Lincoln Heights Part 2

I know I have already discussed this show for the various viepoints it presents and its presenation of a black family living in a typical neighborhood that television likes to place them in. However, while watching the show the other day I specifically thought of this class after a rude comment was made.

During the show Charles and Cassie were involved in a minor accident. When Charles got out of the car to ask for information from the person who crashed into them, a verbal confronatation arose. The confronatation soon escalated and moved from being about the car accident to Charles' girlfriend being black. It was evident that the person who hit them was races after he made a remark about how the hit didn't get the black off of Cassie.

This episode deeply disturbed me because I am not used to seeing people be so publicly open about there disslike for interacial relationships. It was interesting to see it portrayed on television in such a verbal way. Often they seem to send these messages through nonverbal language such as dirty looks. Like many other problems in society this one attacked it from a viepoint that is not always so blunty shown.

Obama's Speech at the United Nations

Did anyone catch Obama's address to the UN. The speech was focused around the problems with nuclear weapons, and passing policies pertaining to such. I thought he made some really interesting points. One point that Obama made was how for years countries have scrutinized the United States for the power they hold and there self dominance over other countries. Obama challenged them by pointing out how they wanted the power and now they have it. He said it is going to take all of the countries coming together to address this problem, so they need to step up. It was interesting to me that Obama came out and point blankly made that point. Many other presidents have avoided discussing this type of matter and I applaud Obama for his honesty. What kind of thought do you have if you saw the debate?

Does a helping hand ever come free of scrutiny?

Recently as I opened my web browser I began to read some of the headlines for the news. One headline that popped up was about a college senior who almost couldn't finish his senior year due to problems with financial aid (sadly a common problem). Fortunalty he was able to return for senior year due to his ministers fundraising on facebook. In only three days they raised over 5,000 dollars. To be honest I wasn't quite sure why this story made a headline on a major website but what really appauled me were the statements that followed in discussion to the article. The student who received the award was of African descent although the article never touched on this issue. It was just shown by his photo. For some reason many people left derogotory and racial comments about the students award. There ended up being a debate in the discussion boards amongst people who came across as racist and those defending the student. I just can't beleive that people would turn such a positive story of stepping up and helping someone in need as an issue of race. There have been a lot of comments frequently added in just a few hours but if you read into some of the statements are horrible. While some people did still have great things to say. Anyways if your interested in reading som of the comments here is the link. http://news.aol.com/philanthropy/article/facebook-fundraiser-saves-college/675645

Kanye West

Can anyone beleive what happened at the VMA's. I feel so bad for Taylor Swift. She is truly talented and it is horrible what Kanye did to her. But what intrigues me is what exactly motivated him to get up and say something about Taylor's win over Beyonce. I don't really follow celebrities that much, but is there some kind of connection between the two of them. Theres always someone who thinks someone else should win but there is a certain way to voice that opinion. I can't help but wonder if it was another artist who beat Beyonce if Kanye still would have said something. I mean Taylor is so sweet that Kanye probably looks at her and sees someone he can walk all over, without retaliation. Of course hes learning his lesson the hard way with all of the bad publicity he is getting.

Save the Last Dance

Although this movie is probably a thought from the past, it is still one of my favorites of all time. There are so many racial concepts in the film from the urban basketball court (that west talks about) to the violence of being in the inner city. One scene that stood out to me a lot was when Sarah was on the bus with Derek and an older white women gave them a look of dissapproval. It was clear that she did not beleive in interracial relationships. Noticing the look Sarah and Derek respond by showing more effection towards one and other. I think it is great that the producers highlighted this problem between how some people perceive interracial relatioships but more importantly they used the two to send a message that it shouldn't be questioned. I guess this scene sticks with me because of my past relationships as well as the one I am now. I just don't understand why it matters to the rest of the world what two colors people in a relatioship are.

Obama is Called a Liar During an Address in Congress

Recently Obama was called a liar by a state represenative while he was addressing Congress about his new healthcare bill. Some of the media outlets have gone crazy about this saying that it is the most dissordly thing to be said to a president during a meeting. But what I can't figure out is why is it such a big deal. Granted it is very rude and not the proper way to carry yourself. But President Obama is not the first person this has happened to. During Bush's presidency a bunch of democrats bood him during a speech and in the earlier days of congress fights used to break out. Some individuals in media are arguing that this is the most outrageos thing to occur in Congress. If you ask me a fight breaking out is way worst than a rude comment.

Licoln Heights

As I was doing my reading for class I began to think about newer shows that represent being "black". Much of the literature we have been reading is about shows in the the 1980's and early nineties. With much excitement Lincoln Heights, one of my favorite shows, is going to be returning for another season this fall. I never thought much about what the show represents until reading the book for class. Lincoln Heights is about a black family living in a crime ridden part of California. While the family members themselves are portrayed as successful individuals, the father is a poilce officer, the mother is a nurse, and the children can be overacheivers there are still many unique elements to the show. For instance I can't help but wonder if the family would still be faced with the same kind of crime and struggles if it was a white family placed in the neighborhood. The son in the family also has multiple run ins with gangs. The daughter is in an interracial relationship. In some ways it definetly portrays things to think about. I haven't really developed an opinion on what the show represents but it is the most recent example I can think of that represents an all black family set in the 2000's. For those of you who have seen the show what do you think about it?

Obama's Education Speech

This morning when I turned on the news I was a little bit appauled to hear what a fuss the media was making over Obama's directly addressing school age children. His planned speech is supposed to talk to student's and urge them to work hard so they can take control over the country in the future. Obama's speech is supposed to be used as a motivational way to get children working hard so they can lead the country down a better path.
On my last post I talked about a quote from West that really stood out to me. Isn't this exactly what Obama is trying to do? He is reaching out to the nation's youth and trying to send the message that they need not be hopeless and hard work will pay off in the future. He is trying to place that little bit of hope in individuals who feel they are stuck in a certain position based on the constraints of society.

A Quote to Think About

While reading the book Race Matters by Cornel West I came across a quote I really liked. The quote is as follows: "Without hope there can be no future, that without meaning there can be no struggle" (p.23). This quote really got me thinking about how many people in our country feel. In the book, West was referring to the struggle African American's undergo when trying to pull themselves up from an oppressed life. He was saying that if the individuals have no hope for a better future than there is no motivation for them to try. But I think this quote can be applied to a lot more than the African American population. This quote can ring true for every individual on the planet who has felt dispeared. It is sad because many people automatically place the blame on the individual for there position in life without taking in the circumstances surrounding it. For me it made me think of jobs and postions that have power. Individuals who have the position to influence others should be using that power to help create hope and show that there is another way. I could go on and on about this and the different ways we can apply it to life, but I am going to wrap it up there. Any thoughts on this quote or the ideas Ive presented?

Eyes on the Prize

For those of you who have not seen this documentary, you should really check it out. It teaches about some of the sadder points in African American history that some textbooks fail to mention. One story that really appauled me in the film was about an African American man in Florida. He was a marine and he was bruttaly murdered by the police at a traffic stop. There are many other heart wrenching stories presented in this film. Films like these are beneficial for presenting information in a way others might not have thought about it. Racism still exists in our country and more educational tools like this should be used.

Hello World of Blogging

Welcome to my new COMM 300 Blog. In this space im not quite sure what I will be talking about, but I know that in someway, shape, or form it will correlate to tv minorities/ and cultural divers. Still working on how this will all tie together as it is only my first day in the class. But we shall see where the journey takes us and what types of messages I will create. Talk to you soon.