Remember the video we watched earlier in this unit that detailed the rise of the Ford assembly line? Well, one of the United States' oldest car manufacturers (GM) is in big trouble. Just recently, President Obama allegedly encouraged GM's CEO to step down. Does this firing seem like a case of the "sacrificial lamb"? There are some connections to AIG bonuses here, too; perhaps this is another case of the public wanting some vindication for the current financial crisis. Here's the link:
Last week one of our classmates made a comment about Che Guevera and his tendency to be Romanticized by Latin Americans, and in some cases, by citizens of the U.S. Even though it's technically not a case of Romanticism in the U.S.A., I couldn't resist posting this because it's such a great example of what Twain criticizes in "Huck Finn."
Several weeks ago in the Bay Area a man was shot by police officers after he was detained on the platform of subway stop. What’s most shocking about the shooting is that the man was completely incapacitated by the police officers when he was shot. (He was face-down with two officers above him; one officer had his knee on his neck and the officer who fired his gun stepped back and shot him in the back while he was on the ground). Californians protested the killing last Wednesday night and riots eventually broke out in downtown Oakland. Here’s a NY Times article on last week’s events:
We’re sharing this event because it’s a classic AS artifact. While it might be easy to accept or disseminate a highly biased telling of this narrative, we need to ask ourselves these questions: why was the man shot? What’s his story? What are the police officers’ stories? Where’s bias in the video that captured the shooting? Of the various news reports? Where do these narratives intersect to reveal the truth?
And more importantly, this example connects with our unit on Agency and Oppression. How was this man oppressed? How are his family and friends oppressed? How will individuals attempt to turn this into an opportunity for agency? How have community members sought agency in this tragedy? Is protesting a meaningful way of asserting agency? What about rioting?
And lastly, we need to ask this question: did the man’s race impact the fact that he was shot? Would this have happened if he weren’t black? While this question might seem to blatantly insert race into this discussion (a move Americans frequently criticize) I’d argue it’s a fair and obvious question given our country’s history of violence towards blacks. Dodging the question would simply avoid a crucial aspect of this narrative.
Here’s a clip of the video captured by a bystander on a cell phone, and as a disclaimer, it’s graphic, so don’t watch if you think it will be too disturbing.
Hey there - Just reminding you all that we'll take a break from blogging the next three weeks. As of Monday, December 15th, you should have three posts and one comment since our last blog check on November 17th.
You won't need to post again until we return from winter break.
When the Chicago area was inundated with rain one weekend months ago, our roof leaked and water dripped onto our TV, ruining it. Since then, we have gone without television in our house. I know what you may be thinking--how are we able to live??? But I've found that the essential things I want from TV can be gotten in other ways--I get news from the web, I catch episodes of my favorite shows online and rent DVDs, I listen to Bears games on WBBM. I've found that much of what I used to watch on TV I hardly miss, and I often wonder how I ever had time to watch so much TV. Much of what Thoreau suggests in Walden seems like it couldn't possibly work, but what if we tried it? How much of what we consider "essential" would become irrelevant?
In class today we’ll map out a “typical” New Trier student’s day in order to explore the question posed in the title of this blog post. As you read Thoreau the next week or so, look closely at his ideas on simplifying life and getting in touch with the true necessities and juxtapose his ideas against your typical day at school. Do any of his thoughts resonate with you?
You may also want to set up a time (middle of the day, perhaps?) to complete one of your Transcendentalism maxims so you can accurately evaluate HDT’s ideas in light of how they apply to your life in a typical school day.
And lastly, here’s a Times article on Americans trying to simplify their lives: New York Times.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, someone you'll meet this year, writes in his essay "History:"
The student is to read history actively and not passively; to esteem his own life the text, and books the commentary. Thus compelled, the Muse of history will utter oracles, as never to those who do not respect themselves. I have no expectation that any man will read history aright, who thinks that what was done in a remote age, by men whose names have resounded far, has any deeper sense than what he is doing to-day.
In many respects, Emerson captures our philosophy of American Studies, and our blog will be a place to make connections between our world and the content of this course -- to use Emerson's words, "to esteem [our] life the text."
