Freedom Riders: Democracy in Action

Last night I attended a community discussion presented by FacingHistory.org that featured the award-winning film Freedom Riders by PBS American Experience. The film shares the powerful, harrowing, and ultimately inspirational story of eight months in 1961 that changed America forever. The program included excerpts from the film and conversation was led by former Justice Department civil rights attorney, author, and Facing History board member Gerald Stern. He was  joined by Freedom Riders Helena Singleton, a Santa Monica City College alumna, and Ernest “Rip” Patton Jr., who shared experiences as a participant in the Nashville Movement and the Freedom Rides. Patton was one of 14 Tennessee State University students expelled for participating in the Rides. They were also joined by Geoffrey Cowan, Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership at USC, who volunteered with voter registration in Mississippi during 1964.

The panel shared their very touching and personal experiences of the Freedom Rides in the south in the early 60′s. They sacrificed so much and they were all willing to die for what they believed in. Helena Singleton was raised in Philadelphia because her mother didn’t want her growing up in the racist south. She spoke of being raised in such an historical part of U.S. and how she had always been taught that we are all created equal. This notion of equality for all was exactly why she felt so strongly to want to protest segregation in the south.  Rip Patton Jr. spoke of similar reasons as to why he chose to participate, but also because his parents witnessed the atrocities of the Holocaust and swore to always fight the good fight for a just cause and for those who couldn’t do it alone. It was interested when they recalled the media’s role in the whole ordeal. Much of the time the press and camera men where assaulted and cameras smashed so they wouldn’t be able to document the atrocious violence that was taking place. The press at the scenes of the various bus stops in the south were usually just as unsafe as the young black and white boys and girls on the buses because they had the power to share the story with the world and show everyone what was really going on.

At the end of the discussion the panel was open to answer questions from the audience. The ones that particularly stood out had to do with where we are in the present day, globally, socially, and economically.  The entire retrospective was a stark reminder of how much, but also how little progress has really been made. I doubt any of the Freedom Riders would’ve thought they would see a black President in their lifetime.

I encourage you to check out the powerful documentary Freedom Riders online for free

Minorities Suffer in Down Job Market

The recession has taken a toll on just about everyone (minus the one-percent). Minorities in America, particularly Latinos and African Americans, have struggled with unemployment more than their anglo counterparts.  The Center for Responsible Lending estimates that among recent borrowers, nearly 8 percent of both African-Americans and Latinos have lost their homes to foreclosure. (The rate for whites is 4.5 percent.) As of December 2nd, African American unemployment is 15.5 percent, more than twice that of whites.  The chasm between the socio-economic classes is rapidly growing as the middle-class is disintegrating.

In this dismal economy, minorities who once held steady jobs are now taking courses to update and refresh their skills, and become more current in today’s job market. People from  30-60 years old are learning about social networking and how to use it to their advantage to get themselves out there and be seen by prospective employers.  With the recession, there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel just yet.  Hopefully someday soon things will turn around, not just for the United States, but for the world.

Check out NPR for more info

Konfoundingly Konspicuous Kardashians

It is never-ending with these people.  No one is safe from the omnipresence of the Kardashians. Does anyone else feel like they are being harassed by the perpetual media spectacle of the Kardashian Klan? I am so sick of being constantly raped by the images of these idiotic talentless bimbos.  When will people become exhausted of these over-botoxed money-grubbing whores?

The Huffington Post compiled a timeline of media-worthy Kardashian happenings, everything from the katastrophes to the krass and konvenient PR stunts. And this is only from 2011.

May 25: The news of Kim and Kris’ engagement spreads faster than you can say “momager.” Kris reportedly proposed to Kim on bended knee (so they could be at eye level) in her bedroom where he had spelled out “Will you marry me?” in rose petals.

August 17: Kourtney, Kim and Khloe launch their clothing line, appropriately called the Kardashian Kollection. How Kute?!

August 20: Kim and Kris tie the knot in an extravagant ceremony near Montecito, California for which the bride walked down the aisle wearing a strapless Vera Wang gown.

August 22: Kim and Kris jet off for a quickie honeymoon in Capri. From the looks of their horizontal getaway, the newlyweds are quite smitten.

August 29: Kim’s “Turn It Up” music video is leaked. Cue the strobe lights.

August 29: Rob Kardashian joins the Season 13 cast of “Dancing with the Stars” — he says his mom made him do it.

September 12: Kylie Jenner makes her runway debut, walking in Avril Lavigne’s New York Fashion Week Abbey Dawn fashion show. The Kardashian clan came out in full regalia, lining the front row to cheer on their little sis.

September 14: Kendall models prom dresses in the Sherri Hill Fashion Week runway show.

September 26: Kim reaches 10 million Twitter followers. Apparently a lot of people are interested in Kim’s napping cycles.

October 31: After 72 days of marriage, Kim files for divorce from Kris. Kourtney and Khloe flock to Twitter to show support for their sister.

November 3: Kendall Jenner turns 16 and is rewarded with a killer sweet 16 party and a brand new Range Rover.

November 22: Rob loses the title of “Dancing with the Stars” champion to J.R. Martinez. Could another Kardashian shimmy into a “Dancing” spot next season?

November 27: Kylie Jenner is spotted out with Australian pop singer Cody Simpson. Young love?

November 27: “Kourtney and Kim Take New York” premiers and gives us a sneak peek into what may have gone wrong in Kim and Kris’ marriage.

November 28: Kourtney launches E! Online “Mommy Blog” — a video web series to talk about all things motherhood. We should have expected a baby announcement to follow.

November 29: Kim, Khloe and Kourtney debut their pantless Glamour magazine cover — no sign of Kourtney’s baby bump here!

November 30: Kourtney announces that she and longtime boyfriend Scott Disick are expecting their second child. Baby Mason is going to be a big brother!

December 6: Kim announces details about her holiday fragrance collection including her wedding scent. Also, Life & Style magazine is reporting she has reunited with her ex, Reggie Bush.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/30/kourtney-kardashian-pregnant-2011-family-timeline-kim-kris_n_1120221.html

Just doing a Google search to get a family photo for this post made me cringe. Ew.

Bachmann the Bigot

Since her emergence into the mainstream media, Michele Bachmann  has always been known for her stance against civil unions and marriages of same-sex couples.  She and her husband own Christian counseling center Bachmann & Associates which came under fire earlier this year for providing controversial psychological treatment to “cure” homosexuals. She is currently in the running for the Republican nomination for the 2012 Presidential race.

Recently, Bachmann was at a book signing in South Carolina promoting her memoir when she was approached by an 8-year-old boy. The young boy simply known as Elijah told Bachmann, “My mommy — Miss Bachmann, my mommy’s gay, but she doesn’t need fixing.”

I think its pretty blatantly audacious for someone to use a little boy to call out Bachmann on her homophobic ideals.  Even if the little boy wanted to do it, I don’t think a child is appropriate in this kind of circumstance. On Glenn Beck’s radio show days after the encounter, he asked her if she was a homophobe to when she replied ”Of course not. I believe that we love all people, I love everyone. I don’t necessarily agree with them,” she replied. She added that she treated the mother and child in accordance with the Golden Rule. “Continually the agenda-driven community wants to climb up on my platform and make their issue my issue and paint me as someone that I’m not.” I don’t agree with Bachmann’s stance against same sex marriage and I even further disagree with how she is using this incident to play some kind of victim of political activism. Her extreme closed-mindedness and severely conservative political ideals will never get her a desk in the oval office.

Below is an audio clip of Michele Bachmann describing homosexuality as a “sexual identity disorder” and “sexual dysfunction.”

WTF is Wrong With Herman Cain??

Ok seriously, can this guy just drop out of the GOP race already? I don’t get it, he has been accused of sexual harassment by numerous women, two of whom have come forward to share their stories.  Let’s get real for a minute here, does Herman Cain seriously think he will be elected President of the United States?? I know that the American people aren’t always the sharpest tools in shed, but I have faith that there is no way we would allow a sex offender to become President.  The Washington Post reports “Cain has denied the allegations, although his campaign suffered as he and his aides bungled their response to the accusations. First, Cain refused to acknowledge that sexual harassment allegations had been filed against him. He later said he recalled one accusation but denied knowledge of the other and said they were all ‘baseless.”’

When these allegations first came to light he and his team passively dismissed them and he even continued to hold steady in the polls for a bit. But after the fourth (Sharon Bialek) woman came forward, Cain has been faltering with his words and unable to focus in interviews.  Recently when asked about his opinion of social unrest in Libya, Cain drew a blank and was silent for nearly a minute and a half.  He has lost focus because his past indiscretions are coming back to haunt him.  Even more recently Ginger White has come forward claiming a 13-year affair with Cain. She says they stayed at luxury hotels like the Ritz-Carlton and dined at the Four Seasons. Cain vehemently denied any sexual relationship with White and said she was just a friend. White told Fox 5 Atlanta “It wasn’t complicated. I was aware that he was married. And I was also aware I was involved in a very inappropriate, um, situation, relationship.” She said the alleged affair took her out of her “humdrum” life, and said, “It was exciting.” Cain’s wife on the other hand was unaware they were even friends until White came forward with her story.

Ginger White claims a 13-year affair with Herman Cain

At this point I seriously just see him as a joke and I’m sure many others share my sentiments.  The “Cain Train” keeps on chugging but is rapidly losing momentum.  Cain’s pride is the only thing clinging him to whatever shred of decency he thinks his image still maintains.

Not sure about you but for me, regardless of the sexual harassment and infidelity claims against Cain, I wouldn’t want the former head of corporate pizza chain running this country…

**Update: Herman Cain gave money to Ginger White to pay her bills and expenses without his wife’s knowledge. Cain justified his described behavior as nothing out of the ordinary, saying, “I’m a soft-hearted person when it comes to that stuff. I have helped members of my church. I have helped members of my family.”

Facebook Furlough

On the night of September 29th, 2011 (ever addict remembers the day they decided to get clean) I decided to deactivate my Facebook account.  Social suicide right? Well, it was a risk I was willing to take.  See in the world of social networking, Facebook reigns supreme.  And in this day and age with our iPads and smartphones its easy to stay plugged into the “Matrix” literally 24/7.  Which was exactly my problem.  I was on Facebook ALL the time and it was starting to feel like a pretty pathetic existence.  I’d wake up in the morning and immediately pop open my laptop and load up the NPR news page and my Facebook page to check to see if people commented on this or that, and to stay up on the mundane lives of my 700 or so friends/acquaintances, many of which I really couldn’t give two shits about (excuse my French). Facebook was never really an issue for me until I did an internship at an entertain PR firm in the spring.  That firm was a crackberry crack house and everyone was always posting this or that and in that industry, it comes with the territory.  You have to stay up to date on the latest everything, all the time.  Just like an addict, it started as recreational use when I was bored, or had a few minutes to pass the time.  Soon enough before I knew it, it was spiraling out of control and I’d find myself blindly checking up on the nothingness of the Facebook news feed every few minutes.  And ironically enough, just like an addict, I would feel bland and empty and unfulfilled.  I didn’t understand it.  A major turning point for me was during my statistics class we were doing a sample statistic of the students in class on “how many hours a day are you on social networking sites?” I had never really taken a step back and tried to make a mental log of how many hours a day I was on Facebook.  After I did the math I estimated about four or five hours.  The number was written down along with the other figures and when calculated, it was determined that my five hours a day of social networking was the outlier.  Statistically speaking, an outlier is “a point in a sample widely separated from the main cluster of points in the sample.” To my dismay, I spent well above the average number of hours on social networking sites than my peers and the evidence was right in front of me.  Soooo I quit. Cold turkey.  Sequestering myself from Facebook wasn’t easy, it has connections with almost every major website out there so you can connect and share anything and everything on the glorious social network.

Today is November 9th, which makes me a whopping 41 days sober!  I almost relasped this morning (no joke) which is sort of what inspired me to write this post.  In the coming months I hope to stay clean, however, I have decided to turn this into a personal social experiment.  I’m going to log into Facebook every three to four months to see what kind of changes the site has made to keep it’s users mutually dependent and “sucking the Facebook teet.” It will be interesting to see how Facebook evolves over time, and how its user evolve with it.  Will its users eventually get bored and move onto other avenues of social networking? Or will Facebook continue to reign supreme? Only time will tell.

As for my 700+ friends, the ones I actually care about know how to get a hold of me.

2 Broke Girls

As the Fall TV dust settles and the preliminary round of casualties is put to rest (Playboy Club never stood a chance), we see the wave of semi-successful shows that have been ordered for a full season.  One of these shows is 2 Broke Girls.  This show has seen a steady rise in viewership and popularity since the pilot first aired on September 19, 2011. The series created by Whitney Cummings and Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City) follows the lives of the sardonic and sarcastic Max Black (Kat Dennings) who is New York City girl from a poor working-class background, and Caroline Channing, an ex-socialite who is left broke and brought to shame when her father is found out and put away for running a Ponzi scheme.  The two come together as Caroline is now forced to become a waitress at the Brooklyn diner where Max works.  Max’s initial disdain for Caroline falls aside and a quick friendship and later business partnership forms.

There are many elements that have made this show successful so far. However, I have noticed much of the comedic success is due to characters being developed and perceived as traditional racist and sexist stereotypes. Max is the curvy brunette with a crude and sarcastic sense of humor and doesn’t take anything too seriously. Caroline is the Barbie-esque blonde bimbo who doesn’t have much common sense but seems to surprisingly reason her way through certain situations.  There’s Earl, the African-American old school jazz musician with a Harlem “don’t take no shit” attitude. There’s Oleg, the over-sexed Slavic line cook who hits on Max and Caroline, aggressively and relentlessly, but to no avail.  And then there is Han Lee, the Korean-born owner of the diner with broken English who so desperately wants to become westernized and “cool”.  All of these over exaggerated stereotypes lead to a pretty laughable coalescing of characters.

I’m not necessarily pointing this out in a negative way. While on the one hand people may take offense, on the other, the show is entertaining and people can relate to the characters because there is truth in them.  Stereotypes exist for a reason, and while some may be viewed in a negative light, you cannot argue creating characters who embody them does bring attention to such stereotypes (be it positive or negative).  Its almost as if this little Brooklyn diner is a metaphor for the melting pot that is America.  We always try so hard to be polite and politically correct, but in the end we can’t change who we are or where we came from.  I do believe harmful stereotypes exist, but as for the characters on 2 Broke Girls, all in good fun.

Check out 2 Broke Girls every Monday at 8:30pm on CBS or at www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls/

City of God

I recently watched the captivating and gut wrenching film, City of God.  City of God is the story of two young boys who grow up in the Brazilian slums of Rio de Janiero.  The slums are extremely dangerous and wrought with crime and extreme gang violence.  For the young boys who grow up into this lifestyle, it is all they have ever known.  If you run, you will be killed, if you stay, you will still probably be killed.  The main character and narrator of the story is a boy named Rocket.  He wants nothing to do with the gangs and the violence but somehow continually gets swept up in it.  He discovers a love for photography and takes pictures of just about everything.  Then there is Lil Ze, who grows up to become a powerful gang leader and uses his authority to kill off other rival gangs and sell drugs.  When he was younger, he shot and killed Rocket’s older brother.  Lil Ze and his best friend/sidekick Benny have killed off almost all of their rival gangs except for the gang run by Carrot.  As they are the only two leaders of the slums, there is relative peace.  Lil Ze wants to kill Carrot but Benny convinces him otherwise.  Unfortunately, Benny gets killed at a party by a gunman aiming for Lil Ze.  Now that Benny is dead there is no one stopping Lil Ze from pursuing Carrot and his drug business.  Lil Ze gets Rocket to take photos of him and his gang.  The pictures get published in the newspaper and Rocket fears Lil Ze will try to kill him.  Unbeknownst to Rocket, Lil Ze is actually loving all the attention he gets from being on the front page of the paper.  Rocket is asked again by Lil Ze to take pictures of the gang but that plan never reaches fruition.  A huge fight breaks out and a full on gun battle ensues between the rival gangs.  The police intervene and both Carrot and Lil Ze are arrested.  Then a very young boy part of a “baby” gang known as the Runts, picks up a gun and shoots and kills Lil Ze.  Just like that, a new generation of drug lords and gang leaders come into power in the slums.  Rocket has captured this entire battle with his camera and ends up selling his photos to the local newspaper.  Lil Ze’s bullet strewn dead body graces the front page.

The cultural patterns of the boys living in the slums of Rio de Janiero are extremely animalistic.  Every move they make, every decision they make, everything they do is a fight for survival. However, the culture of the people of the slums as a whole is very familial.  When the police come and raid peoples houses asking where the gangs are hiding, nobody knows, nobody responds, nobody snitches.  Its most likely a combination of a fear for their own lives as well as a hatred for the crooked cops who are trying to expel information from them.  Like any hierarchical society, everyone listens to Lil Ze, who is considered the ultimate authority.  With his power and his big guns, he instills fear in his followers and the people of the town.  In this hierarchy, at the very bottom are the young boys who are the lookouts.  Moving on up, if you prove your worth you become a “vapor” or drug dealer.  After that you can become a solider, and get a big gun and protect the gang.  If you are good with numbers you can become a manager and become the bosses right hand man taking care of the finances.  The police receive their cut and don’t make trouble.  Rocket does his best to create a relationship with the girl of his dreams, Angelica.  While most boys in the slums just rape and use women for sex, Rocket is genuinely interested in her.  He shows his love for her by smoking joints with her on the beach.  Rocket’s fear for Lil Ze always leaves him extremely anxious and he is never really himself except when he is with Angelica.

The difference between the communication in this film and a somewhat similar scenario in my own culture, is that these young men are so consumed with violence, most of the time they don’t even use words but they converse with the barrel of a gun and the bullets inside it.  Overall it was an insightful film into the lives of the young men fighting to make it in the slums of Brazil.  I would definitely recommend this film to someone as it is the perfect example of how we are a product of our culture and what we grown up around and into.  If Lil Ze had not been taunted and told at a young age he was completely worthless, he may not have killed of his superiors at such a young age.  And likewise with the Runts who eventually shoot him, leading to his untimely death.  Not only is the story intriguing, but the way film is shot and the way the story is put together, keeps the viewer engaged.  The cinematic shots of the Rio sunsets are also a beautiful contrast to the harsh reality of living in the slums.  At the end of the film, Rocket has captured all of the obscene violence of the gang wars with his camera.  He sells his photos to a paper, gets hired, and his gift of photography becomes his ticket out of the City of God.

Obnoxiously Catchy Commercial Jingles

So I’m sure this has happened to you just as it has happened to me, you’re watching your favorite show on TV and it cuts to commercials and that ridiculously catchy commercial comes on and everyone is singing all cheerfully about how this product was so amazing and great for them.  That’s right, I’m talking about JG Wentworth. Do you have a structured settlement? Do you need cash now? I definitely don’t! But thanks anyway, now I have this obnoxiously catchy song stuck in my head for the next 3 hours…

Catchy or popular songs and commercial jingles have been a tactic used by advertisers since the beginning of TV commercials and well back during radio advertisements. The same general techniques are still used today, because they work.  For me, commercial jingles and songs have always stuck. Ever since I was a kid I could remember being in the car with my dad and hearing “K Earth 101, Los Angeleesss” or how about “Well you won’t get a lemon, I wouldn’t have got a lemon? From Toyota of Orange.” Perhaps its because I am musically inclined that this and other musical jingles had an extra powerful hold on me.

While these advertising techniques can be bothersome to consumers, they get the job done. In addition to creating their own jingles for products, companies can use celebrity status and pop-prowess to gain commercial appeal.  I remember a little while back when Justin Timberlake was paid millions by McDonalds for the rights to one of his songs which led to their extremely successful “I’m Lovin’ It” campaign.

At the end of the thirty second radio spot or TV commercial, that jingle or catchy pop song lingers. In a way I feel like its almost a form of subliminal messaging because the person doesn’t really have any control over absorbing the song or not.  I guess there’s no escaping it, the jingles are definitely here to stay.

JG Wentworth Commercial:

McDonalds, I’m Lovin’ It :

Social Media Being Utilized by Mexican Drug Cartels

Social media is literally everywhere these days. Everything and everyone from big name brands to newscasters and celebrities are telling us to ”like” them on facebook and/or ”follow” them on twitter. Well there’s a new group that can be added to the aforementioned and that is Mexican drug cartels.

Now it isn’t like the cartels have their own facebook page but they do have Blog del Narco.  This site is updated daily by an anonymous source but open to the public.

“The site features grisly photos and videos of cartel mayhem around the country… The narcos want it both ways. They want to censor the negative things that people say about them on this and other blogs. And yet they want a forum to post their own propaganda, or have sympathizers do it on their behalf…Blog del Narco, like the popular Mexican tabloids, has learned that savagery sells. You can log on, and see photos of severed heads and disfigured bodies next to ads for GM Truck Month, Geico Auto Insurance, Volvo, AT&T and Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner.” – John Burnett/NPR
This seems like such an unbelievable contradiction to me.  While the public and police agencies rely on the information posted on Blog Del Narco to keep track of the violence, the cartels are profiting from ad sales because the site has so much traffic. I don’t think that is ethical at all but at the same time there isn’t really anything that can be done about it. Its interesting to see the evolution of the media’s affect on the current drug war.  What began as coverage in the typical TV, radio, and print news has now made its way into more a popular and accessible form of social media through blogs and twitter.

For the original story at NPR.org click the link:

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/23/140745739/mexican-drug-cartels-now-menace-social-media

For the Blog Del Narco click the link:

http://www.blogdelnarco.com/