Social Justice Project Entry

 v Think about one of the following: Movies, TV Shows, and Young Adult Fiction.  Think about how people your age are portrayed.  What are “normal” teens supposed to look like?  What race are they (generally)?  Where do they live?  How much money do they have?  What is their family like?  Write about what you think about the images portrayed in Movies, TV, or YA.  Do you think these are accurate portrayals of the way young people live in our world?  Do they perpetuate stereotypes or break them?

If you look at the majority of movies today that are supposed to portray teens, most of them are way off the mark.  The majority of teens are white, rich, “beautiful”, skinny, and live in fabulous homes, and if old enough, drive fabulous cars.  These are very inaccurate portrayals of teenagers.  Most real teens don’t have perfect hair, flawless complexion, and white teeth.  Adolescence is a difficult stage of life, so most have some acne, or “unattractive” body shapes.  Occasionally, in a movie you will see an overweight person, or someone with pimples, but they always play the weirdo’s.  When kids see these “perfect” people, they think that they have to be “perfect” too.  They try to change themselves so that they will be seen as more pretty.  They become hard on themselves, and convince themselves that they are ugly.  Society should show teens how they really are.  Not everyone is perfect, and if you aren’t, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Banning Books Argument Letter

Dear Ms. Berner,                                                                               November 11, 2013

I have received word that you have been considering banning books in 6th grade libraries.  I do not believe that you should do this. I believe that banning these books is a form of censorship, a violation of our first amendment rights, by prejudice.   I think that if you stop the 6th graders from reading a book, because of someone else’s beliefs, they will be less prepared for the real world.  I believe children along with their parents should decide what they should and shouldn't read, despite how disturbing a book may be.  Only parents and their kids really know whether they are ready to handle a particular subject.  I believe that there are valuable life lessons to be learned, and understood from reading certain books, and many children want to have the freedom to read them.

To begin with, books are challenged because they have topics that are considered inappropriate, such as drugs, death, and sex.  Adults try to ban books with these things in them because they believe that young adults shouldn’t be exposed to such harsh topics. People also ban books because they feel that they violate their religion or their beliefs.  I feel that this is unfair because not everyone has the same beliefs.

Many books are written for a purpose.  There is usually a valuable lesson to be learned from the book. The article, "'Sick-lit'? Evidently young adult fiction is too complex for the Daily Mail" by Michelle Pauli, states, “Children and teens – well, all of us really – read to explore and experience other lives and thoughts and situations in a safe way, not purely for escapism and adventures and fantasy”.  This is definitely true for me.  For example, a commonly banned book, “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green, is challenged because of the tough topic of cancer, and death.  I really enjoyed this book, because I felt like it would help me tackle real-life situations.  It taught me about love, friendship, and family in midst of the horrible situation they were in.  Even though I haven't experienced these problems specifically, I can still relate to it because I know what it is like to go through difficult situations and I believe it will help me handle situations in the future.  Most banned books have a lesson to be learned that will help prepare readers for these tough issues in their own lives.

If people try to censor books, they aren’t allowing the author to choose his words, and authors choose to use certain words on purpose, no matter how harsh they may be.  Some people want to change the words, and I feel like they shouldn’t be able to do that.  There are already organizations that regulate author’s content.  Writers of children and teen books, have to adhere to certain rules of conduct.  “They also adhere to codes of suitability around the three Ss – swearing, shagging and slaughter – to a much greater extent than writers in other forms of media regularly consumed by teens.” states Michelle Pauli in her article "'Sick-lit'? Evidently young adult fiction is too complex for the Daily Mail".  Further editing by prejudice and judgmental people is not only a violation of the constitution, but it is just plain wrong.  Come on, when they are banning Captain Underpants, a hilarious children’s book, it is getting ridiculous.  According to the article "Why ‘Captain Underpants’ Is The Most Banned Book In America" by Pamela Engel, when the first book of the series came out, there was a Sturgeon General’s Warning that said, "Some material in this book may be considered offensive by people who don't wear underwear.” It received other criticism because the main character was flying around in his underwear. What kind of message are we telling kids about their bodies, when we can’t see a comic character flying around in a cape and his underwear?  Who didn’t do this as a kid in his or her own bedroom?  And I haven’t seen one kid come to school in his underwear, so it doesn’t affect them in that way.  Books like these, we can relate to, and they are funny.

In conclusion, please do not ban books because reading different kinds of books including ones with tough topics such as sex, depression, death, and illness, all issues that we are going to face eventually, help prepare us for life.  The books soften the blow, because they are not real life, yet. 

Sincerely,

Louis Celi

"Where Your Cellphone Goes to Die" Response

The article, "Where Your Cellphone Goes to Die" by Leyla Acaroglu is about how e-waste negatively affects people in impoverished places, and steps that can be taken to help stop this from happening.  It is not acceptable for electronics manufacturers to pay developing countries to take the U.S.'s e-waste.  There are several ways that U.S. cellphone manufacturers can change their e-trash disposal practices.

Exporting e-waste affects the health of women, and children in places like India, China, and Ghana.  The major health issue deals with toxins produced when women, and children attempt to remove materials from the e-waste that they can sell.  For example, "Greenpeace, the Basel Action Network, and others have posted YouTube videos of children inhaling the smoke from burned phone casings as they identify and separate different kinds of plastics for recyclers."  As a result of exporting e-waste the U.S. is indirectly harming women, and children in other countries.

One way that U.S. cellphone manufacturers can change their e-trash disposal practices is by following Japan's example and requiring manufacturers to establish their own recycling facilities.  Or they can make cellphones easier to dismantle, thus reducing the risks posed by crude recycling techniques, like those employed by children in Ghana.

The U.S. can take steps to improve the harmful effect our e-waste has on the world.  It comes down to the government taking action to limit or eliminate the export of toxic waste or to require manufacturers to properly recycle their own products.  We as consumers can also help by replacing these products less often, or pressing for safe recycling.

THE END OF AMERICA'S CAR CULTURE?: Upfront Article Response

YOUNG PEOPLE GIVE UP CAR CULTURE FOR INTERNET

In the article "The End of America's Car Culture" the author, Alessandra Potenza, says that years ago young people were all crazy for cars and they were a symbol of the American dream.  Young people of today don't seem to be as interested in cars, as their parents and grandparents were at the same age.  There are many causes for the decline including, revival of cities, more eco friendly transportation, rising gas and insurance costs, and the internet. Teenagers and young adults instead seem to be more interested in the new technology.
One cause for the decrease in interest of cars, is the comeback of the cities.  Potenza states that "America grew more prosperous and Baby Boomers--those born between 1946 and 1964-- began leaving cities in search of safer, less-crowded places to raise families."  Not only did you need a car in the suburbs to get around, but it was a time when two cars in the garage became a popular symbol of the American dream.  Today, cities have become much more popular, and have easily accessible shops, cafes, and activities that you can walk or bike to.  Walking, biking, and taking public transit is becoming more appealing to more young people who are environmentally conscience.  Most are aware of their carbon footprint.  Calvin Leckenby, a 15 year old high school student states, "I don't really think that cars are a great thing to be using and I love to ride my bike."
Another cause for the decline in car culture is that the cost of owning a car is more expensive.  With gas prices at about $4 dollars a gallon, and insurance rates sky high, many would like to spend their money elsewhere.  They would prefer to spend it on new mobile devices and gadgets.
In the text, researcher Thilo Koslowski says, "The i-Phone is the Ford Mustang of today.  He means that the Ford Mustang used to be considered a status symbol, because everyone was into the car culture and wanted a cool car.  Cars were a way for young people to socialize.  They would go to drive-ins to see movies and drive throughs to eat food.  Today the i-Phone is use to socialize by connecting online to research restaurants, text friends to meet or just chat. Status is determined by the cutting edge technology that you have.
 I totally agree with the researcher.  Everyone wants the newest versions, and they aren't cheap.  My dad went to Verizon to get me a new phone and couldn't get in the door because the line was all the way down the block for the new i-Phone!  That says it all, need I say more!
The article "The End of America's Car Culture" by Alessandra Potenza, shows that America's car culture does seem to be coming to an end and technology culture is taking over.

"The Fault in Our Stars" Inquiry Question #1 Response

The book "The Fault in Our Stars", by John Green, is about a sixteen year old girl named Hazel with stage IV Thyroid Cancer, and her struggles to maintain good health.  She falls in love with a boy named Augustus Waters, who had cancer as well and lost a leg from it.  There are various sub-issues in the book, but they all stem from the main issue of Hazel having cancer.

The major issue in the book is Hazel having cancer.  Her whole life, unfortunately, seems to revolve around her cancer.  She doesn't go to school, and she doesn't have many friends.  She always has to worry about having her lung machine close by.  She is also constantly thinking that she might die soon.

Another issue is Hazel's relationship with Augustus, and whether or not to officially date.  Augustus loves her and wants to have more of a relationship.  She loves him back, but she doesn't want to take it any further because she might die, and she doesn't want to hurt him in that way.

A final issue is Hazel's relationship with her parents.  Her mom wants her to have a life, to go out and have fun, but Hazel is afraid to do that because she has little experience going out.  So she feels pressured by her mom, and they argue a bit.  Another problem is that she is being defiant toward her parents.  But she is a teenager and has mood swings and rebellious instincts (which is normal), so you can't really blame her.

The many different issues in the book "The Fault in Our Stars", by John Greene are treated in various ways during the story.  The author inspires people to not give up the fight, to keep on going until the end.

"Faithful Elephants; A True Story of Animals, People, and War" Reading Response

The story "Faithful Elephants" by Yukio Tsuchiya is about a zoo in Japan during World War II.  The government orders the zookeepers to kill all the dangerous animals, in case a bomb explodes and blows open the cages and they escape.  They are trying to avoid animals attacking people.  Three elephants needed to be killed, and the zookeepers had to starve them.

The theme of this story is that war doesn't just harm the soldiers fighting, but also innocent people and animals. War is terrible, it shouldn't happen.  Society should find a way  to solve war, they should try to negotiate more, and not be so violent. In the end war barely solves any problems.

The government shouldn't have put the zookeepers in the position of having to kill the animals.  They should find another way to solve this problem, for example moving the animals to a shelter until the war is over.  The zookeepers must have felt so heartbroken and guilty that they had to let the elephants starve.  The zookeepers loved the elephants, and felt so bad for them.  The story shows this when the trainer gives the elephants food and water when they are starving, even though he could get in serious trouble for it.  "He carried food and pails of water to them and threw it at their feet. 'Here!' he said, sobbing, and clung to their thin legs. 'Eat your food! Please drink. Drink your water!'"  This piece of text evidence shows that the government is causing such sorrow for the zookeepers.  It isn't fair, the government got themselves into the war, so they should deal with having to kill the elephants, they shouldn't make the zookeepers do it for them.

I was very touched by this story.  I really agreed with theme, and that war should be stopped.  I thought that the killing of the elephants was very melancholy, the elephants were so pitiful, and innocent.

The story "Faithful Elephants" is about war and how it affects everything, even innocent animals. The story challenges the reader to fight against war, and try to stop it from happening.  The author does this by telling the reader, through the theme, that war is horrible, and harms every single thing, not just the military.

Summer Reading Response:

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was a descriptive and powerful book, which stayed with me for a long time.  Steinbeck with his amazing talent for character development, made me feel like I was part of the story - enduring all of the hardships of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era.

The Grapes of Wrath follows the Joads, a very close-knit family of sharecroppers, who's lives and family are ripped apart by the Great Depression.  The story opens with Tom, one of the sons, getting out of jail on parole, only to find his family packing up to go to California to escape the hardships of the Dustbowl.  It shows Tom and his family's journey to the "promise land" of good jobs and high wages.  Instead, when they finally arrive, they find out that there is really little work and low pay.  The abundant flyers that had attracted them, where merely greedy landowners trying to recruit an excess of workers to bring wages down.  They struggle to find work, and eventually, find temporary comfort in a government camp rekindling their hope for a better life. Unfortunately, disappointment and hardship continue to follow them, leading to their family falling apart.

The character development was excellent, I really felt like I was in the moment. John Steinbeck was very good at describing the characters, I could really see in my mind what they were like. There were so many primary as well as secondary characters that he developed throughout the story.

Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was so good that I want to read other books that he has written as well as it spurred my interest in the Dust Bowl era.