Final Project

Just the final project videos

Choice #2 Interview with a Teen

I decided to interview my little cousin Christine. She recently did a health project and had to take care of a mechanical baby for one week. I thought it was hilarious as well as interesting. The high school I went to never did anything like this and I was so interested in how she reacted to it. The following is a conversation we had over AIM, I just put our names in to make it easier.

Me: So what was this project your mom was telling me about?
Christine: for my health class we had to act as parents to a robot baby. We were able to pick our husbands and I picked Mark. we had to feed it, burp it, change it and give it attention. it was so weird - there were these keys that you had to put inside its back that 'gave' it different things - like attention, feeding, diaper...really weird. we named it Baby Paul. mom thought it was the greatest thing ever. we got graded on how long the baby cried and if we dropped it, or let its head fall back. there's some computer thing in it's back that tracks everything and you lost points for stupid things
Me: So at the end of the week, on a scale of 1-10, how frustrated were you?
Christine: um like a 15! it was soooo annoying. i look liked like crap cause i hadn't gotten any sleep
Me: How was your hubby doing with all of this? Who do you think took more responsibility? Or did you have to split it up equally?
Christine: haha Mark hated it, but so did I. but it was our grade so we couldn't really ignore baby paul when he cried. I probably took the mothering role a little too much - like if the baby cried nonstop and Mark had him, I would just take him and make him stop crying with the keys. I was just so annoyed with the thing haha. but for the most part, I think we did everything together.
Me: Did you guys take it seriously? Or did you have fun with it?
Christine: The first and the second day we loved our little baby paul, it was sooo funny and everyone wanted to play with him. but by the third day, we were ready to quit - it turned into homework and it stopped being fun.
Me: Hahaha you're too cute - So what did you do when you were at school, or wanted to go out and couldn't bring Baby Paul?
Christine: we had to bring him to school, and if he started to cry, we had to take care of him - but we couldn't do it in class - we had to go outside in the hallway or something. I think I went out 2 or 3 times and didn't bring Baby Paul. I had michael watch him one time, but then mom told me that he let his neck fall back and thats like a 7point loss. i was pissed. mom did most of the babysitting if i couldn't get to it
Me: So I'm guessing you brought it out with you sometimes - what were people's reactions to seeing you carry around a mechanical baby?
Christine: yeaaaah - lets just say i was embarrassed. never again. kids in school that had no idea we were doing the project gave me the weirdest looks. and if i had to take him into cvs or stop &shop i had to actually RUN around and get my stuff before he started crying. but if he did, i had to go out of the store because people looked at me crazy. it was sooo bad. hateful
Me: Hahahah I can only imagine. So did this change the way you look at teenage moms?
Christine: hells yes - i could NEVVVVER do it. with softball and wanting to have a LIFE - no.never. i wouldnt want to! and if mark or mom or someone wasnt helping me with him, i probably would have gone insane. i don't know any teenage moms, but good for them, cause it's really hard - school and everything, ew.
Me: Did you see Juno?
Christine: YESSS
Me: What'd you think? Was it realistic or no? Funny/stupid?
Christine: umm. no - i don't think it was that true. her parents didnt even get mad! you know my mom. she would've had my head! and john would have kicked my ass. forget what they wouldve done to mark. but i did love it. sooo cute. and the director was a stripper haha how funny is that. but i definitely dont think that's what it would be like in real life. i think it was more of a joke, but I still liked it. but real life would be less funny and more hateful i think
Me: I haven't seen it yet haha I think I'm the only one
Christine: omg.. go rent it right now
Me: Would you ever have a child before you got married?
Christine: probably not. only cause it seems to hard to do by yourself. I know my mom did, but i wouldnt want to.
Me: Last one - What age do you think it's ok to start having kids?
Christine: after college. yeah - like 26 or something



Lets just say I laughed a lot during this interview with my cousin. She's so energetic and optimistic about life. She made it pretty clear that having so much responsibility at such a young age is pretty hard. I think she also made it clear that she wants to wait a long time before she tries her hand at motherhood. She ended up getting a B+ on the assignment, which she was more than pleased with.

I think this is a very good way to educate teens on the responsibility of being sexually active. I'm not saying the only way is to practice abstinence, but teenagers should be informed about the MAJOR consequences sex can have on their lives. This project should teach teenagers that being sexually active is nothing to take lightly, and to always practice safe sex. Although I'm sure many kids in her high school took this only as a joke, I do believe that there were a number of teens who found the reality of being a teenage parent pretty scary.

I wish my high school had the funds to do such an exciting project like this one. In my high school, we were forced to carry around bags of flour as our 'babies'. Needless to say, it wasn't nearly as exciting or effective as Christine's health project. I feel strongly that teenagers should be informed with advice and knowledge about pregnancy, STDs, and becoming sexually active. Many teenagers are put in positions where they don't have anyone to turn to. By having such inf formative health classes, hopefully teenagers that are put in certain situations won't have to feel alone and could find a safe haven within their community.

Choice #1 - Teen Film + Analysis

I decided to write about an incredibly controversial indie teen-flick that had always been a favorite of mine. I decided to re-watch the movie Thirteen staring Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed and Holly Hunter. The reason I chose this movie was because it is funny as well as incredibly disturbing. It reminded me a little of how I acted when I first broke into the 'teenager' role. I was a 'rebel-child', always trying to push the boundaries and walk the line of good and bad. I constantly pushed my parents' buttons, just like the main character in this movie. Although I did not go to such extremes as the character, I could certainly relate to her rebellious attitude.

Tracy Freeland (Evan Rachel Wood) is a confused 13yr old trying to get by in school. She would cut herself over the emotional pain she felt from living in a broken home with her mother (Holly Hunter) and her mother's boyfriend, whom she hated. Tracy desperately wanted to fit in, so she befriended Evie Zamora (Nikki Reed), the most popular girl in school. Evie leads Tracy down a path of drugs, sex, violence, theft and couple new piercings. Tracy starts to become a new person that many do not recognize, distancing herself from her family as well as her old friends. She begins a brand new identity for herself that nobody agrees with, except for her partner in crime, Evie. The movie is about teenage angst, depression, peer pressure and emotional distress; the makings for a great drama. In the end, Tracy's mother is forced to put an end to her rambunctious ways and tries saving her daughter before it's too late.

The acting in this film is nothing to be desired and the plot is somewhat over-exaggerated, but I can't help but love it. I enjoyed this movie so much because the director, Catherine Hardwicke dealt with issues that are present in today's young teenagers that most of us choose only to hide or ignore. So many of the issues in this film are issues that teenagers are going through today. The film really digs deep into the constant need teens have to fit in. It is very easy for a self-conscious teen to make decisions without really thinking about the consequences. I think teens today have it a lot harder than teens in the past. With the medias constant attention and focus on sex and body image, it's amazing that more teens aren't emotionally disturbed like Tracy is in the movie. The media has such different views for teenagers; you need to be sexy and wear this, but not too sexy because then you'll be looked at as a slut. It's incredible how many unwritten rules there are for teens. In that period of time between middle school and college, a teenager is expected to 'find themselves', to discover who they are and become comfortable with themselves. Many teens look to the media and peers to decide how they should act.

I had said earlier that I thought this film was 'funny'; there are certain parts in the movie that I actually laughed...not a 'haha' laugh but a 'did that really just happen?' laugh. It's amazing to think that there are teens out there who act like Tracy on a daliy basis and go unnoticed. I think it was important for this film that Holly Hunter's character noticed her daughter's downward spiral. It gave the film a more humanistic feel, and not like it was just another disturbing movie about drugs, violence and sex. On the other hand, Evie didn't have a mother and lived with her sister or her aunt. Her guardian allowed her to drink in the house and her occupation was a stripper. Two ends of the parental spectrum. This film isn't exactly an advertisement for parents to talk with their teens about their issues. It's rather like a precursor to what might happen if you keep your blinders on.

This movie shows a prominent gap between parents and their teens and only shows the mother trying to be a friend rather than an authority figure. Freedom is a constant theme in Thriteen. Freedom from authority, freedom from everyday drama, and freedom from the reprocussions of disobeying the rules. This film is by no means a film to live by, but it does show an alternate view of teenage life that many people try to ignore. I love controversial films and this one is definitely on my top five.

Just a clip from the movie

Talking Points #10

Listen Up!

On this site, there are endless videos and writings done by teenagers about important issues they are interested in. It's like a safe-haven for teens and everything on it is easy to understand, but has some sort of purpose. I viewed some of the videos on the site to get an idea of what teens were looking at.

A Drop of Tear for a Fairy to Appear

This was about a little snake who watched children playing and wanted to join. He cried and a fairy came and turned him into a little boy. School is as Fun as Home it said. I took this as a child wanting to fit in and feel accepted like he does at home. What child doesn't want to play with his friends and be 'one of the guys'?

People or Puppets?: Media's Stronghold on Youth Culture

This was a documentary film about representation of youth in the media. On a site for teens, I feel like this is a very important video to have on there. It was all about gender representation, ideal image of men and women, body image in the media. Basically opening up teens eyes to a different way of looking at things, not just black and white.

Locks of Gold

It was a short film about donating hair to Locks of Love. The little girl in the movie just found out that one of her brothers friends got diagnosed with Leukemia and it made her realize how serious it was. She ended up donating her hair to Locks of Love and telling a few statistics about it and how to go about donating your hair.

The information on this site actually surprised me because when I think of a 'teen space' I usually think of Myspace or Facebook and these sort of videos would never get viewed on either. It's very refreshing to see that teenagers have a different side to them other than just drinking, smoking and breaking rules. This site was incredibly user friendly and very open to numerous ideas and topics. I do think of this site as a way for teens to 'talk back' to the media and the pressures of everyday life. This is a site that parents don't have to be afraid of their children using, unlike Myspace or Facebook. This is a great space for teens who want to have their voices heard when no one is listening. It gives them a sense of empowerment and independence that I'm sure a lot of other teen sites do not.

Talking Points #9

Myspace & Facebook.... Friend or Foe?

Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace"
by Danah Boyd

I'm sure that if you were to try and find a handful of students on the RIC campus who haven't heard of myspace or facebook, it would be nearly impossible. These two 'social domains' have basically engulfed the mass population of teenagers and even adults. Every person I know has either Myspace or Facebook. My MOTHER even made an account on Facebook!! What the hell is going on!?? At first I did what any normal 21yr old would do...FREAK OUT...but then I just laughed it off. I have nothing to hide from my mom, she knows about my pAArtying ways. I know of some people that cannot go a single day without checking their Myspace for new friend requests or comments. It just goes to show how much these social networks have taken over every one's lives.

Facebook started out with the college-aged people, which was what it was intended for...18-24yr olds keeping in contact with one-another. Then they allowed anyone with an email to join...including high schoolers. I couldn't help but do a double take when my 15yr old cousin 'facebooked' me. It was all too weird. The ages of people flocking to Myspace and Facebook are getting younger by the day. "Originally, the site was 18+ and all data was public. Over time, the age limit dropped to 16 and then, later, to 14. The youngest users are given the option to make their profiles visible to friends-only and they do not appear in searches"...as Boyd states in her article. Knowing what goes on in the digital world, makes me question who is actually looking at these 14yr olds' pages...pretty freaky if you ask me.

In her article, Boyd explores Myspace and how it is a haven for teens around the world. "Youth look to older teens and the media to get cues about what to wear, how to act, and what's cool. Most teens are concerned with resolving how they perceive themselves with how they are perceived. To learn this requires trying out different performances, receiving feedback from peers and figuring out how to modify fashion, body posture and language to better give off the intended impression." I totally agree with this statement from Boyd. Teens look to their peers as well as older people for a layout of how they should act.

I'm not going to lie, when I think of high schoolers using Myspace, all I think about is how they are perceiving themselves to look older than they really are. I'm biased only because of what I see in my own life. I look at my little cousins Myspace pages and see all their friends dressing 'slutty' and inappropriately for their age. It's almost like "look what I can do!", "look how I can go against the rules and make people look at me!"... I know my cousins look up to their older classmen and try to imitate their sexual pictures and poses. It just freaks me out and I feel old haha. "Because the teenage years are a liminal period between childhood and adulthood, teens are often waffling between those identities, misbehaving like kids while trying to show their maturity in order to gain rights. Participating in distinctly adult practices is part of exploring growing up. Both adults and the media remind us that vices like sexual interactions, smoking and drinking are meant for adults only, only making them more appealing. More importantly, through age restrictions, our culture signals that being associated with these vices is equal to maturity."

Although I only think of the teen sluts and attention whores (haha), I know that all teenagers don't act this way. Many use Myspace as a place to distance themselves from the struggles of everyday life; to be alone and have some time to themselves. They view Myspace as a safe-haven, just a place to hang out and keep incontact with their friends. I agree with Boyd when she states "Teens have increasingly less access to public space. Classic 1950s hang out locations like the roller rink and burger joint are disappearing while malls and 7/11s are banning teens unaccompanied by parents. Hanging out around the neighborhood or in the woods has been deemed unsafe for fear of predators, drug dealers and abductors. Teens who go home after school while their parents are still working are expected to stay home and teens are mostly allowed to only gather at friends' homes when their parents are present." Myspace gives them a place to feel comfortable and a place to call their own. I do also agree that some teens take advantage of this space, but that's to be expected.

FINAL PROJECT IDEAS

So while I was thinking for my final project idea, I overheard my mom talking with my aunt about my cousin's latest project in school. She and her "husband" had to take home a little mechanical baby and care for it 24/7 for a full week. If the baby cried for a certain amount of time, or if her diaper wasnt changed or even if its head fell back ... points were taken off in the 'data system' .. wherever that was.

I would love to interview teens, especially my cousin and find out their outlook on teen pregnancy. If only I could get in contact with that little mess Jamie Lynn Spears. I would also dip into the world of teen drinking and drugs. I know that when I was a teenager these things were very prominent in my high school, and I would love to know how teens today are dealing with the subjects.

So if anyone would like to join my idea, or combine ideas...feel free!

I admit I was one of those skeptics...

So after watching Kid Nation in class, I am slightly embarrassed to say that I wouldn't mind watching the remainder of the episodes. I still think that some of the kids were a LITTLE too much to handle...they reminded me all too much of my niece who has a demonic streak. Sofia..I have no words for her. I can't remember his name, but the little goober with the fro and the glasses was my all-time favorite. A little joker. I also loved the little Asian boy with the adorable pudgy cheeks who looked like he had one tooth. Every time he came on the screen (which wasn't often) I giggled - soooo freakin cute.

From what I had read before watching the show, I had figured that the children were to completely create their own society on their own. The networks "guidelines" made it just another scripted reality show out of the hundreds that are already on tv. I thought the upper/lower class totem poll was ridiculous. It made sense, but I think the kids would have been able to realize it on their own that they needed to assign jobs to one another. I did not like the council at all. I thought Michael..or whatever his name was, acted almost like he was "all-time-supreme". It clearly went to his head.

I have to say that after watching it in class, it changed my opinion about the show. But Sophia still annoyed me. I really think the kids would have done well ON THEIR OWN, without the help of scripts from the network. For once I would love to see a reality show that didn't have any type of 'acting' in it - just letting people be who they are.

Talking Points #8

I had heard of Kid Nation awhile back when it had first been on the air. I won't lie.. I was in shock that reality tv producers would stoop so low as to whore out children for a dramatic series. In one of the articles, it explains what Kid Nation is..."It involves 40 children with 40 days to do what adults could not: create a working society in the ghost town of Bonanza City, New Mexico. Aimed as much at adults as their kids, the show is intended to play on the tantalising notion that children are a purer, unspoiled version of us while at the same time exploiting our dread that it could all go horribly wrong and end in some Goldingesque fiasco." I had never watched a full episode of Kid Nation while it was on. I had only watched little snippets from channel surfing, and it didn't exactly hold my attention. Give me the blonde airheads and the tattoo'd losers anyday...i know, I'm pathetic. After reading all of the articles, I couldn't help but see a negative spin on the subject. The articles all basically start out saying that the show wasn't going to work and skeptics had a very strong opinion. "But the "Kid Nation" premiere more than cleared the bar. I expected to hate it, but by 9:07 or thereabouts on Wednesday night, I was grinning. Even contemplating coming back every week to talk about it."

The articles basically revolve around the idea of beginning the perfect economy...one that America knows nothing about. The kids and teens were to create their own community and recreate a town that had gone to shambles. I'm pretty interested to see what these episodes in class and get a good grasp on what this show was really about.

Is it a Kid Nation???

a couple clips I found...

Talking Points #7

Miss Bimbo!!

One of my 3 articles dealt with an internet site called http://missbimbo.com/. Just the name made me laugh. It originated in France and has become widely known across England. "MissBimbo is a game that deals in fashion and hairstyles and also offers up items such as breast enlargements and diet pills...the site enables users to create a character and play games or use credit cards or phone text messages to buy 'bimbo dollars' to feed and clothe their creation." The site also includes plastic surgery and breast enlargements for their created bimbos.

The article says it is targeted towards teenagers, but they have children as young as 9 playing this game. I can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of this. Who actually spends the time and the money creating such shit like this?? It's clearly a funny thing to do while you have some spare time on your hands, but children/teens are most likely getting the wrong idea of beauty from this website. Beauty can be bought by getting bigger tits and taking diet pills? Insane. If you feed your Bimbo the wrong things, she becomes overweight and is offered diet pills as a remedy. How crazy is that??. Sooo many people are obsessed with diet pills already and this is only fueling the subject.

As one could imagine, this site has been the backalsh from angered mothers everywhere. Among the angered was a 14yr old girl.."I don't like the way it advertises how to be really thin and everything because it 'sells' things like diet pills and I don't agree with that". At least that's one teenager, out of the quoted million registered users, that has her head on straight. Teen girls already have such a hard time fitting in and accepting themselves for who they are...they don't need to deal with a website devoted to the plastic/fake imaginary world of the Bimbos.

The founder of MissBimbo is convinced that there is no shame in his website.."Personally, I think the name 'bimbo' has become an almost endearing term for your sort of ditzy, blonde-haired caricature..Britney Spears look-alike, isn't it?" I happen to have blonde hair and have a pretty ditzy attitude, but if someone ever called me a Bimbo I would most definitely go ape-shit. It's funny how normal it is for some people to automatically assume that teen girls all want to grow up to be like the idiot Jessica Simpson. Think twice about that.

I was so curious about MissBimbo that I created my own account, it's free so it was easy. The first thing the page read was :

As a result of this rather surprising media attention we have decided to remove the option of purchasing diet pills from the game. We apologise to any players whom this may inconvenience but we feel in light of this weeks proceedings it is the correct action to take.

We would also like to sincerely apologise to our players for the media comparison of Miss Bimbo and Paris Hilton. We feel that this does a dis-service to the players whom send their bimbos to university, tea parties or chess tournaments.

At least they removed SOMETHING...it's a start. So after creating my idiot Bimbo (BritBrit), you entered a world full of 'beauty'. So many different options of how to dress your skank and which hairstyle/color to chose. You can then decide what to do with her..go tanning, swimming, shopping, waxing, eat...pretty normal things for a Bimbo to do. It was actually fun and I fell inlove with BritBrit and her big boobs. I had fun with it because I'm comfortable with myself and I clearly know this is not how real life works.

As fun as it was, it was also scary to think about little girls who look up to these false characters. Boob jobs and diet pills are a very risky topic and I don't necessarily think a 9yr old should even be allowed to know what this site is...nevermind use it on a regular basis.

A Few Randoms on Teens in the Media

I absolutley HATE this band, but they have a song called 'Teenagers'...suree, why not




My girl Mylie haha - looking/acting/dressing/dancing like she's in her 20s

Talking Points #1

The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager

Thomas Hine

"The Purpose of this book is to sketch out a useful context for thinking about the young-one that jettisons obsolete and destructive aspects of our contemporary view of teenagers. The teenager was an invention of the Machine Age. We live in a different world now, and we must reconsider how we think about the lives of the young."
As much as I would love to disagree with Hine on his piece, I find it difficult because he expressed so many dominant points. He makes good points about the different ideologies of teenagers hundreds of years ago as compared to this day and age. Back in the day, a 15yr old girl was just about ready to get married, settle down and raise a family, while a 15yr old boy was hard at work tending to his families farm and crops. Whereas today's 15yr old girl is worried about which outfit she'll wear to the mall and the 15yr old boy is trying to decide which AXE deodorant will attract the ladies better. Hine hits the nail on the head with this idea.
I do agree with the fact that teenagers are automatically judged the minute they turn the dreadful 1-3. "Today's teenagers serve a sentence of presumed immaturity, regardless of their achievements or abilities. The prodigy has to finish high school. The strapping, well-developed young man shows his prowess not at work but on the football or soccer team. The young woman who is ready to be a mother is told to wait a decade instead." Although, I don't necessarily agree with the fact that all teenagers are little angels who just happen to have a bad rap. I have been around teenagers my entire life and not all of them have halos. Infact, I can only name a few of the teenagers I know or have known that stand up to the 'goody-goody' persona/image Hine is skirting around in the article.
I especially liked how he brought up the issue of sexuality in a teenagers life. "Young people nearing the peak of their physical and sexual powers are expected to delay using them and focus these energies on acquiring skills and moral values. Adults hope that young people will remain innnocent of their sexual power...teenage sexuality confuses the culture". My interpretation of this quote is basically that teenagers have physical and sexual feelings towards one another but are not supposed to tap into that box of emotions. Instead, adults expect them to spend their time doing something productive. I do agree that it is hard for a teenager NOT to think about sex every minute of the day. Girls are wearing skimpier clothes by the minute and guys are having more and more to look at. When sex is overtaking normal televison/magazines/radio, how can you expect a pubescent teen to NOT have any sexual or physical thoughts?? "Today's young people grow to their full size and reach sexual maturity sooner than did members of earlier generations".
I found this article to be a very difficult read. After I had read it the first time, I needed to skim over it once again to make sure I really understood what he was trying to get across. I felt like his wording made the piece very tiring. Other than that, I think this piece really got across how teenagers are viewed today. I am split down the middle with my opinion of Hine and this article. Overall, I highly agree that teenagers are judged no matter what by society and hopefully in the future we can take the weight off of the word 'Teenager'.

Talking Points #6

Fast Forward...Preface

Linda Greenfield

After reading the preface to Lauren Greenfield's book Fast Forward, I couldn't help but think of my high school and the teens I had grown up with. She talks about how LA's youth was losing their innocence and growing up too quickly. The quote I found that pretty much summed up the entire preface was "A common theme that kept me focused throughout was the sense of an early loss of innocence...As one teenager said, "You grow up really fast when you grow up in L.A. It seems like everyone is in a rush to be an adult. It's not cool to be a kid." I thought this represented her idea perfectly.

Her writing let readers into the 'secret society' of LA teens and how they act differently than others. All teens try to grow up quickly, but she focuses on the pressure that LA teens face everyday because of the media and especially where they live. Money is a must have. Teens in LA face a different kind of pressure than teens living in Ohio for example, "I photographed children who were already stars and children working hard to make it in "the business." Her photographs help the viewer understand the different kinds of teenagers there are.

I liked the way she talked about the 'gangster' styles the teens were taking on in the LA high schools. I couldn't help but think back to my high school days where the dumb little rich boys walked around with a 'swagger', thinking that they were from the 'hood'. Their 'hood' consisted of beautiful mansions and endless amounts of money handed to them. Yeah, I was Jealous. It was easy to relate to her preface because I went to a high school with teens who came from verrrrry wealthy families and didn't have to work for any of it and flaunted it at every chance they got. Many people including my friends and I always tried acting older than we really were. The big things in my school were cars, tattoos and piercings...who could be the first..blah blah blah.

Her piece related a lot to the last piece from Tricia Rose about hip hop/gangster style. I also thought it related to Christensen's piece talking about the way cartoons depict our everyday life...much like the media and celebrities shape the LA teens behaviors and characteristics

Talking Points # 5

Bad Boys

Ann Arnett Ferguson

In this article, Ferguson is getting the reader to realize the way young, African American males are being looked at and critiqued in today's society. On page 7, she tells the reader exactly what she is looking into.."I examined the beliefs, the social relationships and the everyday practices that give rise to a pattern in which the kids who are sent to jailhouses and dungeons in school systems across the United States are disproportionately black and male." She is making her point that African American males are being labeled by numerous people in the school setting and are not being given the right amount of respect. Her article is a well balanced mix of pure statistics, personal experience and naturalistic observation. Unlike the article we read last week by Tricia Rose, this one held my attention and it was an easy page-turner.

Ferguson talks a lot about the punishment that these adolescent boys face on a day to day basis. I couln't help but find it a little disturbing to think about the "dungeons", "jailhouses" or "Punishment Rooms" these kids were being sent to; pretty awful names if you asked me. In my school we just called it detention. On page 3 she talks about the punishment a little bit more in depth.."Michigan schools, where corporal punishment is still permitted, blacks were more than 5 times more likely to be hit by school adults that were whites." I never knew that school officials ANYWHERE were allowed to HIT the students. I was actually in schock by that. I thought hitting students ended years ago with the nuns and rulers.

The statistics she put in this article really surprised me.."though African American boys only made up 1/4 of the student body at Rose Parks, they accounted for nearly 1/2 the numbers of students sent to the Punishing Room...3/4 of those suspended that year were boys and of those, 4/5 were African Americans." (pg2) She makes very good points throughout the entire article, forcing the reader to be involved with how these boys are being treated. School officials should try and help the children at all costs, not give up on them and call them "unsalvageable and on whom precious resources would be wasted." These children are put in school to learn, not just to be punished.

I think she picked a perfect title for her article, Bad Boys. It expresses exactly how this children are looked at. In her opening paragraph she correlated an image of Tupac with one of the children. I thought this was interesting because Tupac is known for his 'bad boy' ways, his constant battle with the police, his gangster antics and of course his murder. Also Ferguson says that Rosa Parks School is located in the heart of a major drug trafficking area...coincidence??

After reading this article, there was no question that I would connect it with the Hines' article, The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager. The constant generalization of young black males goes hand in hand with the generalization of teenagers in today's society. The adolescent African American males are targeted towards criminal behavior that will most likely be decided in jail and the normal teenager is irresponsible, has no morals and never listens to the rules.

Questions/Comments in Class: *One paragraph that I didn't totally understand was on page 5. I wasn't sure where she was going with it or what her stance was.

*Why are the teachers just giving up on their students and generalizing them??

Talking Points #4

A Style Nobody can Deal with: Politics, Style and

the Postindustrial City in Hip Hop

Tricia Rose

After reading this article by Tricia Rose, my head was actually pounding. The way she tried to define the meanings of hip hop and rap completely boggled my mind. She would use words that I have never even heard of to describe something that seemed so easy to relate with. I needed to have dictionary.com on my tab at all times, or else I would have been completely lost. For example, her opening sentences frustrated and confused me to the point where I almost did not want to continue reading the article : "Emerging from the intersection of lack and desire in the postindustrial city, hip hop manages the painful contradictions of social alienation and prophetic imagination....attempts to negotiate the experiences of marginalization , brutally truncated opportunity...". Is she serious? I didn't want to have to be a rhode scholar to understand this article.

One definition she had for hip hop that I thought was relatable was "..hip hop combines elements of speech and song, of dance and display to call into being through performance new identities and subject positions". She is trying to involve the reader with the way hip hop was brought into the culture and media. In the article, Rose teaches us that rap and hip hop have been passed down from the earlier Afro-Caribbean and Afro-American cultures to make it into what it is today. She specifically talked about the social and political terrain in NYC around the 1970s that brought about the emergence and early reception of hip hop. She talks about how this music has helped decrease "long-standing racial and gender-based forms of discrimination. Being from New York, it was interesting to read about the South Bronx and how it was dubed the 'home of hip hop culture'. Rose showed us the Blacks, Jamaicans, Puerto Ricand and other Caribbean people were living in the devistating region of the South Bronx. "Negative local color in popular film exploited the devastation facing the residents of the South Bronx and used their communities and a backdrop for social ruin and barbarism." The people living there then answered back in the form of art and song through rap and hip hop.

I think part of Rose's arguments and claims stand up in 2008, but in a differnt way. When I look at rap/hip hop, there are artists who take it very seriously and and proud of the work they bring into the community, and then there are those who broadcast women in such a negative way and are only in it for the fame, the expensive cars, the mansions and of course the money. One quote I found to back up my opinion that her arguments don't match up to 2008: "Even as todays rappers revise and redirect rap music, most understand themselves as working out of a tradition of style, attitude and form which has critical and primary roots..." I don't necessarily agree with that quote from Rose. If I were to turn on HOT97 (a NY rap/hiphop station) 9 times out of 10 I would be listening to a catchy tune about demoralizing and degrating women. One recent song that people cant get enough of "Superman that Hoe"...I'm sure the majority of people don't know what that term means, yet they sing and bounce to it in their cars, on their ringtones or at the clubs. My friend recently told me what it means, and I was soooo disgusted. My little nephew thinks he's some kind of 'gangster', walking around with a little 'swagger', thinking he's tough and singing these pointless songs. Meanwhile, my sister and brother-in-law think it's hilarious. I want to strangler her! He's 11yrs old and doesn't need to be listening to rap songs that talk about having sex with 'hoes' and have explicit language.

I understood the point she was trying to get across and I found it very interesting to learn about the history of the culture, but her use of over-dramatic words and her constant run-on sentences really threw me off with this article. I just found it hard to follow. Although, I did enjoy her argument and I thought her piece was well rounded and developed.

Talking Points #2

Unlearning the Myths That Blind Us

Linda Christensen

The authors' main idea of this article was to bring attention to the way cartoons depict everyday life and how they shape our behaviors and our ideas. She tries to bring out the 'bad' parts of the cartoons that millions of us as well as the younger generations have watched or are just starting to watch. She wants her students to realize that a lof of what they have learned throughout their lives has been planned out for them in the cartoons they watch. "Look at the roles women, men, people of color and poor people play in the cartoon. Who plays the lead? Who plays the buffoon? Who plays the servant? The body type of each character. What about woman other than the main character? What jobs do you see them doing?" She is trying to open the public's eyes to a whole other way of thinking.

"Young people, unprotected by any intellectual armor, hear or watch these stories again and again, often from the warmth of their mother's or father's lap." I completely disagree with that statement. I understand exactly what she is trying to say, but in my household, I was never allowed to watch a lot of television and whenever I was, an adult was usually somewhere nearby. It just sounded like the parents don't have much control over what their children watch. Although, I do agree with it half-heartedly. My sister just throws her children (5 & 7) in front of the tv and then wonders where they get the vocabulary of a 16yr old from. Sometimes I think people have waaaayyy too much time on their hands to be breaking down such innocent things and making such a big deal about nothing. I am not saying that I don't respect what people are trying to point out, I just feel that sometimes people try so hard to pull something out that's really just not there in the first place. Basically just starting drama where none is needed.

• Babar? From what I remember Babar depicted a happy-go-lucky family of elephants dealing with everyday 'problems'. There was a mother, a father and a couple of children. In no way did I think it was racist, sexist or anything like that.
• A Black Cinderella??? Disney made a movie staring Brandy as Cinderella and every person in the movie was of a different ethnicity. So yes, people are willing/wanting to see a change.

When I was 13....

When I was 13, I thought I was so tough. I thought that no one could tell me what to do unless I agreed on it. I was beyond excited to be called a 'teenager' finally. It felt like I was starting to become an adult. I had started high school and was determined to break my 'nice/shy girl' appearance. I used to get teased all the time because of how shy I was with everyone. I don't think anyone knew I even existed sometimes. Up until high school, a teacher was lucky if she could get 3 sentences out of me the entire year. I just didn't feel like it was necessary to talk...and yes, some of that has followed me to this day. Highschool was an opportunity for me to start off a new reputation for myself. Unlike the majority of my friends, I ended up going to a Catholic Highschool (which I will NEVER subject my children to) that was in another town and the students came from all over. It took some time for me to have the guts to make new friends, but once I did, I found out that I could actually be outgoing if I wanted to be. I LOVED the friends that I made. My friends and I started acting out in class and talking back to the teachers that 'pissed us off'. Before I knew it, me and my friends were sitting in detention everyday after school; loving the fact that we were considered 'bad'. I started getting into the music scene and went to shows every weekend. I began wearing heavy dark eyeliner and either very baggy or very tight clothes. My mom had no idea what to do with me. My friends and my music were my life. I thought there were no boundaries and that everyone who got in my way was just looking for a fight. Freshmen year in high school was the first time I tried smoking marijuana. This seemed to be the popular thing between my friends. I never thought of the consequences or even cared. Needless to say, this behavior increased and became much worse as I went throughout highschool. I'm not ashamed at all of how I acted in highschool, although some people might think that I should be. It was who I was and it was how i grew into the person that I am today. I think that in life you are bound to make mistakes, and you can either learn from them or gain nothing from them and be ashamed of yourself. I decided to learn from whatever mistakes I made and use them to my advantage.