Talking Points #6

Tim Wise: Between Barack and a Hard Place

Doing a video blog was much more interesting than doing the other readings we have done. I definitely feel like I could follow his points and ideas, and I think it helped just hearing the tone of voice he was using. Like many of the other pieces we have been discussing in class, Wise was very adamant about the fact that we have a long long way to go in regards to racism and equality in this country. Wise states in the interview,"The proof of racial equity will be the day that people of color can be as mediocre as white people and still get hired". I absolutely loved this quote. He said this in response to the notion of people that think that because we see greatness in colored people like Barack Obama, the racism problems in this country are solved. But Obama is an extreme example and special exception because of his incredible intelligence and clean cut style. Wise wants us to strive for the day that colored people who offer different "styles" and who are "mediocre" can be accepted and successful in mainstream America.

How Wise's discussion and the famous case of Brown v Board of Education relate is somewhat obvious, but I think deeper with some analyzation. Brown v Board overturned segregation in schools and made the conjecture of "separate but not equal". This was obviously a huge step in the fight for equality in the United States. Wise is also pushing for equality, and I think he sort of talks about the "separate but not equal" idea in his discussion in a round-a-bout way. He talks about the fact that some people of color that are every bit intelligent as white people( but in a different way), but don't get a chance to give what they have to offer. So what people of color who are equally intelligent as white people have as opportunities are way less than those of white people. What they have to offer may be different, but it should be thought of as equal. However, it is not, and it goes back to the whole separate but not equal notion. Wise is pushing for the same thing Brown was, and many others throughout history pushing for true equality.

Talking Points #5

In The Service Of What?

The Politics of Service Learning

By Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer

1.) "Moreover, when asked what they gained from the experience, many students said simply that it

taught them "that people can be different" from what you expect. Others arrived at a variety of deeper insights: '[The neighborhood] isn't as bad as the news makes it out to be.'"

- I chose this quote because I can definitely relate to it in my experiences thus far in service learning. Going in, I believed the kids/teachers would behave badly and wildly because of the conditions that they are in. My expectations were way off and the kids couldn't be better behaved.

2.) "Clearly. having students share their thoughts and experiences with one another can be valuable, but reflective activities (commonly in the form of journal entries and discussions) may simply reinforce

previously held beliefs and simplistic, if generous, conclusions."

- I thought this quote was quite interesting, and I'm sort of on the fence on whether I agree with it or not. With the journals I have written for my service learning, I think I am doing more than reinforcing previously held notions. I think I it is helping me realize things that I seeing in the classroom.

3.) "Rather than assume, erroneously, that all educators share the same vision, we think it is better to be explicit about the numerous and different visions that drive the creation and implementation of service

learning activities in schools."

- I chose this quote because it simplifies the whole article. Not all educators have the same motives about what they are trying to do in schools, and it is important to examine the different reasons that make for service learning in schools.

Thoughts: This article was a pretty easy read, probably because I read it on the plane ride back from Florida. All in all though, I thought it was sort of interesting, but I think the ideas that the authors were driving at were somewhat obvious to see. The two different cases of service learning that were shown showed that there are different reasons and objectives for different types of service learning. The one where the kid packed health packs for the homeless and delivered them had a different effect on the kid than if the kid had more one on one interaction with people. The article did make me think a little bit about my own service learning with VIPS, and it did make me think of how exactly it was affecting me.

Talking Points #4

Linda Christensen: Unlearning Myths That Bind Us

1.) "We are not only taught certain styles of violence, the latest fashions, and sex roles by TV, movies, magazines, and comic strips: we are also taught how to succeed, how to love, how to buy, how to conquer, how to forger rhe past and suppress the future. We are taught, more than anything else, how not to rebel"

- This is a quote from Dorfman talking about all the underlying messages and lessons cartoons are teaching young children. Most importantly, however, Dorfman says that they mold children to conform to society and not stand up to the injustices in the world. Basically, to not think for themselves.

2.) "There should be more women of color who play the leads in these white-on-white wedding cake tales. Of course, there should also be more women of color on the Supreme Court, in Congress, and scrubbing up for surgeries."

- I liked this quote because it kind of connects the problems in such a small area(cartoons) with the big picture of injustice. The injustice shown in cartoons is directly related to the real life injustice that exists in society.

3.) "Instead of leaving students full of bile, standing around wirh their hands on their hips, shaking their

heads about how bad the world is, I provided them the opportunity to make a difference."

- I really liked this last quote at the end of the article. Christensen is teaching her students here that acknowledging the problems and injustices is not enough. Sitting there ashamed of the world and cynical won't do any good. So she gave the a chance to take the next step make change for the better.

Thoughts:

Overall, I thought this piece was a very quick and easy read, also very good. All of the points that Christensen brought up were very intriguing and things that I really had never thought of before. The way young children think is molded by everything they see, and therefore, cartoons, magazines,and tv play vital roles in how children think of society. Therefore, the injustices and underlying messages in media and ''industrial fiction'' are engrained in the minds of kids at a young age. Thinking back on my younger days, the cartoons and things I watched on TV are outrageously racist, sexist, and stereotypical. This article and the analyzation of such cartoons and media messages is really going to make me think twice when I read, and especially when I watch things on TV.