aaron_rowe_a

In this article it talks about the IPod and why it’s so "big." The typical IPod only weighs 6.4 ounces. Some consider this to be the most desired object in the 21^st century. The IPod came to the public in October 2001. Before the IPod the business only had 4 percent of shares in the pc market. The IPod dramatically changed that sticky situation.

In this article it talks about were "emo" originally came from and what it meant and how it changed to what it is now. Emo was originally a style of rock music called “Emocore.” Emocore started to spread in the culture in the 2000’s. Emo is now more to “describe related aspects of fashion, culture, and behavior.

The stereotype for emos is basically sensitive people who wear black and skinny jeans, tight short sleeve shirts, studded belts, and layered short hair that covers one eye. They are also stereotyped to be depressed suicidal and cut them selves. I do disagree that they say emo is typically guys, that’s not true in the least there are very many emo girls who are involved with this “style.” Emo has been clamed illegal in Russia, and the style is not allowed at the school. I find that unfair and just is another type of discrimination.

I think how much people get on the internet is a good problem that needs to be addressed. People have died from staying on the computer to much. 70 million people are involved in some sort of social networking account such as MySpace and others. They say that it isolates everyone from human to human contact. It is now human to technology to human. I also believe that having your eyes glued to a screen isn't healthy over time, and can cause people to get into accidents because lack of focusing on real world when needed.

This article speaks of what rap is and what it stands for and what it has become from American culture. Rap came from bleak conditions, that was a way to express there anger in a pleasure full way. Now it’s more so privileged and wealthy rappers “represent” the not so fortunate and aren’t able to speak out like they can. The author clams that “gangsta rap” is typically sexist and it “has seized our nation with frightening intensity.”

He says this is so from the music always down grading women having them wear skimpy clothes and flaunt there body’s around being called bitches and ho’s. I agree that they are typically sexiest, although I have to admit I enjoy watching the videos… but what guy doesn’t. I really believe its demeaning I think its fine that the women want to do it can because they probably enjoy getting looked at and I’m sure the pay is well. Although that’s so for some I’m sure the majority doesn’t like that and being America as it is a lot of girls end up getting labeled that.

In this article it speaks of the existence of rap when it started why and what it transformed into. Rap went from a form of poetry expressing black times in the cities to a multimillion dollar business. There are quite a bit of forms of rap all the way up to Christian rap. Rap as dispersed out from the ghettos to al over and also spread on who rapped for living.

Eminem is the most successful rappers. He expresses what he feels and believes with out feel of controversy. He’s able to put his true incite on things in a humorous way to keep his fans, and able to fall back on “I’m just playin.” Rap is a way for blacks and other to express how the feel in a colorful way. It gives them the freedom to step up on what they believe in or what they believe is wrong.

I personally am a great fan of Eminem. He spits the truth and how he feels and doesn’t hold back on what people would think about him and his beliefs that takes a real man to do that. In this article Mary Eberstadt talks about how much music has changed and the frequent question “What is it about today’s music, violent and disgusting though it may be, that resonates with so many American kids?” Mary says basically that the music today is from the artist past emotion neglect, abandonment, and family dysfunction and especially absent fathers.

The music now a days applies to what all the teenagers feel and gone threw, that’s why the music is so famous. It has evolved from what it was to what it is now because of everyone’s at home experiences. William Shaw states that “these songs reflect the zeitgeist of an age group coping with the highest martial-breakdown rate ever recorded in America. If this era’s music says anything, it’s that this generation sees itself as uniquely fractured.” I agree with William, it’s obvious it’s not the music that’s influencing kids; it’s the life our generation is going threw that’s influencing the music.

This introduction writes about comparing Oprah Winfrey to James Frey. James Frey is a man who's been on Oprah’s show. From being on her show it helped him sell millions of copies of a book called "A Million Little Pieces", but then they come to find out that it was fabricated in parts of his book. Oprah was not happy that this happened and felt betrayed. She brought him back on her show to question him about his lies.

After a lawsuit the publisher allowed everyone who bought his book to get a full refund. I find this only just that the people get there refund. It’s really not that big of a deal that he did it but if they went about it unnoticed it well happen more frequent. Which will in turn, cause big problems if a lot of people started doing the same thing. America as it is already has more then enough bullshit on the internet, what I mean my bullshit is everyone lies, avoids, persuade, and stretch the truth enough as it is.

This article addresses all the immigrants coming into our country illegally and also working illegally. In order to try to prevent this from happening they have border guards who are called “minutemen.” These minutemen are some sort of law official and someone involved in the military. It speaks of how these minutemen hate the immigrants and hate that there coming to America illegally. It also speaks of how they are discriminated against.

The Americans and border guards believe that the Mexican immigrants are polluting our country. They find them disgusting and perverts who stare at little girls as they go to school. I think it is important for us to keep any illegal immigrant out of our country whatever the race. This is not happening the way it should the minutemen are treating spasific immigrants like crap and letting others slide.

This article is about the clash of the two raciest groups the IWW and the KKK. IWW stands for industrial workers of the world and the KKK stands for the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK was for white supremacy and the IWW was the exact opposite of them. The IWW believed in the right to free speech in a non violence manor. The cult “wobblies” were extremely violent people who were feared by many including a lot of members in the KKK. The IWW was mostly assaulted by the Wobblies and some got beaten to death in prisons. Being as the IWW was a non violent cult they got trampled on my both KKK and the Wobblies.

For instance the IWW got attacked by the wobblies when they were having a peaceful meeting injuring 4 men seriously. Also the KKK got in on tormenting the IWW. Thousands of members in the KKK surrounded one of the IWW halls and tore it apart and demolished the foundation. You would think something like this would go unnoticed. Will it got somewhat noticed and only a few KKK leaders of the assault got arrested. It’s amazing how these things went on and still going on to an extent we know the solution so it’s right in front of us, why aren’t we fixing it.

This article speaks of the harsh treatments the Filipinos had to go threw in America. Reading this article shows that, seemingly, Americans are extremely selfish and are full of themselves and can’t stop racism and being prejudice towards any race. Once they are done with their “fun” and demeaning one race, or they have to stop, the go onto a different race of people. It was worse off for Filipinos because they didn’t have a “mother country” to protect them from the prejudice.

Most Filipinos that came to America were young males. On New Year’s Eve in 1926 there was a riot. Filipinos were shot with rubber bands as they escorted white girls at a street carnival which caused a fight cause a white male to get stabbed. Then a chief of police led the beating and stoning of them in a field. This led to 300 vigilantes to burn down a Filipino labor camp.

This article speaks of all the problems “japs” faced and had to go threw in America. They speak of the 1906 earthquake, and that the Japanese were a significant agricultural workforce. After the earthquake there were 19 reported assaults against Japanese residents. Even after that Japanese helped with the earthquake and also the Japanese government sent funds to aid California. I find this quiet sickening, how could they beat on Japanese when they were trying to help our country in many ways and some Americans say thank you by trying to beat the shit out of them. I am absolutely disgusted by the way people tend to be back then in America. I was already pissed off because Fusakichi Omori and his colleagues were slugged and stoned by a gang when he gave a gift to the University of California that was a seismograph. Then I read on and the gang was consecrated by the local press as popular heroes! What the hell is wrong with people it’s one thing to be an asshole to other races in general but to do so when they help YOU and your Country and then get praised for do so is just straight up sickening!

Americans neglected the skills Japanese had with farming and ignored the methods the Japanese had that raised the value of property and the sales price for their crops. That’s just ignorance to me accept that they’re smarter then you and get over yourself and at least listen to their ideas so you can actually make some money! All this raciest crap was noticed by people in the Japanese government. They wanted to wage war on America for the insults of their kind. This may be the cause of Pearl Harbor. I didn’t like this article for the fact it’s just horrible how selfish Americans are and was.

The statistics in this article was mind boggling. Not only are they dramatic statistics but the author also have very many to back up there thesis. Some statistics that jumped out at me was a crack, cocaine and heroin gang makes anywhere from 5k-30k a DAY, which would be tax free! The gang’s drug market stretched 2700 blocks. An Amazement to me was that 50% of prisoners are blacks, and for all the prisoners for drug possession, 74% were blacks in 1995. To add to that there was a 707% jump of blacks being incarcerated for drug offenses from 1985 to 1995!

The article also talks about how the word nigger used to degrade black people is considered the worst word used in America. It also says that black people don’t take much offence when another black person says nigger or “nigga” but when a white person says it they take much more offence to it. That makes perfect since and I don’t think that word or any degrading word should ever be used on anyone and by anyone. White people who are want to be black people and try to be black are considered “wiggers.” I am absolutely irritated and angry at the fact that we have SO MANY labels for every single “type” or “group” of people I think it’s just wrong were stooping the human race back to the Egyptian times and around then were there are “classes” and ranks, that is not how America should be that is not how anyone should be treated it’s about who they are not what they appear on outside.

I enjoyed this article; it was very insightful and informational. I really like the part where the author talks about Abraham Lincoln. IT surprised me about how much he actually doesn’t care for the black community. I knew that he wasn’t as fond as what was being said of him. Even so, I was still very surprised how much he didn’t care for them at all; it was all about advancing America.

In this article he explains how much racism is going around on the streets, on radio, on the TV, Pretty much anywhere. He talks about if it isn’t spoken of so much people won’t be used to it all and become natural to everyone and not focus on how much of a problem it is. I believe as well that if we all could just stop I know that everyone has judgment of everyone but to express it in such a way that is going on is inhumane. You can still have you beliefs and its natural to have some judgment but everyone is capable of keeping it inside and understand that they are human as well as you. If everyone wasn’t as selfish they would stop and think about how that person would feel and put yourself in their shoes.

          I like how the author brings up a few questions in the beginning it help the reader know what’s going to be talked about in the introduction. It also helps prepare the reader for what’s next making it easier to understand what is and going to be addressed. I like how the author speaks of personally going to many kids for three years; it shows the reader that the author is serious on this topic and has done his research meaning what he says would be more believable. What I got from this is that the “new generation” of teenagers and kids that we are more accepting and embracing black music and culture. To me that shows a very positive step in the future for unity, but it still won’t fully disappear, I believe it’s a positive sign for the future.

          I found it funny that a 60 something year old would introduces rap into teaching and to connect with the kids. He has a brilliant idea to work with change that is inevitable, but just thinking about a 60 yr old singing to Lil John is quiet funny in my imagination. This introduction shows how much hip-hop is a part of black and white fans they both take great meaning for it and helps them threw their life and also is a way to connect each culture and bring us closer to each other. I think he’s pointing out that the young and teenagers are the future and we should listen to them more and not undermined them because the older is “superior” our generation has proven that we are smart and more accepting of everyone and will be able to help hole America together.

     I agree with the author of this introduction. He's got his facts and states them nicely, and answers what questions the other side of this would ask. He seems to be thinking two steps ahead and making his paper pretty secure with his information. He throws it all out there not holding back what he believes and think from fear of getting labeled a communist or something demeaning. Just like the author said “this criticism must be bold, unapologetic, painstaking, and unbound by traditional political orientations” I feel that the author himself is not only describing what the criticism but is describing himself as well. I believe this judge by what I read from the paper he seems to have same attributes.

     I like how the author uses the metaphor “must use a clear lens to examine…” It clearly shows that we need to be strait forward with the facts and tell it how it is that way we can truly deal with the problem. I think he wants us to accept what it is and tell it like it is so everyone understands so we can work on change and fixing the problem. He put the major questions of black youth right out there to get the reader thinking about it all making them realize how much of a factor this is. I love the last few sentences he reassures the reader that this isn’t the end all these problems can be fixed we know the problem, we can find a solution but we have to work together.

     He describes the mall so well it’s as if I’m there shopping and looking threw his eyes. I agree that’s my generation are great multitaskers. I myself love listening to music and doing homework, on computer chatting and watching movie you name it. It does not surprise me in the least that kids spend as much time outside as inside watching TV. I personally don’t watch TV at all. Its amazing that kids 8-18 spend a full "job shift" 8 and a half hours of media time a day. It's not a wonder how kids spend that much time 99 percent of families have a TV, 97 percent vcr/dvd and 86 percent a computer.
     I believe kids don’t need TVs and especially as much as they are watching. Yes, it certainly helps parent’s keeps kids occupied while they do important stuff, I agree with that. Although they say it helps with diversity and they learn, yes they can learn but they can learn with out TV. Take the kids out side to play ground let them play with other kids, sit down with your kids and teach them all and more what a TV show can do. Not only can you teach a kid what a TV could but it’s not healthy for a child to just sit there. It’s very important to have your kid be active, haven’t you guys learn from Americans sitting around TVs and eating crappy foods is making us so fat.

     Back in Alexandra high school days it was much more laid back and she had more "leisure time" from her work. Kids in 2005 are allot more miserable at school because of loads of school work and no break. She has a point about us being "overachieverism" but at same time we need to be. Technology and knowledge in general has grown rapidly so there is a lot for us Americans to learn now days. I don’t like how she over exaggerates things like when she said "parents schedule there kids down to the last minute."
     This makes her seem unprofessional and because of that it makes it seem like all of what she says is exaggerated whether they actually are or not, who would know. Since she exagerates so much ALL threw out the article it leave open so much for the other side to step in and make good points, its not thinking very strategic if you ask me. She makes a great point that we have all this technology to help us learn. She still isn’t realizing though that how did we get all the technology we had to learn all what were learning in order to do so.

I agree that people who read will become smarter. Which makes an accurate assumption that we have the instability to concentrate for long periods of time. This is so because Americans have a very low attention span, meaning they don’t want to read and would rather watch news or on the web. Since people have low attention span that means everyone and presidents have to keep it "short and sweat" to keep the attention of audience. Short and sweet leaves out allot of important details that would be needed to known to make an important diction. 80's collage graduate students that read for pleasure is 82 present, which in 2000's it dropped to 67 %.
     Proof that our attention span completely diminished and politics have to compensate for that is the sound bites. From 1968-88 on the news from a candidate was gone from 42.3 to 9.8 seconds. By 2000 it lowered to 7.8 seconds for a daily candidate bite. I absolutely agree there is no quick and painless cure to handle this sudden situation. I do think there should be something done though