Wow! This clip, regarding those in their late teens and early 20's, really shocked me. The way they presented this clip, it made it seem as though these teens, the millenials, depend entirely on their parents and have no clue what they are doing. They even went on to say that this new work force is like "extraterrestrials", and that we don't even know how to eat properly with a knife and fork.
This is a complete exaggeration. Sure, some of us may have always taken things for granted at an early age, and been rewarded just for participating. However, this belittles the fact that some of us also want to make it on our own, and unlike the video said, most of us DO find it awkward to still live with your parents after college. Many of us have had jobs by this point, and we don't have to be "coached" or "babysat" by our bosses. Some of us did take school seriously, and worked hard, and took AP classes, and earned scholarships, in an effort to find a job later on in life; not just a job that pays well, but rather a job in which we feel comfortable, and a job in which we enjoy what we are doing. This video makes our generation seem like lazy, dependent, and incapable people who don't know "how it is in the real world". Well here is what I believe: This may be true for SOME of us who always rely on our parents for everything, but it certainly does not apply to ALL of us.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
A Day Without A Mexican
A Day Without A Mexican is a film by Sergio Arau known as a mockumentary. Sure, it had a cheesy plot and poor acting. However, this was intentionally done, as the purpose of the film was not to impress, but rather to inform. This movie depicts what would happen if the Latino population suddenly vanished in California. Its message is to illustrate to the viewer the importance of the Latino Community, and it pokes fun at the whites who wrongly consider anyone who speaks Spanish a "Mexican".
The film gets its message across in many ways. It utilizes logos to depict how crucial Latinos are to this economy and this community, stating that 8 of the LA Dodgers are Latinos, and 60% of construction workers in California are Latinos. These alarming statistics emphasize how involved Hispanics are in their community, and their importance to the American society, whether they are legal or illegal immigrants.
The movie also employs pathos to further enhance how people take for granted the work that Latinos do. It presents the car crash of reporter Lyla Rodriguez, and the fact that she is the last Hispanic left in California, along with the disappearance of her family.
Ethos in the movie can be found by analyzing the governor of California, Abercrombie, who cares little about the Hispanics in the community, and values very little their work, up until they disappear and he realizes what an impact they had as a work force. Thus, he reluctantly recognizes that California needs these "Mexicans", even though some may be illegal, to work. As the film points out, agriculture is the focal point of the California economy, an area of the work force primarily devoted to "Mexicans".
The movie stereotypes whites, in a way, but it is effective in getting its point across through its use of humor and shocking statistics, along with its cheesy plot.
The film gets its message across in many ways. It utilizes logos to depict how crucial Latinos are to this economy and this community, stating that 8 of the LA Dodgers are Latinos, and 60% of construction workers in California are Latinos. These alarming statistics emphasize how involved Hispanics are in their community, and their importance to the American society, whether they are legal or illegal immigrants.
The movie also employs pathos to further enhance how people take for granted the work that Latinos do. It presents the car crash of reporter Lyla Rodriguez, and the fact that she is the last Hispanic left in California, along with the disappearance of her family.
Ethos in the movie can be found by analyzing the governor of California, Abercrombie, who cares little about the Hispanics in the community, and values very little their work, up until they disappear and he realizes what an impact they had as a work force. Thus, he reluctantly recognizes that California needs these "Mexicans", even though some may be illegal, to work. As the film points out, agriculture is the focal point of the California economy, an area of the work force primarily devoted to "Mexicans".
The movie stereotypes whites, in a way, but it is effective in getting its point across through its use of humor and shocking statistics, along with its cheesy plot.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Fidel Response
From what we viewed in class on Thursday, the Cubans were sick and tired of the corrupt government they had under Prio. Fidel's leadership could be seen even when he was a lawyer, arguing against the government, and pushing for revolution. Upon watching this portion of the movie, I realized that the Cuban people were not satisfied with the government they had before Castro, as I had previously thought they were. As it appeared, the government under Batista was not much better than under Prio, and Castro anticipated this and called for an attack on the Moncada barracks on July 26th. Although this attack failed, Castro's leadership could easily be seen here, and his bravery and determination that inspired those who supported him to belive in his ideal above all else, even family. His charismatic approach is what led these people to follow him, in an effort to revolt against the established government, and free the Cuban people of the oppression bestowed upon them by their own government and the U.S.
Monday, October 15, 2007
" A Mighty Heart"
"A Mighty Heart" is a movie starring Angelina Jolie as the wife of Daniel Pearl, the journalist who was kidnapped on his way to an alleged interview with the Sheikh of Pakistan, and then brutally murdered weeks later. I was watching this movie earlier today, and I could feel the pain this poor woman went through during weeks of searching for clues as to the kidnapping of her husband. This happened shortly after the 9/11 terrorist hijackings in the city of Karachi, the biggest city in Pakistan during mid-January.
The movie is very emotional. The search that lasted for weeks, involving the FBI and Pakistani officials, led to the tragic conclusion of finding out that Daniel Pearl had been beheaded by Al-Qaeda extremists, and captured on videotape. His wife was hopeful until the very end, and her passion in discovering the truth and the clues is excellently portrayed by Angelina Jolie. The anguish and the suffering she goes through when she found out he had been murdered is very emotional and saddening to watch, after having come so close to finding the kidnappers and bringing Daniel back home alive. It is a story of courage and hope that should be seen by my fellow classmates, and we should never forget the story of Daniel Pearl, a dedicated journalist of the Wall Street Journal who died in the line of duty, doing what he knew was right, and reporting honestly all the time.
The movie is very emotional. The search that lasted for weeks, involving the FBI and Pakistani officials, led to the tragic conclusion of finding out that Daniel Pearl had been beheaded by Al-Qaeda extremists, and captured on videotape. His wife was hopeful until the very end, and her passion in discovering the truth and the clues is excellently portrayed by Angelina Jolie. The anguish and the suffering she goes through when she found out he had been murdered is very emotional and saddening to watch, after having come so close to finding the kidnappers and bringing Daniel back home alive. It is a story of courage and hope that should be seen by my fellow classmates, and we should never forget the story of Daniel Pearl, a dedicated journalist of the Wall Street Journal who died in the line of duty, doing what he knew was right, and reporting honestly all the time.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Abortion
Abortion is a very controversial social issue that as been going on for quite a while now. For a fact, almost everyone at one point has heard the "Pro-life vs. Pro-choice argument", whether it was on TV, the news, the internet, at work, or even at school. Some people argue for pro-choice, exclaiming that it is the woman's choice whether or not she wants to abort the child or not, and that a law prohibiting the woman from making this choice infringes her right of privacy. There have even been court cases, such as "Roe vs. Wade", which even declared that it was unconstitutional and against the fourteenth amendment to prevent a woman from having an abortion. However, I am one who believes in pro-life.
It is true that a woman has a right to her privacy. However, if said woman was irresponsible, and did not utilize any contraception, why should the child, even though not formed yet, have to suffer? The woman should be responsible enough now to have this child and take care of it, and the man who impregnated her should not be a pansy and run away from the problem. Instead, such man should console his wife/girlfriend and encourage her, being the head of the house he should be. He should tell her not to worry, and that together they will get through this. He can even suggest for her to get help, and there are many ways she can get help.
It is true that a woman has a right to her privacy. However, if said woman was irresponsible, and did not utilize any contraception, why should the child, even though not formed yet, have to suffer? The woman should be responsible enough now to have this child and take care of it, and the man who impregnated her should not be a pansy and run away from the problem. Instead, such man should console his wife/girlfriend and encourage her, being the head of the house he should be. He should tell her not to worry, and that together they will get through this. He can even suggest for her to get help, and there are many ways she can get help.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Carlos Mencia
After watching these two videos by Carlos Mencia, I find some of his points to have validity. The first video was very offensive, especially if you consider the fact that he dropped the "F
-bomb" all throughout his performance. If you bleep out or tune out all the cursing, you can find that his argument is indeed effective. I agree with what he is saying.
Mencia's argument, although offensive, sheds light on the fact that everyone nowadays wants to be "politically correct", and I believe he is directing his argument towards these people. He argues that people get offended by anything nowadays, even over an honest mistake such as calling a Japanese person Chinese. His comical approach to these issues lessens the tension when he talks about certain subjects such as blacks and fried chicken, and mexicans and tacos.
He also goes on to say that he is sick and tired of minorities always wanting special treatment, even for their kids who are doing bad in school and blame it on ADD. It is true.. ADD was not a disease back then, it is a new disorder now which some people say is a "good thing" because it means that their kid is "too bright to focus on just one thing, and so he can not pay attention to just one thing". Well, Mencia says that this is not the case, this can be remedied by stronger parenting skills, which he claims have also weakened presently. There is a lot of truth in this, as now kids control and manipulate their parents in some households.
Mencia is offensive in the way he presents his argument, but overall he is effective, and he gets his point across, illuminating the obscurities surrounding this issue, and the fact that minorities want equal treatment overall, but in some cases want special treatment, such as regarding education.
-bomb" all throughout his performance. If you bleep out or tune out all the cursing, you can find that his argument is indeed effective. I agree with what he is saying.
Mencia's argument, although offensive, sheds light on the fact that everyone nowadays wants to be "politically correct", and I believe he is directing his argument towards these people. He argues that people get offended by anything nowadays, even over an honest mistake such as calling a Japanese person Chinese. His comical approach to these issues lessens the tension when he talks about certain subjects such as blacks and fried chicken, and mexicans and tacos.
He also goes on to say that he is sick and tired of minorities always wanting special treatment, even for their kids who are doing bad in school and blame it on ADD. It is true.. ADD was not a disease back then, it is a new disorder now which some people say is a "good thing" because it means that their kid is "too bright to focus on just one thing, and so he can not pay attention to just one thing". Well, Mencia says that this is not the case, this can be remedied by stronger parenting skills, which he claims have also weakened presently. There is a lot of truth in this, as now kids control and manipulate their parents in some households.
Mencia is offensive in the way he presents his argument, but overall he is effective, and he gets his point across, illuminating the obscurities surrounding this issue, and the fact that minorities want equal treatment overall, but in some cases want special treatment, such as regarding education.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Dark Days
Wow! This movie goes back to the argument we had in class a few weeks ago. These people in the movie had an opportunity in life and they wasted it. Sure, they may not have had the best parents, but they decided to turn to drugs instead of going to school and getting educated. There was even one case of one man who went to jail for shoplifting I believe, and his daughter died while he was in jail. These people are deserving of compassion, and yes, the government does help them out a little bit. However, who is to say that they won't use the money they receive to keep on buying drugs?
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