Final Blog

What did I gain from blogging?
Through blogging, I was able to map out my ideas for my essays and through evaluating others' blogs I was able to think from a different perspective and gain new ideas.




















Will I continue to blog in the future?
No, I will not continue blogging in my future. I don't know how I would encompass engineering within blogs. As for brainstorming, I usually do better writing my thoughts on paper and making charts.

Speaker Series

The Speaker Session stressed on the idea of speaking out and acting on a cause one feels passionate about. Back in her day, students were given less of a voice because those who weren't professionals weren't valued. Even with these differences, she came to the conclusion that our generations were pretty similar because both generations have a certain thing in common: they both brought certain things to the culture of America. This was through different types of music and the spark of the African American rights, Chicano rights, and Asian American rights movements during her generation that affected the education rights, local rights, and national rights. As well, they were the only generation to stop a war with massive relocations. However, our generation sparked its own movement as it was the only generation  to bring such change as it brought Obama, Occupy WallStreet, and Arab Spring.

She also proposed that wherever there is oppression there is resistance. Although a generation may feel that they start a resistance, there were always those who were setting up the resistance. Those who are resisting are standing on the shoulders of those who stood before them and somewhere those resistors have precedent. During her time in SNCC as well as fighting for equal rights she found the importance of lessons from people at the margins for those who are privileged. One of the hardest things she had to face was knowing that going to the South for SNCC and fighting for the Civil Rights Movement had the possibility of killing her future, but her and many others faced with risk because they were just tired of constraints. It showed an important thing: as it all began to reach throughout the country, they had something in common, resistance against constraints. 

During her stay in the South she realized that it was not about the help they gave others, but it was about others teaching them about the real world and as well about themselves if they didn’t complete these tasks for the SNCC cause. They had to remember to be humble and respectful with the idea that “if you have come to help us go home. If you have come to help us because your freedom is intertwined into my freedom then stay.” Therefore, she realized that she would have to learn from these people and go in humbly by going to them instead of them to you. She realized that she had to just keep working until she created a base of people who felt nurtured where she could take the next step and make a social change.

Value-impacted Social Issue

The value of authority affects many issues, including the actions of police and gangs within Los Angeles. When given authority, one must understand how to control this power and implement it properly and appropriately. Unfortunately, when given this power many people abuse it and end up taking advantage of those who are helpless against this power that turns into violence or forcefulness. Within Los Angeles gangs there are various phases of where their power lay and why their authority was necessary. When Los Angeles gangs first began, their authority was important in protecting minorities from racial conflicts as well as unjust violence from police figures. However, as time went on, the authority lay in controlling as many youth and gaining memberships for their own greed in materialism and the drug industry, using their authority to gain fear from society.

 

There is a possibility of revising how these power figures approach authority and that would be for them to be less dependent off of the power and gain they receive by acting this way. As well, this could be solved by providing programs for minority figures so they would be less reliant on these gang figures who provide protection against other gangs but force members to complete violent acts. If there wasn't such a class division, gangs wouldn't feel the need to gain such materialism and as well, governmental figures would be more fair about how they allocate funds and benefits, allowing Southcentral citizens to become more integrated and satisfied within Los Angeles.

Cultural Views

A value that could be observed and modified within American culture is the non-questioning nature towards authority figures even when approached with controversial actions made by these figures. An example of this seen are the GRATS and Operation Hammer projects by police within the LAPD. As well, these actions are seen with Proposition 9066 and the internment of Japanese-American citizens through FDR's approval of this proposition without proper reason even during the protests against the Holocaust. Although, holding authority as a value is important, realizing when authority is abusing its power is also important.

The American Dream Reinvented

Within the latest recession, the American Dream, although ever altering with each generation, has changed in the aspect of this dream dissipating with the hardship that comes. The dream in many aspects is something that is attainable with little work, and if there aren't too many obstacles in the way of this dream, many people keep on striving to achieve it. However, with the recent events at hand with the recession, many don't see an easy path to finding this success and instead find the American Dream as absent or almost impossible to obtain. In this, the American Dream hasn't been reinvented with the events at hand because most people are unwilling to adopt to it or change their ideals. Instead, the dream is something placed on the side and deemed as lost, something that is no longer attainable in the sense that most people want to attain it.

 

However, in relativity, as conditions rise due to surrounding circumstances, many people even if the dream is more difficult to achieve than in previous generations, will look to the dream as being achievable because of its achievability earlier on. In this aspect, all it will take for people to start believing in the dream again and to return to the promise of it will be for economic hardships to disappear and situations to better. At this time, the dream has been abandoned by many because naivety and facilitated happiness and success are what characterize the dream which isn't present at this moment. As time goes on, however, and achieving success and economic happiness become easier, the dream will be possible by many and looked positively on. For now, though, the dream remains in a negative light for its false happiness and hope.

The American Dream

The American Dream is fully possible for everyone depending on realistic expectations for one's own ability and strengths, surrounding environment, and situational economics at the time. The dream is relative for each person and what each person is searching for. If a person is disillusioned into believing that  the "American Dream" is easy and effortless to seek, then there is a high probability that they will fail in their efforts to find their dream. Many don't realize that they must work hard to achieve this dream, and instead abandon their traditional ways for this easy-seeming solutions while later realizing in retrospect that to gain these new opportunities they must put in effort to achieve their desired futures. However, because of unrealistic expectations many don't reach their own American Dream as it exceed reality.   

Depending on the person, the American Dream can consist of cultural, economic, or political ideals. I feel that the American Dream resonates with most people economically especially with America thriving on its capitalistic nature. To achieve status and also comfort, people must gain economic standing and stability. Statistics show that people of lower economic status have a tendency to not go as far in education and thus later on in life, usually not have high-paying careers. In order to achieve most dreams, whether it is fame, career, or even to provide for one's family, economic standing is a necessary step to getting there.
Education based off Economic Class Statistics

The Zoots

Research within this subject exposed to me the horrific events that are desensitized or even obscured within history books. World War II was a time of nationalism and the injustices that occurred to various civilians contrasted with the heroism of America, so these events were covered up to preserve feelings of being the better guys. During this period of anger and suspicion, much of patriotism and protection towards an area was confused with nationalism and racism against a differing group of people. Within the actions that occurred during the Zoot Suit Riots, the line between nationalism and patriotism was blurred. As well, The Zoot Suit Riots brought attention to the national public the corrupt political, governmental, and law-abiding systems within Los Angeles as well as racial inequality and discrimination during the twentieth century towards minority groups.

  

The Zoot Suit Riots revealed to me the actions people take when given either power or even obscure situations that they don't comprehend how to approach or handle. When given power, people do have the ability to choose not only their own but also their society’s voice. In the situation of a minority group with an unfamiliar culture in the midst of a dominant group, it is in this dominant group's power to assist in just reactions towards this group during moments of suspicion or even hesitation. The Zoot Suit Riots showed me how the the dominant group, middle class Caucasians, through jealousy and suspicion of the Mexican-American teenage minority, brought violence and hatred, limiting and hurting innocent people because of a patriotism that turned xenophobic.

Throughout history, cultures are discriminated against and political figures allow for this behavior, and as the aftermath shows from these riots, it’s up to these figures to speak out and reveal unacceptable behavior. Zoot Suits for me exemplified behaviors within cultures and groups of people and how certain actions are due not from universal human traits but rather from cultural values and differences. These riots showed me how history repeats itself, and in this case how people have a natural pattern of practicing violence and exclusion towards a specific group and justify their actions with patriotism (although it can be more xenophobic than patriotic). It also shows how political figures can cover up these actions to make it seem as if they are justified and consequently show the subjectivity of history as they make events more benign than they actually are.