms of Asian American success. Not only should the number of roles be considered, but the quality of the roles is also important. If all 5.1% of those roles are just side characters or roles stereotypical to Asians with no leading roles that accurately portray the life of an Asian American, then the entertainment industry is neither diverse or inclusive. Recently many have noticed the overwhelm presence of white actors in the list of nominees for the Oscar causing the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite to trend on social media. Looking at more meaningful statistics such as the number of nonwhite actors or actresses have been nominated or won in the Oscars illuminates the disparity in the experience of white actors and those of a minority ethnic group. Every year from 1975 to 1981, the academy awards did not include anyone of color; it was not until 1981 that Howard E. Rollins Jr. was nominated for “Ragtime” and broke the streak. (Zak https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/02/26/these-charts-explain-how-oscars-diversity-is-way-more-complicated-than-you-think/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.22bb2f2cf1dc). There have been a few Asians from Japan and Iran nominated, but in the past 25 years no Asian Americans have been nominated (Zak). With less than 1% of nominations going to anyone with an Asian background, these statistics convey a whole different story compared to just looking at the percent of Asian hires (J.T https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/01/film-and-race). The current disproportion in the hires do show that there is an obvious inequality in the film industry, and it is a useful tool to see if there is progress in solving it, but just fixing the numbers and graphs to reflect a more inclusive environment does not mean the problem of inequality is addressed.

INTRO TO SOLUTION + ORGANIZATIONS

To promote equality within the film industry, the distorted public opinion of each ethnic minority must be discouraged and realistic portrayals of their lives must become more mainstream. Accurate portrayals of modern Asian American life should be promoted through all outlets to offset the misrepresentation from films that portray them as exotic, book-smart, weak, hypersexual, etc. Within the theatre and playwriting industry, East West Players is in the forefront of efforts to dismantle racial archetypes. EWP is the “nation’s longest-running professional theatre of color and the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work”; they promote a better understanding of Asian Pacific American experiences by funding playwrights who wish to share their stories as well as sponsoring playwrights to write specifically on overlooked aspects of Asian experiences. EWP also has a Youth Arts Education Program that shared multi-ethnic perspectives and stories with youth to foster a better understanding of other races from a young age. East West Players “is leading a call to action’ to the American Theatre demanding equity, diversity and inclusion”, but the same is needed in American Film as well. Changing stereotypes that have ingrained themselves into society is a challenging task, but organizations such as East West Players should be looked toward as a template for improving racial inequalities in the film industry.

When people compare the current situation to the past, many believe that America is now “post-racial”, typically defined as moving away from evaluative considerations of skin tone and ethnic identity, but with the lack of equal representation and opportunities to succeed in mainstream media, America has not reached that point. Although changing the mindsets of everyone is not an easy task, one can do their part as an individual by being aware of their own tendency to fall into these stereotypical tendencies. One should confront themselves and others who are subconsciously falling into the trap instead of letting them get away with it. Going to watch these films that accurately portrays Asian Americans in their correct culture and situations is a way to support their efforts and fund more projects that ultimately will impact the social perspective toward a more equal and inclusive mindset.

[sarahtaing-blog]

3 annotations

https://search-proquest-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/docview/218857051/fulltext/B5C08F611EB64AFDPQ/1?accountid=14749

1. ASIAN AMERICAN ACTORS IN FILM, TELEVISION AND THEATER, AN ETHNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY

2. Lee, Joann. “ASIAN AMERICAN ACTORS IN FILM, TELEVISION AND THEATER, AN ETHNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY.” Race, Gender &Amp; Class, vol. 8, no. 4, 2001, p. 176.

3. USC Library: Asians in American film

4. Gives examples of films where whites took roles of Asians and also offers stereotypes of male and females. Examples of super hero white males, and also talks about how actors are dealing with the issue themselves. What helps them cope and how they hope things can be better. Introduces briefly an Asian film company that can play a part in my solution.

5. - One classic example is D.W. Griffith's 1919 film Broken Blossoms, where the leading role -- a Chinese male -- was played by Richard Barthelmess. Ironically the most well-known of Asian characters featured in Hollywood films have traditionally been played by White actors costumed to look Asian: Charlie Chan, Fu Manchu, and Mr. Moto. The practice of using well known White faces to play major Asian roles persisted throughout the 1950's to 1980: Marlon Brando in Tea House of the August Moon (1956); Shirley MacLaine in My Geisha (1962); Peter Sellers in The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980) to name a few.

-  It is not so much individual racism, as Wong (1978) suggests, as it is the institutional barriers which bar Asian actors from major roles, relegating them for the most part to extras

- Men more often are asked to audition for such stereotypical parts as Korean grocers, gangsters, immigrants, computer geeks, kung fu experts, and foreign businessmen. t Asians are gradually being cast in cross-over roles of the professional, such as doctor, lawyer or businessman but these tend to be fillers rather than substantial roles.

-"single White man saves the world" formula (Diehard (1988), Terminator (1984), Rambo, First Blood (1982), Barman (1989), Superman (1978), to name a few.

- Asian woman as exotic and sexually available still prevails on the stage. They’re demeaning and little growth as a whole

Asian American acting companies, such as the Pan Asian Repertory in New York City, provide cultural outlets for Asian American works as well as nurture budding talent. In short, regional theater opportunities where actors can do parts derived from non-traditional casting appear to offer greater chance for the Asian aspiring actors to hone their skills than television or film.

-Furthermore if the public gets more used to seeing Asians on screen they may not perceive Asian actors as anomalies. Some felt Asians appearing more in television and films might change public perception of Asians as actors.

https://muse-jhu-edu.libproxy1.usc.edu/article/658170 (peer-reviewed)

 1.     Racial Accents, Hollywood Casting, and Asian American Studies

2.     Davé, Shilpa. “Racial Accents, Hollywood Casting, and Asian American Studies.” Cinema Journal, vol. 56, no. 3, 2017, pp. 142–147.

3.     USC Library

4.     Uses the example of master of none episode called indians on tv to mirror the difficulties that many Asians are facing in real life. Through this episode the article points out the reasons behind the lack of representation. Gives examples of tv series that are doing it right and offering alternative perspectives into the culture and lives of Asian people. These shows are also successful and prove that the fear keeping directors from hiring Asians are irrational.

5.     - On the screen in the episode of Master of None, the choices among the offered roles are slim for Dev, and the conflict for Asian American actors or emerging nonwhite actors is to take the job in the hope it will lead to a successful series with good money and exposure or wait for (or create) another role that allows for some variety and flexibility. So while some may have qualms about the roles, nonwhite actors are driven to take the roles that pay the bills.

-          In progressive sitcom TV series that feature Asian Americans and Indian Americans in central roles (in front of as well as behind the camera as producers and writers) such as The Mindy Project (Fox, Hulu, 2013–present), Fresh off the Boat (ABC, 2014–present), and Master of None (Netflix, 2015–present), either the characters do not have stereotypical Indian or Asian accents or the writers do not make those accents the center of the comedic story line.

-          This idea of disembodiment, or of separating out racial markers as performative accents or characteristics, is a long-standing practice in the representations of Asian Americans and other racial minorities in Hollywood and television, which frequently has white actors performing blackface, brownface, yellowface, and redface to play different races and ethnicities.

https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/doi/full/10.1111/jpcu.12335

(peer-reviewed)

1.     Starving for Diversity: Ideological Implications of Race Representations in The Hunger Games

2.     Moore, Ellen E., and Coleman, Catherine. “Starving for Diversity: Ideological Implications of Race Representations in The Hunger Games.” Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 48, no. 5, 2015, pp. 948–969.

3.     USC Library searched “Asian diversity in American film”

4.     Analyses the hunger games and what it implies in terms of race. Focuses on many races, especially blacks. Briefly talks about Asians as well saying how many people who read the books imagined someone of a different race, but that when a someone of a minority group takes the role the audience is off put by it because it was not how they pictured the character, on the other hand many are outraged when characters that were meant to be of an ethnic minority is replaced and “whitewashed” with a white actor or actress.

5.     marginalized people of color often “work only to frame the narrative about white people”

““postracial,” typically defined as moving away from evaluative considerations of skin tone and ethnic identity.”

“The pattern of major media producers marginalizing or simply excluding non‐whites is easily explained when profit is the bottom line for major film studios.”

[sarahtaing-blog]

Priority Planning

Thesis: Although the film community seems to think the lack of Asian actors and actresses in American stage and film productions can be solved with a mere quota system, the real solution would be to focus on unhinging the cultural stereotypes that hinder their success in the film industry.

Broad topics mentioned in thesis:

1. Lack of Asian and Asian American actors and actresses

2. Quota system

3. Cultural stereotypes

1. Topic one: Lack of Asian and Asian American actors and actresses

Basic information necessary to prove:

-        Producers want to hire already popular actors/actresses to play the main roles and so they hire famous white people instead of unknown actors despite them more accurately fitting the character background.

-        One might say why don’t they just not take the dehumanizing roles or humiliating or inaccurate roles? Asians are already having a tough time getting these jobs and any roles at all so in order to pay rent they must take whatever roles they can get.

Examples necessary to prove basic info:

-        The #OscarsSoWhite hashtag being so widespread shows that people really are starting to notice the lack of diversity in popular film productions.

-        Courtney in 13 reasons why: she is the smart, uptight, “good” girl that snitches on people and is secretly a lesbian.

-        Asian girl in Blockers, a recently released movie still in theaters that casts an Asian to fill the weird lesbian role. She almost angelic or mystical aurora to her and her voice was almost weirdly angelic. She was portrayed in almost the most exotic way possible. Almost like an alien.

-        Older example is 16 candles, but I haven’t watched it yet.

Possible paragraph organization:

- Explain what the issue is,

- why we have the issue

- examples of how this is still relevant today.

- Maybe include some examples from the past and show some recent examples to state how not much progress has been made.

1. Topic two: Quota system

Basic information necessary to prove:

-        Tokenism: the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce.

-        The diversity quota is an easy fix that masks the unequal opportunities of the Asian communities; it makes the numbers show that there is diversity, but does not show the inequality of the roles they obtain.

-        Having a quota system actually encourages people to focus even more on the race of a person.

Examples necessary to prove basic info:

-        Providing old and current statistics on how many Asians are in the film industry.

-        Quotes from people about quota system

-        More info on companies trying to implement the quota system

-        Law suits around other things based on hiring quotas. (not specific to film)

Possible paragraph organization: Introduce the current approach and explain what they were thinking in implementing it. Explain the negatives of the quota system: how it masks the issue and emphasizes race.

1.     Topic three: Cultural stereotypes and how to fix them

Basic information necessary to prove:

-        Changing the public view of Asians would open up roles for Asian actors and actresses

-        it would also promote a more accurate representation of the Asian community.

-        give them better chances of acquiring the starring roles.

-        Funding or supporting organizations that pay people to produce films that are specifically focused on accurate representation and inclusiveness of Asians.

-        Realizing when you fall into believing stereotypes and calling out others for doing so.

 Examples necessary to prove basic info:

-        Examples of movies/films/series that have accurate representation.

-        Examples of this in plays and stuff if there are no orgs that support the specific production of accurate films

-        Quotes from actors and what they think should happen.

 Possible paragraph organization:

-        Introduce how society is stuck in the perception that only certain roles can be played by certain races.

-        Explain what many directors/ producers and thinking that cause them to hire mostly whites.

-        Explain how these misconceptions are not true with examples.

-        Introducing orgs that are working to counter this issue (in the film industry, but if there is not currently one already then use a parallel example in plays)

-        Explain how they are working to help and why they should be given more attention and people should start these orgs, fund these orgs, attend their production showings, and just support them in general.

  Conclusion would include: introduce how people as an individual can address their own tendency to think stereotypically and the tendency of others to do so. And what success in the film industry would really look like.

[sarahtaing-blog]

Thesis revised

Although the film community seems to think the lack of Asian actors and actresses in American stage and film productions can be solved with a mere quota system, the real solution would be to focus on unhinging the cultural stereotypes that hinder their success in the film industry.

[sarahtaing-blog]

3 Annotations

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/movies/asian-american-actors-are-fighting-for-visibility-they-will-not-be-ignored.html 1. Asian-American Actors Are Fighting for Visibility. They Will Not Be Ignored. 2. Hess, Amanda. “Asian-American Actors Are Fighting for Visibility. They Will Not Be Ignored.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 May 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/movies/asian-american-actors-are-fighting-for-visibility-they-will-not-be-ignored.html. 3. Nytimes and google searched: hiring of Asians in movies. 4. The article explains white washing and gives many examples of movies adaptions or films that have replaced Asian characters with white actors. It also explains the struggle for many of the Asian actors to find any jobs at all and how the movement is becoming more noticed. 5. “The issue has crystallized in a word — “whitewashing” — that calls out Hollywood for taking Asian roles and stories and filling them with white actors” “An Asian person who is competing against white people, for an audience of white people, has to train for that opportunity like it’s the Olympics,” Ms. Wu said. “An incredibly talented Asian actor might be considered for a leading role maybe once or twice in a lifetime. That’s a highly pressured situation.”

1. #OscarsSoWhite Is Still Relevant This Year. 2. “#OscarsSoWhite Is Still Relevant This Year.” HWD, Vanity Fair, 2 Mar. 2018, www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/03/oscarssowhite-is-still-relevant-this-year. 3. Vanity fair and google 4. Talks about how although the hashtag was started in 2015, it is becoming more and more apparent to this day. In the past it may have seemed more difficult to tackle the issue of racial inequality in the film industry but with more attention being put toward this, with just some more effort there can actually be big changes to happen in the next few years. 5. 2015, as I watched that year’s Oscar nominations announced without a single person of color in any of the lead- or supporting-actor categories, #OscarsSoWhite remains relevant because studios still consider it risky business to staff films with members of neglected populations, both in front of and behind the camera. 

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/03/jj-abrams-bad-robot-diversity-quota-oscarssowhite 1. JJ Abrams' Bad Robot introduces diversity quota

2. Child, Ben. “JJ Abrams' Bad Robot Introduces Diversity Quota.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Mar. 2016, www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/03/jj-abrams-bad-robot-diversity-quota-oscarssowhite. 3. Google/ the guardian 4. The company here is trying to implement a quota system and other technique to counter the lack of diversity in film crews. Hiring of many non-whites are something they try to do. This article supports the quota system. 5. Details of the production company’s quota system emerged during a period in which Hollywood appears to be scrambling to learn lessons from the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Black actors are also increasingly being cast with colour-blind attitudes in mind:

[sarahtaing-blog]

Writing Plan

Week 1:

think about my intro. and what I can use as a hook. Maybe a fact? or how people dont really notice but there are barely any asians in the popular movies. or that when we think about super heros theyre usual male and white.

figure out if I am focusing on Hollywood or just in general

sleep

get general info on lack of representation in American stage/film

Week 2:

figure out distinction of asians vs asian americans. do I focus on one? or are they kinda all get the same treatment so I focus on both?

research stats on % of hiring of races in the mainstream movies

sleep

Controversy on picking actors and actresses for disney movies. or live action. (mulan)

compare wages for race in the film industry

Week 3

research % of Oscars or awards that are given to asians / asian american

research quotas on hiring of races

Sleep

finish some body paragraphs

Week 4

Sleep

Figure out conclusion. research the companies that pay people to write plays or films that are more accurate. see how they get funding if any?

Revision

[sarahtaing-blog]

Thesis

Although the community seems to think the lack of Asian and Asian American representation in American Stage and films can be solved with a mere quota system, the real solution would be to focus on the cultural stereotypes that currently hinder the hiring of Asian and Asian Americans in popular films.

[sarahtaing-blog]

Inventing

1.     Going to a concert today for Quinn XCI with my boyfriend. I am excited to go to sleep. I also am looking forward to the weekend. I need to take a break. I am excited about the 4 oranges I took from the dining hall. I love oranges. I am excited for my birthday that is on the 6th. But at the same time I am scared since I have my chem midterm on the 5th. I am excited to move out and get away from my roommates.

2.     I am excited in moving out since my roommates suck and they are so loud and so immature. My roommate is so messy I can’t handle it anymore. Next year I hope it is better. But honestly, I don’t know.

I am excited to go to sleep. since I’ve been sleeping at 3 am and waking up at 8 am for the last 3 days. I thought I knew what tired was. Today I am so dead.

I am also excited for the concert since I haven’t really been to a real concert before and I actually really like his music. I wish I could remember the lyrics to his songs though. Too bad I can’t.

3.     My roommates like to party and the walls in the village are thin so we can hear each other super clearly even tho we are talking normally. Imagine them yelling, it gets really loud. My actual roommate is also just really messy. There’s clothes all over the place. Her shoes are everywhere. Her makeup is everywhere. Even on the walls. She keeps taking random naps, meaning I must keep leaving the room. I am barely ever there anyways because I have class from 9 and work until like 7 pm. And sometimes I stay out even later but when I come back she suddenly needs to nap. Like can she not nap when I am gone for over 12 hours. She needs to nap when I finally get to relax in my room. It is also a lot cheaper to live off campus. So I am excited to save money.

4.     Me and my roommate are very different. She is extroverted and she comes from a family of money. She spends most of her time partying and not really caring about school or work because she doesn’t really understand the value of being able to go to USC I think. The tuition is really high, but her family can afford it so she does not really feel that compelled to take her education seriously, giving her time to go party and drink. On campus housing in general is very expensive. To be able to move out is nice because it is cheaper. Most students oncampus are undergraduates and younger. The upperclassman usually get offcampus housing because they do not really have room for them on campus. I am also going to be staying with graduate students next semester so hopefully they are more mature and understand the necessity to keep the place clean.

5.     Housing off campus is also very expensive though since it is in LA. I wonder what some people do if they are assigned oncampus housing that is too expensive for them. Can they still attend USC? Where would they live? What can we do to reduce the price of living in LA? Theres a lot of upperclassman trying to find off campus housing and struggling, what are they to do if they can’t find it? With the increasing population of student body, there are bound to be a greater need for student housing. Will USC have another project to expand their dorms and apartments? How will this affect the surrounding community? Even with the implementation of the village for student housing, why is there still so many students that are not able to get oncampus housing?

6.     What can we do to reduce the price of living in LA?

7.     This is a very complicated topic. There are many reasons for why the price of living in LA is so high. To reduce it we would have to examine so many areas that it is What can we do to reduce the price of living in LA? Since there are so many areas to look at this is difficult to tackle. This is also an issue I think many people have tried to counter before, but seeing how it is still really expensive, it indicates that previous methods have not been very affective.

8.     Is that maybe why they are increasing the minimum wage? That might be a solution, but I don’t know if that’s working or if it will work.

9.     I can research how the current increase in minimum wage has affected the population/economy. Research the many reasons for the high cost of living. Compare any trends like increasing population and seeing if there is a correlation with increase in cost. See how market prices are affected. If some things cost more here compared to surrounding states.

10.  Yes I think my gut goes with common wisdom. I think my point of view that comes from the lower income can help me be more sensitive to higher prices and notice things that people who don’t really worry about money don’t notice. I used to live in vegas where minimum wage is 8.25 so that is a lot less than the 12 dollars here. I can compare Nevada and California

[sarahtaing-blog]

2 Peer reviews

[sarahtaing-blog]

3 more annotations

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sioux

1.     Sioux people

2.     The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Sioux.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 20 Dec. 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/Sioux.

3.     USC Libraries

4.     Gives background of the Sioux way of life, how their culture was before they were in contact with the Europeans. It also describes the struggle they had with the Europeans and American government. The struggle for land and the loss of game reserves. The unfair treaties that were not upheld. It also talks about violence and their fight to regain what they once had, but ultimately their defeat and the cessation of war.

5.     “They were restricted to a reservation and encouraged to take up agriculture, but government mismanagement of the annuities, depleted game reserves, and a general resistance to an agricultural lifestyle combined to precipitate starvation on the reservation by 1862.” 

-        The California Gold Rush of 1849 opened a floodgate of travelers, and many Sioux became incensed by the U.S. government’s attempt to establish the Bozeman Trail and other routes through the tribes’ sovereign lands.

-        The United States sought to forestall strife by negotiating the First Treaty of Fort Laramie(1851) with the Sioux and other Plains peoples. The treaty assigned territories to each tribe throughout the northern Great Plains and set terms for the building of forts and roads within the region. In accordance with the treaty the Santee Sioux gave up most of their land in Minnesota in exchange for annuities and other considerations. 

 http://heinonline.org.libproxy1.usc.edu/HOL/Page?public=false&handle=hein.journals/albany75&page=133&collection=journals

1.

Indian tribal sovereignty - current issues

(peer reviewed)

2. Schraver, David M., and Tennant, David H. “Indian Tribal Sovereignty - Current Issues.” Albany Law Review, vol. 75, no. 1, 2011, p. 133.

3. USC libraries, Law journal library

4. The piece examines the lack of control of the indian tribes and their lack of say in what land gets taken or reserved for them. It also examines the many times the Americas have injustly taken from them. It argues that there is Christian nationalism which is the idea that Christians have a holy duty to reclaim lands for god.

5. - “This means that the Black Hills could not have been taken by the United States unless the Sioux Nation gave the United States permission to do so. Without the approval of the Sioux Nation the United States does not have any legitimate claim to the Black Hills or any other part of the Sioux Nation's territory. The same may be said for countless other supposed congressional and presidential (executive order) takings of Indian lands.” Example of how America has taken land from natives unjustly and just say they’ll find ways to compensate. It is not enough that they had so much taken away already, but they are still experiencing this injustice. 

- Ziegler observes that "[o]ne of the oldest means by which nations have acquired territory has been through the discovery of previously unoccupied lands," 97 and notes in passing that: "The term 'unoccupied lands' refers of course to the lands in America which when discovered were 'occupied by Indi- ans' but 'unoccupied' by Christians. They totally disregarded the Indians before and now still do it.

http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/idlr42&div=7&g_sent=1&casa_token=&collection=journals

1.      The Doctrine of Discovery in American Indian Law 

2.      Miller, Robert J. "The doctrine of discovery in American Indian law." Idaho L. Rev. 42 (2005): 1.

3.      Google Scholar and law journal library

4.      The piece examines the doctrine of discovery in terms of the American adopted law rather than the original produced when the Europeans colonized the already occupied lands. It states how the moment that Europeans came on to the land they gained sovereignty over the natives that were already living there and this sovereignty extended to the European governments to have control of the American Indian tribal legalities.

5.      

-   “The Doctrine had its genesis in medieval, feudal, ethnocentric, religious, and even racial theories.” But still it is accepted law in today’s policies and it continues to be referenced and impact the legal issues around American Indian and American laws.

-   “Discovery was applied by European-Americans to legally infringe on the real property and sovereign rights of the American Indian nations and their people, without their knowledge or consent, and it continues to adversely affect Indian tribes and people today.” Just because they made it a law it became ok.

[sarahtaing-blog]

My attempt at being John Oliver

https://s7.aconvert.com/convert/p3r68-cdx67/m3uir-bxr7m.mp4

[sarahtaing-blog]

[sarahtaing-blog]

Annotations

Annotation #1

1.     FIVE SPILLS, SIX MONTHS IN OPERATION: DAKOTA ACCESS TRACK RECORD HIGHLIGHTS UNAVOIDABLE REALITY — PIPELINES LEAK, The Intercept by Alleen Brown

2.     Theintercept. “Five Spills, Six Months in Operation: Dakota Access Track Record Highlights Unavoidable Reality - Pipelines Leak.” The Intercept, 9 Jan. 2018, theintercept.com/2018/01/09/dakota-access-pipeline-leak-energy-transfer-partners/.

3.     The Intercept

4.     An objective view of how pipes are bound to leak. They always leak and it is sometimes not a big deal says the energy transfer organizations, but protesters and environmentalists think that it is still bad since many small spills add up. Has statistics about how much and where the oil spills are. Also info on other pipelines and their spills.

5.     – “Anne Rolfes, head of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, which is fighting ETP’s proposed Bayou Bridge Pipeline, said the company’s argument about safety is unproven. “The company has an accident problem,” she said, adding that state agencies’ view of the spills as minor “just shows how problematic our so-called regulatory system is.

Annotation #2

1.               Oil Is Flowing Through the Dakota Access Pipeline, The Atlantic, Robinson Meyer

2.               Meyer, Robinson. “Oil Is Flowing Through the Dakota Access Pipeline.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 9 June 2017, www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/06/oil-is-flowing-through-the-dakota-access-pipeline/529707/.

3.               The Atlantic. Terms: Dakota Pipeline

4.               An objective reporting of the Dakota pipeline. Published in 2o17 so recent, but not entirely up to date. At that time people were protesting still but trump got it approved after reversing the works of Obama. Gives Archambault, chairman of the sioux tribe, a voice to share on behalf of his people. Trump is overlooking the perspectives of the natives and is very proud despite how unhappy they are. Energy transfer partners say it is more cost efficient and safe, but the Sioux are still worried because it is right below their sacred land.

a.      - “I just closed my eyes and said: ‘Do it,’” President Trump said of approving the pipeline this week. He did not even try to consider the other side.

-        “Oil is now flowing through the pipeline—and, crucially, beneath Lake Oahe in North Dakota, which is sacred to local Lakota and Dakota people and their only source of water.”

-        “There’s an uneasy feeling that any moment, this pipeline could pose a threat to our way of life. It’s something you have to carry and be wary of all the time, and be ready for,” Archambault told me.” Threatens them and their way of life. Their identity. All they have left.

-        “It’s up, it’s running, it’s beautiful, it’s great. Everybody is happy, the sun is shining, the water’s still clean,” the president added. Trump over looks all the natives. Obviously not everyone is happy. How he stays the water is still clean means that all he cares about is the present. Does not consider how it may affect the future.

-         Archambault on Thursday. “He’s putting his own grandchildren’s future at risk. But he doesn’t see it like that. He doesn’t see the cost in the future, he just sees the dollars gained today.” The native expresses worry for future generations. About the pollution. Continuing to work on fossil fuel infrastructure will only deepen our dependence on it instead of easing off it in replacement of more sustainable options.

-        ““How can one be optimistic when we know the judicial system in the United States is founded on the doctrine of discovery?” he asked. – Archambault” States that natives lost claim to land when European Christian monarch discovered north America. 1823

-        “What happened at Standing Rock is a movement, and you don’t see the benefits of a movement until way later. It might not even be in my lifetime.” Chairman of standing rock Sioux tribe expresses how he and his people are fighting for their children not themselves because they know they probably won’t see results for a while.

[sarahtaing-blog]

Thesis revised

Although Trump claims that the implementation of the Dakota Pipeline would create an abundance of jobs and a more efficient way of transporting oil, he completely disregards how the pipeline will affect the children and future generations of the Sioux clan.

[sarahtaing-blog]

WP3 Thesis

Although Trump claims that the implementation of the Dakota Pipeline would create an abundance of jobs and a more efficient way of transporting oil, he completely disregards the cries of the Sioux clans and other natives who fear the pipeline endangers their way of life and sacred landmarks.

[sarahtaing-blog]

Looping exercise for WP3