"Separate, Not Segregated"

In class, we talked about the a Arizona law that wants to cut classes that focus on the history of minorities in America.  The Bordentown School in New Jersey was reminiscent of the minority classes that Arizona wants to outlaw.  From 1886 to 1955, the Bordentown School was exclusive to African American students.  The school was all African American (students and teachers) by choice, not by the segregation laws in place at the time.  The New York Times says: 


"The school was founded by a black minister, who wanted to create educational opportunities for youths as more and more blacks came north to escape the lack of economic possibility and murderous racism of the South."  


However the school did have a downside; the article goes on to say that the school primarily taught its students jobs like how to be a chauffeur of a maid, etc.  With that being said, one must take into consideration that during the time this school was open it was very unlikely that a person of a minority group would be doing any other type of jobs.  


It seems to me that this law in Arizona is a regression in America today.  If a school over 50 years ago could be solely dedicated to educating a minority, why can't these schools in Arizona have just a class dedicated to a minority's history?

Is the movie industry getting a little too "Carried Away"?

The long awaited Sex and the City 2 is set to hit theaters this Thursday.  It's hard to imagine someone who isn't familiar with the famed series, but for those who don't I'll give you a quick overview.  Sex and the City was a risque HBO series that aired from 1998 to 2004.  A movie continuation of the series was released on 2008 and its sequel will be released this Thursday.  The show is about the glamourous lives of four single women in New York City:  Carrie Bradshaw (the narrator of the show), Samantha Jones, Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes.  SATC is famous for its scandalous plots and the four ladies' impeccable ,sometimes over the top, fashion statements. 


As you can tell from the picture, all four of the show's main characters are white.  Even the majority of the main character's love interests are white males, with the exception of Charlotte's husband who is jewish; but that's the only consistently diverse character.  The first SATC movie in 2008, cast Jennifer Hudson, who is an African American actress, to play Carrie's assistant.  She is a literal "side-kick",  clearly fitting the mold for a token character.  Is it right that such an iconic show is laking so much in diversity?   Would the series be as iconic if Carrie Bradshaw had been a minority?

Additionally, the latest motion picture boasts a 10 million dollar budget- for wardrobe alone, according to the Boston Globe.  The four ladies also take an overly luxurious trip to Abu Dhabi; not at all frugal for the producers.  Director Michael Patrick King says: "I thought Hollywood should take people on a big vacation...it was our job to give everyone the vacation that maybe they can’t afford now."  But during this economic crisis, is it irresponsible to have such a ridiculously high budget for fashion alone?

Racism in Medicine

I recently came across a really interesting Newsweek article.  It tells the story of Dr. Mana Kasongo (pictured on the left) and her journey as a doctor and the racism that exists in her field.  It was surprising to read that Dr. Kasongo had been not taken seriously throughout her career for being African American.  She says even some of her African American patients are confused upon hearing that she is an M.D. and not a nurse.  


Dr. Kasongo tells about a time when she used her skills as a doctor to help her friend:


" I was having dinner at an upscale hotel in Las Vegas with a friend, when she started choking on a piece of food. As she flailed her arms in obvious distress, frantic cries of "Is there a doctor in the room?" rang out from nearby tables. I assured everyone that I was a doctor and administered the Heimlich maneuver successfully. Even as my friend regained her bearings, people at the surrounding tables kept screaming for a physician. Once the "real doctors"--two white males--came to the table and saw that her airway was clear, they told the staff that it appeared that I was in fact a doctor and that my friend was going to be fine."


This story shocked me.  It is clear that racism still exists in America today, but I did not realize that it was still so strong.  Even African American patients do not believe that there can be an African American doctor.  


What are your reactions to Dr. Kasongo's story?  What does this story say about America's progression? 

Interviews!!

So I actually ended up contacting two people for possible interviews.  Each responded in the same day and I plan to e-mail one and call the other this week!  My interview via e-mail is with Nicole Wise, the co-author of a book that I am using in my research.  The other is Lenore Skenazy, a New Trier grad.  She writes a blog called Free Range Kids and also has a book with that same title.  She is also a mother who raises her child as an anti-hyper parent. 

I am really excited to talk to both of theses women, and I am really surprised that they responded to me so quickly!  I'm also a little nervous, I still need to plan out my interview questions and I'm not really sure what to ask yet!

Junior Theme Research and Interview

As I continue my research, I am finding lots of really great articles focused on over-scheduled children in relation to college admittance and resume building, but I am really having a difficult time finding more information, other than resume building, as to why parents schedule their children so heavily. My research is producing the same types of articles and I need to find a way to create more variation in my research.

I am also working on contacting people for possible interviews.  So far, I found an author named Nicole Wise who co wrote a book I am looking at and who has written many articles for various newspapers concerning parenting and family issues.  Other than that, I am still not really sure who would be good to contact.

Junior Theme

Over the past week my class has spent in the library, I have finally managed to narrow down my topic for this year's junior theme paper.  My original topic was parenting styles and how they have changed over time in America.  After some basic research about different types of parenting styles, I was able to narrow down the broad topics of parenting to my final "why" question. 

Why do parents feel that they must control and micromanage every aspect of their childrens' lives?

There are a lot of articles out there about this topic, but I'm having trouble deciding which ones are 'scholoarly" enough to be used as research in my paper. 

Pepsi Publicity Stunt?

Pepsi is planning to remove all of their full calorie sugary drinks in primary schools in over 200 countries by the year 2012, according to CBS News.  The company is trying to promote healthy choices in children by only providing water, low fat milk and sugar free juices. 

But is this just a publicity stunt?

Pepsi's new plan reminded me of Monsanto's sponsorship of PBS.  Monsanto was just trying to create positive connotation with their name, is Pepsi trying to do the same by encouraging children to have a healthier diet?  By removing some of their drinks, is Pepsi actually trying to promote healthy choices or are they just trying to advertise?