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PAS 5: The Best for Last

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is my definition of a perfect coming of age story.

The book takes readers through the March sisters’ journey from childhood to adulthood. Jo, Amy, Meg, and Beth March live with their mother in New England, while their father serves in the Civil War.

The four very different sisters provide a plethora of options for young readers to see themselves in. I personally see a little bit of myself in each March sister. The oldest March sister, Meg, is responsible and kind, but she has a small weakness for luxury and leisure. Throughout the novel she learns to put those weaknesses aside to start a family founded in love rather than greed. Like many older sisters, she takes on a maternal role. Jo, the protagonist, is an aspiring author driven by ambition and values her independence. Throughout the novel she finds a balance between independence and leaning on those you love. Amy, the youngest, must give up her aristocratic pride, while Beth, the quiet one, must overcome her shyness.

CI 5: Critical Race Theory

Many of the topics I discussed in previous Civic Issues blog posts like book banning and gaps in American history classes are due largely in part to critical race theory. Critical race theory argues that racism is embedded in U.S. policies, laws, and institutions. From the education system to the criminal justice system, the concept says all of these institutions have been constructed in ways to maintain white dominance in society. The term was coined in the 1970s by scholars to account for what they felt was a lack of racial progress following the passing of civil rights legislation. The term has become increasingly popular in recent years with May 2020 in mind.

Many Americans, particularly Republicans resent critical race theory and deny its truth. Several Republican-controlled states have passed legislation to control the way race is taught in public schools. According to the American Library Association, Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give is among the top 10 most challenged books in libraries and schools because it’s “thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda”. The book looks at how racism and violence towards black people are justified in American society through stereotypes. This is mainly put into perspective in the novel through police brutality, and in school as well. The events depicted are very real, not only did we see them in 2020, but we saw them prior and we still see them today. The Hate U Give is banned because it calls America’s law enforcement and society accountable in a way that’s made digestible, understandable, and accessible (until states deemed otherwise) to rising teenagers and young adults. Historical events like slavery and segregation are dismissed and mistaught in history classrooms across America because it holds America’s government accountable.

Strong senses of patriotism cause many Americans to deny the prolonged existence of racism in America. Legally prohibiting slavery and segregation in the country was not enough to stop racism, nor did any of the Civil Rights Acts. Racism is ingrained in America’s institutions in ways that economically, politically, and socially put people of color behind at large. It is so important for the younger generations to be familiar with other cultures and be knowledgeable about hardships historically faced by people of color, as well as achievements. These are our future policy makers. The rejection of critical race theory hinders the undoing of the systemic marginalization of minority groups.

RCL 5: Save Local Journalism

Print journalism is on a rapid decline as technology continues to replace everyday items like paper. Earlier this week I had a conversation with a professor from the College of Communications about her career in journalism and her time at Penn State in the 1970s. It was fascinating to learn about her time at Penn State’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Collegian. However, it was also disheartening to hear how the shift from daily print to weekly print with most content online has significantly decreased community engagement. Though its disheartening to know the number of weekly readers is on the rapid decline, there’s comfort in knowing the Collegian isn’t going anywhere as a organization that receives funding from the university (though we’ve recently had a cut). Local print/media news outlets like The Centre County Report, Delaware Country Daily Times, and more are on the rapid decline.

Publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post provide coverage of important national news like Trumps recent indictment for example. Though local news outlets do less mainstream work, it’s important to the community. Journalism holds institutions accountable. County government entities, police systems, and education systems are just as important as federally recognized entities. This is why it’s important that the watchdog role is fulfilled at a local level. Watchdog journalists keep an eye on another entity’s actions on behalf of the general public to make sure it doesn’t act improperly or unethically. This is extremely important in today’s day and age.

My goal is to convince young people to support their local media outlets. The shift from print to online news is important to our environment. Rather than going back to print mews, we need to find ways to increase engagement with the websites of local news outlets.

 

PAS 4: Feminist

Arguably one of the most beautiful things about the present is the way communication has become so convenient. People don’t have too much of an attitude towards search engines like Google, but social media is heavily resented on the other hand. The difference between Google and Instagram is that you are guaranteed to discover something you weren’t even looking for on Instagram, Google is for intentional searching. I’m not saying one is better than the other, however, I am praising Instagram for its ability to spread messages and trends. Through Instagram, I’ve come across many social campaigns and one of my favorites is FEMINIST. On its Instagram platform, the organization spreads quick, concise, and visually appealing information about all things feminism. After an informative yet aesthetically pleasing post falls upon the feed of someone like me, the user will go to the profile, likely follow, and probably click the link in the bio which is where the advocacy really happens.

Website: Feminist

According to its site, Feminist is “the largest women-owned social-first platform for women, girls and gender expansive people.” The word feminist may drive some people away. Many often read the word with negative connotation, even those who believe in the cause. Feminists are stereotyped to hate men. If one is able to look past the name and click on the site, they’d be greeted with a slogan that debunks this stereotype for the organization: EVERYONE CAN BE A FEMINIST. This in itself is a logical appeal. Anyone can support the cause.

The all inclusive site has menu options that take you to various sources of information including the organization’s newsletter, their magazine, and their group on Geneva where everyone who supports the cause can communicate. All of these things are free and that’s indicated on the site. That’s a logical appeal. It motivates people to follow the cause. It’s like when someone at a fair is giving out something for free and you don’t  necessarily want it, but someone goes, “you might as well, it’s free!” The organization includes the word free as a reminder that it takes almost nothing to stay in the loop of things

The organization accepts donations on venmo but there’s no indication where those funds go. Venmo is also a questionable platform for an established organization to accept funds from. One can assume that the donations are to keep the organization running, but I’m personally curious as to why they need funds to maintain and online platform? This may also drive many people away from the platform. 

In terms of taking action, the site directs users to resources such as voter registration, an abortion action “tool kit,” and many petitions, some of which don’t even involve women’s rights.

RCL 3: Persuasive Essay Focus

The U.S Educational System needs to diversify its K-12 history curriculum to ensure a relevant, meaningful, and accurate education for its students.

The erasure of minorities from America’s K-12 history issue is a problem that is well overdue. Indigenous groups come into the conversation at the very beginning of the American history timeline when the country is colonized by Christopher Columbus. Black Americans come into conversation during the Civil Rights Movement. A lot of schools don’t cover slavery despite it being an integral part of American history. Hispanics come into conversation during the Mexican-American War. Jews come into conversation during WW2. And Asian Americans come into conversation during the Great Migration. This is approximately a decade or less that covers the history of minority groups in America. The small amount of information that is taught about minority groups is redundant throughout the K-12 experience and mainly covers BIPOC adversities in a passive fashion. The system often minimizes the severity of the adversities faced by minorities in America throughout history by leaving out much of the cruelty. Furthermore, the curriculum fails to celebrate POC accomplishments and innovation which are also relevant as they contributed to American advancement

The library source I choose for my essay is Historians In Public: The Practice of American History by Ian Tyrrell. Though published in 2005, the book contains general relevant arguments about why the erasure of people of color from American history is unethical. It can also act as a timeline that combats the argument that changes have been made. While it is true that the curriculum has improved, there is still much work to be done. Part 3: The Problem of The Schools will be the most useful to me for this essay. The section mainly revolves around American wars, and how patriotism affects the way that history is told. Patriotism is extremely relevant to this topic because it is the primary reason for the incorrect and inconsistent reteaching of history. Many Americans don’t want to address the faults of the country.

Research Questions:

  1. What groups are excluded from the U.S. history curriculum, and how does this relate to the relationship they’ve had with the American majority throughout history?
  2. What is the relationship between state education systems and censorship?
  3. How has the U.S. history curriculum evolved over time?

In order to make meaningful strides toward racial equality in America, we must start at the source of the issue—America’s history. Minority groups should be discussed at all points in the timeline while teaching U.S. history chronologically since they are present at all points in the chronology. It’s also necessary to examine the accuracy of the curriculum. Teaching children about other cultures makes them aware of the struggles and triumphs minority groups have endured throughout history, which is necessary to move forward.

PAS 4: The History of Love

Deciding to major in English was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I spent my sophomore and junior years of high school exploring different specialties within the medical field and taking science-related electives with the plan of majoring in pre-med. However, I knew my heart wasn’t in it when it came time to apply to colleges. Despite some uncertainty and the daunting thought that it may be hard for me to find a well-paying job post-grad, I decided I’d pursue my passion, and I have yet to regret that decision. The most recent form of affirmation I’ve received for choosing that major was reading The History of Love by Nicole Krauss in my ENGL 201 class. It was a beautiful multi-faced story about love, life, death, and identity.

The book switches between three perspectives: Leo, Zvi, and Alma, and it revolves around a book called The History of Love. Leo wrote The History of Love, but he lost the original manuscript. Zvi got his hands on The History of Love and published it under his name. Zvi and Leo are both from Slonim, a small community of Jews in the Baltic region that experienced a massacre. Very few survived, including Zvi and Leo. After escaping Slonim, Leo moved to New York City which is where the thick of the novel takes place. A Jewish-Polish couple in New York City fell in love with The History of Love and named their daughter after a character

Though integral to the plot, Zvi wasn’t a very

Leo dealt with survivor’s guilt, a sense of lost identity, heartbreak, and loneliness. Despite not having experienced what he did, I deeply related to him, and he even became one of my favorite characters I’ve ever read. He was also notably obsessed with life and death. The book starts with him writing his obituary, and it ends with his obituary.

Through close reading and class discussion, I was able to find so many connections and “easter eggs” throughout the book. Though not lengthy, this book had so much depth which allowed us to dissect it in this way. I really admire Krauss’ writing, and I hope to have that skill level one day. Working through this novel in class allowed me to view this book through a different lens and has permanently affected the way I read. Thus experience is exactly what I want out of my education.

 

CI 4: The Government’s Spending Problem

I’ve seen news articles and social media complaints about government spending, but I often overlook them in an attempt to avoid anything to do with finance. However, I’ve become particularly interested in the topic after learning some disappointing but not surprising information through research for my deliberation. I was looking to find out how much of Pennsylvania’s spending goes toward the education system and found an alarming pie chart. According to the PA Treasury, roughly $140 million dollars out of the Pennsylvania state budget went toward military affairs this year. While that’s only a small part of PA’s overall budget, that amount of money or even a portion of it would make a big difference if added to PA’s human services or education budget.

The vast majority (though still less than half) of Pennsylvania’s budget goes toward human services, and reasonably so. This includes mental health services, drug and alcohol services, homeless assistance, intellectual disability services, and more. Despite the amount of money available for those expenses, Pennsylvania isn’t doing well in any of these areas. According to World Population Review, there are 13,375 known homeless people in PA, making it the state with the 8th highest homeless population. PA’s severe opioid crisis also proves that a higher budget should go toward human services. A higher human services budget can allow for more homeless shelters, drug programs, and more. While this wouldn’t solve the issue, it would improve it. The state of the people who live in a city, state, or country should be its number one priority.

Education gets the second largest portion of Pennsyvlania’s budget (a little over a quarter). According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the number of people completing teacher education programs nationwide fell 25% in the last decade with steeper drops in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As stated in my group’s deliberation a few weeks back, the entire country is facing a teacher shortage as the field has become unappealing mainly due to low wages and bad benefits. It’s important to note that there is a more severe shortage in special education and specialty positions like physics or calculus. A higher budget in that area would allow for an increase in teaching wages and bonuses. It would also help school districts pay for basic classroom supplies that educators are sometimes forced to pay for and frequently ask parents to help with. More teachers and happier teachers would increase the quality of learning, as well as, better technology and resources which would also come out of a higher budget.

I am not denying the importance of a strong military force. America’s investment in the armed forces is partially responsible for the country’s status. However, $140 million from one out of fifty states alone is arguably ridiculous. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St.Louis, America has the largest military budget with $767.8 billion in 2021. China is behind it with $270 billion. That is a significant difference, yet China doesn’t suffer for it considering much of the world finds them intimidating as they’re known for having one of the world’s strongest armed forces. America’s military would still flourish with a smaller budget, much like the rest of the world. While the quality of our country’s armed forces makes it one of the most powerful countries in the world, the state of the education system and health care system (though not terrible compared to some other countries) negatively affects the country’s reputation. The U.S. needs to cut back on military spending and put some of those finances toward more important things that would improve American life.

RCL 2: Diversity and Representation in Disney

Disney’s lack of diversity and use of racial stereotypes… a tale as old as time

           How Children’s Shows Lead the Way in Diversity on TV

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/how-childrens-shows-lead-the-way-in-diversity-on-tv-4047958/I was a Disney kid growing up, as opposed to Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. Hannah Montana, in particular, was my favorite television show on Disney Channel, and Beauty and the Beast was my favorite Disney princess movie. While my mom was happy to put me in their costumes and watch me perform their songs, my dad found it concerning. He felt that I was out of touch with my heritage. While I disagree with his overall sentiment on the matter, I have to admit that in many ways I was out of touch with my cultural background as a young girl. But in my defense, there weren’t many protagonists of color on children’s television at the time and this played a large role in this situation.

At the time, the only Disney princesses of color were Mulan, Jasmine, and Pocahontas. In 2009, The Princess and the Frog was released. It’s maddening that it took Disney so long to create a film with a Black princess or any Black protagonist for that matter. Disney still hasn’t created a film with a Hispanic princess. The small amount of representation that we do see amongst Disney princesses is problematic because Disney’s princesses of color do not display the same “elegant” characteristics that the white ones do, as mentioned in an article by the King Street Chronicle. The article says, “Mulan, an Asian princess, is a warrior, Pocahontas is depicted as ‘savage like,’ Moana is known for her rebellion, and Jasmine wears pants.” And Tiana was a frog during the majority of her film. This is problematic because it causes these films to be unpopular and these princesses to be less liked, making the white princesses deemed superior by society. Representation means nothing if done incorrectly.

The Hollywood Reporter’s article on diversity in children’s television and film praises the industry for making significant progress. And reasonably so. Films like Soul (which is criminally underrated…), Turning Red, Raya and The Last Dragon, Moana, and Encanto have meant a lot to young audiences. While these are great starts, it’s important to continue holding large corporations within this industry accountable. As I said before, representation alone isn’t enough. Positive representation is everything. While the movies aforementioned display that, only one truly became mainstream. Soul and Turning Red were big hits within their respective communities but weren’t popular amongst the general public. The fact that Disney animated films revolving around eurocentric stories are household names but movies with diverse stories seem to only impact those specific communities is reflective of American society and its general ideals.

The progress being made in both children and adult media is great, however, there’s still work to be done. I hope the continuation of this work can lead to the normalization of BIPOC stories in the industry.

Questions to consider:

  1. Why haven’t newly released Disney animated films sharing BIPOC stories like ‘Soul’ and ‘Raya and The Last Dragon’ become mainstream like other animated films released by Disney in the last decade like ‘Frozen’ and ‘Inside Out’?
  2. In what ways is diversity in children’s media related to or reflective of diversity in adult media?

RCL 1: Should We Cancel The Grammys?

Why does society give Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards the credibility to declare winners as the best in their field? Every year the annual Grammy awards cultivate a week of intense discourse that lingers for the rest of the year. This year’s biggest controversy was about one of the big ticket categories: Album of The Year. Harry Styles took home the Grammy for his third studio album, ‘Harry’s House.’ Many have been arguing that BeyoncĂ©’s ‘Renaissance,’ which was also nominated, deserved to claim the title instead. LA Times released an editorial on the subject titled, ‘BeyoncĂ©, the all-time leading Grammy winner, should never attend another Grammy Awards.’ In my opinion, this statement has prompted one of the most meaningful Twitter discussions on the matter.

Some Twitter users in the thread are arguing that BeyoncĂ© has won many Grammy awards, the most in history, in fact, so losing AOTY shouldn’t be such a big deal. Other users are arguing her previously won awards are in less publicly acclaimed categories that are catered toward Black audiences like ‘Best R&B Performance’ and ‘Best Rap Song.’ In the thread, @immabottomSTILL said, “They are essentially saying, ‘Your work is impeccable, critically acclaimed, and culture shaking… but you’re not good enough to win a category that isn’t built for a black audience.’ She is constantly inspiring the winners of these categories but loses them.” This comment generated a conversation of its own, with 44 replies and 365 retweets. Users are further supporting the LA Times’ statement by arguing the cultural significance of ‘Renaissance.’ Users on the opposing side are claiming that society puts BeyoncĂ© on a pedestal and despite arguments, this album was not her best work. They go further to say if there was any moment when she should have won AOTY it should have been in 2017 for ‘Lemonade.’

In CAS137H we learned by definition, deliberation is an examination of problems/solutions through an open exchange that recognizes and respects various points of view. Based on this definition, I believe this Twitter threat is a deliberation for the most part (not entirely.) The post that ignited the thread was a solution to the general issue that the Grammy’s shouldn’t be credible. The solution being big name artists who aren’t receiving their flowers should simply stop participating. Factors that weigh into winner selection are identified in the comment section such as discrimination based on race and an unclear meaning of the title ‘of the year’ (is it about quality or popularity?). Multiple points of view were acknowledged, for example, a user said that it’s difficult for white people to understand the cultural significance of ‘Renaissance’ because it wasn’t relevant in their realm, however, it was significantly impactful within the Black community. Things that make this thread lean towards a debate are the passive-aggressive opinions endorsed and the fact that the thread mainly only revolves around one solution. Many comments imply possible solutions like one that identified this issue having to do with the voting system, the solution being, to change the system. I would say that on a spectrum where discussion is on the far left, deliberation is in the middle, and debate is on the far right: this thread is on the right in between deliberation and debate. The thread has deliberative qualities, however, the solution part of deliberation is prominent enough here.

PAS 3: Romance, Tragedy, and Greek Mythology — What More Could I Ask For?

Two years ago, I gave into booktok and purchased one of the novels everyone was raving about. As I said in my last post, this isn’t something I do often. The few times that I do, I find the book overrated. I’ve never necessarily hated a book I was recommended to read from my TikTok for you page, but I never loved them or reread any of them. The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller is the one exception. It’s the novel I always recommend for people who say they want to get into reading. It is very entertaining, not too complex, and the perfect intersection between romance and fantasy. My love for Greek mythology and hopeless romanticism made me finish the book in a single day.

The novel, as implied by the title, is about the Greek demigod and warrior Achilles. The story is from his childhood best friend Patroclus’ perspective. The novel begins when the two are children and Patroclus is first brought to live with Achilles and his family and ends when they are adults. The love story is an extremely slow burn and ends in tragedy. Unpopular opinion: The best romance novels are slow burns with sad endings. The catharsis produced by these types of stories makes reading such a meaningful experience.

First, I loved that it was an LGBTQ+ romance. This often entails a different type of storyline than the average heterosexual love story. The characters and their relationship face different obstacles, the main one being societal norms which can be seen in this novel. Achilles is essentially this hypermasculine golden child (which sounds detestable but I actually love him) and because of this Patroclus is jealous of him. This soon becomes admiration and eventually, he realizes he’s been in love with him the entire time. He kept it to himself for a painfully long time because it was deemed wrong. So he remained Achilles’ best friend and stood by and watched him try to pursue women (which all failed quickly by the way). Toward the very end of the book, when Patroclus finally confesses his love we find out that Achilles has always felt the same way. Patroclus’ lifelong battle with his identity is an experience that many people who identify as LGBTQ+ can relate to.

Though cliche, I also love the “love conquers all” theme. As a hopeless romantic, I really do believe love is powerful and I love watching that concept unfold while reading. It’s difficult for me to write about this in-depth without spoiling the novel (though if you know the original story, you know what happens) but love has power over everything in this novel. Many find this theme cheesy and unrealistic. However, I love the way this theme gives readers hope and increases our standards. Romance novels are not for pessimistic people and we shouldn’t change them to be. I am a firm believer that many of the storylines we see in this genre are not farfetched.

Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles is a captivating, easy read that I highly recommend. In my opinion, this novel is everything that a romance novel should be and I’m happy to see LGBTQ+ storylines gaining popularity because these are storylines that are relatable and beneficial to more people than we think.