Blog Prompt: Final Thoughts

Hi All,
This is the simplest blog prompt of all. In 150 words or less, please write a post that sums up what you learned and/or what you found provocative or interesting (or puzzling or frustrating) about our conversations in MLS 590 over the course of the term. I look forward to your responses

Blog Prompt: What is the most interesting thing you've learned so far in your research for your final project?

OK. This prompt is simplicity itself. Please write a short (100-150 word) post describing the most interesting thing you've learned so far in your research for your final project.

Blog Prompt: From Nobody to Somebody

As we discussed in class last night, given the grim nature of the social, political and economic realities Hill discusses in his book Nobody, it is surprising that he ends on upbeat and positive note, celebrating the ability of protest and grassroots mobilizations to transform the vulnerable into a powerful political force, into "somebodies."  Yet, Hill makes no real positive policy prescriptions here other than saying that the State should cease harming the very (Black, Brown, poor, queer, trans) people it should be protecting. This is a very general, very vague demand. Thus, Hill's argument left me wondering about what sorts of concrete steps (policies, laws, reforms) should be taken to address the causes of the vulnerability and State violence he so ably chronicles.  What should be done to address the concentrated poverty, chronic lack of jobs and political disempowerment of a communities like Ferguson, MO and Flint, MI?  How should police practice be changed to improve relations between cops and young Black men? How should our draconian

drugs laws and the criminal justice system as whole be reformed? How do we reverse the trend towards mass incarceration (and, perhaps, how do we make incarceration itself a more rehabilitative experience)? What should we do about the epidemic of gun violence, especially in communities of the vulnerable? I'm not expecting you to answer all or even any of these questions. But I would like to know what you think.   

Blog Prompt: The Media, Real Women and Gender Oppression

In class on Tuesday, we discussed Susan Douglas' criticisms of the ways the media-- from the news to TV and film to pop culture-- promotes what she calls "enlightened sexism." Increasingly, the media feature images of women and girls as "empowered" and as in positions of power and authority. Films and TV shows these days are full of female lawyers, doctors, police detectives, Presidents, Vice Presidents and so on. Yet, as Douglas puts it toward the end of the book, 

Now, in real life, things are not quite so egalitarian as they may seem in the fantasy realms of our nation's small screens. With the media's eagerness to present "aspirational" shows and characters-- meaning viewers will fantasize about moving up and so will be in a good frame of mind to think about buying Estee Lauder "Teint longue tenue" or a Cadillac-- most  "real women" and what they do in "real life" are erased in favor of fantasies of power, achievement and control. (p. 279)

This observation raises an interesting question: Are there any representations in the media, whether fictional or journalistic,  that adequately reflect the real lives of real woman and, most importantly, that expose and draw attention to the lack of gender equity in American society? Are there TV shows or films or documentaries that manage to throw a critical light on the ways women continue to be oppressed in our society? I look forward to your posts.

 

Blog Prompt: Changing the World One Click at a Time?

In class this week, we spent a lot of time discussing the debate over just how useful social media is for social activism and activists. While critics like Malcom Gladwell acknowledge that social media is a useful tool for forging and maintaining "weak connections" and disseminating information among large numbers of people, they contend it is not particularly useful for the sort of activism that is needed to produce meaningful social and political change. Yet recent events-- the rise of Black Lives Matter, the Women's March on Washington-- suggest that online connections can mobilize people to take to the streets in huge numbers and can move people who have never engaged in activism or politics to get involved. What do you think about the role played by social media in contemporary social movements and activism?  

Please post one of your op-eds on your blog for classmates to read

Hi All, 
At some point after class tonight, please post of the two blogs you wrote on your own blog so classmates can read and respond to it. Thanks. SM

Blog Prompt: In 40 words or less, summarize the idea for one of your op-eds

This week I've given you an assignment to write two op-eds on topics of your choosing. As a way of "jump starting" the writing process -- and as a way of eliciting some feedback for your ideas-- I'd like you each to write a quick blog post that summarizes the main idea for one of the two op-eds you'll be writing. Can't wait to see what you're working on.