Bowling for Columbine and George Zimmerman

One of the first lessons that my parents taught me as a kindergartener was 'stranger danger.' Sometimes in elementary school, I would walk home a couple of short blocks from school. My parents would remind me to be aware of all of the bad people that might be out there and were constantly nervous about letting me go home by myself. The fear of strangers, is a phenomenon in the US that I believe is contributing to the surplus in deaths by gun fire. The fear that is instilled in our nation is driving people to believe that they need to protect themeslves and guns are often a justifiable mechinism for doing so.

In the film "Bowling for Columbine," Michael Moore makes the not so subtle arguement that people in our nation are overly paranoid, driving them to purchase weapons like guns. I agree with this arguement and believe that if our nations people were less paranoid then we woud have less deaths by gun.

Why did George Zimmerman, a man living in a gated community in a residential area of Florida feel the need to posses a concealed fire arm? Why did he feel that it was neccisary to protect himself from a child armed with skittles? Yesterday, Zimmerman was arrested for the murder of Trayvon Martin and I feel relieved that justice is being served finally.

If the US limited civilian access to fire arms then we would have less situation like the killing of Trayvon Martin, however, I feel like the paranoia that we experience as a society may never disipate.

Terrill Swift

When I walked into the room on Tuesday to hear our guest speaker, I was initially shocked at how young he looked. My friend and I began to discuss how this was possible, and then we realized that he must have been convicted at an extremely young age. As Terrill commenced his presentation, he shared that he had been wrongfully convicted at the age of 17. This is a scary concept to think about, because being 17, if the police told me that I could leave and go with my mom just by signing a paper I would probably do it.

I think one thing that was interesting, was how he had us write our names then sign our names next to it. I didn't even think twice about doing this, and didn't even review what exactly I was signing. It's scary to think how naive 17 year olds can be, and how much weight a signature can carry.

I was also shocked by how much injustice our legal system had done Terrill and how it isn't fair that the people that wrongfully convicted him don't have to suffer any consequences for their actions or inaction's. I think to make our legal system more just and to reduce the number of wrongful convictions that occur in our nation, we need to have a repercussion for officials who wrongfully convict an innocent person or for police who talk someone into signing their life away without being aware, or for police who bully false confessions out of people. In order for this to stop, we need to have punishments for those who do wrong.

I really enjoyed hearing Terrill speak and I think that the real world application was extremely interesting and relevant.

Affirmative Action

Ultimately, should race be a factor in college admissions?

This fall, I filled out 11 college applications. As I recall, each one asked my gender, race and even religion. And I have to admit, stating that I was a white, Roman Catholic, female, made me wonder if I was making myself seem 'average.' A lot of my friends wondered the same thing and complained that they wished they had some aspect of their heritage to make them self stand out. One of my friends even boasted about being 1/32 Native American (Cherokee to be exact). I constantly hear kids at DHS whining about how they wished that there was something about their race, ethnicity or religion that would make them 'stand out' or have an 'edge,' solely for the purpose of applying to schools.

I have two very qualified friends applying to similar schools. One who is white and one who is of a minority race. They both have very high GPAs and very high ACT scores, and they both are extremely involved in diverse clubs and activities. When my white friend got deffered from a school and my minority friend was accepted to the same institution, my white friend instantly explained that it was because of race. Regardless, if I agree or not, that race played a roll in the admissions decision, this topic if more than relevant for people at our age.

I do believe that affirmative action should be a factor when admissions boards are deciding on who to accept to specific schools. However, I also think that economic status (regardless of race) and social standings (regardless of race) should be considered with the same regard.

I don't like the way University of Michigan conducted this with a point system, because it was basically saying here are several points for being born the way you are (for race) and here are only a few points for explaining what you have gone through, what tribulations you have faced and the economic struggles you have endured (for the personal statement). I think that the best way to approach affirmative action is in a holistic way where all factors of admissions are considered.

Race Relations in the US

I think one of the most interesting ideas that I discovered while looking at these articles, is the concept that in the middle of the century, white will be the minority. Personally, I think that one of the reasons for this change in demographic, besides the obvious population influx of minorities, is the idea that maybe people in our nation are more willing to marry and have a family of people outside of their own race. I don't think the change in demographics has anything to do with white people leaving our country or that the influx of immigrants is so great that it alone would cause the percentage of minorities in Lake County to go increase 10 percent. I think that there has been a shift with younger generations to look past race when seeking suitors, and that the reason for a decrease in the white population would be due to more children being of mixed race.

I think that this shift in demographics is kind of exciting and demonstrates how our society is changing for the better. Race is no longer an exclusive club. I think that as a society we might be on the break of overcoming a lot of racisim and issues involving race, because the younger generations are so willing to interact with other races.

As white as the minority, I wonder what social and cultural issues will be presented in the future. I wonder if when my kids apply for college if affirmitive action will work in the opposite way it does today, to provide opportunities for white people.

"White Like Me"

Based on the chapter you read, do you agree with these assertions? Does racism and privelege benefit whites? Did you think the chapter was convincing even though it used anecdotal rather than statistical evidence? How does your own personal experience match up or relate to what Wise describes?

After reading the chapter titled "Privilege" of this book I was kind of annoyed. I feel like this author kind of exaggerated certain aspects to frame his 'stories' in a way that would put a twist on them that involved racism. I honestly don't see a correlation between some of these stories and to racism. For example, Tim Wise talks about a time when he was permitted to enter a classroom after a test had begun, he connects this to the concept that he must have not been turned away because of the fact that he is white. I see absolutely no way how this connects. And in my own experience have seen the exact opposite occur while taking the ACT.

I feel like Tim Wise is trying to make me feel guilty for being white and in fact chooses a quote by James Baldwin that exemplifies exactly this idea, "guilt is a luxury." The source of this quote is Playboy and this shows how Wise needed to look to outlandish sources in order to find evidence that supported this thesis.

While I do recognize some of the 'benefits' and 'priviliges' that Wise nods to, I don't think it is fair to compare these socially and culturally constructed notions, to cases involving the law and legality. His examples are a stretch to say the least.

One thing that I found interesting was his ideas regarding teachers. On page 20 and 21 Wise explains how our nation could be much more fair if all educators were not racist and were fair. However, one thing from this section that I don't neccisarily agree with the idea that whites/asians try harder or perform better than lations/blacks. I feel like the kids I know who aren't white try harder than the white kids in school because they often feel like they have something to overcome or their parents 'want better for them.'

All in all, I feel like Wise had some good points and I appreciated that he used stories rather than statistics to get his point accross, but I think that he is being slightly dramatic in his linking of the stories to racism. I don't think racism in our country at this point of time is as bad as Wise framed it to be. There is still a lot of room for improvement in the social and cultural sense, but in a legal sense things are fair in the United States.

Hidden Bias

Before taking the hidden bias test, I assumed that my results would show a slight preference for the white race as opposed to the black race. I have grown up in an almost completely white community and have not had much interaction with people that are black. Where one is comfortable is where one will prefer. I would in no way consider myself a racist, I am accepting of all people.
My results did indicate a slight preference for the white faces and revealed my 'hidden bias,' which wasn't so hidden because it was exactly what I was expecting. I am curious about how results over different parts of the city and the Chicagoland area vary. I wonder if there is an area where the majority of people's results would show no bias.
In the explanation of the test, they say that hidden bias' come from conformity. I don't think this is true. I think that hidden bias' come from the type of environment you live in. In Deerfield, I am not exposed to much diversity but that doesn't mean that I have negative feelings towards people who aren't white. Another thing that I am wondering is, how do communities where people are almost all the same race form? My parents always say that they chose to live in Deerfield because it is a safe community. This is true, but even the safest communities have major flaws. There have been bomb threats at my school, a murder in my neighborhood and the poverty rate in our town is at an all time high. I wonder if my parents associate safety with racial stereotypes.

Invisible Children Reflection

Last year in Human Rights Club we focused our attention on an organization called Invisible Children. I got really involved with the organization and attended events, met people from the organization, donated money and spread the word about what is going on in Uganda. I feel especially close to this organization and was elated when it was chosen for School Chest this year.
When we watched the Invisible Children film in class, it was the third time I had seen it. Every time I see the film I find a new aspect of it that really hits home. The first time I saw the movie, I remember being especially moved by Jacob's emotional breakdown. This time the aspect that stood out in my mind was the stark transition in emotion between the beginning and end of the film, it showed me how involvement with organizations that spark change can help the American youth view the world in a new light. I think that focusing on an international charity for School Chest this year was a good idea because it helps the student body attain a more worldly view.
When I was heavily involved with Invisible Children last year, I participated in a long term fundraiser for the organization. I remember asking my dad to donate money for the cause, and him recounting a time in his youth when his school focused on a charity in Peru. He asked me why I was focusing my attention on an organization outside of the United States when there are people in need here as well. At that time, I did not really know what to say to counter his point besides "you just don't get it." After hearing Jedidiah Jenkins speak on behalf of Invisible Children at this year’s School Chest assembly, I know why this organization means so much to me. If the youth in America and other developed countries don't do anything about this issue in Africa, well then who is? Jenkins explained how the adults of our country are mostly focused on domestic affairs and while many of these issues in the US are valid, children are not being slaughtered, forced to kill their families or brainwashed into joining an army of rebels. Another huge difference between the issues in America and Africa is that if even one child in the US faced an atrocity even close to what children in Africa face every day, it would make international news. Yet, hundreds of children every day in Africa face horrible conditions and ever present evils and most of the general population is not even aware of this.
Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and author once wrote, "The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference," this quote speaks to the issue of people in our world who are aware of what is happening in Uganda but do not take measures in order to make a difference. We need to eliminate the bystanders worldwide in order to stop Joseph Kony from dehumanizing the children of Africa.