Talking Point 6

The website titled “Separate Is Not Equal,” and the video, “Between Barack And A Hard Place,” both talks about having equal opportunity.

In the video, Tim Wise was trying to explain how much society has not really changed since the integration movement had taken place. We still have some of the same issues that were being fought against during segregated times, some in which the website even mentions. I believe that we have accomplished our goal of being an integrated society, but with integration does not come equal opportunity. It may seem that racism does not exist in today's modern world because we have laws against it, we haven't experienced it, or it is not in plane sight, but it is here and it does take place.

The website shows how being separate does not mean equal, but the video shows how being integrated does not mean equal as well. Just because whites and blacks attend the same school, does not mean that all blacks are going to get the same amount and kind of assistance that a white student would receive. It’s said that the U.S. is all about equal opportunity, but still there is a such thing as privilege, power, and the right to hold opinion. Due to this, people of color are not given the same freedoms as whites.

Obama becoming president is not something that shows America that racism no longer exists. Tim Wise believes that racism 2.0 took place during the elections. Racism 2.0 is when a person deals or feels comfortable with another who is multi-racial (mixed races). Racism 1.0, which is discriminating against another race, was defeated in the election phase. But no one knows for sure if it is going to be defeated each and every time there is an election or a similar situation at hand. After all, at one of McCain's campaigns in Pennsylvania, there was a big controversy about Obama being in office.

Also, as history shows us - nothing happens right away, everything requires a series of events before a big change occurs. Obama becoming president is just one of the big events that will get our country one step closer to becoming a non-racist society.

Tim Wise states: "We are no where near a post-racial America… The proof of racial equity will be the day that people of color can be as mediocre as white folks who still get hired."

Random Blog 1: Charity vs. Change

I liked the way our group described the differences of charity and change; using Ms. Bogad's terms. We described it basically as the ‘band-aid solution’ (charity) and the ‘permanent solution’ (change). I believe that the terms can be very similar or distinct, depending on the situation at hand. The class described it in a very broad/general sense. Chairty is basically giving back to your community. Change uses the acts of looking at a problem and finding creative ways to solve it, resulting in a long term effect on the community. Although they both have very distinct defintions, I believe that they can relate and that charity can turn into change. Because of this, it is difficult to organize many thoughts on the two terms. Overall, I belive that the comparison between the two has to pertain to the actual impact the situation or individual(s) got as a result of the service.

Here is what our group had in our Ven-Diagram:::

Charity: giving money/ donation, band-aid solution, materialistic, short term, and it doesn’t change the pattern of the government, it changes the individual
Change: providing education, permanent solutions, intangible, long term, and usually change is in political, economic, or social patterns on a broader scale - just doing as much as you can to make a difference
Similarities: involve pity and fixing

Here is a video called "Disney’s Friends For Change":


This video is promoting both change and charity. Change is brought about by each individual doing something small, and when they join together the change happens. The charity part is the money that is going to be used to fund projects that will hopefully help the planet in the future. As they say: “Everything counts…. Every action creates a chain reaction…”

This website shows a little more about how charity can make a difference, whether it be short or long term…

Talking Point 5

Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer wrote the article, “In The Service Of What? The Politics of Service Learning.” This article was basically about how service learning can be such an educational, personal, and life changing experience. They try to explain that service learning can benefit the volunteers and the world, and that it is not just charity work. In the service of what is the question, what they (the authors) are trying to do, is answer it. Here are three quotes that I felt were the main points of this article:

1.) “…service learning can improve the community and invigorate the classroom, providing rich educational experience for students at all levels of schooling.” (2)
- I feel that service learning is something that everyone should try to take part in. Using the community as a classroom is a great idea because it gets people involved and it shows that they can make a difference not only in others lives, but in theirs as well. Service learning gives its volunteers experience and insight on different situations which they may not recognize or deal with on a day-to-day basis.

2.) “Students tutor, coach softball, paint playgrounds, and read to the elderly because they are interested in people, or because they want to learn a little about poverty and racism before they head out into the waiting corporate world… We do not volunteer “to make a statement,” or to use the people we work with to protest something. We try to see the homeless man, the hungry child, and the dying woman as the people they are, not the means to some political end.” (10)
- Service learning is not just charity work, it is a way for people to observe, discover, learn, help, and achieve. Using the world as a classroom helps students to actually see and take part in reality. Getting the children involved in their own communities teaches them that they don’t have to be an adult, super hero, or president to make a difference. It is a way to see the world as it is, and it may give them the confidence to help them make it a better place.

3.) “Citizenship requires that individuals work to create, evaluate, criticize, and change public institutions or programs.” (10)
- Service learning is a great opportunity to change our understanding or perspective on life. It also can help our country become one step closer to having peace on earth. But if the government forces its people to do community service – then that means they are practically forcing change onto its people. This does not leave much room for opportunity or for people to give up their time with open eyes and hearts in order for them to help others and learn. It won’t be volunteering, it will just be people at work with no pay. This is where the volunteers look at the people they are serving as “clients rather than a resource.”


Here is an Ad featuring President Obama, saying how volunteering can make a difference…


This is a great website to find out more about volunteering and how it has made a difference in the world of which we live…

Talking Point 4

In Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us by Linda Christensen, she talks about how the media has affected the way we think and live. We are always learning, no matter what age, our mind continues to grow as our body does. And what surrounds us, is what influences our life and future decisions/opinions. Something that is constantly around us, everywhere we go, even in our own homes, is the media. It practically takes over our lives unknowingly. Because it is something that has always been around, we become use to it, forget it’s there, and our minds begin to get unconsciously taken over. Three quotes that I felt pointed out the main points of this article are:

1.) “…When we read children’s books, we aren’t just reading cute little stories, we are discovering the tools with which a young society is manipulated.” (126)
- Omar is right. We are introduced and brought up on the media starting at a very early age. The age of two is the time when we as human beings learn and absorb the most. It is also the time when we start to talk and bother our parents with “constantly trying to be happy.” Two is the stage at which our parents usually pop in a movie, such as Disney, so that we can shut up, keep quiet, and give them a break. And those movies that we watch show and give us an idea of how society is and ought to be.

2.) “No one wants to admit that they’ve been handled by the media. They assure me that they make their own choices and the media has no power over them – as they sit with Fubu, Nike, Timberlands or whatever the latest fashion rage might be.” (128)
- It is hard to say, or to admit, that your whole life was practically a set up. Everything you thought that made you unique and such an individual is probably what society has made up for you and your generation. So many questions begin to pop up about your own identity, like: Who am I? Is this who I want to be or who someone else wants me to be?

3.) “Through critiques and the discussions that follow, they are helping to transform each other – each comment or observation helps expose the engine of our society, and they’re both excited and dismayed by their discovery…. I want to develop their critical consciousness, but I also hope to move them to action.” (134)
- By reading this article Linda wants us to become conscious, or aware of, the different ways that the media has affected us. She hopes that our discoveries will help motivate us to do something about it, so that future generations will not be unconsciously abused by the media.

Here is a video showing how Disney has portrayed the roles of different types of people:


To get more information on how the media affects the minds and lives of children, visit this website…