Derrick Swaby                                                                                                                       7/12/11

Sarah                                                                                                                                      EnGage

Equality finally in America…Or is it?

America has come a long way in its development. We are revered by some countries for our rapid advancements in technology, medical science, and astronomy. Unfortunately this is not true for our educational system especially for the African American race. Today there are specific laws that prevent schools from legally segregating schools In America. Contrary to this fact schools still remain segregated, because the key word in this statement is legally in short segregation has somehow managed to defy the law and therefore become an everyday occurrence in this country. In short segregation never ceased to exist, in fact not only did it never cease and desist but neither has anyone tried to do anything about it except a journalist named Jonathan Kozol who wrote the article “Still Separate still unequal” and the subject is more delicately and in some ways incoherently touched upon by Susan Cain who wrote the article “Shyness: Evolutionary Tactic?”.The fact that the African-American community had to go through such hardships for us to be equal only to have the very same people they were fighting for (our generation and the future generation as well) to have to attend schools that are not even fit for sitting in much less learning in. It can be and has been argued that this is something that the black community has brought upon itself and therefore has nothing to do with the government and its morality. I can inform you that this argument is very wrong.

The state of our country like the recession, and the occasional budget cut has had crippling effects on the American economy which in turn has affected every aspect of life in this country. However, many people will be dismayed to understand that out of all the changes this country has gone through, whether they are good or bad the educational system of this democratic country has never gone through any major modifications. What about Brown vs. Board of Education you ask? What about the historical abolishment of segregation in the entire school system? And most of all what about the 14_th amendment which states that all Americans are created equal? Well they are all insignificant events in history because of the fact that schools are still segregated today. The article “Still Separate, Still Unequal: America’s Educational Apartheid” written by Jonathan Kozol illustrates the segregation taking place in our school system by putting together a collection of statistics, history, interviews, and letters from children that have taken a stronger hit from segregation than most other kids have had to withstand in this day and age. His arguments are extremely compelling and his leveled tone never falters. In the article one of the main points that Kozol makes is when he expounds on a quote from Marina Warner who according to the text is an essayist and novelist who has written many books for children. In the quote she says “There are expensive children and there are cheap children” He expands on the fact that the moment a child is born in a poor family they are cut off from many of the opportunities that people in wealthy families are often offered and in many situations never take advantage of. Although, a situation such as this one is not illegal it is undoubtedly a form of segregation which is a large contradiction seeing as segregation, in any form is considered illegal according to the constitutional laws of the United States of America. (Keep in mind that the same thing is said about slavery and yet there are still hundreds of pimps (slave masters) and prostitutes (slaves) running around all over the US.) This would count as segregation because if you were to count the amount of wealthy White families in America and the amount of Black wealthy families in America you would see undisputedly that the wealthy White families well out way those of the Black…minus the people who play professional sports. Therefore this financial separation can produce not only educational segregation but occupational segregation as well. According to http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-occupationalsegregation.html occupational segregation is: “The division of labor, in the context of paid employment, as a result of which men and women (or members of different ethnic or religious groupings) is channeled into different types of occupational roles and tasks, such that there are two (or more) separate labor forces.”        

In the article “Shyness: Evolutionary Tactic?” by Susan Cain the subject of segregation comes up very subtlety but not in the form of suffering school children. However, it does come up in the form of shy people. This notion is just as ridiculous as it sounds but non-the-less it is true and it happens quite frequently in our society. “As a society, we prefer action to contemplation, risk-taking to heed-taking, certainty to doubt. Studies show that we rank fast and frequent talkers as more competent, likable and even smarter than slow ones. As the psychologists William Hart and Dolores Albarracin point out, phrases like “get active,” “get moving,” “do something” and similar calls to action surface repeatedly in recent books.” This quote illustrates how keen our society is to separate those who are “different” It can also be a strong indicator to people who are not too bright that the problem, which is segregation has never went away, instead it has just become less transparent. Although there are plenty of people who would like to think that things like segregation and racism are completely nonexistent in the United States Susan Cain and Jonathan Kozol knows otherwise. Susan demonstrates her keen sense of equality by stating in her article that while “sitters” would think things through and “rovers” would jump into action “Each strategy reaps different rewards”. Jonathan Kozol however, did not show his displeasure with his own words but with the words of children suffering in broken down public schools. This sends a far more serious message than the one Susan sends. I think that what makes this situation so serious is the fact that thousands of African-American men, women, and children were stoned, beat, spat on, bit by dogs, hosed, and worst of all killed just so our generation did not have to withstand such treatment. They made sacrifices that were put in history books and because of them laws were made to insure that the African-American community was given the same rights as the white community and above all the same opportunities to become successful in life as those of the white community.

In my opinion if the president of the United States of America or Donald Trump would not send their children to one of our public schools then something needs to change in the way public schools (especially in the inner city environments) are managed. As bad as things are plenty of actions can be taken to fix our educational system and inform some wealthy individuals of the problem at large but the question is who will be the one to do it. And what’s more is that there are people who are capable of helping to but they are not being heard…the problem is that if people are speaking all at the same time then nobody gets heard and in extension nothing gets fixed.                                             

Haecestautem vita

Well the essay “Will you be my Black Friend?” was defiantly… interesting to say the least. His point was very compelling and it made a great deal of sense. I defiantly agree that the reason that white people don’t have more black friends is because 1) White people are simply not used to being around different people. 2) Most White people have little to nothing in common with Black people simply because of our environment. And 3) some white people get nervous when they are around white people but I don’t think the reason for this is because they are “Afraid they may accidentally say something that sounds racist” I think some of them get nervous because they are guilty about the fact that White people once enslaved Black people. I know that if I was in a room with a person or a group of people that my community whipped, raped, mutated/tortured, and forced them to do hard labor with no pay and no rights, then I think I would be a little nervous too. However, what many people do not take into mind is that this was a long time ago and most of these were different people. There are some people who had parents, or grandparents, or great grandparents who were or are racist but every generation is supposed to be better than the last therefore their barbaric opinions should be obsolete and this generation of Blacks and Whites alike should just try to be the best people they can in life                       

vitamors estad corruptionemproficere

The story “My life as an undocumented immigrant” is the most thrilling auto biography/article I have ever read. Jose Antonio Vargas is very detailed about how he feels about many of the issues he encounters as an undocumented immigrant. What I like the most is that he was never afraid about getting into personal events and feelings he has had in his life… or at least more personal than him being an undocumented immigrant. For example on page 5 of the article he talks about how he was watching a documentary in his history class about Harvey Milk who was killed because he was gay and during his class discussion he raised his hand and said that he was very sorry for Harvey Milk because he was gay as well. This did not change my view of him much if anything the fact that he is gay just solidifies him more…or makes him seem more real and not just some random guy who had a hard time growing up because of his lack of papers. Today there are very harsh laws toward immigrants, especially those of them who are coming from Mexico. Many people think that Mexicans are steeling good American jobs and that they are one of the reasons why America’s economy is in such bad shape. However, even if this were true there are thousands of people starving in Mexico right now because they can’t get a job. Many of them don’t even know where their next meal is going to come from…So you need to ask yourself this: If America was in Mexico’s position wouldn’t we do the same thing?              

 7/12/11

 Derrick Swaby                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

America has come a long way in its development. We are revered by some countries for our rapid advancements in technology, medical science, and astronomy. Unfortunately this is not true for our educational system especially for the African American race. Today there are particular laws that prevent schools from legally segregating schools in any way. Contrary to this fact schools still remain segregated, because the key word in this statement is legally in short segregation has somehow managed to defy the law. Unfortunately segregation never ceased to exist, in fact not only did it never go away but no one has done anything about it and its continuation will most likely have devastating effects on our society, and not to mention corrupt the very laws that this country used to build its foundation. It can be and has been argued that this is something that the black community has brought upon itself and therefore has nothing to do with the government and its morality. I can inform you that this argument is very wrong.

The state of our country like the recession, and the occasional budget cut has had crippling effects on the American economy which in turn has affected every aspect of life in this country. However, never has our educational system faltered in all the years that the Board of Education has been in existence never have they gone through any major changes! What about Brown vs. Board of Education you ask? What about the historical abolishment of segregation in the entire school system? And most of all what about the 14_th amendment which states that all Americans are equal? Well they are all insignificant events in history because of the fact that schools are still segregated. The article “Still Separate, Still Unequal: America’s Educational Apartheid” written by Jonathan Kozol illustrates the segregation taking place in our school system by putting together a collection of statistics, history, interviews, and letters from children that have taken a stronger hit from segregation than most other kids have had to withstand. His arguments are extremely compelling and his leveled tone never falters. In the article one of the main points that Kozol makes is when he expounds on a quote from Marina Warner who according to the text is an essayist and novelist who has written many books for children. In the quote she says “There are expensive children and there are cheap children” He expands on the fact that the moment a child is born in a poor family they are cut off from many of the opportunities that people in wealthy families are often offered and in many situations never take advantage of. Although, a situation such as this one is not illegal it is undoubtedly a form of segregation which is a large contradiction seeing as segregation is illegal. This would count as segregation because if you were to count the amount of wealthy White families in America and the amount of Black wealthy families in America you would see undisputedly that the wealthy White families well out way those of the Black…minus the people who play professional sports. 

In the article “Shyness: Evolutionary Tactic?” by Susan Cain the subject of segregation comes up very subtlety but not in the form of suffering school children. However, it does come up in the form of shy people. This notion is just as ridiculous as it sounds but non-the-less it is true and it happens quite frequently in our society. “As a society, we prefer action to contemplation, risk-taking to heed-taking, certainty to doubt. Studies show that we rank fast and frequent talkers as more competent, likable and even smarter than slow ones. As the psychologists William Hart and Dolores Albarracin point out, phrases like “get active,” “get moving,” “do something” and similar calls to action surface repeatedly in recent books.” This quote illustrates how keen our society is to separate those who are “different” It can also be a strong indicator to people who are not too bright that the problem, which is segregation has never went away, instead it has just become less transparent. Although there are plenty of people who would like to think that things like segregation and racism are completely nonexistent in the United States Susan Cain and Jonathan Kozol knows otherwise. Susan demonstrates her keen sense of equality by stating in her article that while “sitters” would think things through and “rovers” would jump into action “Each strategy reaps different rewards”. Jonathan Kozol however, did not show his displeasure with his own words but with the words of children suffering in broken down public schools. This sends a far more serious message than the one Susan sends. I think that what makes this situation so serious is the fact that thousands of African-American men, women, and children were stoned, beat, spat on, bit by dogs, hosed, and worst of all killed just so our generation did not have to withstand such treatment. They made sacrifices that were put in history books and because of them laws were made to insure that the African-American community was given the same rights as the white community and above all the same opportunities to become successful in life as those of the white community.

The fact that the African-American community had to go through such hardships for us to be equal only to have the very same people they were fighting for (our generation and the future generation as well) to have to attend schools that are not fit for learning. In my opinion if the president of the United States of America or Donald Trump would not send their children to one of our public schools then something needs to change in the way public schools (especially in the inner city environments) are managed. As bad as things are plenty of actions can be taken to fix our educational system and inform some wealthy individuals of the problem at large but the question is who will be the one to do it.                                         

vitae victoria est lethum

BY: Derrick Swaby

7/6/11

            Ever since the birth of the first group of cave men the human race have been developing and expanding their mental abilities and/or capacities, making astonishing discoveries about themselves and their environment. The human mind has the power to create events which causes a series of positive or negative events and in various cases a bit of both at the same time. Humans have been the most intellectual forms of mammals to inhabit this planet. However, despite all of the evolutionary, historical, and not to mention expeditious progress Homo sapiens have made over the millennia we are still not perfect and therefore some of our most important decisions are imperfect. Take for example the lack of rights young people have when on school property or the negative environments that we (young people) are pushed into. This problem is a constant reminder that the “adults” don’t always know what’s best. The article “School is bad for children” written by John Holt in the Saturday Evening Post dated February 8, 1969 supports this observation compassionately if not perfectly.

            It may surprise many people to learn that this article was written in 1969 and yet it is extraordinarily accurate about how young people, including myself feel about learning today. Not to mention the many young men and women who perceive school as well as the work that is painfully loaded upon us as a waste of time. In the beginning of the third paragraph John Holt says “…He learns that he is worthless, untrustworthy, fit only to take other people’s orders, a blank sheet for other people to write on.” As a student and a teenager I must say that this is an accurate allegation. For many young men and women this feeling of “Worthlessness” is a heavy load to carry and can become very destructive. John Holt also comments on this problem in a passionate and condescending tone that betrays his…unhappy state of mind. “…He learns how to live without paying attention to anything going on around him. You might say that school is a long lesson in how to turn yourself off, which may be one reason why so many young people, seeking the awareness of the world and responsiveness to it they had when they were little, think they can only find it in drugs.” It is quite clear from this statement that John Holt is not exactly happy about the treatment that kids has had to withstand in 1969 and I am certain that it is not a good thing that the school system did not change substantially after all those years. This fact holds more of a threat to our entire race of not so smart, smart Homo sapiens, than most people may think because of the simple fact that our society is rapidly advancing and it is absolutely imperative that that “Adults” strive to make our generation mentally stronger so that we can further develop and understand our own technology which can lead to all kinds of innovative invention that has the potential to solve Earths pollution problem, stop global warming, cure diseases like HIV/AIDS and even end world hunger.

            In paragraph nine of the article “School is bad for Children” Mr. Holt responds to an objection that he must have encountered several times while making his argument, which is in this point in the article that schools should abolish compulsory school attendance or at the very least modify it by giving children a large number of authorized absences every year. The objection was: “If kids didn’t have to go to school they’d all be out in the streets” in response to this Mr. Holt says that even if schools stayed the same way kids would still spend a substantial amount of time outside because that’s where they are likely to find “friends”. The argument can be made however that “friends” aren’t the only people you can meet in the street especially at such a young age there are usually 3-4 threats that a young person is likely to bump into assuming the young man or woman is completely trustworthy 1) bullies are the least of a kids worries when wandering around the streets. 2) Car accidents happen often and usually in unpredictable times but if there are kids wandering around at random times the possibility of them getting involved in a car accident goes up.3) There are also people who would want to target kids for countless reasons but usually adults are stronger than kids and therefore the younger individual is at a disadvantage.4) there is gang activity no matter where you are and usually if there are enough people these gang members like to assault innocent bystanders which can be a traumatizing experience for a young male or female.

            The world’s foundation is based on learning and evolving and sometimes if an empire has an unstable or nonexistent educational foundation that empire can easily be destroyed. The simple instinct of survival should be enough to keep Homo sapiens from making the same mistakes over and over again however some adults seem to be doing just that. Someone once told me that true insanity is when someone constantly repeats the same thing and expects a different reaction every time. If this saying is true then I am deeply concerned for this countries sanity and even more concerned for its foundation…Us.

Talis Est Vita

Now I defiantly know how to post on my tumblr