This next post is a response to John's assignment.

It is a journal entry of an American illegally entering an exclusively French-speaking part of Canada to look for work.

I can't believe I can't find any work. A college degree doesn't even mean anything in these tough economic times. I've heard there is a much better job situation in Canada, but I have no time to apply for citizenship. I believe I have no choice; I must hop the Canadian border and press my luck up there. A very close friend of mine works as a border watchman so he will do me a favor and look the other way while I go through with this. I will be leaving tomorrow. I need all the luck I can get.

I was successful in my crossing, but it was very difficult trying to find an affordable place to stay. I didn't realize everybody up here spoke only French; I feel like a latino worker migrating from Mexico. I must learn some of the basics of French. I wish I took it in high school instead of Spanish. 

Finding work without speaking French is a very difficult task. I met with 8 employers, and half of them kicked me right out upon finding out I am not familiar with speaking French. The others were very disrespectful, and I believe if they hired me, I would earn much less than somebody who spoke french.

Finally landed a job, but it was a rough day. I worked on a construction site, but I think all the Canadian workers were mocking me behind my back. I couldn't understand a word they said, so I was alone for the entire day. I don't know how much longer I can deal with this.

I can't last up here in Canada. The little extra money I make is not worth the terrible discrimination and racism. I went my whole life without this kind of discrimination, and I just don't think I can put up with it anymore. Moving back to my home is my top priority at the moment.

How is Beauty Determined?

Throughout the entire novel, Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye presents us with a difficult question: how do we determine beauty? As for Pecola, the novel's focus, beauty is exactly how the media portrays it; Shirley Temple is the symbol of the media's portrayal, so Pecola believes beauty can only be obtained by people mimicing this specific female. For Pecola, beauty is determined by white skin and blue eyes.

Your job is to research the topic of beauty and how race is involved. You will find how beauty has been portrayed over the course of history, and see if our views today have become any better than those of many years ago. 

Most of these steps require that you go to my delicious site.

1. Read through the Beauty articles. This will give you a good idea of how beauty is displayed in the media.
2. Read through and comment on Sam's blog post, "The Blackest Eye".
3. Go through some of the posts on the Race Relations blog and leave several comments.
4. On iTunes, search for Organic Beauty Radio, Year 2 Episode 3. Listen to some of this podcast for another perspective on beauty.
5. Read through some of the "Ideals of Feminime Beauty" source, especially page 147 and beyond. 
6. Access the quotes from The Bluest Eye and write a brief summary of what each is trying to get across. Then write a short paragraph relating these quotes to our views of beauty today.
7. Create a new blog post on your views of beauty after researching so far into the topic. Include how your views differ from the media's views, if at all, and write about race's role on beauty, if any.

Although we all would like to believe that black and white workers are equals in the work force, the harsh truth is that they are not. Especially during recessions, black workers take the biggest hit. It is much more difficult for black workers to find jobs even after the recessions have passed. In the 1980-1982 recession, black teen unemployment reached an unrivaled value of 50 percent (Elam paragraph 2). Although the teen unemployment rate may seem unimportant, it is a crucial indicator of the future success of blacks as a whole; as many struggle to find a job as teens, they may get caught up in an endless cycle of trying to find low-paying jobs, never finding their true potential and settling for the bare minimum.

Poverty is blatantly presented throughout most of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye. We can readily see the misfortunes of the Breedlove’s by taking notice of anything in their home; their furniture is aged and fading, and their heating system is faulty and unreliable. While we would like to believe that this family was simply unlucky to be this unfortunate, the harsh reality is that they are victims to the racist America; employers would hire a white man over a much more qualified black man the vast majority of the time, just because of the difference in skin color. Had the Broodlove’s been white, I believe they would be in a much better financial situation than they face now; I certainly do not agree with this cold judgment, but this just shows how ignorant and racist much of America was in this time period.

 Although a recession widens the gap between black and nonblack workers, one is not required for this gap to be present (Elam paragraph 3), as can be seen with the Broodlove family. This gap has been slowly diminishing over the years, so it is hard for us to imagine the level of separation as seen in the novel. Even the skilled black workers could only squeeze by with a minimum-wage job the majority of the time.

As a nation, I believe we have made great progress towards having equality among races. We certainly are not perfect (and probably never will be), but most people should be impressed to see how much our nation has leveled the workforce playing-field since a time such as the 1940s. If we continue with this tremendous progress as a nation on the whole, I believe we can count on our country improving even further so that a segregated workforce will become a distant memory.

Heterosexism

In a world where the majority of shows on television completely ignore the issue of homosexuality, South Park is one program which has a history of addressing the issue through many episodes. In one such episode, “Probably”, we follow Satan, the homosexual emperor of Hell. Satan is a very physically masculine character, but is very sensitive emotionally. He struggles to choose between his boyfriend, Chris, and his lover, Saddam Hussein in the depths of hell.

Satan is torn; Chris is a great friend, but he is simply too nice for Satan. On the other hand, Saddam is the lover Satan has always wanted, but he is too mean and inconsiderate. Throughout the episode, Chris is portrayed as a very stereotypical gay man; he talks with a lisp, wears tight and flashy clothes, and is very feminine. Saddam Hussein gives no clues of his sexuality through his actions, besides from the constant dirty-talk with Satan.

By the end of the episode, Satan ultimately consults God for help, who tells the Prince of Darkness that he should not take either man since he is not completely happy with either.

Overall, Satan is portrayed as a very powerful man, and for the most part his homosexuality does not seem to hinder his ability to maintain power. Only at one point is his sexuality shown as a weakness; when delivering a fiery speech to newbies to Hell, he breaks down and is unable to finish the speech because of the relationship drama he is involved with.

I believe Matt Stone and Trey Parker do a superb job of bringing homosexuality into South Park. While some parts may be flat-out ridiculous, they succeed in showing a variety of possibilities of lives of homosexuals, which is much more realistic than showing one cookie-cutter homosexual lifestyle as many shows tend to have. The gay community may not be too fond of the choices, but making Satan and Saddam Hussein gay just serves as a comical way to bring the topic to light.

Hey everyone,

We have been researching gender roles in class and we each picked out a source which we agree with. I wrote this essay discussing the issue of maternity leave: its significance, the controversies surrounding it, and an example of how it can be cut too short. Being a mother brings great responsibility, and it should be handled accordingly.

Five days. That is how much time off Justice Minister Rachida Dati of France took from work after giving birth to her daughter Zohra (Gibbs paragraph 1). One work-week. About the same amount of time taken off for a typical vacation. Nobody can afford to take unnecessary days off in this economy, but few would classify several weeks off after childbirth as "unnecessary", especially in "a societal system that allows women 16 weeks of paid maternity leave" (Gibbs paragraph 1). It is very difficult to manage both a family and a job, especially during a tough economic time period. Gibbs delves into the issues surrounding balancing the two, and the difficulty that follows.

The care of one's child, especially for a mother during the first few weeks, should take precedent over all other activities. Even if Dati loves her job, her actions are simply careless and set bad examples for working mothers-to-be. “A French feminist compared her to women in the 1920s who gave birth on the factory floor and kept working for fear of losing their job” (Gibbs paragraph 2). I believe her situation is actually worse due to the fact that her job was not in jeopardy, as were the jobs of the factory mothers of the ‘20s. There was no reason, besides from a possible love for her job, that Dati should have returned to her work so quickly. Mothers’ instincts are there for a reason; all mammals, from rabbits to humans, nurture and take care of their young. Though rabbits don’t have a 40-hour work week as humans do, we have the intelligence capacity to provide unrivaled care for our children. Because caring for our children is such a universal issue, no mother should allow her job, regardless of its significance, to interfere with her first several weeks of care.

Caring for a newborn child can be one of the most difficult yet most enjoyable periods of one’s life. While it is hard to step away from the responsibility of one’s job, this should be a no-brainer; the responsibility of one’s own child is of much greater importance. Rachida Dati should provide a lesson to all of us that we must set our priorities in life. Being on maternity leave is never looked down-upon since everybody knows the value of such childcare. Thus, women should never think twice about taking the necessary time off from work for being good mothers. Emphasizing work more than motherhood would be setting humans backwards in evolution; we cannot afford to forget human nature, even during the economic crisis we face today.

Works Cited

Gibbs, Nancy. "Married to the Job." Time. 02 FEB 2009. 16 Feb 2009 .

A Baseball Player

Hey guys,

In English class we're discussing diversity and how unique each individual is. Here is a project we just completed about our certain niches in society. This is really interesting to see how each person has a different set of rules and a unique thought process depending on their roles in society. I wrote mine about being a hitter in baseball. 

 

A Baseball Player

Always get to practice 15 minutes early; listen to what the coaches tell you; give 110% all the time; never give any attitude; keep your weight back; dig your feet in to prevent slipping; keep your eye on the ball; grip the bat with your knocking-knuckles aligned; start with your hands at ear height; squish the bug; don’t lunge; always keep your eye on the ball; hands

at ear height; stride softly; drive the back leg toward the ground; front leg straight; swing from the ground up; stride towards the pitcher; don’t hitch the bat back; don’t wrap the bat around; keep a level swing; don’t upp

ercut; finish with both hands on the bat; but “Big Mac” Mark McGwire only used one; don’t swing at every pitch; know your pitcher; try to reason what pitch will be thrown next; always keep your eye on the ball; know your count; know the game’s situation; know your signals; what if I miss a signal?: take your time between pitches; remember to call for “time” if the pitcher is taking too long; take the outside pitch opposite field; always take a strike after a walk on four pitches; take a pitch or two if it has been a 2 pitch-2 out inning; focus on the pitcher’s hat before the pitch; don’t square too early on a bunt for a hit; for a hit, get it down the third base line; for sacrifice, get it down the first base line; no matter what, always get the sacrifice down; keep the bat on an angle to prevent popping out; bend to bunt lower pitches, never stab at the ball; opt to fake a bunt on a 3-0 count; call for “time” if you manage to miss a signal; hustle down the line, even if you are walked; don’t throw the bat; don’t watch the ball after it is hit; on a strike three, don’t complain to or yell at the umpire; don’t argue with the umpire after any of his calls; and remember to shake the opposing team’s hands